A review by shashaybooks
It Ends with Us by Colleen Hoover

dark emotional reflective sad fast-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

5.0

5 million stars. This book has a lot of hype, and it is worth every single drop of it.

"I'll keep pretending to swim, when really all I'm doing is floating. Barely keeping my head above water."


This book completely consumed me. I was wrapped up in it, cocooned in its tension, love, anger and devastation. This is the kind of story that grips you and pulls you in and the next thing you know, you face is wet with tears and you're taking deep breaths to calm yourself down.

This book deals with an issue that is bigger than its characters and their story. So intricately and so empathetically, that it is hard not to lose yourself in Lily's head and her emotions.

If you're here to decide whether you want to pick this up. Trust me, do it. And do it now. Stop looking at more content. Go into this book blind and it's just all the more impactful.

To say I am now a Colleen Hoover fan, is an understatement.


⚠️ *SPOILERS AHEAD* ⚠️


Without going into too much details, I am not a stranger to domestic abuse. Lily's relationship with her parents, abuse and all, mirrors my own relationships with my parents so similarly, it's uncanny. Reading this, I felt so seen and I felt unspeakable emotions being put into words and I was just

absolutely consumed.

The author's note at the end tore me apart too. It takes so much courage to be able to write something so personal to her own experience. Having to dig up the painful past and relive it, to put it into a story into the pages of a book...she is truly so brave.

I must say, the entire book flew by me in a blur. I was just reading and falling in love, and getting angry, sad and confused; all the feelings Lily was feeling. And then, I reached the end.

Everything suddenly felt sharper.

The entire purpose and essence of the book became starkly obvious. It was about breaking a cycle of abuse. Abusive behaviour is a never-ending generational cycle, and I know that first-hand. Suddenly, the title of the book made perfect sense and I've never been hit so hard by an ending before.

This entire book is about Lily getting into an abusive relationship, continuing the cycle, and the pain and torture of ending the cycle with her own daughter.

I feel like I'm on a precarious edge, like I'm going to cry any moment. This is how sensitive the book has made me and how deep it hit. I'm still a little unstable and so many things are running through my mind right now.

I know people wait until they're more articulate and stable to write a review, but I don't. I want to record down my mess of a brain after I finish reading a good book. The train of thoughts, the onslaught of emotions that I feel, I want to remember it.

Of course, we have to talk about Ryle.

I loved him. As Lily fell for him, I did too. He was caring, kind and compassionate and most of all, he loved Lily. Lily could see it and I could too. When he pushed her, he was so apologetic and hurt that I wanted to forgive him too. And yet, I am the one who thinks I'll be able to leave a man at the first sign of abuse. Clearly, it is not that simple.

I thought if someone I loved were to do that to me and he was so apologetic about it afterwards, I'd forgive him in a heartbeat.

Cycles exist because they are excruciating to break. It takes an astronomical amount of pain and courage to disrupt a familiar pattern. Sometimes it seems easier to just keep running in the same familiar circles, rather than facing the fear of jumping and possibly not landing on your feet.


I always thought I would break the cycle of abuse in my family, but clearly, I am giving myself too much credit. And this I know now, because of this book.

I am again reminded of how reading can help me learn so much about myself. And this book definitely did that.

The moment when Lily's mom tells her that she knew she paused during the eulogy on purpose and that she was proud of Lily for doing that, for standing up for her. The waterfalls.

“The day you gave your father's eulogy? I know you didn't freeze up, Lily. You stood at that podium and refused to say a single good thing about that man. It was the proudest I have ever been of you. You were the only one in my life who ever stood up for me. You were strong when I was scared." A tear falls from her eye when she says, "Be that girl, Lily. Brave and bold.”


That was definitely the scene that hit me the hardest.

Another one was when Lily just delivered, and in that moment, she recalled all her memories she had with her father and no matter how little the bad times were, they always overrode the good. In that moment, she made the courageous, bravest and most excruciating decision to leave Ryle, even when there was quite a promising chance that he would change for the better.

She was brave enough not to take that risk.

And I am so proud of her.

The ending was so adorable and I am so glad she ended up with Atlas. After all that happened, she deserved this and so much more.

"In the future...if by some miracle you ever find yourself in the position to fall in love again...fall in love with me."

And so, she did.

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