Book Review: Layla by Colleen Hoover

Layla by Colleen Hoover is a bit of a wild ride. On the surface, it’s supposed to be a romantic thriller with a dash of the supernatural, but there are moments that are almost unintentionally funny because of how over-the-top some of the emotional drama and paranormal elements get.

The story follows Leeds, a guy who’s madly in love with Layla, this woman he meets at a wedding. Things take a dark turn when Layla is attacked by Leeds ex-girlfriend and left in a coma for weeks. When she wakes up, she’s not the same person—she’s distant and almost unrecognizable. So, Leeds decides to take her to this isolated bed-and-breakfast in the hopes that it’ll help her heal. But, of course, things get weird. Leeds starts experiencing strange things in the house—like, creepy, ghostly stuff—and he’s left wondering if it’s haunted or if Layla’s trauma has somehow triggered some supernatural happenings. It’s a little out there.

The whole book feels like it’s trying to be this deep, emotional, and intense story, but there are moments where it feels like a parody of itself. Like, when Leeds starts having these emotional breakdowns and there’s this constant tug-of-war between loving Layla and dealing with the weird stuff happening around them, it can feel kind of dramatic—almost like something out of a soap opera. And then, there’s the whole “haunted house” element, where "Willow" the ghost, takes over Laylas body so Leeds can spend time with her- which is meant to be eerie, but sometimes it feels like it’s trying a little too hard to be spooky.

The characters, especially Leeds, can be pretty over-the-top in their emotional reactions. He’s constantly torn between wanting to fix Layla and dealing with all this weirdness, and it sometimes feels like he’s having an existential crisis every other chapter. You can’t help but chuckle at how seriously he takes everything, even though the situations he’s in are a little ridiculous. Layla, on the other hand, is almost like a mystery wrapped in a puzzle, and her transformation after the attack is so dramatic that you can’t help but wonder if she’s secretly in on the joke.

The pacing also jumps around a lot. At times, it feels like the story is building toward something big, but then it kind of veers off into this strange, almost surreal direction. The supernatural stuff is introduced so gradually that it keeps you guessing, but sometimes it feels like it’s all happening just to give the plot a twist—one that’s almost too out there to take seriously. I found myself audibly laughing whilst reading this, because I almost couldn't believe what I was reading -it was so far-fetched-

Okay, so let's talk about the elephant in the room- or should I say ghost- It is when Leeds falls in love with a ghost who’s got the spirit of his girlfriend, Layla. Like, how is this even a thing? He’s basically in love with a version of her that’s not even really her—she’s a ghost, but also not quite a ghost, because she still looks like Layla. It’s honestly mind-boggling that he’s okay with this, and the whole thing feels like Colleen Hoover is lowkey pranking us. You’re supposed to be all heartbroken for Leeds, but then you’re just sitting there like, "Wait, did this just turn into a supernatural rom-com where a guy is in love with a ghost?" It makes absolutely no sense, and it’s hard not to laugh at how seriously the book takes it. Like, how are we supposed to root for this relationship when it’s literally not even a real relationship? It’s a ghost. A ghost!

I really enjoy a good horror story, especially when it’s done right, but in Layla, the horror elements just don’t hit the mark. The paranormal stuff feels so underdeveloped and almost childish, like it’s trying to be spooky but doesn’t have the depth or tension to back it up. The haunted house vibe feels rushed, like Colleen Hoover threw it in there as an afterthought rather than building it up into something genuinely unsettling. There’s no slow burn, no sense of creeping dread—just random, ghostly occurrences that feel more like a Halloween special than a chilling thriller. It’s almost like the book can’t decide if it wants to be a romance or a horror story, and because of that, the horror aspect ends up feeling flat and kind of laughable instead of truly eerie. It’s disappointing, especially for fans of the genre, because it had the potential to be something a lot darker and more intense.

In the end, Layla is a book that tries to be super intense and emotional, but at times, it’s hard not to find it a little laughable. It’s like watching a drama unfold, but with a side of “is this for real?” moments. Still, if you’re into Colleen Hoover’s style and enjoy a mix of romance, suspense, and the supernatural, it might just be the right kind of entertaining chaos for you, but it is definitely not for me.