The Fast Break Book Club of NC Death Row ended 2025 reading Colleen Hoover’s Too Late. It was a story of domestic violence, forbidden romance, and impunity for those in power. Too Late was selected by this writer, because after reading Hoover’s Verity, I wanted to see what else she could do.

Gathered around a prison day room table, the Fast Break members discussed their thoughts…

“I liked Too Late. It was an easy read, but the story wasn’t done all that well. Some parts were not that believable and some, the characters lacked common sense. I did like the romance between Sloane and Luke – it was intense. Overall the book was alright; not great.”  – Rodney Taylor

“This novel was different than Hoover’s normal writing style. I appreciated her for taking a chance. My favorite character was Luke’s partner, Dalton, because homeboys should have each other’s backs like that. I was disappointed the crux of the story hinged on a simple lie because Sloane seemed too smart to be so easily fooled.” – Resolute

“I started out thinking Too Late might be just as good as Hoover’s Verity, but ultimately it fell short. It was a page turner, but too typical a love story; not a book I would recommend.” – Marcus Mitchell

“Too Late was a good book to read, good enough that I would read something else Collen Hoover. The highlight for me was there weren’t that many characters to keep up with, but I would’ve liked to see the bad guy live. I didn’t get to read Verity but I hear you guys talk about it a lot. Do any of y’all still got that book?” – Darrell Maness

“After Verity, I thought I couldn’t go wrong selecting another Colleen Hoover book… but nope, I guess you can’t judge a book by its author. In Too Late, it set a steady pace and it was intense at moments, but it didn’t deliver the gut wrenching story as advertised. The antagonist, Asa, was not all that believable as a prominent dope dealer who didn’t make one sale throughout the book. And the budding romance between the Sloane and Luke characters was predictable in the end. Still, I admired the finished project that Hoover was able to accomplish as a product of writer’s block. So the book wasn’t a failure, maybe that was my own expectation. Maybe Verity was one of a kind.” – Chanton (Terry Robinson)

“Too Late was an interesting read, and the anticipation was well put together. The build up was consistent; I was just disappointed in the results. No one died until the end. And every time something was about to happen, I just knew Carter was going to save Sloane. It left a lot to be desired and… oh yeah, my favorite character was Asa, don’t ask me why.” – Jeremy Murrell

There it is – the Fast Break Book Club review on Colleen Hoover’s Too Late. The author is still quite the remarkable writer and has had some of her works adapted into movies. Next up for the Fast Break readers is Jeanine Cummins American Dirt. We’ll convene again in February, 2026, with more feedback to come.