Her publisher, Atria Books, also issued a statement, saying it was meant to be “uplifting and empowering.”
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Wait, I need more. What’s the background here?
The critique that Hoover’s work is anti-feminist extends to several of her novels — but for the purposes of this article, let’s just focus on It Ends With Us. Not only is it one of Colleen Hoover’s most popular books, but it’s also the first to get the big-screen treatment.
The book — and, presumably the movie — is about the cycle of domestic abuse; the main character, Lily Bloom, grew up with an abusive father and as an adult enters into a relationship with an abuser. She eventually leaves him, after becoming pregnant by him and realising she doesn’t want to raise her daughter in that environment. However, she continues co-parenting with him.
Hoover has been open about the fact that the book was inspired by the abuse her own mother endured at the hands of her father. The issue isn’t really that Hoover wrote about domestic violence; it’s in how the book and Hoover are marketed. Critics say that because Hoover and It Ends With Us are frequently categorised as “romance,” coupled with Bloom’s decision to continue co-parenting with her abuser, it implies that this is something acceptable or, worse, aspirational.
What does the internet think?
“Hoover has curated an audience of young, impressionable minds, and the last thing they need to learn is that abusive relationships are okay and to be expected,” wrote one critic.
Said another, “Like too many books and movies, It Ends With Us feeds into the very structures of toxic masculinity that it purports to combat. It romanticises red flags and glorifies a charismatic but dangerous man (he’s complicated! he’s damaged!), and it ultimately delivers a decidedly anti-feminist message.”