'It Ends With Us' author Colleen Hoover says she's 'embarassed' to say she wrote the book after the Blake Lively, Justin Baldoni controversy

Colleen Hoover, bestselling author of It Ends With Us, recently got honest about her novel after the Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni legal drama. 

Hoover revealed in a recent interview with Elle that she is "embarrassed" about her involvement in the controversy surrounding the film adaptation of her bestseller. 

"This actually truly has impacted some of the actors’ careers in huge ways. And I just find it all around sad," Hoover, 45, told the magazine. 

"I can't even recommend it anymore. I feel like [the legal controversy] 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 added.

Published in 2016, It Ends With Us is loosely inspired by Hoover's mother's own experiences. Its plot revolves around a theme of domestic violence. Six years later, following a clamor on TikTok, Hoover wrote the sequel, It Starts With Us. 

The first novel tells the story of florist Lily Bloom (played by Lively) who falls in love with neurosurgeon Ryle Kincaid (played by Baldoni). Circumstances add Bloom's high school lover Atlas Corrigan (played by Brandon Sklenar) to the mix. 

Hoover's novel was given a film adaptation with Baldoni and Lively in the lead roles. Both stars also produced the film, with Baldoni directing. 

Months after the August release of the film adaptation, Lively filed a complaint with the California Civil Rights Department. In it, she alleged that Baldoni created a hostile work environment on set, accusing him of sexual harassment and crossing boundaries. 

Refuting Lively's claims, Baldoni filed a countersuit against Lively and her husband actor Ryan Reynolds in Jan. 2025 for defamation and extortion. 

While Lively's lawsuit against Baldoni is ongoing, set to go on trial in March 2026, Baldoni's case against Lively has been formally closed in court, according to a report by BBC. 

Since the novel was loosely based on Hoover's mother's life, the legal drama has affected her mom, too. 

"The book was inspired by her story, and now it gives us PTSD to think about it. 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," the author said. 

While she remains proud of the book, Hoover said she talks about it less in public.