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3.9 AVERAGE
3.9 AVERAGE
One of those books there’s just no words for. The content was rough and I sobbed.
It was handled carefully in my opinion but hurt just the same. I’m glad for the ending and what I took away from it and how it correlates with my therapy regarding the issues at hand.
It was handled carefully in my opinion but hurt just the same. I’m glad for the ending and what I took away from it and how it correlates with my therapy regarding the issues at hand.
What would you want your daughter to do... Would you want her to stay or will you beg her to leave?
You know when you go to a new restaurant that people have been RAVING about? And you've been looking at the menu for weeks (don't pretend like that's just me) and looking forward to what you'll eat? And then you walk into the restaurant and immediately you know it's not going to be what you hoped. The ambiance is meh, and the food's ok, so you're not 100% disappointed, but you wouldn't write home about it either.
That's this book.
If I'm being honest, I almost gave up on it two chapters in. The writing put me off that much. It seemed superficial and forced. I'm glad I stuck with it because(in this exact order):
1. I paid $18 for it
2. It turned out to be an OK read that entertained me for a day and a half
All in all, I wouldn't tell anyone not to read it, but I'll definitely tell them it's not up to the hype.
That's this book.
If I'm being honest, I almost gave up on it two chapters in. The writing put me off that much. It seemed superficial and forced. I'm glad I stuck with it because(in this exact order):
1. I paid $18 for it
2. It turned out to be an OK read that entertained me for a day and a half
All in all, I wouldn't tell anyone not to read it, but I'll definitely tell them it's not up to the hype.
This book is currently being made into a movie and after reading this I understood why people say that there is so much information in books that movie can never show. I now understand this because The emotions that characters were feeling was written in a very descriptive way which I don’t think a movie would ever be able to show. Like when lily was able to relate with her mother and draw parallels with what her mother might have felt.
The problem that I had with this book is that I felt like none of the characters' personalities (except maybe Marshall's) made sense until the twist happened. I couldn't understand why Lily would fall for Ryle when he was so controlling and so obviously uncaring towards her feelings.
I couldn't understand why Ryle would get by doing just the bare minimum and Lily would swoon over it. Especially after she had a love like Atlas. However, the cycle of violence that Colleen Hoover was pushing so strongly in this book made the puzzle pieces fit together... but that didn't seem like enough. It didn't feel like I should have had to have an explanation for their personalities. It felt like it should have just made sense from the get go.
I especially didn't understand why it felt like Lily acted 40 when she was 15 and 12 when she was 23. And as much as she said she made her choices to keep her daughter safe, it felt like staying near Ryle at all when she couldn't trust him wasn't keeping her safe at all. It definitely didn't feel like her excuse that there are plenty of abusers that abuse only their spouses and not their children was enough.
Basically, I found it hard to get into this book because I didn't really like any of the characters besides Marshall. Even Atlas was tinged with anger that you grow to distrust throughout the book and although it would be natural for him to be angry someone mistreating someone he loved, it would also be natural for the reader to be wary of anyone who leads with their feelings of anger.
At the end of the book, Colleen Hoover leaves a note to the reader and it was also clear that I wasn't supposed to dislike Lily and I definitely wasn't supposed to dislike Ryle prior to him showing his true colors. She wrote that it hurt her to have to make Ryle do the things he did to Lily because she loved him as a character so much, but it was clear to me from the beginning that Ryle pretty much sucked.
Finally, it pisses me off that these relationships are still so romanticized. As much as it was clear by the end that Colleen Hoover was making a statement against abuse, the relationship leading up to that point went over so many clichés that are so incredibly prevalent in today's understanding of relationships. Fighting tooth and nail to make something work that just shouldn't work. Even before the abuse, Ryle and Lily simply did not work together. They barely seemed to speak with each other, they didn't even know the most intimate points of each other before deciding to elope in Las Vegas. I'm tired of feeling like I'm the only one championing for relationships with clear boundaries, clear communication, and mutual respect and power balance. Give me those relationships any day - make my heart flutter, don't make me snap my head back in distaste.
(She told him she didn't want to go back to the restaurant Atlas worked at and his response was something along the lines of - you'll get over it; she never had the upper hand in their relationship not just because of their age difference but also because he called all the shots on when their milestones would take place; suddenly they were going to go elope in Vegas when she already had serious doubts about their relationship and they hadn't even had a chance to discuss hard hitting topics.)
I couldn't understand why Ryle would get by doing just the bare minimum and Lily would swoon over it. Especially after she had a love like Atlas. However, the cycle of violence that Colleen Hoover was pushing so strongly in this book made the puzzle pieces fit together... but that didn't seem like enough. It didn't feel like I should have had to have an explanation for their personalities. It felt like it should have just made sense from the get go.
I especially didn't understand why it felt like Lily acted 40 when she was 15 and 12 when she was 23. And as much as she said she made her choices to keep her daughter safe, it felt like staying near Ryle at all when she couldn't trust him wasn't keeping her safe at all. It definitely didn't feel like her excuse that there are plenty of abusers that abuse only their spouses and not their children was enough.
Basically, I found it hard to get into this book because I didn't really like any of the characters besides Marshall. Even Atlas was tinged with anger that you grow to distrust throughout the book and although it would be natural for him to be angry someone mistreating someone he loved, it would also be natural for the reader to be wary of anyone who leads with their feelings of anger.
At the end of the book, Colleen Hoover leaves a note to the reader and it was also clear that I wasn't supposed to dislike Lily and I definitely wasn't supposed to dislike Ryle prior to him showing his true colors. She wrote that it hurt her to have to make Ryle do the things he did to Lily because she loved him as a character so much, but it was clear to me from the beginning that Ryle pretty much sucked.
Finally, it pisses me off that these relationships are still so romanticized. As much as it was clear by the end that Colleen Hoover was making a statement against abuse, the relationship leading up to that point went over so many clichés that are so incredibly prevalent in today's understanding of relationships. Fighting tooth and nail to make something work that just shouldn't work. Even before the abuse, Ryle and Lily simply did not work together. They barely seemed to speak with each other, they didn't even know the most intimate points of each other before deciding to elope in Las Vegas. I'm tired of feeling like I'm the only one championing for relationships with clear boundaries, clear communication, and mutual respect and power balance. Give me those relationships any day - make my heart flutter, don't make me snap my head back in distaste.
if I could rate half a star, I would. it’s like Hoover had random thoughts about plot lines and decided to slot them in without any pretext, introduction, or thought. good storyline, but fucking appalling writing. her note from the author was better written than the entire novel.
My heart feels heavy, truly.
The characters were amazing and Lily was such a strong person. I am entranced and still a little fuzzy from just finishing it. Yet, It was not a five, nor a four star read.
It broke my heart a little, but I don’t mind.
The characters were amazing and Lily was such a strong person. I am entranced and still a little fuzzy from just finishing it. Yet, It was not a five, nor a four star read.
It broke my heart a little, but I don’t mind.
Sobbed. I haven't seen the new movie, but I knew what I was getting into before reading. I know people who have endured this, and I can't imagine it.
This book feels like a little bit of torture, but also something that everyone should read and understand. I'm heartbroken after the author's note.
This book feels like a little bit of torture, but also something that everyone should read and understand. I'm heartbroken after the author's note.