It Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover

*spoiler-free*

It Ends With Us is Colleen Hoover’s most popular book, and I can see how because it is one of the most emotional books I have ever read. The book is told from Lily’s perspective, a woman who works hard and fights for what she wants. One night she meets Ryle, an arrogant, anti-relationship neurosurgeon, and their spark is ignited. From the moment they meet they share ‘naked truths’ with one another which forms a strong bond. However, Lily is also connected to Atlas from her teenage years. They both went to the same school when Atlas was facing homelessness due to a difficult home situation, but that didn’t stop their romance kindling. It Ends With Us tells the story of how past and present relationships intertwine and the complexity of emotions that come with this.

It is clear from the first time we meet Ryle that he will be a heartbreaker. He is a walking red flag but does appear to change to become the perfect boyfriend until his true colours begin to show. We see first-hand the effect he has on Lily, both positive and negative, and so it is gripping to read how their relationship continues.

It Ends With Us is told in the first person and so I enjoyed seeing everything from her point of view. We also get to read some of her diary entries from when she was younger, when she writes to Ellen DeGeneres. Whilst I am not the biggest fan of Ellen, and I felt this did Americanise the story quite a lot, it was interesting to see how Lily would tell certain events to someone outside of the situation.

What was really enjoyable about this read is that there is a solid structure with all characters being well developed. The three main characters intertwine well together and side characters such as Ryle’s sister Alyssa and Lily’s mother Jenny have great depth to them. Alyssa quickly become one of my favourite characters, she has such a pure soul and personality making her the best friend that everyone needs.

The main theme of this book focuses on domestic violence, which definitely made this more of a heavier read. Hoover’s style of writing is very digestible and so this combined with the theme of the book worked effectively. It Ends With Us is a very addictive book to read as the chapters were the perfect length and so I can see how this book has taken social media by storm. Whilst I found Lily and Ryle’s relationship quite predictable, I was invested in their future and genuinely felt all the emotions both of these characters experienced and wanted the best for Lily. For me, I believe the predictability aspect may have come from the hype this book has received on social media. Although I was not spoiled on any of the plot, I knew the narrative had to go a certain way in order for it to be received in the way that it has.

Fifteen seconds. That’s all it takes to completely change everything about a person. Fifteens seconds that we never get back.

It Ends With Us

I almost hate how emotional this book made me feel but that is definitely a sign of a good book! I can see how this book has resonated with so many readers. Even if you have not been a victim of domestic abuse or know someone who has gone through those experiences, Hoover has a great way of analysing and explaining the situation from an outsider’s perspective to let the reader in on these incidents to reveal the true complexity of them. It also hits me during a book when the author finally uses the name of the book within the story, and the timing of this within It Ends With Us makes it all the more powerful. Embarrassingly I found myself tearing up every so often, even after the story had ended. Hoover’s note from the author section was very raw and touching and is a great addition to the book to provide context as to why this book was written.

Overall, this is a well-deserved 5-stars and I’m so glad this book lived up to the social media hype. This is the second book I have read by Hoover; I read Verity and absolutely loved it. It Ends With Us is very much worth the read and I am buzzing to see that the sequel It Starts With Us is going to be published in October 2022. This story is told from Atlas’ perspective and so I will be reading it as soon as it becomes available!

4/5 stars