Why I am not reviewing CoHo books...


I really debated on whether to update my review, leave it as is or delete it. Anytime I update a review it is when I do a reread of a book, which is not something I have done with It Ends with Us. After I read this novel, it was definitely not a reread contender, but at that time, I had been glad I read it. I am not a huge follower of #BookTok as most are about steamy books, domestic suspense or YA fantasy – which are not any of my go-to genres. I was a huge domestic suspense fan till they started to get too cookie cutter. I have had a few friends recommend Colleen Hoover, and especially suggest I read her historical fiction, Verity. I always hesitated as they seem to be just general romance and new adult romances. When an older friend recommended it, I was eager to read it. I had just gotten out of an abusive relationship, so at the time, I felt like I was reading a book about what happens when someone with low self-esteem (and oodles of other issues) dates a narcissist. I saw this as a general fiction book about the pitfalls of dating, I would never say this is a romance, or a romantic story. I debated about writing this review on the blog as certain CoHo fans can be a bit ruthless. I am no where big enough of an “influencer” and reviewer where I think they will read this review anyway. I am writing this here, as I do want readers to be careful in how they go about reading this book. I agree with some readers who label this as trauma porn, in that it romanticize cruel men, abuse and just sadness. There is a new book out in this series, in case you do want to read this series/duology.

A good book friend recommended this novel to me after she finished. I literally checked out this book right away and read it (we rarely lead one another astray). I had heard of Colleen Hoover but I don’t read a lot of New Adult books, so she wasn’t on my radar. While I wasn’t that into the romance part later in the book as it seemed forced, the relationship between Ryle and Lily really hit home. The sudden romance, to controlling behaviour, insecurities and not learning from the past. I found this part of the book most interesting and realistic.

Update:(January 31, 2023) I was super naive when I read this novel. I didn’t know this was a romance book, and part of the trauma porn she normally writes. I read it as a novel about domestic violence, how sometimes low self-esteem and wanting to find someone to love you can allow you “justify” dangerous and horrible behaviour as not so bad. I read it as a survivor of DV myself. Relationships are complicated and I can name several good times with my ex-partner, but I am not confused in thinking it was romance or telling my story as such. I don’t see Ryle as a romantic hero, or even an anti-hero.

I did change my rating from 3.5 stars to nothing, because I don’t want to rate this novel or bring it attention that it does not deserve. It would be one thing if it was a beautifully written book, or if it had a message. But upon hearing what CoHo fans coo over this novel, and love the other books for the same reason, I am removing the books from my backlist to read. I really wanted to read Verity, but now my interest level has vanished. There is an army of CoHo fans so I am sure she will get by without me being a fan. I was happy to hear that the “colouring book” for this book was scraped as I am not sure what they would have from this book. The positivity that Lily Bloom totes in this book was like a victim, wanting to see the good in the abuser. There will be a movie with Blake Lively, and I am super disappointed. Maybe they change the tone…but with CoHo fans I doubt it.

As I often do with my favorite authors, I went into this completely blind. I was surprised to find one of the perspectives was a teenager, so this felt like a YA at times. It addresses such real and important topics, like love and loss, in such an impacting way. This book was really amazing and became one fo my favorite reads this year.

One of the best books I read this year! Colleen Hoover knows how to develop characters, make you care about every aspect of their lives, and explores human nature better than most. This story will pull at your heartstrings while making you reach for a box of tissues. And maybe some wine... in fact, wine is highly recommended for this one! (I kid, but it definitely helped me deal with all of the emotions in this one!)

Colleen Hoover does it again! She is an auto buy author for me and never disappoints. I love going into her books without knowing anything she always makes you love/care for the characters and always puts you in your feels.

We want to preface this review with a non-spoiler note - which means we cannot fully explore why we felt the way we did, whilst reading Regretting You.

‘It feels like I’ve been inside a snow globe that someone shook up, then dropped. I feel like the contents of my life have shattered, and fragments of me have spilled out all over someone’s dusty hardwood floor. I feel irreparably broken.’

Regretting You by Colleen Hoover is a story of friendships, love, betrayal and survival. It’s about life, and specifically a mother and her teenage daughter’s relationship through grief and emotional heartbreak. It’s a story of making soul destroying decisions and ignoring a vital part of your heart, doing the best you can to live in peace and quiet, whilst making selfless decisions as well as succumbing to temptation. It’s about drawing on personal strength when you most need it.

‘For some reason, sadness in music eases the sadness in my soul. It’s like the worse the heartache in a song is, the better I feel. Dramatic songs are like a drug, I imagine. Really bad for you, but they make you feel good.’

