Colleen Hoover is an author that has taken the world by storm thanks to social media.
TikTok caused a massive surge in popularity for Colleen Hoover, and easily one of the most famous books that she has ever written is Ugly Love.
As the name suggests, Ugly Love is a romance novel, and it is one for any fans of the enemies-to-lovers trope.
When Tate Collins moves in with her brother, she meets Miles Archer for the first time.
And it is far from love at first sight. From the get-go, Tate and Miles do not get along, they aren’t friends, but there is no denying that they feel an attraction to one another.
After confronting their attraction to one another, they seem to come to the perfect arrangement: no romance, just physical relations, and two rules: never ask about the past, and don’t expect a future.
Things will be fine, as long as Tate sticks to Miles’ rules. They thought they could handle it, but *spoiler alert*, they can’t.
Ugly Love isn’t Colleen Hoover’s best-selling novel, but it is certainly up there, and as soon as you start reading it, you’ll find yourself unable to put it down.
Once you’ve finished, you might find yourself searching for another book to read. If this is the case, then you are in the right place.
About Ugly Love
Ugly Love has a huge fan following. It is the story of Miles, an emotionally damaged, but gorgeous airline pilot, and Tate, a beautiful nursing school student who is too busy to look for love.
If one thing is clear, Tate and Miles have major chemistry. But Ugly Love also deals with serious emotional topics like grief, mental illness, and the nature of love. It struck a chord with a massive audience for a reason, addressing how our internal emotional lives affect those around us, in a positively heart-rending romance story.
If you loved “Ugly Love” by Colleen Hoover, then we’re sure you’ll adore Things We Never Got Over, Twist Love, The Unhoneymooners,
The Love Hypothesis, and Love and Other Words. Check out this guide for 3 books that are similar to Ugly Love!
Themes in Ugly Love
There are lots of different themes covered throughout Ugly Love by Colleen Hoover.
Colleen Hoover covers some pretty deep and dark topics in her novels, and Ugly Love is no different.
However, in Ugly Love, a lot of these topics and themes are wound into the twists and turns of the novel, so it is difficult to spot them until you are already reading them.
With that in mind, this is your final warning that there are spoilers ahead.
Pleasure, Pain, and Forbidden Love
The key theme at the heart of Ugly Love is the battle between pleasure and pain, and this is partly why the book was given its name.
This theme runs throughout the entire novel and affects both of the lead characters in different ways.
Tate struggles because she likes Miles. She knows that she is falling in love with him, and she knows that she wants more than what their agreement allows.
Yet she takes the pain of knowing that she can never get what she wants by settling for the intimacy that Miles is offering.
At the start, their relations start as just intimacy, but throughout the novel, the pleasure and pain blend together until it becomes an unenjoyable experience.
Unbeknownst to Tate, the same is happening to Miles. But he has forbidden their love because of his past, and that leads us to the next theme.
Grief and Loss
The novel is written from two perspectives: Tate’s and Miles’.
From the get-go, it is clear that something has happened to Miles in the past that has caused him to swear off love, however, it is not clear for quite a while exactly what that is.
Tate assumes that it is an ex who has broken his heart, and Tate’s brother assumes that Miles (his best friend) is uninterested in relationships with girls.
But in reality, he refuses to fall in love because of a loss in the past and the grief that he is still feeling.
Miles’ story is tragic. From his perspective, the reader finds out that Miles’ Mom passed away and he is dealing with his father finding someone new.
At the same time, he meets a girl who eventually ends up being his step-sister, and they fall in love.
She falls pregnant and they have a son, but a tragic accident causes their son to pass away, and Miles blames himself.
So he refuses to let himself love anyone again. Throughout the novel, this is a theme that is dealt with through Miles’ perspective.
Books Like Ugly Love
If you loved Ugly Love by Colleen Hoover, then we’re sure you’ll adore these novels.
