Why Colleen Hoover Says She’s “Almost Embarrassed” to Have Written ‘It Ends With Us’

Colleen Hoover has opened up about the struggles surrounding the movie adaptation of her bestselling book It Ends With Us. In a new interview with Elle magazine, she described the situation as “unfortunate” and “disappointing,” especially after the legal battle between Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni overshadowed the film’s success.

The 2024 movie was a sleeper hit, earning $350 million worldwide, but it quickly became mired in controversy. Lively sued Baldoni, who directed the film, and his company Wayfarer Studios, claiming s**** harassment and retaliation.

She alleged that a smear campaign followed her complaints about on-set conditions. Baldoni denies the accusations and has filed a $400 million countersuit. The trial is scheduled for March 2026.

Hoover, who worked as an executive producer, said she was unaware of any issues during filming. She described the situation as chaotic, saying, “It feels like a circus. When there are real people involved, with real feelings and emotions. This actually truly has impacted some of the actors’ careers in huge ways. And I just find it all around sad.”

She is now preparing to give a deposition but otherwise is trying to stay away from the negativity. “I have my own story I could tell, but I don’t want to bring attention to it, and I don’t want to have to put someone else down to lift myself up,” she explained.

The controversy has also affected how Hoover feels about her book. Inspired by her mother’s life, the story deals with domestic violence. Hoover admitted that revisiting the story now brings a new kind of pain. “The book was inspired by her story, and now it gives us PTSD to think about it,” she said.

She added that seeing her mother go through the fallout of the film has been particularly hard: “I feel awful because I almost feel like she’s gone through more with the aftermath of this film, more pain than she went through with my dad, just seeing the ugliness of it.”

Hoover now says she feels “almost embarrassed” to mention the book publicly. “I can’t even recommend it anymore. I feel like [the lawsuit] has overshadowed it. I’m almost embarrassed to say I wrote it. When people ask what I do, I’m just like, ‘I’m a writer. Please don’t ask me what I wrote,’” she told Elle.

Still, she hopes time and the conclusion of the trial will make it easier to view the book positively again.

Despite these challenges, Hoover remains a rising force in Hollywood. Her book Regretting You was adapted into a film by Paramount and has earned $82 million so far. Two more novels, Verity and Reminders of Him, are being adapted for release in 2026 by Amazon MGM and Universal.

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