Colleen Hoover is a magnificent writer and always manages to surprise us. Her stories are full of emotion, angst, intricate relationships and they always come with life lessons, inspiration and hope. Nine out of ten times this Author has managed to draw every emotion out of us, compelling us with her words. She’s a gifted story-teller.

“I’m learning that sometimes you have to walk away from the fight in order to win it.”

Sadly and surprisingly, Regretting You just didn’t work for us. Whilst we enjoyed parts of it and absolutely had to know how this story was going to unfold, we didn’t feel any connection with the characters. Don’t get us wrong, there were moments of sheer emotional beauty where the Colleen Hoover we know and love shone like a beacon. However, in between those moments, we caught ourselves reading in a monotone voice, as it felt somewhat flat, repetitive and very unlike this Author. In other words, we struggled to find that much loved Colleen Hoover spark, the intensity of emotion she elicits and the unwavering love we feel for her characters.

‘The search for myself is becoming my favorite part of my new journey.’

We were quite surprised that the crux of this story was only explored one-sided. It felt unbalanced in the sense that the lives and the destinies of two sisters’ hearts are almost mirrored, yet different paths are chosen. We would have enjoyed further exploration of this. Colleen Hoover tends to always delve right into the heart of a character, examining the psyche and thought processes of her characters. Regretting you, in our opinion, only skimmed the surface, making it hard for us to connect, reconcile character actions and feel fully invested in a story which should, in theory, have been utterly soul-destroying. It felt incomplete somehow.

‘I can’t imagine all the invisible bruises she’s covered in right now, and I hate that some of them are there because of me.’

There absolutely were moments we loved too. We loved that the POV’s were mother and daughter as it highlighted the struggles of communication, hopes and dreams through the teenage angst years. The fact that we all ‘knew best’ as teenagers, however as adults we fondly smile at that teenage bravado whilst at the same time feeling confused that we actually -as adults- haven’t got a clue what we’re doing half the time. Especially when tragedy strikes. We feel that helplessness all over again and wonder what happened. How did we become who we are, and what made us make certain important life decisions along the way?

‘Who am I to raise a human? Who am I to teach someone morals? Who am I to help guide someone else through life when I’m wearing a blindfold and running in the wrong direction?’

We’re incredibly sad that Regretting You was just ‘okay’ for us. We didn’t love it, but we liked it enough to finish it. Onward and upwards; we look forward to the next book from this much-loved Author.

“Life doesn’t play favorites.”

Such a beautiful book! The mother daughter relationship is so important no matter what they go through. Loved it.

Such an amazing book, err 3 in 1!!!
ALL THE FEELS! I was aware of the main plot twist since I read the blurb beforehand. However, I was not prepared for the emotions this creation would rip out of me. Wow!!! This book shattered a whole world so fast, but the way they melded it back together was insanely beautiful.
There really is more like 3 stories in 1 here as we go back & forth a bit from the main characters younger years vs. present day & the mother daughter side of things. Ok, so honestly there are a few more than 3 if we really focus on each of the major pieces to this world Hoover has created, but the main players are mainly the big plot twists that grip you even though you already know they’re coming. You feel them, anticipate them, & yet they still hit you upon their reveal. Anyone who knows me KNOWS I tend to stay far away from the books that shatter your heart & soul to the very core, but their are a few authors who manage to do so in such a beautiful way you simply can not deny them access to do as they please. Colleen Hoover has proven she is one of them for me. I could not stop reading, did not want to put it down. This creation of hers literally took my breath away a few times as my mind attempted to catch up to my emotions. Again, I read the blurb. I was aware. BUT the execution of what was foretold still pounced as stealthy a predator in the wild. No matter how well we may believe we have dealt with our pasts & moves on these characters prove that sometimes we choose to believe things happened one way/for another reason yet when we reflect later realize we missed key facts or ignored them all together. Minor details that had huge impact on our futures. Love this book!!!! I will definitely be reading more books by this author. I also hope she might bring us a bit more of these characters at a later date. I would enjoy an update on their life happenings very much!

Well, I don't know where to begin with this review. I first read this book back in May and had to keep all my feelings about the book to myself. I was a wreck. It gutted me. Now, it's October and I just did a reread because I was ready to write my review. Well, here I am and I don't know how to start.

This book is exactly what I needed right now in my life. This has been a very hard month for me and as I type this, words are blurring through my tears. Now, I can not relate on a personal level to exactly what happened with the characters in this book, but I can relate to their feelings. Frustration, anger, and sadness are just the beginning of feelings that are so strong throughout this story.

