Colleen Hoover has published nearly two dozen books in the past 13 years, but none received more mainstream success than It Ends With Us. The romance novel marred with domestic violence, trauma, and emotional abuse was released in 2016, became a BookTok hit during the pandemic, and was later adapted into a film starring Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni. On paper, it was a great success for Hoover. But the legal battle between Lively and Baldoni that followed the film’s release has made her reluctant to embrace it.
“I can’t even recommend it anymore. I feel like [the lawsuit] has overshadowed it,” Hoover said in a recent interview with Elle. “I’m almost embarrassed to say I wrote it. When people ask what I do, I’m just like, ‘I’m a writer. Please don’t ask me what I wrote.’”
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In December 2024, Lively sued Baldoni, who also directed the movie, for alleged sexual harassment and claimed he orchestrated a smear campaign against her. Baldoni later sued Lively for defamation, extortion, and invasion of privacy, but the lawsuit was dismissed earlier this month after the actor allowed the deadline to file an amended complaint lapse. Last week, he filed a motion to dismiss the suit filed by Lively that claims $161 million in damages and lost wage, as well as sexual harassment and retaliation, before it can head to trial in March.
Once all parties receive some level of closure, Hoover may be able to reassess her relationship to what might be her most defining work. “The more time that passes, the easier everything gets for all of us,” Hoover said. “But it is sad, because I was very proud of that book. And I’m still proud of it, but less publicly so. Maybe I need therapy, I don’t know.”
If not, there’s always Verity, the psychological thriller Hoover released in 2018 that is being adapted into a film with Anne Hathaway, Dakota Johnson, and Josh Hartnett set to star.
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