Things We Never Got Over – Lucy Score
Colleen Hoover has quickly become a go-to author for many people, and for those who have had the pleasure of reading all of her books, Lucy Score has quickly become the author to turn to next.
Twisted Love is very similar to Ugly Love if Colleen Hoover had taken it a little further.
This novel is dark, the male lead character is described as a “devil with the face of an angel” and his behavior throughout the novel lives up to this description.
This novel takes the “forbidden love” theme of Ugly Love and runs with it, and it certainly isn’t for the faint-hearted.
Some people have described Ugly Love as being “steamy” but Twisted Love takes it a step further.
This book should only be read by those who are 18+ due to the explicit content and profanity included. But it is still a real hit among those who loved Ugly Love.
This novel is somewhat divisive. If you enjoyed Ugly Love because of the darker themes included in the novel, then this book will be one that you’ll love!
This first in a four-book series is a great choice if you’re looking for an Ugly Love comparable. It is a dark anti-hero story with plenty of steam, appropriate for adult audiences.
Ava’s brother’s best friend Alex is driven, troubled, and unmistakably attractive. When he becomes her protector, passions ignite, and secrets are brought to light. Can they survive their attraction? This story of forced proximity and ice-to-fire is a secret-ridden dark romance not to be missed.
Pros
Similar themes to Ugly Love.
Same length as Ugly Love.
Perfect for fans of the forbidden love trope.
Cons
A lot more graphic than Ugly Love and not suitable for younger readers.
The Unhoneymooners is a novel that became popular because of its similarity to Colleen Hoover’s novels.
It tells the story of Olive who is unlucky in everything, who ends up being the Maid of Honor for her twin sister who is lucky in everything.
Before her sister’s wedding, Olive is forced to spend the day with the Best Man who happens to be her sworn enemy, Ethan.
A bout of food poisoning strikes the entire wedding party (except Olive and Ethan, of course), and suddenly an all-expenses-paid trip to Hawaii, a.k.a. a honeymoon is up for grabs.
It is an offer that neither Olive nor Ethan can refuse so they decide to put their differences aside and go on the trip.
A little white lie leads to them having to pretend to be newlyweds for the rest of the trip, and that is when things get complicated.
The writing style is so immersive, and you’ll find yourself flying through this book in no time. If you love forced proximity and enemies-to-lovers tropes, you’ll love The Unhoneymooners.
Pros
Includes the enemies-to-lovers trope from Ugly Love.
Similar in length to Ugly Love.
A light-hearted page-turner that you won’t be able to put down.
Cons
Doesn’t cover some of the darker themes included in Ugly Love.
This intense romance has everything an Ugly Love fan could want. It also deals with serious adult themes of mental illness, explicit sex, and self-harm, so be certain you are the right audience before reading.
Maggie is a regular girl who falls in love with a distinctly not regular guy, Clay, who battles internal demons every day. They each believe that their love is enough to defeat anything, but life is rarely what we think it will be. Find You in the Dark is a dramatic emotional roller-coaster ride through the darkness.
This forbidden-romance/love redemption novel easily falls into the best-of-romance category. Gabriel is a sizzling hot professor with a tortured past. Julia Mitchell enrolls as his graduate student, and her light and beauty are an alluring and irrepressible risk.
The story follows Gabriel’s journey to integrate his difficult past into his present, and perhaps even find forgiveness – from others, and for himself. Gabriel’s Inferno is a steamy sunshine and gloom romance.
You can buy Gabriel’s Inferno (Gabriel’s Inferno Trilogy Book 1) here.
The Outlander
By Diana Gabaldon
The Outlander is an outstanding romance set in two time periods, similar to Ugly Love, only the time gap is far more extreme. This fantasy romance is famously known, as it was adapted on Stars as a series, to much fanfare.
Claire Randall is a married combat nurse in 1945, thrust through time into 1743 when the clans of Scotland were warring and Claire is lost, both physically and metaphorically. She is thrown into forced proximity to a man she is intensely attracted to, James Fraser (not her husband). Claire is torn between time and loves in this intense romance.