The fact that there are two POV's in a way that I needed there to be. A mother and a daughter. It will take everything that I have, but I am going to get my 16 year old daughter to read this book too. She needs too. We need to be able to talk about it together. It will be so cleansing for us both. I felt the characters struggles as well as their happiness. I feel that it is important to really dig deep into this story. To look beyond what the "plot" is. You can start to relate to the common ground of a relationship between a mother and daughter through tragedy and all the hormones from an adult as well as a teenager.

I too feel predictable in my life. I do what others think I will do and handle situations the same way almost every time. Then you throw in a gut wrenching situation and I may not be as predictable as anyone would think. Especially to my teenage daughter. Morgan, the mother of this story is so strong and so insightful when it comes to the relationship with her daughter, Clara.
"Our relationship isn't always going to be sunshine and roses, but whenever there's a break in the storm, I need to take advantage of those breaks. No matter what mood I'm in or what's going on in my own life, I need to bask in these moments of sunshine."

Regretting You is a wonderful story with a painful circumstance. I do believe that it will help you to see a relationship between you and your child a little differently. At this time in my life, raising a teen daughter myself, it helped me to think of things a little differently and to shine light on what is needed at this time. Because, "Sometimes you have to walk away from a fight in order to win." Or to at least help the other to see why walking away sometimes is the stronger thing to do.

Thank you Colleen for your words. You know that I have always enjoyed them immensely. Thank you for reminding me that although life is sometimes very hard and challenging, in the end we will work it out and both come out stronger because of the experience. It may take a long time, but I have faith that it will.

I buddy read this book with my book gf, Rhyzza. 🙂

It took me a while to finish this book and honestly, it was quite dramatic. The story was good and the last part saved it. If it wasn’t for the annoying characters, I would have rate this higher.

Regretting You explores a mother-daughter relationship and how grief affected their lives. Morgan Grant had Clara when she was a teenager. In her 30s, raising a teen has its difficult moments after a tragic loss and unexpected revelations about her husband. The book was told in Morgan and Clara’s perspective and we get a glimpse of their own story. More importantly, the romance is secondary in this book which is a plus.

The relationship between Morgan and Clara gave me mixed feelings. Clara has this teenage angst and sometimes she acts like a brat. I couldn’t blame her as Morgan shuts out. There’s a lot of miscommunication between them and made simple things more complicated. As much as Morgan wanted to protect her daughter from the truth, she should have addressed it earlier because she deserves to know it. I wish Clara should be more respectful towards her mother as well. If I was acting like that towards my mom, she would whip me.

I'm always a Colleen fan, and this book was just as good as her others. Absolutely beautiful story that touches your heartstrings. Highly recommend.

This book was great. It was real, traumatic, funny and a whirlwind of emotions. Colleen puts us into two different minds. One is the daughter and the other is the mom. She gives us insight into what happens when the unthinkable happens. Daughter who blames herself and her mom. A mom who is in so much pain that she isolates herself and everyone she loves. Including her daughter. This is the story of what happens when you lie and don’t open up. When the truth finally sets you free but also destroys you in the process. Finding love. New and old. Finding yourself. It’s heart wrenching and it makes you mad. It’s beautiful.

My biggest regret with this novel? That I finished it in one day! This book was a bit of a departure from the many other Hoover romances I’ve read in that there are more than 2 character perspectives and leads. As a married 20-something who loves indulging in teen-lead novels from time to time, I loved the dueling perspectives between lovestruck teens and adults who are grappling with keeping it together in the face of tragedy. The characters were emotionally complex and well-rounded. They were written in a way that the reader can connect with each one of them. Hoover simply just keeps getting better. I did not have the same extreme, sobbing reactions to other novels of hers; I cried, I laughed, I closed this book feeling a sense of completion and mature satisfaction.
I received an e-book ARC of this novel courtesy of Montlake Romance and Netgalley
#netgalley #regrettingyou #colleenhoover

Hoover’s writing is engaging and fast paced but I just always feel like I need more- more of an emotional connection; more depth to her characters; more depth to the themes she attempts to tackle. And everything just works out far too conveniently.

I have been a huge fan of Colleen Hoover since 2012. I grabbed Regretting You as an ARC before it came out in December and never got to it because I just wasn’t ready for the emotions Colleen brings out in me. Somebody smack me! After 8 years of being a huge fan I should have known to jump in and read Regretting You because not surprisingly, IT WAS AMAZING.

If you haven’t read the blurb yet, DON’T. I will tell you a little about the book, but the blurb has spoilers that I won’t share. Regretting You by Colleen Hoover was like getting three books in one. We get a YA romance with Clara who is 16-17, we get a life change for her mother, Morgan, and we also get a family drama and a lot of the mother-daughter dynamic.

I loved Clara’s story, I think the YA type stories are the ones I love most from Colleen. Clara rebelled and grew up and I just loved watching her come of age.

