Few authors inspire as much emotional loyalty as Colleen Hoover, and her latest film adaptation is no exception. Released on Oct. 24, 2025, Regretting You is a PG-13 romance drama directed by Josh Boone that brings Hoover’s bestselling novel to theaters. The movie explores how a single tragic accident can unravel a family, forcing its members to confront grief, betrayal, and forgiveness. The nearly two-hour film stars Allison Williams as Morgan Grant and McKenna Grace as her teenage daughter. Clara, whose strained relationship forms the heart of a story that explores loss, young love, and second chances.
For many viewers, the film’s emotional impact was its greatest strength. Pennridge High School senior Emmy Transue said the movie captured the lingering effects of loss in a realistic way. “This film explored grief by having the characters go through it throughout the film and showed how it affected them in many aspects,” Transue said. She emphasized the weight of the family secrets revealed throughout the story, noting that the film “explored family secrets when the daughter Clara had to find out hard truths about her mother, father, and other family members.” Senior Payton Dipasquale agreed, calling the film relatable. “I really like the movie because what the characters went through in their life is a relatable thing through their different relationships and family,” Dipasquale said. Both students said they were more invested in Clara and Miller’s romance, with Transue explaining that Miller “knew how to comfort her and be there for her” during Clara’s hardest moments.
However, not all elements of the film were equally well received. Transue said the pacing felt uneven, particularly in Morgan’s relationship with Jonah Sullivan, played by Dave Franco. “In my opinion, Morgan and Jonah were rushed because she had just lost her husband and very quickly started a relationship with Jonah,” she said, adding that the film could have shown more of Morgan’s grieving process. Dipasquale also felt parts of the story were dragged out, especially scenes focused on uncovering secrets between secondary characters. Those critiques echo professional reviews.
Plugged In Movie Reviews cited emotional intensity, romantic and sexual content, substance use, and language as major concerns, concluding the film “more frequently stumbles into content issues.” That critical hesitation contrasts sharply with audience response: Regretting You holds a 27% critics score on Rotten Tomatoes but an 85% audience score from more than 1,000 verified ratings. Supported by a social media–heavy marketing campaign highlighting the real-life relationship between Grace and Mason Thames, the film appears to have struck a chord with younger viewers, even as critics remain divided.
