Books
When Is Colleen Hoover’s Next Book Coming Out? Her Future Amid ‘It Ends with Us’ Drama
Colleen Hoover is one of the most popular authors ever. Hoover sold more copies of her books than the Bible in 2022. She’s written a whopping 26 books, with It Ends with Us and Verity among her most-sold novels.
The It Ends with Us legal drama between Justin Baldoni and Blake Lively has kept the film adaptation of Hoover’s 2016 novel in the limelight. For over 10 years, the author was consistently putting out new books almost every single year. So, what do we know about Hoover’s next book? Swooon is breaking down what’s next for Hoover as the It Ends with Us battle intensifies.
Does Colleen Hoover have a new book coming out?
Sorry, Colleen Hoover fans. The author doesn’t have a new book coming out any time soon. Her last book, It Starts with Us, was released in 2022, so it’s been three years since the best-selling author has written new material.
Has Colleen Hoover quit writing?
“In the last maybe year and a half, closing in on two years, I haven’t written at all, and I feel a lot of guilt for that,” Hoover told PEOPLE in November 2024. “But I’ve also been extremely busy, and my mind has been in other places.”
Hoover stressed that she doesn’t adhere to a writing schedule and has “ignored every rule, every writing rule, every piece of advice.” She added, “I tend to go with my own gut. It’s worked for me, up to this point. I write when I feel like writing. If I’m late on deadline, I’m late on deadline. I want to put out books that I don’t feel I have been forced to release, and I think that’s the key.”
So, Hoover hasn’t quit writing. She’s just taking her time. She wrote 26 books in 13 years. Let her rest!
Is Colleen Hoover involved in the It Ends with Us drama?
You’d have to be living under a rock to not know about the It Ends with Us legal battle between Baldoni, who directed and starred as Ryle Kincaid, and Lively, who played Lily Bloom and also served as producer.
The film was released on August 9, 2024, and became a box office hit. The movie earned over $350 million at the box office.
Baldoni was granted the film rights to Hoover’s book in 2019. Hoover was the one who suggested the Jane The Virgin star, who was already set to direct, play Ryle in adaptation. “You are the right person to make this movie,” Hoover wrote Baldoni in April 2019.
On December 20, 2024, months after the film’s August 2024 release, Lively filed a complaint against Baldoni and others in California, claiming sexual harassment as well as an alleged retaliatory smear campaign to “destroy” her reputation, per PEOPLE. Lively alleged that Baldoni created a “hostile work environment” after “unprofessional” behavior on set. A day later, a New York Times piece about the claims was released.
Two days after Lively filed the original complaint, Hoover showed her support for the actress on her Instagram Story. “You have been nothing but honest, kind, supportive and patient since the day we met. Thank you for being exactly the human that you are. Never change. Never wilt,” she wrote. Hoover also tagged Lively and linked to coverage of the lawsuit.
Baldoni vehemently denied Lively allegations and filed his own lawsuit on December 31. He sued The New York Times for $250 million alleging libel, false light invasion of privacy, promissory fraud, and breach of implied-in-fact contract. The outlet responded by saying the article was “meticulously and responsibly reported.”
Two weeks later, Baldoni filmed another lawsuit against Lively, her husband, Ryan Reynolds, and their publicist for $400 million on claims of civil extortion, defamation, false light invasion of privacy, breach of implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing, intentional interference with contractual relations, intentional interference with prospective economic advantage, and negligent interference with prospective economic advantage.
A pretrial conference was held on February 3. A judge urged both parties from sharing information that could bias a jury. Both cases are set to be heard starting in March 2026. On February 19, Lively filed an amended complaint that her lawyers claim “provides significant additional evidence and corroboration of her original claims.” Baldoni’s lawyer responded in a statement, “Her underwhelming amended complaint is filled with unsubstantial hearsay of unnamed persons who are clearly no longer willing to come forward or publicly support her claims.”
Amid the legal battle, Hoover deactivated her Instagram account for three weeks. When she returned, Hoover had removed photos of Lively and Baldoni from her grid.
Will there be an It Starts with Us movie?
Despite the box office success of It Ends with Us, an It Starts with Us film adaptation has not gotten the green light. Given Lively and Baldoni’s legal battle, it’s unlikely It Starts With Us will get made any time soon — if it gets made at all.
“I have no idea what that story would be,” Baldoni told TV Insider at the movie’s press junket. “I’m somebody who’s just doing my best to stay in the present and stay in the here and in the now and not think too far ahead. I’m just kind of doing my best to take this all in because it’s been five years to even get us here. So I can’t even fathom another story yet, but I’m so happy that fans love it and that she did it.”
However, there are plenty of other Hoover book-to-screen adaptations in the works. Her romantic thriller Verity is getting the movie treatment, with Dakota Johnson, Anne Hathaway, and Josh Hartnett set to star. Her 2019 second chance romance Regretting You is also currently in the works, with Dave Franco and Allison Williams starring.
