God really is a woman? Best-selling author Colleen Hoover has come close to it– selling more books than the Bible this year.

With 7.3 million print copies of her novels sold compared to the 5 million of the Bible, Hoover has evidently made a large impact on modern literature. Many people, especially women, all around the world have not been able to put these addictive books down.

People who haven’t read for pleasure in years are hooked. 14 year old girls to 60 year old women are hooked. Tiktok’s “BookTok” community is hooked. So, the pressing question remains…why?

A couple North Penn students took a stab at this question.

“I like how Colleen Hoover books are page-turners and once you get into the book, it’s so hard to put it down, “ Senior, Emily Holloran said.

“I like Colleen Hoover books because they finally got me reading again. I don’t normally read books for fun, but I really liked what I’ve read so far from Colleen Hoover and the plots are interesting,” Junior, Kate Romano explained.

“I like Colleen Hoover because every page is like a new surprise. I like how you never know what’s coming next,” Senior, Grace Coleman exclaimed.

As shown by these opinions, Hoover’s books seemingly succeed at capturing the attention of many teenage girls. It Ends With Us, Hoover’s most popular novel to date, especially does a good job with this.

“I kept seeing a bunch of Tiktoks about Colleen Hoover books, especially It Ends With Us. I wanted to see what all the hype was about and decided to finally read it. I ended up really liking it and it definitely did not disappoint,” Senior, Abigail Thomas said.

Although there are many avid supporters of Hoover’s writing, there are also many critics. I sat down with Carrie Dixon, an English teacher at North Penn high school, to get her thoughts on this rising author.

“I wish I were Colleen Hoover because she is a creative and hard working woman who has brilliantly cornered a market and secured herself a solid fan base. That being said, I am not personally a fan of her writing, but I only read the first half of one novel, “Verity,” before the writing became too trite for me to continue. The sentence structure was simplistic and predictable, so I was unable to enjoy the plot that so many people thought was fabulous,” Dixon explained.

While Dixon isn’t the biggest Hoover fan, she recognizes why teens may like these books, as well as the benefits that come with today’s youth regularly starting to read again.

“She fosters a love for reading in the teenagers who pick up her books looking for mystery and love. Colleen Hoover’s writing brings joy to reading for many teens, and the ability to read longer pieces is a skill that teens need to embrace in order to help prepare them for more challenging texts that are read in high school and college,” Dixon explained.

Hoover has opened up a new environment for teens to actively discuss novels that they are willingly reading. Rather than viewing reading as a chore or a ‘nerdy’ hobby, more and more kids have actually started to enjoy this pastime and embrace it due to Hoover’s writing. Let’s let this long-lived stigma of reading end with us!