Book Review: Colleen Hoover’s It Ends With Us and It Starts With Us

If you have not read Colleen Hoover’s romance novels, It Ends With Us, and its sequel, It Starts With Us, add them to your TBR list.

I learned of It Ends With Us on Pangobooks, an app for readers to buy and sell books. I was so obsessed with the story that I had to buy the sequel to find out what happens next. I’ve never been too big on romance novels, but Colleen Hoover has changed my opinion. These contemporary romance novels are a perfect blend of love, family, friendship, humor, and real-life situations that readers can relate to. With a captivating and interesting plot, these books will make you fall in love, cause your heart to ache, and remind you of your worth and strength.

*Alert: This blog contains spoilers!

This blog goes over each story without intentionally providing too much detail, but not missing important parts. I share my thoughts and questions along the way. Let’s start with the blurb on the back of In Ends With Us.

College graduate Lily Bloom meets resident surgeon Ryle Kincaid while sitting on top of an apartment building rooftop. Lily was there clearing her mind after attending her father’s funeral when she hears a man, Ryle, venting on the rooftop. Ryle notices Lily and asks her to come down. The two begin talking and get to know each other. It’s obvious there is chemistry between them, but Ryle only wanted a casual fling, while Lily was looking for a relationship. The two part ways.

Lily had no care or concern for her father’s passing. She didn’t talk about her father at the funeral, even after her mom, Jenny, asks her to. It’s not that she has no words. It’s that she has nothing positive to say about him. Her father physically abused her mother, and Lily witnessed it growing up. She, understandably, began to resent him.

Lily recently moved to Boston from Maine, with her mother. She worked at a marketing firm but decided to leave that field and open up her own flower show with the inheritance money she received from her father. She names it Lily Bloom’s floral shop.

Months go by and one day, while getting her new business together, a young lady walks into the shop, intrigued about the building’s upcoming makeover. She introduces herself as Allysa and asks if there is a job opening. She wants to help transform the building into a beautiful shop. Lily offers her a job, and it isn’t long before the two become best friends.

Not too long after, Lily learns that Ryle is Allysa’s sister. Despite Ryle informing Lily of his “no dating rule,” due to his demanding work schedule, that quickly gets squashed. They spend every minute they can together, and their feelings for each other intensify. It seems like the ideal love story.

But that quickly starts to end when Ryle’s inability to control his temper is revealed, and in front of none other than Atlas Corrigan – Lily’s first love whom she hasn’t seen in over a decade after Atlas left Maine for Boston. The three see each other in Bib’s, a restaurant Atlas owns, and that is when the story takes a turn.

Ryle learns that Lily and Atlas were friends many years ago. But after reading Lily’s childhood journals, it’s clear that the relationship between Lily and Atlas was much deeper. And, now, here is Atlas in the same city.

Atlas was a homeless 17-year-old when he and Lily met. His heartless, trashy stepfather had kicked him out and he lived temporarily in an abandoned neighboring house, near Lily’s home. Seeing the condition of the home he stayed in, Lily provided him with food, clothing, and blankets. When her parents weren’t home, she’d let him in to shower, and snuck him in when the temperatures were dangerously cold so he could sleep on her floor. They spent practically every minute together, usually watching The Ellen DeGeneres Show. Lily documents their strong friendship and all the time spent together in her journal. Readers can tell the two are unofficially in love. When Atlas turned 18, she was deeply hurt to learn that Atlas was leaving for Boston to live with his Uncle.

Ryle’s jealousy roars and his temper unleashes, especially now that Lily and Atlas have crossed paths. Ryle physically hurts Lily, shoving her into a cabinet and pushing her down the steps. He also mentally breaks her into pieces.

Ryle’s temper isn’t a secret, though. At age six, Ryle found his parent’s gun and accidentally shot and killed his brother, Emerson. While Lily knows Ryle’s behavior is not acceptable or inexcusable, the two are now married, having eloped in Vegas, and she believes Ryle’s apologies and promises to change.

Lily stays in contact with Atlas, letting him know about Ryle’s behavior. Atlas remains close by, ensuring Lily’s safety, although he secretly wants to take care of this situation himself. One day, Lily runs to Atlas after a nasty fight with Ryle, and she stays for a few days. She meets his friends and enjoys her time with Atlas.

I wanted desperately for Atlas to make a move on Lily at this time because it’s obvious their spark never died, but he doesn’t. He knows she is married and isn’t trying to win her over. He simply wants to ensure her safety. You know deep down he is hurt that Lily is married, but he doesn’t make it obvious and respects her. This is when I start to really fall for Atlas.

