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IT ENDS WITH US was not what i expected it to be. i started the novel knowing next to nothing about the storyline except that it's a colleen hoover book (NA romance) and that it's good (my friends kept raving). but if i'm being honest, i was a little disappointed. i was hoping for a light read with lots of ~FEELZ~ but instead i got something much more intense – not bad, just unexpected.
It Ends with Us: Full Book Summary | SparkNotes It Ends with Us: Full Book Summary | SparkNotes
My suggestions if you're going to read this book: have a box of tissues ready and don't skip the author's note at the end. I sobbed my way to the finishing line, then read the author's note and sobbed some more. This is a riveting and worthwhile read, though at times difficult, and it showcases Colleen Hoover at her best, taking her contemporary new adult genre and elevating it to soaring heights.at the beginning i told myself i knew what i was in for and i was completely wrong. there are very few times, personally, when a book feels like it’s become a part of you. like you can physically feel it become a core book that you know you’d never stop thinking, talking, and recommending to those that would enjoy it. this is definitely that book It Ends With Us has the bones of a powerful story but reads like a low budget Hallmark movie pushed forward by ridiculous plot revelations. Hoover’s attempt to make Ryle into a three dimensional character completely flops. At first, I thought the accelerated relationship between Ryle and Lily was meant to emphasize how witnessing abuse in early age might make you less likely to spot red flags in others; however, it turns out Hoover was really trying to create a deep relationship between these two. Her use of “Naked Truth” to build their relationship was a lazy ploy to circumvent true development and simulated an unsatisfying and unearned intimacy. I also found the use of teenage diary entries in the form of letters to Ellen DeGeneres to have aged really badly, and comes off as a corny device to tell rather than show readers about Lily’s relationship with Atlas. It Ends with Us is the most personal and daring and painful book Colleen Hoover has ever written. Abuse and domestic violence are a delicate subject, and when I found out they were this book's main theme I thought about not reading it. It was a moment of cowardice, a moment I didn't want to witness this side of relationships. But I owed it to myself, as a person and as a woman to proceed. Because pretending a problem doesn't exist does not make it disappear. There will be spoilers below so if you haven't read It Ends with Us, you should probably stop here.
It Ends With Us - Special Edition | Book by Colleen Hoover It Ends With Us - Special Edition | Book by Colleen Hoover
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. The raw emotions Hoover excellently wrote and embedded into her characters make the story extremely powerful, sad and painfully truthful. There is an overwhelming amount of cleverly placed details in the beginning that connect to the end of the book. My favorite symbolic object is a refrigerator magnet that Atlas gave Lily as a teenager, which shows up in her and Ryle’s apartment. The moment Ryle discovered where the magnet came from shifted the story from a sappy romance to a dark and complicated heartbreak. I counted seven hundred and fifty three diamonds before I allowed the first tear to fall. But I wasn't just crying for losing a part of my body, and I wasn't crying for losing the ability to carry more children. I was crying because some women don't even get to experience what I've gotten to experience. Some women never get to have babies. They never get to feel them grow in their bellies. They never get to see the slimy little monsters as they tumble their way into this world. COLLEEN’S LIVE CHAT: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorColleenHoover/videos/vb.342533115760296/1242584209088511/?type=2&theaterYet it must be said that the writing itself is underdeveloped, reminiscent of YA fiction, and inconsistencies (like the 30-year-old neurosurgeon who comes home wearing his hospital scrubs) translate to a frustrating narrative in terms of inauthentic plausibility.
COVER + BLURB: IT ENDS WITH US BY COLLEEN HOOVER
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. Lily grows up in an abusive household. After watching her mother suffer for years at the hand of her father, she tells herself that she'll never allow any man to treat her that way. She grows into a strong and independent woman, leaving behind the horrors of her childhood...Or so she thinks. Despite everything she's promised herself, Lily finds herself in an abusive relationship. The behavior and cycle is so insidious that you almost can't believe what is happening. Ms. Hoover manages to weave the violence into a relationship that is otherwise seemingly perfect. It is so skillfully written that you won't want to believe what you've read. As a romance reader, I found this book incredibly refreshing. As much as I adore the romance genre (and I really do), it sometimes can get a little repetative. As both an avid reader and a blogger, I'm always looking for books that step outside the lines a little; ones that do something different or take the issues a little deeper. This book represented exactly what I wish I could be reading all the time -- not this literal story, but just the fact that it went in such a different direction and gave me such an unexpected story that left me with such a strong message. for the majority of this novel, i DIDN'T like it. i was definitely interested and curious, but i didn't care for the characters as much as i thought i would. i was frustrated and annoyed at the situations, and some of it felt artificial, rushed, and stereotypical. it all seemed so... fictional. usually the romance satisfies me, but even that didn't do it. buuuuuut it wasn't so much that i didn't NOT like it. it was simply okay when i expected it to be ~amazing~.