“That’s a lot of pressure for someone your age.” Miller rests a hand on my cheek. “You’re only sixteen and look what you’ve been through. Life doesn’t play favorites.”

We meet Morgan when she and Chris are in high school, and she has been a happy and very dependable wife, mother, and sister for the 15 years since. I’m so close with my kids and my parents that it made me sad to read about her tumultuous relationship with her daughter, especially when she was willing to give up so much just to protect her.

“No one can be the perfect everything.”

Not only do we get a family drama, but we also get two wonderful romances. Sigh…Miller. But with so many interwoven storylines I missed some of the connection I usually feel when I read a CoHo book because we didn’t delve deep enough into each character. Even with that, Regretting You was still one of my favorite books this year.

(quote from regretting you)

Likes:
•3 books in one.
•How Colleen ties everything together.
•An interesting and very unique storyline.
•Twists and turns that surprise.
•Miller. And his Grandpa. And the sign.
•I laughed and cried.

Dislikes:
•One big unanswered question for me.
•No epilogue.
•I didn’t quite connect as much as I usually do, perhaps because of the multiple storylines.

The Narration:
I loved having the two women narrating. I think it added to my enjoyment of the book because I always know who is speaking, making me connect a little more, and they were both great for the parts.

The Down & Dirty:
Colleen Hoover proved again why I have been a fan for 8 years. She is a phenomenal writer who never writes trendy, typical stories. With Colleen you know her books are more of an experience, different from anything that has gone before. She once again proved that with Regretting You.

Rating: 4.5 Stars, 3 Heat, 5 Narration

Another great emotion packed book by Coho. The writing was a wee bit better than the story, but overall compulsively readable.

Colleen Hoover slays me every time. I adored this book! I adore every Colleen Hoover book! Regretting You is full of emotion. Some parts made me ugly cry, while others had me laughing out loud. Hoover knows how to move the reader, and she is so very good at it. You won't go wrong with this one!

Morgan is a mother trying to protect her daughter from truths that she thinks will hurt her. She is right, these truths will hurt her but not knowing is hurting just as much. Clara has a truth that she is not sharing and it is hurting her also. The mother/daughter relationship between these two was perfectly portrayed. They are close, they love each other, and they are lashing out on each other because of all of that. Clara pushes the boundaries, Morgan gives her punishments, it just goes around and around.

I love this storyline. There is angst, there is lost, but mostly there is love. The multiple relationships in this book are all unique and all real. The teenage relationship is interesting and very real to life. They find each other, steal kisses, sneak around, and get caught. As a mom, you have to choose your battles and Morgan does a great job of doing just that. Her own relationship is careful and thought out. She considers all who will be affected by her choices in all she does and is an amazingly unselfish mother and friend.

It is a beautifully EPIC written book about extreme loss, first loves, unfathomable betrayal. This is a read that you won’t be able to put down and can almost guarantee you can devour in one sitting. As you all about now know I am a huge @colleenhoover fan! Her books leave you feeling emotions you never even knew you had until you read one of her books. And this book did not disappoint. With her other reads I have found that the major “oh wow” moment comes towards the end but this one for me happened sooner rather than later and I loved the twist. If you can’t tell already this book was 5 ⭐️’s for me!

I say it with every book - I hate writing reviews for Colleen Hoover books. How is it possible to even form the words to do these books justice? It’s not. It never will be. So I kinda just bumble my way through them and hope for the best. Regretting You was another masterpiece. Without a doubt it was one fo my very favourite reads of 2019, and one of my favourite CoHo books. She manages to make each book so different and yet fill each with so much substance and emotion and just...so much EVERYTHING. No one writes like Colleen Hoover does. It’s a fact. There’s no two ways about it. She’s a master of her craft and I feel so lucky to have been there from the very beginning of her journey. All these years later and she still blows me away with each book. Regretting You was a total rollercoaster of a romance, and I was so, so sad when I reached the end. A must read.

Thank you @netgalley for my gifted copy of this book. Don’t mind me over here, just going to ball my eyes out for the next decade over this novel. Within the first 10 pages of #regrettingyou, you are hit with the biggest sucker punch that instantly got me HOOKED. Morgan thought her life changing moments were done when she surprisingly got pregnant at the age of 17. But on the day after her 34th birthday, her world gets absolutely rocked with a tragedy so devastating, as a reader I don’t even know how you recover from. Told from the perspectives of both her daughter Clara and Morgan, both women find ways to recover and deal with their grief as they find their new normal. I loved getting the teenage perspective of life and young love as well as Morgan’s perspective, it made me appreciate my relationship with my mom so much. TOTALLY would recommend, bring your tissues, family drama, young love, mother/daughter relationship, multiple perspectives, would probably read again