It Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover
Genre: NA Realistic Fiction
Blurb (on back of book): 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 OPINION: *****
TW: abuse, domestic violence, sexual assault
spoilers!!
I ADORE this book. It was the perfect amount of heartbreak, pain, love, angst, and tension that I want in a novel. Colleen Hoover is flying up my list of favorite artists with each new book I read of hers (if you haven't noticed, I am going on a CoHo binge!). So far, as I am writing this review after having read a fair amount of her books, this is my favorite. It's one of her most popular and for good reason. Everything about this book was perfect.
I'm not quite sure how to go about reviewing this book. It's one of those where you need to read it for yourself to truly understand its power. I do recommend going through trigger warnings before starting because it deals with a lot of sensitive topics that I tried to highlight at the beginning of this review but make sure you read a complete list just in case! I went into this book blindly not knowing what to expect and I definitely was not aware of how serious of topics that this book very graphically describes.
The book centers around a twisted love story between two people who genuinely love each other but are faced with some of the most debilitating relationship-breakers, specifically domestic abuse. The book touches upon the nuances that can come as a result of being abused and the tough position that woman (and men) face when they are hurt by the people they love the most. Although I personally have thankfully never experienced this, Hoover does an incredible job of bringing this horrible situation to life. As read through Lily's perspective, I could not imagine what doubts and fears I would face in her situation. While I hope I would make the right choice, I can understand the extreme conflict that she went through when deciding what to do about what was happening.
The book does an amazing job of stressing that nothing is ever black or white. Ryle is not an inherently bad person. I truly believe this and I know that Lily did as well. He has faced an extreme amount of trauma that I cannot even imagine and as a result, he manifests violent tendencies towards those he loves. What he does is unforgivable. That is apparent. However, I can understand why Lily felt so much conflict when deciding to forgive him or not. Her own mother went through the same trauma with her father but it was a different situation in that her father was more of the "bad" stereotype -- drunk, angry for no reason, etc, whereas Ryle is a kind person overall but tends to exhibit violence as a consequence of his trauma; this trauma is the type that you cannot blame him for.
I cannot fully say I hated Ryle. I don't know if I am simply ignorant or if other people feel the same way but I did not hate him. I tried to understand his character as best as I could, especially given his circumstances. I obviously don't think that his actions could ever be forgiven but I honestly felt his pain as he realized what he was doing to himself, Lily, his child, and everyone around him.
Lily was a strong, incredible woman. I loved her character and I truly felt for her as she went through the harrowing experiences that comes as a result of being hurt by the one that you love. I hated that she was forced to undergo that type of pain while still being hopelessly in love with the man. I wanted her to make the right choice but I understood how conflicted she was throughout the novel, especially after finding out she was pregnant with Ryle's baby. She deserved so much better and I am glad that she ultimately realizes her self-worth and how much more important it is than an unsalvageable relationship.
ATLAS. My love, my incredible man. I adored that man with my entire soul. Everything about him was so PERFECT for Lily. I loved everything about his character, his fierce, undying love for Lily, his passion as a chef. In the past, he was a homeless boy who Lily befriended and fell in love with; he was forced to leave her to find a better life but promised to come find her when he felt worthy of her. Everything about their story was so painful and twisted and I wanted nothing more than for her to come back to Atlas. He cared about her so much and was one of the only ones who recognized the situation she was in and tried to do the right thing. He was also placed in a tough position and I think he handled it fairly well. I loved him so much that I cannot even explain it. He's such a precious, beautiful soul <3
Every single character within this book was written so beautifully. Each had their own faults, strengths, weaknesses, and desires and I loved how well Hoover focused on side characters, giving them a position beyond a simple 2-D sidepiece. Additionally, there were so many plot points incorporated into this book that focused on such nuanced details that elevated this book from being "good" to being phenomenal. I read the better half of the ending of this book in around four hours and I could not put it down. Everything was so perfect. I would give anything to read this book again for the first time.
Again, I wish I could write more but I simply don't have the words to explain it. Please go read it (if you feel comfortable!). I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a beautifully-written, heartbreaking, haunting love story.
AND IT'S GOING TO BE A MOVIE! WITH JUSTIN BALDONI DIRECTING! I AM READY TO CRY!
Main Character: Lily
Sidekick(s): Atlas, Alyssa, Ryle (at times), family, etc
Villain(s): Ryle (at times), abuse, misunderstandings, etc
Realistic Fiction Elements: This book was all very real to life.
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