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A review by hannahelizabeth765
It Starts with Us by Colleen Hoover
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
It’s a decent book, but could’ve been so much better in my opinion.
In the author’s note, Colleen writes that she wrote it for the fans who just wanted to see Atlas and Lily happy together, if I had known this beforehand, I might not have read it. I loved It Ends With Us so I was intrigued as to what she would do with a sequel, but disappointed when there wasn’t much tension or build-up, romantic or plot-wise.
About halfway through I lost any real connection to the book because it just felt like a money-grab. Lily seems magically ‘over’ everything with Ryle in terms of dealing with the abuse (she still has moments of anxiety and stress due to it, but it feels superficial) and knows everything about a being an abuse victim. Don’t get me wrong, there are great messages to abuse victims in there, but they feel placed and forced instead of flowing.
Another thing: because Atlas is so perfect, it feels almost like there’s nothing to him because he doesn’t go through any character development, the only development we are simply told about occurring during his time away from Lily. There’s no stakes because he is so perfect.
In summary, it’s a fluff book about Atlas and Lily with some troubles but nothing that they don’t handle quickly or at least make seem so small because of their love for each other and because Atlas knows her so well so he knows how to cheer her up so easily instead of there being a bit of tension between them at any point. Overall, it’s a decent book and did make me cry at some points and would be a good read for someone who just wanted closure from the first book.
In the author’s note, Colleen writes that she wrote it for the fans who just wanted to see Atlas and Lily happy together, if I had known this beforehand, I might not have read it. I loved It Ends With Us so I was intrigued as to what she would do with a sequel, but disappointed when there wasn’t much tension or build-up, romantic or plot-wise.
About halfway through I lost any real connection to the book because it just felt like a money-grab. Lily seems magically ‘over’ everything with Ryle in terms of dealing with the abuse (she still has moments of anxiety and stress due to it, but it feels superficial) and knows everything about a being an abuse victim. Don’t get me wrong, there are great messages to abuse victims in there, but they feel placed and forced instead of flowing.
Another thing: because Atlas is so perfect, it feels almost like there’s nothing to him because he doesn’t go through any character development, the only development we are simply told about occurring during his time away from Lily. There’s no stakes because he is so perfect.
In summary, it’s a fluff book about Atlas and Lily with some troubles but nothing that they don’t handle quickly or at least make seem so small because of their love for each other and because Atlas knows her so well so he knows how to cheer her up so easily instead of there being a bit of tension between them at any point. Overall, it’s a decent book and did make me cry at some points and would be a good read for someone who just wanted closure from the first book.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Domestic abuse
Minor: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, and Physical abuse