From BookTok to box office: why Verity could be Colleen Hoover’s biggest chapter yet.

Colleen Hoover has rapidly become one of the most powerful names in modern publishing, with her emotionally charged novels building a passionate global fanbase, particularly among females aged 18-39. After initially self-publishing her work in the early 2010s, Hoover’s novels exploded years later across social media, particularly among TikTok’s BookTok community, where she became widely dubbed the “Queen of BookTok”. The #ColleenHoover hashtag has since amassed billions of views on TikTok, transforming her back catalogue into global bestsellers and earning Hoover a place on Time magazine’s list of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2023.

That influence has quickly translated to the big screen. Following adaptations including It Ends with Us, Regretting You and Reminders of Him, Hoover’s stories have already proven hugely successful in cinemas, but Verity could very well become the author’s biggest theatrical success yet.

Originally self-published in 2018, Verity became one of Hoover’s most talked-about novels, topping The New York Times best seller list for months and selling more than one million copies in 2023 alone. During a 2024 appearance on the Barely Famous podcast, Hoover even described writing Verity as her “favourite writing experience” despite having more than 20 bestselling novels to her name.

Set to release on October 1, Verity follows struggling writer Lowen Ashleigh, who is hired to ghostwrite for famous author Verity Crawford after a mysterious accident leaves her unable to finish her work. However, what begins as a career-defining opportunity soon spirals into something far darker when Lowen uncovers chilling autobiographical notes hidden throughout Verity’s home.

Anne Hathaway stars alongside Dakota Johnson and Josh Hartnett in a cast already generating significant audience anticipation. Hartnett recently described the film as “sexy, mysterious, a little bit gothic, a little bit scary and wild,” hinting at the unsettling tone fans of the novel have come to expect.

With a highly engaged female audience and enormous built-in fan anticipation, Verity presents a strong alignment opportunity for beauty, retail, wellness and luxury lifestyle brands looking to tap into one of the year’s biggest female-driven cultural moments.