It ends with us
Colleen Hoover
Book Review
Coming from a small town in Maine, Lily Bloom has made her way up in life, starting her own business in Boston. She seems to have found a person she wants to spend the rest of her life with – Ryle Kincaid. Like every person, Ryle too has his fair share of negative traits. He is stubborn at times, but a brilliant neurosurgeon. As days pass by, his behavior pattern becomes questionable and it could no longer be excused and swept under the carpet. Around the same time, Lily’s first love from her past – Atlas Corrigan – reappears in her life. Lily is now in turmoil with her feelings and a past that she could not leave behind.
Will Lily pursue her present despite its turbulence? Or will Lily choose her past over her present?
“There is no such thing as bad people. We’re all just people who sometimes do bad things.”
Colleen Hoover, It ends with us.
Note: Before choosing this book, please read the trigger warnings.
With the internet shoving this book recommendation in my face every time I am on the bookstagram community, I was hesitant if the book was overhyped.
However, boy, oh boy, did this book shred my heart to threads. This was definitely a heavy and intense read, with a lot of emotional tolls. You can just not put this book down once you start reading, and this is one of those books that would require a few days of complete silence after the entire read, trying to contemplate the complexity of the toxic cycle.
You can also check out the review of Hideaway: https://gentlepages.com/hideaway-by-nora-roberts-gentlepages/
This book shows that there is no such thing as black and white when it comes to people. It is filled with gray areas where some mistakes could be forgiven but some just cannot be.
It is easy to judge people who stay in a toxic relationship, but only they know how hard it is to get out of the toxic cycle, hanging onto the hope that by some miracle, their partner will change. This book sheds light on domestic abuse victims and their struggles. Having been inspired by her mother’s experiences, Colleen Hoover manages to deliver a raw and brutally honest account of the mental cartwheels that happen in such a relationship.
“In the future . . . if by some miracle you ever find yourself in the position to fall in love again . . . fall in love with me.”
Colleen Hoover, It ends with us.
The story could be guessed to a certain degree from the title. The journey and the process it takes to end the toxic cycle are what the story is about.
The book peels back layer after layer on each character, and the heart grows heavier and heavier. Each character is given so much dimension, rather than being just a side character with no additional weightage to the story.
The story is entirely from the perspective of Lily, and at one point, it almost feels like we are her, going through all the mayhem, feeling the love when she feels it, and then feeling absolutely broken when she feels broken.
My heart ached for Lily and Atlas. Their part felt like a ray of sunshine in a gloomy sky. While Lily and Atlas’ age when they first met is much debated, I think there was some sort of savior complex in both of them—Lily trying to save Atlas from his homeless situation, and Atlas trying to save her from her abusive household—which later turned into young love. I wished there was more of Atlas in this book.
“You can stop swimming now, Lily. We finally reached the shore.”
Colleen Hoover, It ends with us.
Coho’s note/acknowledgment at the very end was a tearjerker. It definitely made the book feel even more authentic. The preconceived opinion on abuse changes a great deal after this book.
Oh and, Atlas just became my new fictional character crush <3
You can get your copy of the book here: https://www.amazon.in/Ends-Us-Novel-Colleen-Hoover/dp/1501110365
About the author:
Colleen Hoover is the #1 New York Times Best-Selling author. The 2016 novel It Ends with Us stands out as her most well-known to date. It gained attention in recent years from the book community in TikTok. As of October 2022, Hoover has sold more than 20 million books.
