TikTok has become an extremely popular social media platform where you can find content ranging from fashion to comedy in the form of short videos. Every time I open the app, I find myself in the “BookTok” community. Some readers publish book reviews in one minute or less. Others post about book challenges or hauls. But most of the time I see the same books over and over again. One of these is “It Ends with Us,” by Colleen Hoover, a bestselling romance author. 

In Oct. 2022, Hoover was responsible for six of the top 10 titles on the New York Times Best Sellers List. Hoover is an author who gained fame through TikTok. A lot of readers, especially young adults, are drawn to her books because of the easy writing style and the toxic relationships that are usually the main trope in her novels. But she is also considered a problematic author under the threat of cancellation.

I read two of her novels because I wanted to know what all the fuss was about. As someone who reads many different types of novels, I was curious to read her works. I read “It Ends with Us,” a romance novel and “Verity,” her only thriller novel. After reading them, I better understood why readers were critical of Hoover. 

I didn’t mind the one dimensional characters or poorly written events. What bothered me was how she romanticized abusive relationships in the book “It Ends with Us.’’ Through her writing, she wants you to sympathize with the abusive boyfriend by making the story a love triangle. Another thing that upset me was how her female characters were written in a submissive and passive way. They did not have any role in how their lives were going to turn out and were simply led by the male character.

The main issue is the dangerous effects it could have on younger readers who might normalize these unhealthy expectations in a relationship. It may cause readers to think that when you have an abusive partner, it means that they love and care about you. 

Other readers are using TikTok to raise awareness on the author’s problematic novels by posting some of the controversial quotes in her books and explaining why they set an unrealistic standard for relationships. 

I believe that TikTok helped in the thriving of the publishing industry. They used the platform as a tool to promote their books and self-publish them. TikTok also provides a guide for beginners who want to start reading by sharing videos like “10 books to get you into reading,” or on how to start reading without distractions.

But as consumers, we need to be more careful about what we read. Not every bestselling book or TikTok trend is going to be suitable for everyone.