It Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover

It Ends with Us is one of Colleen Hoover's most well-known books ever, having sold over one million copies globally and been translated into a staggering twenty languages since its first publication in 2016.

With 925,221 units sold, it ranked #1 overall in the first half of 2022 and #1 on the Publishers Weekly adult list. Additionally, it ranked first on Publisher Weekly's annual list with sales of 2,729,007 copies. On TikTok, It Ends With Us has gathered over one billion tags!

If you are a big reader as a teen, you probably are aware of the books popularity. In October 2022, Colleen released the highly awaited "It Starts with Us" sequel to this book. I will also be reviewing that one soon!

SYPNOSIS : 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.

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I have to say that reading this book changed my life for the better. This is a serious book (despite what the cover suggests). Everyone should read this book, in my opinion. Men and women, boys and girls.

It's really different from the type of books Colleen typically writes, but it holds a special place in my heart. This is, by far, her best book. It addresses actual emotional issues that we deem uncomfortable to talk about. Because I took breaks from reading this book several times, I think this is my longest Colho reading. So, before you read it, keep in mind this book involves domestic violence, attempted rape/sexual assault, emotional abuse, gun violence, and other distressing issues.

Coming to this book's characters - Lily, the main heroine of this story, is one of the most powerful characters yet laid out. She is just as real and vulnerable as we all are, but the strength with which she took control of her life was inspiring on so many levels. She truly serves as a role model for other women in situations similar to the ones she is in.

“Cycles exist because they are excruciating to break. It takes an astronomical amount of pain and courage to disrupt a familiar pattern. Sometimes it seems easier to just keep running in the same familiar circles, rather than facing the fear of jumping and possibly not landing on your feet.” ― Colleen Hoover, It Ends with Us

Ryle and Atlas, are the two men in the story. A lot of reviewers see this book as a love triangle. Its not. There's a lot more to this book than that, trust me. Ryle plays the main love interest. I had really really conflicting thoughts about Ryle in this book. A part of me did not want to accept that Ryle turned out to be the antagonist of the plot. I honestly think that was the point of the book though. His character was so charming and bold, Lily and Ryle's story was a spiral of emotions.

“Preventing your heart from forgiving someone you love is actually a hell of a lot harder than simply forgiving them.”

I also want to account for the other characters in this story. Lily's best friend, Alyssa, who also happens to be Ryle's sister, truly proves herself to be the type of friend everyone deserves to have. It's safe to say she was my favorite character all in all. I just loved her so much.

Lily's mother's role, in my opinion, was one of the most important and prime roles included. I really don't want to give out any spoilers but Lily's relationship with her mother was absolutely wholesome.

Coming to Atlas, one of Colleen's most popular character ever introduced, I fell in love with Atlas the moment I met him, and that love lasted throughout the book. Atlas is the type of man I would always root for. His story crushed my heart at moments of tension, but he is also a man full of defiance and beauty. He was everything Ryle wasn't. His influence becomes a lot stronger in the second half of the book and comes through in the It Starts with Us sequel.

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A few setbacks:

• The trigger warnings in this book are not stressed enough.

• Atlas and Lily's relationship grew into something that is illegal - Atlas slept with Lily as a legal adult while Lily was 16. This should be talked about more.

• The cover of the book is misleading. This book is not recommended to be read by girls below the age of 17. In fact, it is not marketed towards teens at all, even though the bright and pink cover suggests something more young and light.