Enza Parker inherits her grandmother’s house in Bayou Sabine, which just so happens to be occupied by Jack Mayronne, a hot local firefighter. Enza never intended to return to Bayou Sabine, but if she and Jack can work together to flip her grandmother’s old farmhouse, she should be able to make a quick exit.
But being in Bayou Sabine brings family secrets to light, and Enza must contend with the fallout. Enza also struggles to complete her house project and stay professional with Jack…which may or may not be a good thing. This fun forced proximity romance is full of heat, secrets, and fling-to-love vibes.
You can buy Trouble in Bayou Sabine: A Bayou Sabine Novelhere.
It Ends with Us is also by Colleen Hoover, but this best-of romance books like Ugly Love would not be complete without it. In this first of two novels, Lily is an independent entrepreneur who has attracted the attention of Rile, an emotionally unavailable but incredibly handsome neurosurgeon.
The story of Lily and Rile tugs at the heartstrings. But, It Ends with Us is a dual storyline, and also follows the story of Lily’s heartbreaking romantic past with Atlas, her first love.
This beloved tear-jerker romance is the story of two people damaged by trauma finding a singular love in each other.
Archer’s voice box was damaged beyond repair in a tragedy when he was a child. He lives a silent, isolated life in small-town Pelion, Maine. Bree is running from the devastating events that caused her father’s death and looking for a simple, peaceful life in Pelion.
What she finds instead is Archer. But a relationship with Archer also means uncovering dangerous secrets and peeling away traumas for both Bree and Archer. Archer’s Voice is a sexy, heartbreaking romance rivaling Ugly Love.
Drew Evans has it all – money, women, success – not necessarily in that order. Tangled is a romance told from the hero’s point of view. Drew is a playboy who doesn’t sleep with the same woman twice until he meets Kate. Kate is an ambitious and beautiful and successful young businesswoman working for Drew’s company with no room for his antics.
Can he win her attention and her heart? This seriously spicy story filled with the affairs of the heart is a winner for Ugly Love fans.
Olive is usually very level-headed. But one day she throws herself at a random man, Adam, a young emotionally unavailable hot-shot professor, to prove to her best friend Ahn that she is in love.
Surprisingly, Adam agrees to keep up the charade of a relationship. Despite Olive’s lack of honest communication with her friend Ahn, this fake-to-real romance is fun, steamy, and full of chemistry!
Wife is an intensely steamy romance story sure to please Ugly Love fans. Hades is cursed by a fortune teller to love a woman who will never love him back. When he falls head over heels for Sofia, he thinks it’s all rubbish. Until she leaves.
Then, years later, much to Sofia’s dismay, her family decides she must marry as her father’s death has left the family and the fortune without protection. Hades is a rich, powerful, handsome man with the unerring drive to make her his wife. Can he overcome the curse?
You can purchase your copy of Wife (Betrothed #1)here.
Bared to You
By Silvia Day
This dark romance is a first-person romance told by Eva Trammell about the searing hot romance she has with Gideon Cross, the man who owns the company where she’s employed. Gideon is a brilliant, rich entrepreneur with a very troubled past, and possibly, a troubled present.
This dramatic, erotic romance thematically tackles childhood abuse and the ways it manifests in adult survivors’ relationships. This New York Times and #1 International Bestseller is a must for romance readers.
In this romance, Rowen Sterling is a troubled new high school grad who finds herself on the Willow Springs Ranch in Montana working to prove to her mom that she’s responsible enough to earn her dream art school.
What she didn’t expect, is the gorgeous cowboy with a heart of gold who just keep wriggling his way closer to her previously empty heart. New York Times Bestseller Lost and Found is a forced proximity, dark secrets, and gloomy to sunshine romance sure to win your heart.
