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A review by lovelymisanthrope
It Starts with Us by Colleen Hoover
dark
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
sad
tense
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
I read "It Ends with Us" earlier this year and was blown away by how much I enjoyed the story. I knew I wanted more, especially from Atlas, so I quickly added "It Starts with Us" to my TBR.
"It Starts with Us" picks up almost immediately following the end of "It Ends with Us". Lily and her ex-husband Ryle have been separated for a while, but they have come together to create a great coparenting system for their daughter. Although there is no chance of reconciliation, they are living in relatively good harmony. Lily is happy and ready to move on with her life when she bumps into Atlas on the street, and she enthusiastically agrees to go on a date with him. The timing seems perfect, and everything seems to FINALLY be falling into place for Lily and Atlas. The only thing that could come between them now is Ryle.
This story alternates between Lily's and Atlas's perspectives, which was a great treat for those who adored Atlas in "It Ends with Us". Atlas is such a good guy, and after such a difficult life, it was really nice to see him have some wins and finally get a real shot with Lily. I do think he suffers from being too perfect, but in the most ideal world, it was fun to see "the perfect man".
In "It Ends with Us", Lily becomes best friends with Ryle's sister, and I was curious to see how their friendship was affected when it came out that Ryle is abusive. I was pleased to see that the two girls remained friends and Ryle's sister stood by Ryle and Lily's sides. She acknowledged her brother was wrong and out of line in his treatment towards Lily, but she supported him getting better and getting to spend time with his daughter. She also supported Lily and was nothing short of a best friend for her.
I do not think you have to read "It Ends with Us" before you pick this up, but you will definitely have a better appreciation for the characters if you do. The only thing that would have made this better for me is if the book was solely Atlas's perspective. I appreciated seeing Lily's character grow and stand up for herself, but I wanted this book to finally see Atlas's side of the story. I think we still could have gotten an update about Lily through Atlas's point of view.
"It Starts with Us" picks up almost immediately following the end of "It Ends with Us". Lily and her ex-husband Ryle have been separated for a while, but they have come together to create a great coparenting system for their daughter. Although there is no chance of reconciliation, they are living in relatively good harmony. Lily is happy and ready to move on with her life when she bumps into Atlas on the street, and she enthusiastically agrees to go on a date with him. The timing seems perfect, and everything seems to FINALLY be falling into place for Lily and Atlas. The only thing that could come between them now is Ryle.
This story alternates between Lily's and Atlas's perspectives, which was a great treat for those who adored Atlas in "It Ends with Us". Atlas is such a good guy, and after such a difficult life, it was really nice to see him have some wins and finally get a real shot with Lily. I do think he suffers from being too perfect, but in the most ideal world, it was fun to see "the perfect man".
In "It Ends with Us", Lily becomes best friends with Ryle's sister, and I was curious to see how their friendship was affected when it came out that Ryle is abusive. I was pleased to see that the two girls remained friends and Ryle's sister stood by Ryle and Lily's sides. She acknowledged her brother was wrong and out of line in his treatment towards Lily, but she supported him getting better and getting to spend time with his daughter. She also supported Lily and was nothing short of a best friend for her.
I do not think you have to read "It Ends with Us" before you pick this up, but you will definitely have a better appreciation for the characters if you do. The only thing that would have made this better for me is if the book was solely Atlas's perspective. I appreciated seeing Lily's character grow and stand up for herself, but I wanted this book to finally see Atlas's side of the story. I think we still could have gotten an update about Lily through Atlas's point of view.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Rape, Sexual content, Emotional abuse, Bullying, Domestic abuse, Grief, Gaslighting, Toxic relationship, Sexual violence, Physical abuse, and Death of parent