Margaret Colleen Hoover is a New York Times bestselling author and an international bestseller. With 24 novels to her name, two have already been adapted into movies.
Her 2016 book, “It Ends with Us,” is among her most well-known. The book follows the protagonist Lily Bloom, her neurosurgeon crush-turned-abuser, and a past lover. Readers claim that Hoover’s focus on domestic abuse awareness is insightful. Hoover collaborated with Christy Hall and Justin Baldoni to produce a film adaptation, which earned a 60% Tomatometer score on Rotten Tomatoes.
“‘It Ends with Us’ has probably left the most impact on me, more than any other book I have read,” The Slate journalist Yusra Aden wrote. “It personally gave me a new perspective on how I view abusive relationships.”
“Regretting You,” Hoover’s 2019 novel, follows the story of a mother and daughter’s relationship after the father dies in an accident. The movie adaptation of this novel, starring Allison Williams, McKenna Grace, and Mason Thames, was released on Oct. 24. It received mixed reviews, garnering only a 28% rating from Rotten Tomatoes.
“I think the storyline Colleen Hoover creates is very intriguing to readers and watchers, but I have to agree that her storytelling is very predictable,” “The Prospector” journalist McKenzie Allen wrote.
Now, a movie version of her 2022 novel, “Reminders of Him,” is set to be released on March 13, 2026. The motion picture follows Kenna, played by Maika Monroe, a mother trying to reconnect with her young daughter after being incarcerated for killing her boyfriend, Scotty. Scotty’s mother, Grace, played by Lauren Graham, is most known for her role as Lorelai Gilmore in “Gilmore Girls.”
“The book was so good, it made me cry,” sophomore Anayah Jackson said. “I like how the story’s plot was planned. I look forward to watching the movie when it comes out.”
Along with “Reminders of Him,” the movie version of “Verity” will come out in October next year. “Verity” is a 2018 thriller about struggling writer Lowen (Dakota Johnson), hired by Verity’s husband, Jeremy (Josh Hartnett), to complete his injured wife’s books. The story grows deeper when Lowen discovers an unfinished autobiography by Verity (Anne Hathaway) that is filled with secrets. Not much else is known about the film’s production at this time.
“One of my favorite aspects of the story is that not a single character can be trusted,” Colgate Maroon-News contributing writer Lauren Stewart wrote. “The many eerie and traumatizing situations always had me thinking ahead.”
Some believe that the books should not be adapted into films. “It Ends with Us” had an estimated $25 million budget, earning double that amount during its opening weekend. In contrast, “Regretting You” had the same budget, except it only earned $13 million. The movie version’s mixed reviews leave Hoover’s readers to form their own opinions.
“I think the books should stay as books,” Jackson said. “Unless I enjoy the book, like ‘Reminders of Him,’ reading the books helps me visualize my own idea of what a movie version would look like.”