Christmas Gifts
And in this book, we see Ryle presented as, not a bad person, instead, only a "person who does bad things". Now, I've been thinking about this line. I wonder if it was Colleen’s intention to have Ryle say this line to purposefully show how he manipulates Lily into having this mindset or if Colleen really does think this way. Ryle is indeed a bad person, and abuser who is irredeemable. I understand and agree that it is at times, difficult to label someone as “bad” or “good” as it is more complicated than that. But there comes a point, that person is a bad person (for instance, when he tries to horrifically rape her and guilt-tripped Lily with his trauma). Colleen attempts to evoke confliction in the reader by writing in that Ryle donates to charity. Yet, this is not enough. One donation does not make you a good person, especially when compared to the severe harm that you’ve caused others. I cannot believe that after Ryle attempted to rape Lily, there are still Ryle apologists out there. That moment was absolutely mortifying. HOLY WOW! It Ends With Us is one of the most powerful books of 2016 and one of the most raw, honest, inspiring, and profoundly beautiful stories I've ever read. It wasn’t anything like what I expected, but it delivered so much more than I ever hoped for. This is the kind of book that I want to give to every woman and just be like… READ THIS BOOK. NOW. Come to think of it, all the men should read it too. EVERYONE should read this book. Absolutely everyone. It's a story of unshakable love and finding the strength to make the right choice in the hardest situation. I honestly don't think I've ever been prouder of a heroine. I've loved Colleen Hoover's books for a long time because she always writes unique stories... and this one left a lasting mark on my heart. It is a MUST-READ!! A brave and heartbreaking novel that digs its claws into you and doesn't let go, long after you've finished it' Anna Todd, author of the After series It's been a couple of days since I finished 'It Ends With Us' and I'm still thinking about Lily's story. It's one that'll hang with you. In so many ways, her story gutted me. Yet, it was also inspiring. ryle putting a big ass picture of lily on his wall after their first meeting, was this supposed to be attractive?
It Ends with Us - Goodreads
As well as all this emotion and sadness that I'm being coy about, Hoover also brings out some of her very best writing. Little gems of honesty about human nature and relationships that are all the more painful because of their resounding truth. It's such a quotable book, but unfortunately most of the quotes are spoilers, so I shall refrain from posting them. Lily and her ex-husband, Ryle, have just settled into a civil co-parenting rhythm when she suddenly bumps into her first love, Atlas, again. After nearly two years separated, she is elated that for once, time is on their side, and she immediately says yes when Atlas asks her on a date. 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 where she grew up—she graduated from college, moved to Boston, and started her own business. And when she feels a spark with a gorgeous neurosurgeon named Ryle Kincaid, everything in Lily’s life seems too good to be true. I'm not even going to add the blurb or tell you what this book is about. It's a Colleen Hoover book. That should be enough to tell you it's amazing. But I really feel that you should just dive into this book without knowing anything about the plot. To be honest, I'm the usually the kind of reader who likes to know every little thing about what to expect in advance, but I've really learned to trust Colleen's writing and her storytelling so even I went into this book without knowing anything at all... and I was blown away by the story!Another thing that I found to be really damaging about this book is the audience. There is this #coquette aesthetic on tiktok that I am sure you are aware of. I really to like the look of it etc. But it is a theme among this aesthetic to read books like "It Ends With Us" and "Lolita". I believe both of these texts are greatly misinterpreted, especially considering that it is often young girls who are reading these books from the ages of 11-15. Ignoring Lolita as that is a different topic, I am nearly certain that these girls buy books like “It Ends With Us” purely for the cover. It's pink. And it fits the aesthetic. With no prior knowledge of the plot of the story, I finally caved in and read the book in a total of two days.
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