It Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover
"Sometimes the one who loves you is the one who hurts you the most."
Having read Collen Hoover's All Your Perfects before, I was prepared for all the feels in It Ends With Us, but this book really hit it out of the park for me. I can't even count on both hands the plethora of emotions this novel had me feeling.
The Main Plot
Our protagonist Lily Bloom grew up in a household with an abusive father, and with his death comes a new beginning for her. She moves from Maine to Boston and has a chance encounter with a handsome and charismatic neurosurgeon Ryle Kincaid on a rooftop terrace that would change her life forever. Ryle is sensitive, perceptive and brilliant but he also has a firm policy against relationships; he doesn't believe in love, only in one-night-stands, which disturbs Lily. While they both feel an intense attraction, they don't want to compromise on their own boundaries, so they leave the rooftop imagining they will never meet again.
Six months later, Lily has just opened her own alternate-flower shop business and hired her first assistant - who just so happens to be Ryle's sister! Over the next year, they see each other in social events and have small, flirtatious but deep moments here and there, since Ryle's sister is not only Lily's employee, but becomes her best friend, too. One day, Lily realises that Ryle has kept mementos of their run-ins which is confusing for her and their conversation following her confrontation turns into a test relationship. They discover their relationship is very easy since they're both laid-back people who don't want drama and don't pressure each other.
To meet Lily's mother, Ryle puts together a dinner for them all at a top restaurant in Boston and to Lily's surprise, she sees Atlas - her first teenage love whom she lost contact with - working there! This correlates with diary entries that are scattered throughout Lily's story. She tells Atlas privately about her relationship with Ryle, catch up briefly and they part on friendly terms.
One more year later, Lily and Ryle decide to elope to Vegas! Once married things feel blissful, but one night filled with wine and a silly accident results in Ryle backhanding Lily in her kitchen. He immediately apologises and begs for her forgiveness, but her heart is obviously broken - she is reminded of her father and how badly her mother was treated. Lily tells him she will forgive him - anyone can slip up - but if he does anything like this again, she will know that it wasn't an accident and she will leave.
Unfortunately, it isn't the last time, and by the time Lily is ready to leave, she's been seriously assaulted, beaten and unfortunately, is pregnant. She finds sanctuary with Atlas who opens his house and his heart to her, taking care of her while not overstepping any boundaries. Lily decides to have the baby and Ryle is suddenly on his best behaviour during the pregnancy, attempting to learn to control his rage in order to win Lily's confidence back so they can be a family once the baby comes.
But in the minutes little Emmy is born, Lily tells Ryle that she wants a divorce. At first Ryle begs - he pleads for - Lily to reconsider, but she answers him by asking what he would say to his daughter if she told him one day that her boyfriend hit her, but he said it wouldn't happen again.
Or that he tried to force himself on her, but that he didn't mean it.
Or that he beat her, but he wasn't in his right mind.
What would Ryle tell his little girl then? Through tears, he says he would tell her that she should leave him. That she deserves better, and in his answer, Ryle understands their fate.
Through Lily's decision, the pattern of abuse is broken before it breaks them. It was an incredibly moving moment at the end of the book; it honestly left me shivering.
The Pros and Cons
➕ As always, Colleen Hoover has a fantastic was with words; her writing style is so unique and wonderful at conveying the thoughts and feelings of her characters. I love her voice and I can only look forward to her next book!
➕ Not a lot of books can write about abusive relationships without romanticising things - the whole good girl likes the bad boy schtick is really outdated and really toxic, but Colleen managed to tell the story of a woman who knew the signs of abuse, set her boundaries and once they were breached, she made a decision that would break a cycle of abuse in her family. There isn't an ideal way to tell a story of abuse in relationships - there are always going to be people who prefer the bad boy bit, however when paying attention to how Lily broke away from the abuse far faster than most women do (women on average return to their abuser 7 times) and for her daughter no less, it turns the narrative to be about surviving abuse and how to walk away from it, not romanticising it. Again, it isn't ideal, but it's real - and life is often messy.
➖ Truthfully, I've read this book once before. It brought me to tears both times. I can't say this is of any fault to the story, but my gosh, when I was re-reading this and found myself being charmed by Ryle's character I would have to snap myself out of it and say out loud, 'Stop it, you know he turns out to be a jerk!', but I couldn't help it - Colleen did such a great job creating this standalone character that had all these desirable attributes on his own without Lily, let alone when they're together, making you root for them! Grrr!
➕ I love love loved the diary entries; they gave Atlas a personality and a vibe before we even met him, and simultaneously gave Lily lots of background and texture to her character. It was a very clever device that gave more to the story.
➕ If you do read this book, get ready for all the feels; I personally laughed, cried, gasped, felt shocked, sorrow, anger and relief. This is an intense tale, so buckle up bishes.
I think it's obvious - this is a clear 5\5!⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Whether you're a fan of Colleen Hoover already or not - after this book you will be! This story is a message to those who are feeling stuck in a cycle of abuse, an advanced warning for those who haven't experienced abusive relationships (and hopefully never will) and a reminder of those who have previously broken away of how strong they really are.
I hope you enjoyed this week's book review. The next book in my TBR list is obviously the sequel to this story which has recently come out, It Starts With Us! I'm so excited to get started on it and review it for next week.
Love and Light,
Melissa x
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