12 Books Like Ugly Love (Spicy, Heart-Breaking & More)
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If you’ve recently read Ugly Love by Colleen Hoover and are looking for similar books, this list of books will help you discover some gems.
Ugly Love by Colleen Hoover is a booktok favourite. Although it got trendy in recent months, it was first published in 2014.
The story follows the relationship between Miles Archer, a pilot and his neighbor, Tate Collins. They form a friends with benefit “situationship” to escape some painful realities.
Just like most Colleen Hoover books, Ugly Love is spicy, so you’ll find some spicy books like Ugly Love in this list too!
In this list of books like Colleen Hoover, you’ll find books with themes of:
- Loss of loved one
- Grief
- PTSD
- Unrequited love
- Friends with Benefits trope
- Spicy romance
Read More:
- Colleen Hoover Books In Order (FREE Masterlist & Mindmap)
- 9 Perfect Gifts for Colleen Hoover Fans
- It Starts With Us Book Club Questions & Guide
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12 Books Like Ugly Love by Colleen Hoover
1. November 9 by Colleen Hoover
November 9 is also a book by Colleen Hoover which explores similar themes to Ugly Love.
There’s grief, self-discovery, self-acceptance and more. Although it is an “insta-love” romance trope which many romance readers don’t seem to enjoy, this one book in particular has become a favourite among CoHo fans.
Fallon and Ben meet at a restaurant on November 9 and swear to meet again yearly for the next 6 years until they’re both 23.
They are undeniably attracted to each other. Every year they meet on the same day, same time and same place until they eventually fall in love with each other.
However, things get messy when Fallon discovers a secret Ben has been hiding from her.
Read More: November 9 Summary and Review (Non-spoiler & Spoiler)
2. It Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover
It Ends With Us needs no introduction. If you’re looking for other books by the author of Ugly Love, you probably will like this book.
Some readers say that that this book started the Colleen Hoover hype on major bookish platforms like Booktok.
It has themes of abuse, grief, self-discovery and unrequited love. This is a book very similar to Ugly Love as it has traumatic themes and complex characters.
Read More: 20 It Ends With Us Book Club Questions & Quotes
3. The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
The Fault in Our Stars is similar to Ugly Love because of themes like unrequited love, loss of loved one and self-discovery.
This book is a young adult novel about two cancer patients who end up forming a close bond. Gus teaches Hazel to live life to the fullest before their time comes to an end.
Together, they discover themselves and each other through their illness and love for one another. Like Ugly Love, this story is heart-wrenching because of the complex relationship and characters.
4. The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks
The Notebook is a romance novel that tells the story of Noah Calhoun and Allie Nelson, two young people from different backgrounds who fall in love during the summer of 1940.
However, Allie’s parents disapprove of Noah, and the two are forced to part ways. Soon, Allie is engaged to another man and she is still head over heels for Noah.
The story is told through the perspective of an elderly man reading from a notebook to a woman in a nursing home, which is revealed as Allie, who suffers from dementia.
This book has also been made into a movie. The Notebook is similar to Ugly Love because of themes like love and loss. It is also a heart-wrenching read as readers learn about Allie’s condition and Noah not wanting to give up on her.
5. The Question of Red by Laksmi Pamuntjak
One of my favourite books of all time, The Question of Red is a retelling of the epic Mahabharata.
The author adopts character names and mythology from the Mahabharata. In this epic, Bhisma, a warrior kidnaps Amba who is betrothed to King Salwa. Amba falls in love with her captor and he loves her as well.
Similarly, in the book, Amba and Bhisma’s unrequited love story is the result of political instability in Indonesia during the 1960s.
This book is similar to Ugly Love because of it’s unrequited love story and complicated characters.
However, I would not compare this book to Ugly Love as it is a literary award winner, rich with culture and fiction based on actual political history.
If you’re looking for novels similar to Ugly Love that will make you cry your eyes out, this one works!
6. You’ve Reached Sam by Dustin Thao
In the book You’ve Reached Sam, Julie wishes to attend college in the city and travel to japan, she plans to do it all with her boyfriend Sam.
Sam dies tragically, leaving Julie alone without a chance to say goodbye. Getting rid of all of his stuff in hopes of moving on, it’s useless because she still misses him.
Out of desperation, she calls him one last time just to hear his voicemail. Plot twist – Sam picks up the call.
