Reviews tagging 'Rape'

It Ends with Us by Colleen Hoover

3266 reviews

silke_soille's review against another edition

emotional inspiring sad tense medium-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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse and Rape

kmartin22's review against another edition

challenging emotional sad tense medium-paced

3.0

Meh

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, and Violence

Minor: Toxic relationship, Murder, and Pregnancy

samulla10's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective tense medium-paced

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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse

Moderate: Rape

Minor: Child death

haileyprevett's review against another edition

2.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, and Pregnancy

isabelle_mary's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad fast-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

5.0

After seeing the movie, I knew I needed to read the book and I am so happy I did. This story is so emotional but so needed. As someone who has never seen or delt with DV it really helped me better understand the difficulties that woman and men face. Lily's story is an emotional one and it is written in a way that helps you understand her thought process and her emotions. I hope whoever reads this also gets a better understanding so we aren't quick to judge on a situation we aren't in. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Alcoholism, Child death, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Mental illness, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Blood, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, and Pregnancy

gaby_readsss's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful informative sad medium-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

I listened to this audiobook with my husband after we watched the movie. I had read the book twice and had rated it five stars in the past.
But after listening to the narration of the book, I have to admit the writing and the plot of this book is not as great as I remember it being. 🫠
It makes me think that you can change your opinion about a book as you grow into a different type of reader, and it’s okay to not love a book as much as you did in the past. 
I don’t know if the movie kinda ruined the version I had of it in my head or if I just outgrew this type of writing.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Medical trauma, and Pregnancy

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Child death, Blood, and Death of parent

antitheticaldreamgirl's review against another edition

emotional sad tense

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Rape, and Toxic relationship

stirlitza's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual violence, Violence, and Sexual harassment

Moderate: Child death, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Suicide attempt, and Murder

kerrimills's review against another edition

emotional sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• 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

Minor: Rape

maecave15's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring sad medium-paced

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

4.25

This book was a little slow at first, but by the end I was hooked. No, not because I am glamorizing abuse or not recognizing this story for what it is; a look into an abusive relationship and how complex it really can be. I'll circle back to this in a bit.

My thoughts about the story itself (with some spoilers):
I never really liked Ryle because he seems arrogant and pushy. It felt off to me that their relationship progressed SO quickly to the point of getting married six months in. "Technically" they knew each other for a year, but that was random meetings with weeks and months between so I don't think that really counts. 

That scene in which Lily tells Atlas that she has known/been with Ryle for a year is such BS, and I wish she hadn't said it that way (it's a small thing but it still bothers me).

Overall though her story with Ryle was compelling, especially as I have never been in this situation. I am really proud of her for the decisions she made in regards to her relationship with Ryle and how they will co-parent their daughter. I also liked that there was time before she saw Atlas again and decided she is ready to try again on love. 

Bigger spoiler here -  I DO NOT like that she gave her daughter a middle name that means a lot to Atlas, as she is not Atlas's daughter and has no connection to him. It just feels off, especially because she is named after her uncle, Ryle's and Alyssa's deceased brother. 
That last scene where she runs back to Atlas was also a little weird for me. I know the questions she asks him tie back in to the beginning of the book and now it helps her decide to start things up with Atlas, but it seemed silly to me. What really bugged me here, at first, was when Atlas said, "You can stop swimming Lily. We finally reached the shore." I thought it felt premature, but then I realized that they both made it out of bad situations and are doing decently well. They are in good places separately which means that maybe they can come together and be really good. 

Okay, back to the complexities of an abusive relationship:
There is actually a lot more nuance to these relationships and it is not as easy as just leaving the abuser. A part of this is the Paradox of Abusive Relationships: the abused have to make sense of the paradox that the presumed source of intimacy is also the source of pain. Often the abuse is downplayed in the mind of the abused and they stay in the relationship (this is not a detailed description here, just a most basic summary). 

There are whole courses on Intimate Partner Violence where you can learn about the cycles of abuse, the types of abuse (physical, emotional, etc), the signs to look out for, reasons why, etc. 

I appreciate that Colleen Hoover is highlighting these relationships by way of telling her parent's story. 

In the end, I enjoyed this book and will be reading the follow up book. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse and Physical abuse

Moderate: Rape, Sexual assault, Pregnancy, and Injury/Injury detail