Colleen Hoover stirs up BookTok outrage over It Ends With Us coloring book

Culver City, California - TikTok's favorite author, Colleen Hoover, is facing massive backlash for releasing a coloring book based on one of her most popular novels.

Colleen Hoover (l.) is receiving backlash online for announcing a coloring book inspired by It Ends With Us.
Colleen Hoover (l.) is receiving backlash online for announcing a coloring book inspired by It Ends With Us.  © Collage: Screenshot/Instagram/@colleenhoover & Screenshot/TikTok/@alisbookshelf_

The reigning queen of BookTok has earned sky-high success thanks to her popularity online, but it seems she may have taken things too far.

On Tuesday, the 43-year-old author announced the release of a coloring book inspired by her 2016 novel It Ends With Us.

The novel has captivated TikTok over the past two years. Even celebs like Kylie Jenner have gotten in on the hype, sharing snaps on Instagram of It Ends With Us and its recently released prequel, It Starts With Us.

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But this novel is far from the fairytale romance novel many present it as. It Ends With Us follows Lily Bloom, a young woman who falls for a neurosurgeon named Ryle. The pair's love affair quickly takes a dark turn as Ryle grows violent toward Lily.

The idea of a coloring book based on a novel primarily centered around domestic violence was shocking for many fans, to say the least.

BookTok reacts to Colleen Hoover's It Ends With Us coloring book

The news of the coloring book took many TikTok creators by surprise.
The news of the coloring book took many TikTok creators by surprise.  © Collage: Screenshot/TikTok/@literaryalexandra

Though Hoover has become a staple of the BookTok community, many creators have criticized her and her books, and the coloring book endeavor has only provided further ammunition against the author.

It Ends With Us, which is consistently marketed as a romance, has been repeatedly slammed for glorifying trauma and romanticizing abuse.

"When we talk about Colleen Hoover and her publisher both romanticizing abusive relationships and trying to convince us her books are romance, actually, something like CREATING A COLORING BOOK only proves the point," TikTok creator @mynameismarines tweeted.

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Even those who support It Ends With Us and believe it is a poignant portrayal of domestic violence have come out against the coloring book, arguing that it "diminishes" the message of the original story.

The controversy has reignited debates about the quality of Hoover's works as well as the potentially damaging impact of them on younger readers. Though marketed to adults, the novels are reaching a younger audience, thanks in large part to TikTok, and the problematic messages carry even more potential for harm when presented to younger women.

The subjects tackled in It Ends With Us require careful diligence and thought in how they are portrayed. So far, the Texas-born author's clear attempts to cash in on the books' popularity without regard for the severity of their subject matter prove an ill-equipped way to handle sensitive topics.

Whether this scandal will be enough to knock her popularity down a peg on TikTok remains to be seen, but it is an opportunity for readers to reflect on what works they choose to support.

Cover photo: Collage: Screenshot/Instagram/@colleenhoover & Screenshot/TikTok/@alisbookshelf_

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