Colleen Hoover’s Ready to Tell Her Side of the Story
If you’re a part of #BookTok then you’ve read or seen at least one of Colleen Hoover’s books. Even if you haven’t, you’ve seen her name floating around the internet in connection to the Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni scandal. But, what if I told you there’s more to her legacy than the fallout of It Ends With Us? Unsurprisingly, she’s baring it all while continuing to build her legacy.
In an exclusive feature interview with ELLE, she chatted with Deputy Editor and Features Director Kayla Webley Adler to talk about her rise from bestselling author to a budding Hollywood producer. I don’t know about you, but I love the author-to-producer pipeline because it widens the doors for others to tell fascinating stories that transcend time.
Her Next Anticipated Projects
Hoover’s looking ahead to the future with the the upcoming debuts of Reminders of Him and Verity. Their big screen features are coming right after Regretting You and starred Allison Williams as well as Dave Franco. If you’re unfamiliar with her new projects, here’s a brief overview of her them:
Reminders of Him
Following a life-altering event, Kenna Rowan finds herself trying to forge a new life that doesn’t mirror her past. She’s also determined to be with her daughter and finds an unsuspected connection to her via Ledger Ward, a bar owner.
Verity
What would you do if you received the writing job of your dreams only to find yourself entangled in someone’s murky past? For Lowen Ashleigh, the answer to this question unravels in a tangled web of lies in Verity. Initially hired to finish Verity Crawford’s successful series after an accident leaves the latter unable to, Ashleigh begins to realize the beloved author may not be who she’s portrayed herself to be.
How She Plans to Be More Hands on with Her Projects
Hoover’s taking great care to be more involved with her projects which is a departure from her experience with It Ends With Us. Alongside director Lauren Levine, she’s founded a production company called Heartbones Entertainment because it’s “an opportunity to tell the stories you want to tell and have a bit of agency,” (via ELLE). Even though she admits the two “never made a big deal out of it,” they’ve been “quietly buying up things." This means we’ll see more of Hoover and Levine’s work in the years to come.
Her Hot Take on the It Ends With Us Controversy
As of today, the Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni lawsuit is ongoing without any resolve in sight. Unfortunately, it’s taken a toll on Hoover who had to be a part of the trial’s proceedings. Not only did the author and producer say things feel “like a circus,” but she also revealed she’s “just trying to stay removed from the negativity,” (via ELLE). Does she have her own version of what really went down? Of course, but her focus isn’t on fanning anymore flames.
Despite drawing inspiration from her own mother’s story, Hoover says It Ends With Us is triggering for them. She says, “I feel awful because I almost feel like she’s gone through more with the aftermath of this film, more pain than she went through with my dad, just seeing the ugliness of it.” Additionally, Hoover herself is “almost embarrassed” that the book is associated with her writing.
She’s Not Running Scared
Although there’s been more headaches associated with a book Hoover once felt a special connection to, she’s not giving up easily. Yes, this means she’s seen critiques about how she’s written things and she’s taking them in stride. Her intent wasn’t to “impress people” with her work, but she cares more about writing things she can spend all day reading.
“…the people that criticized that kind of writing, could they write a better book? Probably. Have they? Probably not,” she says (via ELLE).
Read the full article here: ELLE’s December 2025/ January 2026 Issue
