Reviews with content warning for Medical content - It Ends with Us

Alright… how do I wrap this up.
I’m the beginning I was soo invested. It felt like a movie. I loved the rooftop scene and the natural conversation Ryle and Lily had there. I loved the steam that was happening and I loved how it was progressing.
When they see each other again in her shop and he says his naked truth about still wanting to do the do I was giddy lol. Boy was I was smiling big. And him begging was so funny. I was enjoying everything.
I also loved the run in into Atlas. And I knew from Ryles anger with Atlas, something would be transpiring for the worst.
I think I started losing interest when they suddenly wanted to get married in Vegas. I know it was supposed to feel rushed but I hated it. And it felt unrealistic tbh.
I was intrigued again with the scene of Ryle waiting in the kitchen. I wasn’t intrigued for the abuse of course. I was more so intrigued to see if my predictions were right which half of it was.
Idk, I was just ready to finish the book. It didn’t hook me till the end and I wish it did cause I enjoyed the beginning so much.
I cringed at the end when Lily said it ended with her and Emerson. And I got a bit of chills when Atlas said they can stop swimming cause they reached the shore, but I still cringed. I’m not really interested to read It Starts With Us. I think I’m just going to watch a reading vlog by Destiny and call it there.
3/5
🌶️🌶️/5

Content Warnings

camillarossi's review against another edition

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dark emotional sad tense 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

2.0

Content Warnings

bookgal1990's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

5.0

Content Warnings

thebookpaiges's review against another edition

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emotional 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

1.5

Content Warnings

lilybear3's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

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

0.25

**This is the first and only book of Colleen Hoover’s that I will read, due to problems surrounding her son’s harassment to a minor, her response to that, and her romanticizing abuse in her writing. If you’d like more information, I encourage you to research. I picked up this book at the library (no money given) so I could formulate my own opinion about a book and author that skyrocketed in popularity. Hopefully, I wrote this review in a way that is understandable.

Into the review:

I rarely take notes while reading books, but this one was so terrible, I almost did a page-by-page commentary because I couldn’t believe what I was reading.

The names in this book are just wild. Lily Blossom Bloom? Ryle?

Emerson Dory?? TF<spoiler/>

The writing is bad for a number of reasons. I’m so confused by the choice of randomly italicized sentences. The story is told in first person, so it’s already an internal monologue! It will be going relatively well and then Hoover drops a sentence that just takes you out of it. There are also unrealistic things that happen, like

they very last-minute wake everyone up to take a midnight flight to vegas. I guess anything is possible when you make rich characters.

I felt like this was (and is) written for straight white people who think certain scenarios or dialogue are romantic when they’re actually cringy.

About 130 pages in, something finally happens, but it is the dumbest scene I have ever read.

there is no way Ryle was that drunk to grab a pan out the oven with no oven mitt. Secondly, why are they having sex WHILE HIS HAND IS BLEEDING A LOT? I don’t understand because he’s a SURGEON.

Talking about characters

As far as characters go, everyone in this book is unbearable, except for her mom at Atlas. While Atlas is sort of written with a savior complex, it is completely forgivable due to how much I hated Lily, Ryle, and Allysa. Best Atlas quote: “it wasn’t pity sex, I know I was there.”

I hate miscommunication. There isn’t really the miscommunication trope, it’s that realistically, you would talk with your partner about having kids, moving in, etc. BEFORE marrying.

Told in Lily’s perspective, it was difficult to read in that I had no idea why she was doing or saying the things she did. She redeemed herself a little and I even felt proud of her for a moment, then continued to disappoint me. The best chapter of the books is when Lily asks for help from her mother, her mother is affirming and supportive

The ending:

The epilogue ties up loose ends but leaves it open for a sequel with her new relationship with Atlas. I’m confused that she didn’t want her daughter to be around Ryle and his temper but is letter her have time with him?

This is a general statement, but I wanted more Atlas in this book, he just disappeared in the last 1/3 of the book.

Final thoughts: @thecalvinbooks on TikTok said it best, Colleen Hoover books are for people who don't read, they're not written well. People who are getting into reading shouldn't read them because they won't want to read anything that isn't this type of writing.

Reading articles on my own, I know Colleen Hoover is problematic in that some of her books are marketed as romance even though there are abusive relationships and abuse scenes. One article wrote that typically romance novels are based around consent, Hoover romanticized abuse and homelessness in this book. I also feel like the abuse scenes were used for shock and propelled the story, leaving readers on edge to see what happens next, I won't lie, I felt this myself. She has a savior complex with her stories where a man will come and save the woman in distress and there is no representation whatsoever. It is a book written by a white woman, for white women.

The author’s note outlines that this story was based on her experience watching her father abuse her mother. She says it was hard to write,

making Ryle (a character she loved) be abusive and Lily (also loved) continue to stay

, writing how hard it is the break the cycle of abuse and why victims stay. There are two resources for domestic violence and homelessness listed in the back of the book.

While I can sympathize with her experience and know that versions of Lily and Ryle’s relationship exist in the real world, I cannot recommend this book to people without sharing all of the trigger warnings, which should have been in the beginning of this book. Periodically, she has a monologue on abusive relationships, why some victims choose to stay, and why the cycle of abuse is hard to break. I appreciated it at times, but it did not make up for the fact that this book was propelled by those triggering scenes.

Content Warnings

littlereads2's review against another edition

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funny lighthearted 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

1.5

Content Warnings

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