Waiting for Hoover

One cool thing about working at the library is you get to see what people are reading.  You also get to notice when a book is popular - a few books have spent weeks on the reserve list, being returned just to get marked for the next patron line.

One author I've seen repeatedly on our reserve shelf, and no more than twice in the actual fiction section, is New York Times bestselling author Colleen Hoover.

I honestly don't think there's another author for whom we have this sort of demand in the library.  It's not like Hoover only has one or two books; we have twelve, yes twelve, of her books, and it is a very rare occasion that any of them are on the shelf.  That's how popular she is.

The best way to check one of these out is to reserve it, either through our online catalog or simply by visiting us and asking a staff member for help.

But what on Earth is there to read during all that waiting?  Or what if, perish the thought, you've already read Hoover's books, and don't know what to read next?

Well, we at the library have got your back.  Read on to see a handful of great titles to hopefully fill that gap in your book-loving heart.

• The Spanish Love Deception - Elena Armas (FIC ARM)
• "Catalina Martin desperately needs a date to her sister's wedding. Especially since her little white lie about her American boyfriend has spiraled out of control. Now everyone she knows--including her ex and his fiancée--will be there and eager to meet him. She only has four weeks to find someone willing to cross the Atlantic and aid in her deception. New York to Spain is no short flight and her raucous family won't be easy to fool. Enter Aaron Blackford--her tall, handsome, condescending colleague--who surprisingly offers to step in. She'd rather refuse; never has there been a more aggravating, blood-boiling, and insufferable man. But Catalina is desperate, and as the wedding draws nearer, Aaron looks like her best option. And she begins to realize he might not be as terrible in the real world as he is at the office."

• The True Love Experiment - Lauren Christina (FIC CHR)
• "Felicity "Fizzy" Chen is lost. Sure, she's got an incredible career as a beloved romance novelist with a slew of bestsellers under her belt, but when she's asked to give a commencement address, it hits her: she hasn't been practicing what she's preached. Fizzy hasn't ever really been in love. Lust? Definitely. But that swoon-worthy, can't-stop-thinking-about-him, all-encompassing feeling? Nope. Nothing. What happens when the optimism she's spent her career encouraging in readers starts to feel like a lie? Connor Prince, documentary filmmaker and single father, loves his work in large part because it allows him to live near his daughter. But when his profit-minded boss orders him to create a reality TV show, putting his job on the line, Connor is out of his element. Desperate to find his romantic lead, a chance run-in with an exasperated Fizzy offers Connor the perfect solution. What if he could show the queen of romance herself falling head-over-heels for all the world to see? Fizzy gives him a hard pass-unless he agrees to her list of demands. When he says yes, and production on The True Love Experiment begins, Connor wonders if that perfect match will ever be in the cue cards for him, too."

• Misconduct - Penelope Douglas (FIC DOU)
• "Former tennis player Easton Bradbury is trying to be the best teacher she can be, trying to reach her bored students, trying to forget her past. What brought her to this stage in her life isn't important. She can't let it be. But now one parent-teacher meeting may be her undoing. Meeting Tyler Marek for the first time makes it easy for Easton to see why his son is having trouble in school. The man knows how to manage businesses and wealth, not a living, breathing teenage boy. Or a young teacher, for that matter, though he tries to. And yet...there is something about him that draws Easton in a hint of vulnerability, a flash of attraction, a spark that might burn. Wanting him is taboo. Needing him is undeniable. And his long-awaited touch will weaken Easton's resolve--and reveal what should stay hidden."

• The Love Hypothesis - Ali Hazelwood (FIC HAZ)
• "When a fake relationship between scientists meets the irresistible force of attraction, it throws one woman's carefully calculated theories on love into chaos. As a third-year Ph.D. candidate, Olive Smith doesn't believe in lasting romantic relationships--but her best friend does, and that's what got her into this situation. Convincing Anh that Olive is dating and well on her way to a happily ever after was always going to take more than hand-wavy Jedi mind tricks: Scientists require proof. So, like any self-respecting biologist, Olive panics and kisses the first man she sees. That man is none other than Adam Carlsen, a young hotshot professor--and well-known ass. Which is why Olive is positively floored when Stanford's reigning lab tyrant agrees to keep her charade a secret and be her fake boyfriend. But when a big science conference goes haywire, putting Olive's career on the Bunsen burner, Adam surprises her again with his unyielding support and even more unyielding...six-pack abs. Suddenly their little experiment feels dangerously close to combustion. And Olive discovers that the only thing more complicated than a hypothesis on love is putting her own heart under the microscope."

•  Good Girl Complex - Elle Kennedy (FIC KEN)
• "Mackenzie Cabot has spent most of her twenty years pleasing the other people around her so she is going to Garnet College in the expensive beachside town of Avalon Bay in South Carolina when she would really rather focus on her growing internet business; Cooper Hartley is a local boy who usually tends bar and disdains the rich, spoiled college kids he sees every day--but MacKenzie and Cooper fall for each other, until money and family come between them."

Last, but certainly not least:

• Too Late - Colleen Hoover (FIC HOO)
• "Sloan will go through hell and back for those she loves. And she does so, every single day. Caught up with the alluring Asa Jackson, a notorious drug trafficker, Sloan has finally found a lifeline to cling to, even if it's meant compromising her morals. She was in dire straits trying to pay for her brother's care until she met Asa. But as Sloan became emotionally and economically reliant on him, he in turn developed a disturbing obsession with her - one that becomes increasingly dangerous every day. When undercover DEA agent Carter enters the picture, Sloan's surprised to feel an immediate attraction between them, despite knowing that if Asa finds out, he will kill him. And Asa has always been a step ahead of everyone in his life, including Sloan. No one has ever gotten in his way. No one except Carter. Together, Sloan and Carter must find a way out before it's too late..."

Yeah, that's right.  I put Colleen Hoover on the "books to read while waiting for Colleen Hoover" list.  We just got it in, and it's already on reserve, so get your name on that list... before it's Too Late.  (Eh? Eh?)

So, Hoover fans, how'd I do?  Let me know in a comment if you've read/enjoyed any of these books.  Or, if I've missed the mark entirely, what books would you recommend for someone trying to get through a Colleen Hoover drought?