Book Review: Colleen Hoover’s It Ends With Us and It Starts With Us
If you haven’t read Colleen Hoover’s romance novels It Ends With Us and It Starts With Us, I highly recommend adding them to your TBR list.
I first discovered It Ends With Us through Pangobooks, an app where readers can buy and sell books. After diving into Lily Bloom and Ryle Kincaid’s story, I couldn’t help but grab the sequel to find out what happens next. While I’m usually not a big fan of romance novels, Colleen Hoover changed my perspective entirely. These contemporary romance novels blend love, family, friendship, humor, and real-life situations in such a relatable way. With captivating plots, these books will make you fall in love, cause your heart to ache, and remind you of your worth and strength.
Warning: Spoilers Ahead!
This blog delves into the plot of both books, but I’ll be careful not to reveal everything. I’ll share my thoughts and questions along the way, so let’s start with It Ends With Us.
The Story of It Ends With Us
In It Ends With Us, we meet Lily Bloom, a recent college graduate who’s trying to find her place in the world after her father’s passing. She moves to Boston and opens a flower shop with the inheritance money she received from her father, who was abusive to her mother. Despite the emotional baggage Lily carries from her past, her new life is about to take an unexpected turn when she meets Ryle Kincaid, a neurosurgeon with a rule against dating. They develop an undeniable chemistry, but Ryle’s inability to control his temper begins to cause tension.
Lily’s first love, Atlas Corrigan, reappears in the story, adding to the complexity of her emotions. Atlas was homeless when they first met, and their bond was incredibly strong. However, due to the circumstances, they parted ways when Atlas moved to Boston to live with his uncle. Now, years later, Atlas is back, and Lily is faced with a difficult choice.
Ryle’s anger and violent outbursts culminate in an emotional breaking point for Lily. Despite their marriage, Lily chooses to distance herself from Ryle, especially after discovering she is pregnant with his child. It’s a painful decision, but one that ultimately allows Lily to break the cycle of abuse. The book leaves readers emotionally moved, though there’s a sense of longing for the childhood love Lily shared with Atlas.
From Heartbreak to Hope: Transitioning to It Starts With Us
At the end of It Ends With Us, Lily makes one of the toughest decisions of her life: to leave Ryle and break the cycle of abuse that has haunted her family for years. Her journey of self-discovery and empowerment doesn’t stop there, though. While Lily’s strength is undeniable, her heart still aches for the childhood love she lost—Atlas. As she embarks on a new chapter of her life as a single mother, co-parenting with Ryle, she can’t help but wonder what could have been with Atlas, the man who never truly left her heart.
It Starts With Us picks up right where It Ends With Us leaves off, but this time, the focus shifts to Atlas’s life and his own struggle with the past. While Lily is navigating the complexities of her new life, Atlas’s return into her world is a journey in itself—one of vulnerability, healing, and rediscovery. They’re no longer the same people they once were, but their love is undeniable. The story shifts from heartbreak to hope as Atlas and Lily begin to rebuild what they once had, all while learning to trust in each other and themselves again.
It Starts With Us—The Sequel
The sequel, It Starts With Us, picks up where It Ends With Us left off, diving deeper into Atlas’s life and his relationship with Lily. After a two-year gap, Lily has separated from Ryle and is navigating co-parenting their daughter, Emerson. Atlas has expanded his restaurant business and is still deeply in love with Lily, but he feels unworthy of her love due to his past. Their connection reignites, and they begin spending more time together, getting to know each other beyond the trauma of their earlier years.
As Lily and Atlas grow closer, Lily struggles with the fact that Ryle still looms in the background. Ryle is furious when he finds out that Lily and Atlas are talking again, and his jealous temper flares. However, Lily finds the strength to stand up for herself, realizing that she doesn’t need Ryle’s approval to be happy.
Things take another turn when Atlas discovers he has a younger brother, Josh, who has been living with his neglectful parents. Atlas decides to take Josh in, determined to help him avoid the same toxic upbringing he endured. Lily supports him throughout this journey, and as Atlas and Lily continue to grow together, their love blossoms. Ultimately, the two tie the knot, and Atlas takes on the role of not just Lily’s partner but also a father figure to Josh.
Key Life Lessons from the Books
Both It Ends With Us and It Starts With Us offer profound life lessons that resonate long after you turn the last page:
- The ones you love the most can sometimes hurt you the most.
- People who come from nothing can rise to be incredibly successful.
- Don’t let jealousy from others stop you from finding happiness.
- Help those in need, as we all know how it feels to need help.
- Never forget your own happiness and worth.
Final Thoughts
Overall, both It Ends With Us and It Starts With Us are beautifully written, emotionally gripping novels that tackle themes of abuse, forgiveness, love, and self-worth. I rated each book 4.5 stars because of how much they made me reflect on relationships, personal growth, and strength.
Goodreads rates It Ends With Us 4.32/5 and It Starts With Us 4.01/5, but I feel both books are well worth the read.
What Did You Think? Did you read either book? What were your thoughts on Lily’s journey and Atlas’s redemption? I’d love to hear your reviews and reactions in the comments below!