Although this is a paranormal romance, it is an unrequited love story similar to Ugly Love.
7. Roomies by Christina Lauren
If you’re looking for books similar to Ugly Love but with a different type of romance trope, this book is for you.
In Roomies, Holland has always been captivated by Calvin, a street musician, but she never had the guts to approach him. Opportunity arises when her uncle, a Broadway director is looking to hire a talent just like Calvin.
However, the police is onto Calvin as his student visa expired years ago and he is living in the country illegally. The both of them get into a marriage of convenience that mutually benefits them.
Although Roomies and Ugly Love have different tropes, the main characters end up mutually benefiting each other and moving in with each other as well.
Roomies by Christina Lauren is a rom-com that is heartwarming and fun to read with a dash of spice.
8. The Sea of Tranquility by Katja Millay
The Sea of Tranquility is a YA novel that follows the story of Nastya Kashnikov, a high school student who is also a former piano prodigy.
She wants to keep her past hidden and seeks revenge on the person who took everything from her.
Josh Bennett, is a lonely boy who has lost everyone he loved and wants to be left alone.
Nastya and Josh’s paths cross at school and she starts to get close to him, but as their relationship intensifies, Nastya isolates herself and her feelings. This makes Josh start to wonder if he will ever learn the secrets she’s been hiding.
This book is like Ugly Love because it’s main characters are in a lot of pain. They find comfort in each other while they try to heal from their trauma.
9. The Duchess Deal by Tessa Dare
Although The Duchess Deal is a historical romance novel and has a very different story line when compared to Ugly Love, this historical romance has some similarities as the main characters have their own trauma and find healing in each other when least expected so.
Their living together arrangement is supposed to mutually benefit them just like in Ugly Love, but they end up falling for each other and do not want to admit it to each other because of certain negative past experiences that are holding them back.
Plus, The Duchess Deal is a spicy book like Ugly Love, even more spicy I would say! The Duchess Deal is the first book in the Girl Meets Duke series.
10. Hopeless by Colleen Hoover
Hopeless is a novel that follows the story of Sky, a seventeen-year-old girl living in a group home for troubled youth, who meets Dean Holder, a mysterious boy with a bad reputation but she can’t seem to stay away from him.
Despite his dangerous reputation, Dean is determined to learn more about her and uncover her past.
As Sky gets closer to him, she discovers that Dean is hiding secrets, and when they are finally revealed, her life is changed forever.
This novel is similar to Ugly Love because the main characters want to be together but aren’t good for each other.
Colleen Hoover is known for a repetitive romance writing style – there’s traumatic plot twists and secrets that change the dynamic of the relationships of characters in her books.
11. Twisted Hate by Ana Huang
If you’re looking for some steamy books like ugly love, Twisted Hate is your best pick.
Twisted Hate follows Josh Chen. He is back in town and busy at the hospital as a medical resident but that isn’t enough to take Jules Ambrose off his mind.
Josh has always been a lady’s man but Jules isn’t falling for his charm and that annoys him more than he cares to admit.
Despite all his efforts, Jules won’t leave his mind so he proposes the idea to her of a friends-with-benefits arrangement to get her out of his system once and for all.
Jules is working hard to become a lawyer and focusing on passing the bar exam but when she starts interning at a hospital where Josh frequently visits, it’s nearly impossible to avoid him.
Read More: Twisted Series In Order (Ultimate Guide)
12. Bared To You by Sylvia Day
Bared To You is the first book in the Crossfire Series. This series follows the story of Eva Tramell and Gideon Cross who meet each other in New York and have immediate attraction to each other.
Eva is a young woman who is trying to rebuild her life after a traumatic event and Gideon is a successful businessman who is haunted by his own past.
This book is similar to Ugly Love because the main characters are trying to heal from their trauma while trying to have a relationship. It is also extremely spicy just like Ugly Love.
In fact, this book is well-known for its explicitness. So pick this one up if you’re looking for a steamy book like Ugly Love.
Wrap Up: 12 Books Like Ugly Love
Here are 12 books to read if you liked Ugly Love. Most of these books have similar storylines.
While some may vary in plot, they have similar themes like lost of a loved one, unrequited love, grief, self-acceptance and more.
If you’re looking for more books similar to Colleen Hoover’s, read these:
