Book Review: Woman Down by Colleen Hoover

I’m a longtime fan of Colleen Hoover, so I was happy to see that she had a new release coming out in 2026! Woman Down came out in January, and I’ve been super curious about it ever since. I really enjoyed her thriller Verity, and so the plot of this one sounded very interesting to me. So keep reading for my full book review of Woman Down by Colleen Hoover.

I recently listened to the audiobook and I had so many questions as the story progressed. Was Petra safe staying in her secluded lakeside cabin? Why were all of the people she was iteracting with acting so strangely? As far as psychological thrillers go, this is one that really surprised me in the end.

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What is Woman Down by Colleen Hoover About?

In this twisty thriller from New York Times bestselling author Colleen Hoover, a frustrated author looks for her muse in a remote hideaway, but what she finds defies all expectations…and reality.

Her words used to set the page on fire. But a viral backlash over her latest film adaptation forced Petra Rose to take a hiatus, resulting in missed deadlines and an overdue mortgage. Branded a fraud and fame-hungry opportunist, she learned the hard way what happens when the internet turns on you. And she’s been uninspired to write ever since.

Now, with her next suspense novel outlined and savings nearly gone, she retreats to a secluded lakeside cabin, hoping to find inspiration. It’s Petra’s last-ditch attempt to save her career—and herself.

Then he shows up.

Detective Nathaniel Saint arrives with disturbing news, his presence igniting a creativity in her she thought long since burned out. Petra’s words return in a rush, and her fictional cop character begins to mirror the very real cop who’s becoming her muse.

Their “research” sessions blur the lines between fantasy and reality. Each glance, every touch pulls Petra deeper into a world she thought she’d never lose herself in again. She’s never felt more alive. But inspiration this powerful comes at a cost.

When Saint starts taking his role in her career a little too seriously, Petra’s forced to confront the chaos she created. But doing so could cost her more than the reputation she’s been trying to salvage. The reputation the world wrote for her—the reputation only she can reclaim. (from Amazon.com)

My Initial Thoughts

As I started listening to this audiobook, I felt bad for Petra. I can’t imagine how hard it is to find your confidence to write a new book, after everything that she went through. Online bullying is no fun and even though she’s just a book character I was like “I really hope she saw some kind of therapist after the whole ordeal with her movie”.

But as the story progressed I was like, yeah. She doesn’t seem like the type of person who would try to help herself. Lol. She’s not really a good role model.

I found her to be an unlikable main character. She seems to overanalyze and overexplain everything. And while her behavior was strange in the beginning, I was like ok… maybe she’s just an odd lady. But a lot of her behavior in this book is so inexcusable and she takes no responsibility for her actions. It makes for a tough read.

I’m not Going to Be Discussing the Plot in Depth

And that’s because I don’t want to spoil it for you! I think that in order to really enjoy this book, you need to go into it not knowing much. If you’re familiar with Colleen Hoovers writing, you know that she loves some plot twists. But I have a feeling to won’t really know where this story is going. I know I certainly didn’t.

I Love to Read About Writers

I love to read about writers working through writing block, so I really enjoyed that aspect of this story. The whole reason Petra heads to the secluded cabin at the lake is so she can get some writing done. She may be an author of many novels, but she’s been having trouble writing. She thinks that some time away will help her writer her latest novel.

That’s a great idea in theory, but things don’t go exactly as planned. She senses that something is off with her airBnb host when she first meets him, and she vows to stay inside and try to reignite her literary life. But after an inciting incident, she winds up meeting a married police officer. And even though he’s taken and they have a lot of sexual tension, she thinks that he’s the perfect person to help her research her next book.

Red flag! Red flag!

I think this might be one of her darkest books. It’s very twisted and there are a lot of twists and turns. I was truly surprised by what happened in the end.

Is Woman Down Based off of Colleen Hoover’s Life?

No, she makes sure to explain that in the Author’s Note at the beginning of the novel. This is not based off of the It Ends With Us online controversy. But I do think that Colleen was able to use some of her feelings from that situation to influence the backstory of writer Petra Rose. Hoover’s experiences in real life were probably just as difficult.

Is Woman Down Spicy?

Yes, it’s a little spicy. The book features two peope having an extramarital affair and so there are depictions of their sexual encounters.

Is Woman Down worth Reading?

It really depends. I’m glad I read it because I’m a Colleen Hoover fan. The ending was bonkers and I would have been sad if I had missed this. But if you are new to her works and are looking for a good thriller, I would pass. It’s really more of a romantic suspense than a thriller in my opinion.

Is Woman Down like Verity?

I think the two books share some similarities. They are both dark pieces of fiction where the main characters have a lot of trauma. And they are both about writers who need to finish their projects so that they can make some money.

In Conclusion

I hope you enjoyed hearing some of my thoughts on Woman Down by Colleen Hoover. It’s a bizarre story but that’s part of what I like about Colleen Hoover books. She always throws in some wacky twists and a whole circus of characters. I just can’t help but be a fan! lol.

I know this review was a little vague, but I didn’t want to give away the entire plot. It’s much better of you discover the truth about these characters little by little as you read. If you enjoy romance suspense, you’ll be glued to this book until the final pages.