Reviews tagging 'Pregnancy'

It Ends with Us by Colleen Hoover

1611 reviews

manda_reads's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.75

Lilly Bloom has just lost her father and has a distant relationship with her mother. On the night of her dad's funeral, she meets Ryle Kincaid. They start conversing on the roof of his apartment building. The conversation begins lightly but quickly turns much deeper. Lilly shares that her father was abusive towards her mother.  Ryle shares his piece of trauma that he witnessed that night while he was working as a doctor. Lilly and Ryle's night abruptly ends when Ryle gets an urgent call. Once back at her apartment, Lilly finds her old letters to  Ellen DeGeneres, where we learn more of Lilly's backstory. The details include that she befriended Atlas, who was a homeless classmate. We then time jump in the current timeline to six months later when Lilly is opening her floral shop. Lilly sees Ryle again when she hurts her ankle. 
Lilly and Ryle have a slightly forceful interaction as Ryle pleads with her for sex and then falls asleep. They engage in activities after Ryle upsets her at his sister's birthday party. In the letters to Ellen, we find out that Lilly's father was abusive towards her as well. Back in the present timeline Lilly and Ryle are testing out their relationship. They go to dinner with her mother, where her past and present collide as Atlas is the owner/chef. In the past timeline, Lilly and Atlas hang out every day after school and he stays on her bedroom floor at night. Lilly's father attempted to rape her mother. Atlas leaves for his uncle's house in Boston. In the present, Lilly hosts an opening event at the floral shop. Ryle's sister is pregnant after a while of infertility. Ryle and Lilly are officially boyfriend and girlfriend. Lilly and Ryle's relationship takes a volatile and abusive turn. They go back to the restaurant where they ate with her mother. Atlas discovers that Lilly is being abused and beats up Ryle. In the past, on her sixteenth birthday, Lilly's dad finds Atlas in her room with her. Chaos ensues and Lilly's dad beats him up badly. Lilly is meeting Ryle's parents when Ryle and Lilly decide to elope.
Shortly after they are married, they get into a heated argument over Lilly secretly having Atlas' phone number when Ryle's abuse of Lilly worsens. A shocking twist is revealed in chapter 20 about Ryle's childhood. Everything is in a lull period as Ryle's sister gives birth to a baby girl named Rylee. Soon after Ryle and Lilly get in their most brutal fight yet and he rapes her. Surprise surprise it all stems from Ryle's jealousy over Atlas. When she goes to the hospital, she is told she is pregnant. After she takes some time for herself and gives birth to a baby girl Emerson, she makes a choice about her marriage. Lilly decides to divorce Ryle finally breaking the cycle of abuse. Overall, this book is a twisty ride. I love Atlas among other characters and can't wait to read the second book. Sorry for divulging a lot of the book's details. I was trying to keep track of everything because this book has a lot to absorb. I am curious to see how this book will translate into the movie. This Colleen Hoover reading experience was devastatingly beautiful. I was really happy with the epilogue  as it sets the stage for the next book

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, and Rape

Moderate: Sexual assault, Death of parent, and Pregnancy

Minor: Child death and Suicidal thoughts

thebookkeepers's review against another edition

challenging emotional sad slow-paced

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

2.75

This book missed the mark for me. I found the writing style hard to agree with. I think I would’ve DNFd if not for a bestie forcing me to finish so we can have a girls night and go to the movies to see this. The author relies heavily on telling versus showing, especially with the teenage years back story and then in present day scenes as well. Atlas was of course my favorite character and honestly he didn’t get enough time on the page. I can appreciate the message this book is meant to send as well as the personal author note at the end of what inspired the story. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Rape, and Pregnancy

meamarenee's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad 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

4.0

I personally could have done without the spice I think, but the story line was good. I know many people feel this author romanticizes abuse, and maybe she does, but I don’t see that in this book. It’s honest to the experiences of many women in situations like this.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Blood, Suicide attempt, Pregnancy, and Gaslighting

emilyswain's review against another edition

dark emotional sad medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Pregnancy, and Abandonment

jenareynolds's review against another edition

emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Domestic abuse, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Blood, Pregnancy, and Alcohol

bookworm_43's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

5.0

Tense!!!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Bullying, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Medical content, Grief, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

rubberrosebooks's review against another edition

challenging emotional sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

megreads12's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Child abuse, Suicide attempt, and Death of parent

abooklikeyou's review against another edition

emotional hopeful sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I'm still at a loss for words. I'm still confused as to how this book came out of left field, hit me like a whirlwind, and left me breathless. I'm convinced this is Colleen Hoover at her best.

I'm not a reader of books with excessive cursing and spicy scenes. I like my sweet, fluffy, relatable rom-coms. But this book... is the exception to my rule. Don't be misled. This is not a love story - at least, it's not what you think. There's more to it. While this was a difficult read at times, it was also incredibly eye-opening and impactful. Colleen handles the subject matter so well.

I encourage you, if you have not already, to read this book. This is a story that I'm convinced needs to be heard. I didn't understand people like Lily before, but I do now.

Highlights for me: the unique flower shop. the journal entries and the connections to Ellen/Dory. the strong female friendship. the empathy gleaned from secrets learned. the meaning of the title. that scene at the end with the questions (iykyk). And last, but certainly not least, considerate Atlas.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cursing, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Sexual content, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Violence and Alcohol

Minor: Death, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Grief, and Pregnancy

amandaelle's review

challenging emotional funny reflective sad slow-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Pregnancy, and Gaslighting