Books Like It Ends With Us: 6 Emotional Romance Reads to Try

Colleen Hoover’s It Ends With Us hooks readers because it refuses to make things easy: the romance is real, but so are the consequences. If you closed it feeling wrung out and immediately wanted another book that hits that hard, here are six emotional contemporary romances our customers reach for again and again.

More Colleen Hoover: Verity & Reminders of Him

The fastest fix is more Hoover. Verity swerves into dark psychological thriller territory and is the one people stay up all night finishing. Reminders of Him is the gentler companion to It Ends With Us— a mother fighting to rebuild her life and earn back the people she hurt. Both deliver that signature gut-punch.

For the swoon: The Love Hypothesis

If you want the ache without quite as much heartbreak, Ali Hazelwood’s The Love Hypothesisis a warm, funny fake-dating romance set in the world of grad-school academia. It’s lighter on its feet than Hoover but just as easy to inhale in a weekend.

For the friends-to-lovers feels: People We Meet on Vacation

Emily Henry is the queen of romances that make you laugh and then suddenly tear up. People We Meet on Vacationfollows two best friends and one disastrous trip that might fix — or end — everything. Try Beach Read next if you want more of her.

For the first-love ache: Every Summer After

Carley Fortune’s Every Summer After spans six summers at a lake house and one choice that changes everything. It has the nostalgic, second-chance pull that It Ends With Usfans love, with a setting you’ll want to live inside.

For the slow burn: a stack worth keeping

These authors are wildly popular, which means their books move fast on our shelves — and they cycle back in just as fast through trade-in store credit. Used copies of Hoover, Henry, Hazelwood, and Fortune are some of the titles we restock most often, so it’s worth checking in regularly.

Not sure which to grab first?

Tell our AI Matchmaker what wrecked you about It Ends With Usand it’ll point you to the next book. Browse the romance shelves on our online shop, swing by the store in Milwaukie to dig through the stacks, or keep exploring with our best book club books for your next group read.