With its forced proximity and grumpy-to-sunshine story, It Happened One Summer is a definite win for Ugly Love fans. “It Girl” Piper Bellinger’s affluent stepfather cuts her off after her party hijinks land her in jail. He sends Piper and her sister to Washington state to learn responsibility while managing the dive bar their late father owned. Piper decides to hitch up her skirts and get to work showing everyone what she’s worth.
Local fisherman Brenden is a brooding, gruff hottie who Piper can’t seem to stop running into. A romantic connection is exactly what both of them need if they can see their way past each other’s issues, that is.
This fun romance is a story of how opposites repel…and attract. Lucy Hutton is sweet, caring, and open. Joshua Templeman is serious, brooding, and cold. And the two cannot stop competing at everything in their jobs, including vying for the same role.
In this enemies-to-lovers romance, Lucy and Josh are thrown together repeatedly, and the more they’re forced together the more their irritation with each other grows. Or, could that be a growing attraction?
Punk 57 is an edgy, dark, teenage antihero romance. When they were children, Misha and Ryen were accidentally paired up as co-ed pen pals. Following strict rules of contact only by letter, the two share years of friendship and intimacy, from afar.
Then, one day, Misha runs into Ryen’s social media by accident. He decides he needs to meet her. But what he thinks he has found repels him. Can they find their way back to each other? Maybe even in person this time?
This enemies-to-lovers story is full of both angst and spice. Baron ‘Vicious’ Spencer is your quintessential rich bully bad boy, and Emilia LeBlanc, the caring, feisty good girl, is his obsession. The awful way Vicious treats her, combined with her attraction to him makes him her obsession – for better or worse.
These two begin the book hating each other, but, strong emotions often lead to stronger emotions. Vicious has complex characters and sexy, infuriating, and tear-jerking moments, making it a perfect addition to this list.
Zahra drunkenly writes a work proposal panning the company’s best ride. Surprisingly, she lands a fabulous job working for an incredibly difficult boss, Rowen. Rowen creates luxury hotels, fairytale theme parks, and dreamlands.
When he falls for Zahra, part of him knows she is what he wants, but the rest of him knows that dreams are meant for other people. This story brings all the feeling, romance, and pain of Ugly Love.
This first of five books in the Off-Campus Series is an emotional fake-to-real romantic story. Hannah has found a guy she wants, for once. But her skill in the bedroom leaves a lot to be desired.
To make her love interest jealous, she strikes up a deal to tutor Garrett, the cocky and obnoxious captain of the campus Hockey team. But a little kiss leads to a lot more – both in the bedroom and emotionally – for Garrett.
Pushing the Limits is the last on the list, but it’s an absolute necessity. Echo Emerson is misunderstood. Once, she was a popular girl who dated a popular basketball player at school. But one fateful night following a trauma turned her into a freak and a misfit – a girl with scary scars all over her arms who just might be crazy.
Noah Hutchins is the hot bad boy who Echo tutors. He’s a known player, dabbles in drugs, and is antisocial, but his insight into Emerson is just a little too close for comfort. The attraction is palpable. Can Echo fight it? Or can they navigate through their imperfect pasts and find love?
There is no denying that Colleen Hoover is easily one of the most popular authors in the world at the moment.
Her books are incredibly easy and that is a huge part of what makes her so popular.
She manages to cover deep and dark topics in a lighter way that keeps you reading, and this writing style has attracted millions of readers.
If you were a big fan of Ugly Love, and are looking for your next read, then any of the books that we’ve discussed in this guide will likely be a hit.
They are all similar to Ugly Love in their own way, but each book is different.
If you loved any of these novels, be sure to check out other works by these authors.
Just like Colleen Hoover, all of these writers have writing styles that are easy to read while remaining total page-turners.
If you loved Ugly Love, we’re sure you’ll love these novels.
