Colleen Hoover is the reigning queen of #BookTok. But chances are, if you’ve never heard her name before, that distinction will do little to clear things up. It’s TikTok’s literary corner, where millions of readers share their “To Be Read” piles and author “Top 5” reveals. And it’s characterised by zealous devotion to a handful of authors. Here, the prolific scribe of steamy romance novels has a cloying celeb nickname (“CoHo”) and a cultishly devoted fan hive (her “CoHort”).
Which isn’t to say Hoover’s appeal is niche. Right now, she’s the author of five of the top 12 fiction books on the New York Times bestseller list, and eight of the top 12 books in paperback. Her back catalogue – nearly 30 titles published or self-published in the last 10 years – is eclectic. The former social worker from Texas mostly writes adult romance, but her first book Slammed, in 2012, was for young adults. Since then she’s done sequels, thrillers, and even a ghost story, Layla.
