It Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover
Publication Date: August 2, 2016
Plot: Sometimes it is the one who loves you who hurts you the most. Lily hasn’t always had it easy, but that’s never stopped her from working hard for the life she wants. She’s come a long way from the small town in Maine where she grew up — she graduated from college, moved to Boston, and started her own business. So when she feels a spark with a gorgeous neurosurgeon named Ryle Kincaid, everything in Lily’s life suddenly seems almost too good to be true.
Ryle is assertive, stubborn, maybe even a little arrogant. He’s also sensitive, brilliant, and has a total soft spot for Lily. And the way he looks in scrubs certainly doesn’t hurt. Lily can’t get him out of her head. But Ryle’s complete aversion to relationships is disturbing. Even as Lily finds herself becoming the exception to his “no dating” rule, she can’t help but wonder what made him that way in the first place.
As questions about her new relationship overwhelm her, so do thoughts of Atlas Corrigan — her first love and a link to the past she left behind. He was her kindred spirit, her protector. When Atlas suddenly reappears, everything Lily has built with Ryle is threatened.
MY THOUGHTS:
I was SO excited to dive into my second book of the year, so much so that I read the entire thing in a day. It’s been SO long since I’ve done that, and after this one, I might need therapy to get over it. It Ends With Us is a book that needs no introduction, so I’ll dive right in. This was my first Colleen Hoover book, and there is no doubt that I will be reading everything she has ever written. This book was absolutely brilliant.
Trigger Warning: Domestic Violence is portrayed in a very difficult + haunting way throughout this novel. Colleen Hoover did an incredible job painting the image of what it’s like to be in an abusive relationship. They often portray themselves as charming, gentle, kind, and protective, but behind doors, they crack at anything that doesn’t fit their perfect narrative.
It really puts an enlightening perspective on abuse and how easy it is to judge from the outside. I hated myself every time I felt bad for the abuser but the reality of the situation just hit hard. The love story of It Ends With Us is what kept pulling me back in, though. The idea of the one that got away. Lily always holding on to the magnet that Atlas gave her ughhhhh my soul was WRECKED.
Lily was such a strong character in the book, overcoming her toxic and manipulative relationship and making sure her daughter wasn't harmed in the same way as her mother before her. Ryle…I SO wanted to like him in the beginning. I was really rooting for him + Lily, but MY GOD when I say it took one second for him to break my trust and never like him again, I mean it. And Atlas…he was such a well-written character and was absolutely perfect for Lily. I think Atlas is my favorite fictional human!
The “Where’d you get the magnet, Lily?!” scene kills me every time I think about it. (Iykyk!) So be prepared for the best + worst book you’ve ever read when you dive into this one.
It Ends With Us is so worth every tear you will shed. It’s a rollercoaster so get ready for high highs and low lows. Loved the characters, loved the plot, I just loved everything! I’m so glad that I went into this book blind, it only made it that much more impactful.
I absolutely cannot wait for the sequel, It Starts With Us, to come out this October. (It’s also getting made into a movie by the incredible Justin Baldoni, so I am mildly freaking out about that!!)
This book will be on my top favorite books for the rest of eternity. SO worth the hype!!
☆ Rating: 5/5 stars