Frequently Asked Questions
u003cstrongu003eIs Ugly Love Colleen Hoover’s Debut Novel?u003c/strongu003e
No, Ugly Love, is not Colleen Hoover’s debut novel. Colleen Hoover’s debut novel was actually titled Slammed, and it is the first novel in the Slammed series.
u003cstrongu003eIs Ugly Love Part Of a Series?u003c/strongu003e
No, Ugly Love is not part of a series, and it seems Colleen Hoover has no intention of releasing a sequel. So, if you want to read Ugly Love, you can do so independently of Colleen Hoover’s other novels (If you liked her works, you should also check out similar authors to Colleen Hovoer here). u003cgwmw style=u0022display:none;u0022u003e
What comes after u003cemu003eUgly Loveu003c/emu003e? Is there an u003cemu003eUgly Love u003c/emu003esequel?
u003cemu003eUgly Loveu003c/emu003e is a Colleen Hoover standalone novel. But both Tate and Miles have very brief roles in Hoover’s u003cemu003eNovember 9u003c/emu003e. Some other Colleen Hoover books written after u003cemu003eUgly Loveu003c/emu003e (2014) include:u003cbru003eu003ca href=u0022https://www.amazon.com/Confess-Novel-Colleen-Hoover-ebook/dp/B00LD1OHE0?tag=rtbooks-20u0022 target=u0022_blanku0022 rel=u0022noreferrer noopener nofollowu0022u003eu003cemu003eConfessu003c/emu003e u003c/au003e(2015)u003cbru003eu003ca href=u0022https://www.amazon.com/November-9-Novel-Colleen-Hoover-ebook/dp/B00UDCI1S8?tag=rtbooks-20u0022 target=u0022_blanku0022 rel=u0022noreferrer noopener nofollowu0022u003eu003cemu003eNovember 9 u003c/emu003eu003c/au003e(2015)u003cbru003eu003ca href=u0022https://www.amazon.com/Too-Late-C-Hoover-audiobook/dp/B06Y1WS5C5?tag=rtbooks-20u0022 target=u0022_blanku0022 rel=u0022noreferrer noopener nofollowu0022u003eu003cemu003eToo Lateu003c/emu003e u003c/au003e(2016)u003cbru003eu003ca href=u0022https://www.amazon.com/Without-Merit-Novel-Colleen-Hoover-ebook/dp/B01NCIBSK9?tag=rtbooks-20u0022 target=u0022_blanku0022 rel=u0022noreferrer noopener nofollowu0022u003eu003cemu003eWithout Meritu003c/emu003e u003c/au003e(2017)u003cbru003eu003ca href=u0022https://www.amazon.com/All-Your-Perfects-Colleen-Hoover-ebook/dp/B078MC547V?tag=rtbooks-20u0022 target=u0022_blanku0022 rel=u0022noreferrer noopener nofollowu0022u003eu003cemu003eAll Your Perfectsu003c/emu003eu003c/au003e (2018)
u003cstrongu003eWhat books can I read after Ugly Love?u003c/strongu003e
The list of u003cemu003eUgly Loveu003c/emu003e comparable romance novels above has many suggestions. Some include:u003cbru003eu003cemu003eTwisted Love: A Brother’s Best Friend Novel u003c/emu003eby Ana Huangu003cbru003eu003cemu003eThings We Never Got Over u003c/emu003eby Lucy Scoreu003cbru003eu003cemu003eFind You In The Dark u003c/emu003eby A. Meredith Waltersu003cbru003eu003cemu003eThe Unhoneymooners u003c/emu003eby Christina Laurenu003cbru003eu003cemu003eGabriel’s Inferno (Gabriel’s Inferno #1) u003c/emu003eby Sylvain Reynard
u003cstrongu003eWhat Colleen Hoover book should I start with?u003c/strongu003e
u003cemu003eIt Ends With Usu003c/emu003e is Colleen Hoover’s most-read book, followed by u003cemu003eVerityu003c/emu003e, and u003cemu003eUgly Loveu003c/emu003e. Many of Hoover’s books are standalone novels that can be read in any order.
