It is said that you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover. But many do it anyway. Some go a step further by judging people for the books they own or proudly display on their shelves. When a reader who goes by the name BaileyReadsGood recently asked, “What’s a book that, if you see it on someone’s shelf, you immediately start judging them for it?” the internet didn’t hold back.

The book lover received over a thousand comments on her TikTok post. And it’s been viewed more than 68,000 times. Scroll down to see what people had to say, so that you can clean up your bookshelf before your next guest comes over. Don’t forget to upvote the ones you agree with, and let us know in the comments if you have any books to add to the list.

This book enthusiast was curious to know what should *not* be proudly displayed on anyone’s bookshelf

Image credits: baileyreadsgood

From the Bible, to the classics, and some modern best-sellers, people didn’t hold back…

Image credits: amazon

Image credits: amazon

Image credits: amazon

Image credits: amazon

Image credits: amazon

Image credits: amazon

Image credits: amazon

Image credits: amazon

Image credits: amazon

Image credits: amazon

Image credits: amazon

Image credits: amazon

Image credits: amazon

Image credits: amazon

Image credits: amazon

Image credits: amazon

“Anything Colleen Hoover”: here’s why people are divided over the It Ends With Us author

One of the names that came up a few times was Colleen Hoover. In case you’re unfamiliar, Hoover is an American author who has written several books, mainly romance novels. Perhaps her most famous one is It Ends With Us. The best-seller was recently been adapted into a Hollywood movie, which, if you’ve been following the Blake Lively vs Justin Baldoni drama, you’ll know has racked up its own fair share of controversy.

Critics have hit out at Hoover for romanticizing domestic violence. The way one op-ed, published on domesticshelters.org, puts it is that the book “feeds into the very structures of toxic masculinity that it purports to combat” by “romanticizing red flags” and glorifies a “charismatic-but-dangerous man.”

Some felt the book’s bright and cheerful cover was inappropriate for its heavy and triggering theme. Hoover came under fire again in 2023 when she announced the release of a coloring book based on the main female character of It Ends With Us.

As Glamour reported, many “criticized this as an out of touch and inappropriate way to sell merch, and the backlash was so vocal that Hoover and her publisher decided to cancel its publication.”

The author quickly pulled the coloring book and addressed the controversy in a post on Instagram. “I hear you guys and I agree with you,” wrote Hoover. “No excuses. No finger-pointing. I have contacted the publisher to let them know I would prefer we don’t move forward with it. Thank you for the respectful discourse and accountability. Nothing but love.”

Hoover’s publishers later weighed in. “We developed this book to be uplifting and empowering, mirroring Lily Bloom’s story; we appreciate the feedback and discourse and have the greatest respect for Colleen Hoover’s fans. Thank you for the honest conversation and passion for the world Colleen has created in her books and the characters within,” read Atria Books’ post on X at the time.

Despite the controversy, It Ends With Us has been hugely successful, having sold more than 10 million copies worldwide in print, ebook and audio form since its first release in 2016.

Image credits: Matias North / unsplash (not the actual photo)

Many people felt no one should be judged for what books they read

Some readers were thrilled that the question had been asked

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