LOS ANGELES: Bestseller author Colleen Hoover has expressed feelings of guilt and embarrassment regarding her acclaimed novel It Ends With Us amid the ongoing legal disputes involving Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni.
The controversy stems from Lively’s accusations that Baldoni, the film’s director, sexually harassed her during the production of the movie adaptation of Hoover’s book. Baldoni allegedly launched a retaliatory smear campaign against Lively, though a lawsuit involving him and Lively’s husband, Ryan Reynolds, was later dismissed by a judge.
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Hoover told Elle that the legal fallout has made it difficult for her to publicly discuss the novel. “I can’t even recommend it anymore. I feel like the lawsuit has overshadowed it,” she said. “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.’ ”
The author also expressed empathy for Lively, noting the emotional toll the situation has taken. “The book was inspired by her story, and now it gives us PTSD to think about it,” Hoover said. “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.”
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Despite the controversy, Hoover maintains pride in her work but admits that the public association with the legal issues has complicated her relationship with the book. “The more time that passes, the easier everything gets for all of us. But it is sad, because I was very proud of that book. And I’m still proud of it, but less publicly so,” she added.