Reviews with content warning for Sexual assault - It Ends with Us

This book has so many issues I had to close it and take a breather every 5 pages or so. There are some good things as well, but they are few and far between.

The good stuff: The insidious blurring of lines as one stumbles into an abusive relationship is portrayed relatively realistically.

The bad stuff: Ryle is an abusive, manipulative monster but Hoover still attempts to redeem him on several occasions throughout the book. He “deeply suffers” for what he has done to Lilly. He is a “good father”. This was so hard to read I can’t really put it into words.
The quote “There is no such thing as bad people. We’re all just people who sometimes do bad things.” is so harmful, it made me physically shudder when I read it.
The subtle misogyny weaved into the book was also a turn-off.
Almost every single character is so wildly problematic that it’s hard to get invested in any of them. They just seems like a bunch of terrible people.

I wanted to give Colleen Hoover a try despite the negative things I’ve heard about her books, maybe I started with a bad one, maybe they’re all similar to “It Ends With Us”. Either way, I don’t think I’ll pick up another one.

Content Warnings

rhiannonellis_'s review against another edition

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dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I have put off reading this book for over four years because friends that read it told me it contains topics surrounding rape and domestic abuse. This is something I didn’t think I could face reading after coming out of a horrific relationship, and I’m so glad I left it until now.

I absolutely loved this book.

If you have experienced domestic abuse this book really shows how hard it can be to leave someone even if they do truly horrific things. I resonated with Lilly’s character so much and I felt the heartbreak she felt so clearly.

I also loved the way it was written - I enjoyed how the story developed and the diary extracts throughout. Atlas’ story was equally heartbreaking and in a way I wish I could of read more about him - maybe that’s what the sequel to this book is about?

Initially I was going to rate this a 4.5 as some of the writing was poor and I found myself getting frustrated with how forgiving Lily was, but this just shows what it’s like looking in from the outside at an abusive relationship. The way the book ended made it 5 stars.

I’m kind of at a loss for words in terms of how much I loved this book and I can’t really review it with words that give it justice.

Highly highly highly recommend reading.

Content Warnings

ellavlind's review

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emotional reflective tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

Viktigt ämne

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shakzer's review

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emotional medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.25

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soph_andy's review

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emotional funny hopeful sad fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I have been struggling to get back into reading and I finished this book in 2 sittings. I’ve never read a Colleen Hoover book and I’ve heard mixed reviews about her. Yes some of the writing is cheesy but so are a lot of books. I just simply read and enjoy not every book needs to be read as a critic.

Over all liked This book, made me cry and A quick read

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