Layla

A Wall Street Journal and USA Today bestseller.

From #1 New York Times bestselling author Colleen Hoover comes a novel that explores life after tragedy and the enduring spirit of love.

When Leeds meets Layla, he’s convinced he’ll spend the rest of his life with her―until an unexpected attack leaves Layla fighting for her life. After weeks in the hospital, Layla recovers physically, but the emotional and mental scarring has altered the woman Leeds fell in love with. In order to put their relationship back on track, Leeds whisks Layla away to the bed-and-breakfast where they first met. Once they arrive, Layla’s behavior takes a bizarre turn. And that’s just one of many inexplicable occurrences.

Feeling distant from Layla, Leeds soon finds solace in Willow―another guest of the B&B with whom he forms a connection through their shared concerns. As his curiosity for Willow grows, his decision to help her find answers puts him in direct conflict with Layla’s well-being. Leeds soon realizes he has to make a choice because he can’t help both of them. But if he makes the wrong choice, it could be detrimental for all of them.

Colleen Hoover is the #1 New York Times and International bestselling author of multiple novels and novellas. She lives in Texas with her husband and their three boys. She is the founder of The Bookworm Box, a non-profit book subscription service and bookstore in Sulphur Springs, Texas.

For more information and for a schedule of events, please visit colleenhoover.com.

To contact Colleen and her team (Her team's name is Stephanie), please email [email protected]

An Amazon Best Book of the Month: Romance

“Surprising and emotionally tense, this paranormal romance is sure to entertain.” ―Publishers Weekly

“[Hoover’s] first foray into paranormal romance does not disappoint. Peppered with elements of mystery, psychological thriller, and contemporary romance, the novel explores questions about how quickly true love can develop, as well as the conflicts that can imperil even the strongest connections…fast-paced and engaging…A unique story of transcendent love.” ―Kirkus Reviews

“The love between Leeds and Willow has a very appealing, slow build, while the many plot turns will keep readers guessing through to the shocking resolution.” ―Booklist

“Hoover blends thrills, fantasy, and romance into one captivating story.” ―Bookish

“Feel free to send Hoover your increased electric bill because you’re going to be keeping the lights on late to stay up and read this one.” ―E! Online

“[A] beautiful spine-chilling novel.” ―Her Campus

“[A] thrilling paranormal romance.” ―Buzzfeed

“You should read this book if you like: Romance with paranormal echoes, gentle thriller-type elements, mysteries, dubious B&B vacations, plot twists, big reveals, true love…” ―Goodreads

“Hoover brings her trademark poignancy and addictive prose to the novel, and the bulk of the plot is based in real tragedies and emotions enough that even the more fantastical elements feel real.” ―BookReporter

Layla by Colleen Hoover is a romantic thriller with a paranormal twist that follows Leeds, a musician, and Layla, the woman he falls deeply in love with after they meet at a wedding. Their connection is instant and intense, and for a while their relationship feels passionate, devoted, and full of promise. The story begins as a love story, but it soon shifts into something darker and stranger when violence, trauma, and unexplained events begin to shape their lives.

After Layla is attacked by Leeds’s unstable ex-girlfriend, Sable, she survives but is left physically and emotionally changed. Leeds becomes her caretaker, and although he tries to help her heal, he struggles with the way the trauma has altered her personality, memories, and sense of self. Wanting to restore what they once had, he takes Layla back to the bed-and-breakfast where they first met, hoping the familiar place will bring her closer to him again.

Once they arrive at the B&B, the atmosphere becomes unsettling. Strange things start happening, and Leeds begins to feel that something is not right in the house or with Layla herself. A mysterious presence named Willow enters the story, and Leeds forms a connection with her because she seems to understand the strange events better than anyone else. As the paranormal activity grows more intense, Leeds is pulled into a confusing situation where love, memory, identity, and the supernatural all seem to overlap.

The novel develops into a psychological and emotional puzzle. Leeds is torn between the woman he loves and the new, eerie presence in the house, and he starts questioning what is real, what is imagined, and who can actually be trusted. The story uses this uncertainty to explore how grief and trauma can change a relationship, and how holding on to the past can sometimes make it harder to face the truth in the present.

At its core, Layla is about love tested by suffering. Leeds wants to believe that his bond with Layla can survive anything, but the novel shows that love is not always simple, especially when pain, fear, and loss reshape both people in a relationship. The paranormal elements add tension and mystery, but the emotional center of the book remains the same: a man trying to understand the woman he loves after tragedy changes everything.

The book also deals with identity in a deeper way. Layla’s behavior after the attack makes Leeds wonder whether the person in front of him is still the same woman he once knew. That uncertainty becomes one of the most powerful parts of the story, because it forces him to confront the difference between loving someone for who they were, who they are now, and who they may have become through suffering.

As the mystery unfolds, the novel builds toward revelations that connect the haunting at the B&B with the characters’ emotional wounds. The atmosphere becomes increasingly tense, and the reader is led through a story that is part romance, part suspense, and part ghost story. Even though the book moves into the supernatural, its lasting focus is on human vulnerability, attachment, and the fear of losing someone while they are still alive.

Layla stands out from Colleen Hoover’s more straightforward romances because it combines emotional intensity with paranormal suspense. It is not only about whether love can survive hardship, but also about how much of a person can change before the people who love them no longer recognize them. That blend of romance, grief, mystery, and haunting makes the novel memorable, unsettling, and emotionally charged.