Lily has just given her eulogy for her father and returned back home to Boston where she first meets Ryle and ends up in a mixed affair with him. However, an old love starts to appear as well through Lily and Ryle's relationship together.
I did not enjoy this book at all. It goes under a false genre by calling it romance when a good majority of the book is on the topic of abuse. Especially Lily being abused by Ryle. I get the premise by showing awareness on what abuse in relationships is like, but it seems like a false narrative when the author has the book cover super colorful and calls it romance.
Graphic: Physical abuse and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Cursing, Sexual assault, Blood, Emotional abuse, Pregnancy, and Alcohol
Minor: Child abuse, Infertility, Death, and Death of parent
I heard a good bit about Colleen Hoover’s novels to know I did not want to read them, but my book club chose the book and I decided to put my judgment aside to read this book.
Lily had just finished her eulogy at her father’s funeral when she went back to Boston where she is finishing up school and is thinking about starting a business. While sitting on a ledge, thinking about death in general. While thinking about these events, Ryle makes his entrance by throwing a huge tantrum, scaring Lily before finally managing to talk to him where they chat and Ryle talks about how he is upset with death. Lily sees him as a charming individual.
However, just while talking Ryle decides that he is going to try to seduce her. Lily doesn’t want to go any farther into what was going on and tries to back away which Ryle lets her but is a cocky dick saying that she’ll end up regretting it.
After that they go their separate ways and Lily buys a building for her to become a florist. Just as she buys the building, she meets a woman named Allysa who wants to help her design her business. Even though Lily doesn’t have any money, Allysa admits that she is bored and just wants something to do during the day and thinks Lily’s business would be the best for her to pass the time. Lily decides to allow Allysa to be her somewhat business partner.
When Lily and Allysa finish designing the shop, they have their grand opening and the very first person to appear was Ryle. Shocked, Lily and Ryle decide it was their first time meeting but it sparks something between the two. They constantly are trying to see each other and Ryle is constantly trying to get with her. Finally Lily gives in to Ryle and they sleep together.
Even though Ryle wanted to keep it a one night stand, Ryle ends up trying to hook up with Lily multiple times until finally they decide to start dating. At first it goes really well between the two, that is until the abuse starts to happen. Ryle ends up burning his hands from pulling something hot out of the oven and when she laughs because of the pure shock, he smashes her face for laughing.
Honestly, the abuse scenes were rough and it did get worse from there. Atlas, the true star of this entire book, notices when she walks into the restaurant (for the second time, the first time she was shocked and wanted to get with him but he told her he had a girlfriend) and Atlas is obviously pissed off about it.
The abuse scenes were rough to get through and there were a lot of time skips where she would say it was getting better and then it would get worse. Allysa ends up having a kid and because of that Lily and Ryle decide to get married. After getting married, this was the final straw for Lily. Lily ended up getting an award for being an amateur business and is excited. When she comes home Ryle tells her to read the review for Atlas’s restaurant and afterwards begins to accuse her of cheating for having Atlas’s phone number, a magnet from him, and how she still kept the journals that reminded her of Atlas.
After getting her face smashed by Ryle she calls Atlas to bring her to the hospital where she finds out she’s pregnant and then stays with Atlas until she’s ready to go back home. Ryle goes on a business trip and Lily is given time to think. While thinking, she finally gives birth to their daughter and demands that they get a divorce so that their daughter never has to witness him as a bad person.
After a year she meets Atlas again and it leads to the second book.
This book was awful. It was rough to get through the abuse scenes and I felt like Lily, knowing what an abusive relationship was like because of her mom, continued to be with Ryle. Atlas cares so much and honestly he was probably the best character. Ryle was a dick through their entire relationship because he couldn’t handle just talking about how he felt, instead he abused Lily and then made excuses. Lily should never have had anything of Atlas if she truly believed she was in love with Ryle, but at the same time I understand it was because of the sentimental value.
I work at a bookstore and I can’t tell you how many young girls that are still teenagers have picked up this book and even old women who are in their 60s. I do not recommend this book. Those who love this book and think Colleen Hoover is easy to read might have some problems because yes I read this fast but it was not an easy read. It was dark and disgusting to even think this was labeled as a romance. This is a fictional book to show awareness. It shouldn’t be colorful and labeled as a romance novel.