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A review by livelyghost
It Ends with Us by Colleen Hoover
emotional
fast-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
1.5
In full disclosure, I went into reading this knowing it was popular on Booktok/Bookstagram and with some spoilers already in play due to that. I was hoping that it would be this big for a reason, but I cannot for the life of me figure out why unless there's a lot more people discovering for themselves that they're in an abusive relationship than I would have anticipated.
Everything about this book is just off. Lily never mentioning a desire to work in floral or create her own business (especially after a conversation about how much she hates her very floral name) and then just randomly opening a frankly horrible sounding flower shop 6 months later, Alyssa dropping in as a perfect rich-girl friend literally off of the street, a teenager who loves Ellen DeGeneres so much she writes diary entries to her, (spoilers to follow etc) a decision to elope 6 months after dating that somehow nobody objected to?? Ryle buying a condo without discussing it with Lily and she's magically like "no it's perfect"?? A fucking PREGNANCY that you didn't notice for 3 MONTHS?? . The more I think about this book the more I lower my star rating.
I understand that this was a deeply personal story to the author. Reading the author's note to get a better understanding of where she was coming from was helpful, but frankly I would have rather heard someone's lived experience than a fictional account. It was difficult for me to believe that anyone was so deeply enmeshed that leaving would be a big decision because nobody seemed to have any chemistry. Even Lily attests to the fact that she rarely sees Ryle because of their work schedules. Lily and Ryle's relationship often felt like an elementary-schooler describing what long-term relationships feel like. Every few chapters it just felt like we hit the Next Relationship Milestone despite the characters not having made any effort to reach it. No compromises, no discussions, just things happening because that's just what's supposed to happen right? The discussions Lily had with herself towards the end of the book about what she wanted her relationship to look like moving forward felt like the only things that rang true in this entire book.
It was interesting learning about her past relationship with Atlas and essentially how she made it through her teenage years but to be frank, if you took the entirety it out of the book it would read exactly the same.
1.5 stars for it’s popularity encouraging people to read, no higher because big Twilight energy tbh.
Everything about this book is just off. Lily never mentioning a desire to work in floral or create her own business (especially after a conversation about how much she hates her very floral name) and then just randomly opening a frankly horrible sounding flower shop 6 months later, Alyssa dropping in as a perfect rich-girl friend literally off of the street, a teenager who loves Ellen DeGeneres so much she writes diary entries to her, (spoilers to follow etc)
I understand that this was a deeply personal story to the author. Reading the author's note to get a better understanding of where she was coming from was helpful, but frankly I would have rather heard someone's lived experience than a fictional account. It was difficult for me to believe that anyone was so deeply enmeshed that leaving would be a big decision because nobody seemed to have any chemistry. Even Lily attests to the fact that she rarely sees Ryle because of their work schedules. Lily and Ryle's relationship often felt like an elementary-schooler describing what long-term relationships feel like. Every few chapters it just felt like we hit the Next Relationship Milestone despite the characters not having made any effort to reach it. No compromises, no discussions, just things happening because that's just what's supposed to happen right? The discussions Lily had with herself towards the end of the book about what she wanted her relationship to look like moving forward felt like the only things that rang true in this entire book.
It was interesting learning about her past relationship with Atlas and essentially how she made it through her teenage years but to be frank, if you took the entirety it out of the book it would read exactly the same.
1.5 stars for it’s popularity encouraging people to read, no higher because big Twilight energy tbh.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Domestic abuse and Pregnancy
Minor: Suicide