u003cstrongu003eWhich one of Colleen Hoover’s books is a TV show?u003c/strongu003e
u003cemu003eConfessu003c/emu003e. u003cemu003eConfessu003c/emu003e is a seven-show series that you can stream on AppleTV or Prime. The series is about Auburn Reed, a woman with a painful past, who falls for artist Owen Gentry, a man with a secret. Katie Leclerc and Ryan Cooper are featured in Confess.
u003cstrongu003eIs u003cemu003eUgly Loveu003c/emu003e a spicy romance book?u003c/strongu003e
Yes. Ugly Love includes quite a bit of spicy content. It is considered a dark steamy romance, appropriate for New Adult and Adult categories.
Is the u003cstrongu003ebook u003c/strongu003eu003cemu003eUgly Love u003c/emu003eappropriate for 13-year-olds?
That’s of course a parenting decision but overall, we’d say no, because this book features mature themes, mature content, and language that may not be suitable for younger readers.
u003cstrongu003eWhy was the production of u003cemu003eUgly Loveu003c/emu003e Cancelled?u003c/strongu003e
Rumors say that there were creative differences between the director, producers, and other team members. The director wanted to stay closer to the original book, while producers were pushing for drastic changes. Unable to agree, the production of Ugly Love was canceled.
u003cstrongu003eWhich books did Colleen Hoover write?u003c/strongu003e
Colleen Hoover is a prolific bestselling author with over 25 novels under her belt. You will love her main characters, her plot twists, the best friend, the meet cute, and the relationships. u003cbru003eu003cbru003eHere is a cheat sheet of all Colleen Hoover books in order of publication:u003cbru003eu003cbru003eSlammed (Slammed Series Book 1 of 3) (2012)u003cbru003ePoint of Retreat (Slammed Series Book 2 of 3) (2012)u003cbru003eHopeless (Hopeless Series Book 1 of 4) (2012)u003cbru003eThis Girl (Slammed Series Book 3 of 3) (2013)u003cbru003eLosing Hope (Hopeless Series Book 2 of 4) (2013)u003cbru003eFinding Cinderella (Hopeless Series Book 3 of 4) (2013)u003cbru003eMaybe Someday (Maybe Someday Series Book 1 of 3) (2014)u003cbru003eUgly Love (2014)u003cbru003eMaybe Not (Maybe Someday Series Book 2 of 3) (2014)u003cbru003eConfess (2015)u003cbru003eNovember 9 (2015)u003cbru003eNever Never (Part 1 of 3) (2015) (she is a co-author)u003cbru003eNever Never (Part 2 of 3) (2015) (co-author)u003cbru003eNever Never (Part 3 of 3) (2016) (co-author)u003cbru003eIt Ends With Us (2016)u003cbru003eToo Late (2016)u003cbru003eWithout Merit (2017)u003cbru003eAll Your Perfects (2018)u003cbru003eMaybe Now (Maybe Someday Series Book 3 of 3) (2018)u003cbru003eVerity (2018)u003cbru003eFinding Perfect (Hopeless Series Book 4 of 4) (2019)u003cbru003eRegretting You (2019)u003cbru003eHeart Bones (2020)u003cbru003eLayla (2020)u003cbru003eReminders Of Him (2022)u003cbru003eIt Starts With Us (2022)
u003cstrongu003eWhat romance themes are most popular?u003c/strongu003e
There are a lot of options here, of course, but some popular ones are falling in love with your best friend, fake boyfriends and fake relationships, romantic plot twists, adult romance and details about a character’s love life, lakeside towns, and of course love at first sight.
Sara E. Zeller is a professional writer, editor, and technical writer. Ever since she was a child, many of her very favorite people and playgrounds were located within books, which is why she loves to write about books as an adult. You can read her recent fiction in Issue #84 of Andromeda Spaceways Magazine, and in the modern gothic anthology IN SOMNIO, by Tenebrous Press. For more bookish news, connect with her on Twitter @pnwriter1 and Instagram @pnwriter
