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lindsaymc74's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Not usually a fan of Colleen Hoover books but this one I enjoyed. Except for Ellen. You know who you are Ellen.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Injury/Injury detail, Medical trauma, Sexual harassment, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Panic attacks/disorders, Pregnancy, Toxic relationship, and Sexual violence
froggybooks's review against another edition
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? No
3.5
the bad bits were really bad
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, and Violence
Moderate: Pregnancy, Suicide attempt, Sexual content, and Child death
loochia's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
THIS IS NOT A ROMANCE NOVEL.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Violence, and Physical abuse
Minor: Vomit, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Rape, Sexual assault, and Sexual harassment
eleana's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
I went into this having some, not very good, preconceptions about Colleen. I've seen as much hate as love online about this author, so I hate to say I believed blindly her writing would suck. I was very pleasantly surprised by this. The writing itself was choppy and very cringe for the first 20% or so, but it found its rhythm and became gripping and sensitive. I also expected this to be extremely smutty, mostly due to booktok, but coming into this after an Elsie Silver book, the sex was much more tolerable. I don't love a sex scene in a book still, but did find I enjoyed parts of these. I loved many characters, Atlas, Lily and Alyssa and loved and hated Ryle in equal parts. I think the ending was perfect for these characters All in all, I'd read more Colleen Hoover in the future. This one may be worth the hype
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Pregnancy, Violence, Sexual violence, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual content, Rape, and Sexual assault
coolmomsreadbooks's review against another edition
dark
medium-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
3.0
Okay. I went into this thinking I wouldn’t like it and I wouldn’t like Colleen Hoover’s writing. I had heard that her books romanticize situations that they shouldn’t, and that made me very concerned as I started into Lily and Ryle’s story. The writing felt clunky, the MC felt immature for falling in love and solidifying this relationship so quickly with someone who seemed off from the get go.
BUT. (Vague spoilers to follow but not really)
This story was very important. As much as I didn’t love the way it was written; the content, and the way Lily approached her relationship, her emotions and her confusion were all important to read. Abusive relationships are so much more complicated and hard to escape from the inside than how they look from the outside. I appreciate that Colleen Hoover wrote this story (reading the authors note is a must) and that she showed the difficulty that can exist in cycle breaking. Is it that clear cut in real life? No. Could it have been better written? Yes. Should it have been better marketed? Absolutely yes - the cover and blurb are very misleading. But I got more out of it than I thought I would.
BUT. (Vague spoilers to follow but not really)
This story was very important. As much as I didn’t love the way it was written; the content, and the way Lily approached her relationship, her emotions and her confusion were all important to read. Abusive relationships are so much more complicated and hard to escape from the inside than how they look from the outside. I appreciate that Colleen Hoover wrote this story (reading the authors note is a must) and that she showed the difficulty that can exist in cycle breaking. Is it that clear cut in real life? No. Could it have been better written? Yes. Should it have been better marketed? Absolutely yes - the cover and blurb are very misleading. But I got more out of it than I thought I would.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse and Sexual violence
Moderate: Pregnancy
dw1991's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
inspiring
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Domestic abuse, Blood, Bullying, Child abuse, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, Pregnancy, Sexual assault, Grief, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, and Violence
Rape and abuse was the theme of this book. Well written but very hard to read if you have known similar circumstances.tsumugiaoba's review against another edition
challenging
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse and Violence
Moderate: Sexual violence
jennirocket's review against another edition
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
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.
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
Graphic: Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Sexual assault, and Toxic relationship
rhiannonellis_'s review against another edition
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.
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
Graphic: Sexual violence, Sexual content, Domestic abuse, Child abuse, Sexual assault, and Rape
kfawcett's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
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
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual violence and Domestic abuse