Eventually, Lily returns home and it doesn’t take her long to gather the courage to distance herself from Ryle – she tells him she wants a separation. As mentioned above, Lily grew up witnessing her father physically hurting her mother and the countless lies her father told her. Lily told herself at a young age she wouldn’t allow that. But it’s not easy to just leave someone, even if they are abusing you. It’s as if the heart and the brain are fighting each other. You know what’s right, to leave, but what you want, love is strong. One excerpt that stuck with me read, “Preventing your heart from forgiving someone you love is actually a hell of a lot harder than simply forgiving them.”

Lily soon finds out she is pregnant with Ryle’s child. Despite being afraid to tell anyone and attempting to hide her pregnancy, she eventually tells her mother, who is ecstatic. A much-needed conversation follows with Jenny telling Lily that she should have left her father and is proud of her daughter for leaving Ryle.

Ryle tries many times to win back Lily but she doesn’t budge. After they welcome their baby girl, Emerson, Ryle’s still hopeful it can work out, but Lily knows it can’t continue. She tells her baby girl it’s going to end with them. She tells Ryle in the hospital that she wants a divorce. She refuses to allow any future abuse.

Lily’s story is one that will stay in your heart, as she chooses herself and her daughter over someone she loves and ends a cycle of abuse. The book is packed with painful truths and an ending that warms you but also leaves you a little disappointed. What happened to the childhood sweetheart and knight in shining armor, Atlas? I felt his character didn’t have much importance if he was involved only a few times, and that was to help Lily.

We find that out in It Starts With Us, which pretty much picks back up where the story left off. Again, I found myself unable to stop reading and excitedly turning the page to learn what comes next. It is an excellent sequel to It Ends With Us, and dives into Atlas’ life.

Atlas and Lily meet again after almost two years. Lily is divorced from Ryle and the two have settled into a civil co-parenting rhythm. Atlas not only runs his restaurant Bibs, but his new and more upscale restaurant, Corrigan’s. All Atlas can really think about is Lily. His love for her never has (and never will) fade. He feels he isn’t good enough for her, though. I think he feels this way because he was homeless and had nothing.

Atlas decides to go for it and the two begin to spend more time together. As they get to know each other better, Atlas shares with Lily the trauma of having an uncaring and unloving mother who kicked him out of the house during his senior year of high school because her boyfriend didn’t like him. He grew up in a toxic household; his mother constantly belittled, insulted, and degraded him. Lily is shocked to learn that Atlas didn’t have an uncle in Boston. He left Maine to join the Marines, and after leaving, opened his restaurants. He dated but never settled or married.

Atlas didn’t know that Lily had a journal and wrote about all the time they spent together when they were younger. Lily shares her journal entries with Atlas, in which she talks about the fun time they spent together, and how she hurt badly when she learned Atlas was heading to Boston. The journal entries showed Atlas that Lily cares for him immensely and never thought less of him.

It’s obvious they have a growing love that gets stronger every minute they spend together. But Lily worries since she is co-parenting with Ryle who hates Atlas. They had just fallen into a peaceful co-parenting flow and she doesn’t want to ruin it. It’s as if she’s letting Ryle control her. She wants to spend time with Atlas, but she’d rather not have to deal with Ryle. When Ryle learns the two are talking, he becomes furious, screaming at Lily while she’s up against a wall and slamming his hand against it. He rushes furiously to Atlas’ restaurant with the intention to start a physical fight but doesn’t pursue it.

Wanting desperately to be with Altas and remembering Ryle cannot control her, Lily stands up for herself and doesn’t let Ryle intimidate her or tell her who she can or can’t be with. It’s relieving to learn that Alyssa, and her husband, Marshall, won’t tolerate Ryle’s behavior towards Lily, either, and give her their support. They also tell Ryle he cannot behave this way.

Out of the blue, Atlas’ mom calls. Under the impression she wants something, money in particular, she asks if she has seen his brother, Josh. Atlas is utterly confused and then shocked to learn he has a younger brother. But now it makes sense why someone has been spray painting the words “ass whole” on his restaurant window. That’s how his mom pronounced it. Josh thinks Atlas left him with his terrible parents and didn’t care about him. Knowing he can’t let his little brother go back to their mom or his father, Atlas focuses on taking Josh in and steering him away from their parents.

Meanwhile Lily stays by his side, supporting him and helping in any way she can. Josh asks to go back to his dad, which Atlas must oblige since he is a minor. Atlas drives Josh to his dad’s house and Josh almost goes up to the door then realizes his father never looked for him, never reach out to him. I believe deep down Josh knew his parents didn’t care, but he wanted them to, just like Atlas wanted his mom to care. Josh decides to stay with Atlas and Atlas hopes this will help Josh straighten up. And, of course, Atlas and Lily tie the knot.

The series remind readers of a few important life lessons. The ones you love the most can be the ones who hurt you the most. Those who start from nothing can become the most successful. Do not let someone’s jealousy prevent you from being happy. Help those you can because we know what it’s like to need help and not receive it. Don’t forget about your own happiness.

Both books were excellent reads, and I rated each one 4.5 stars.

GoodReads rates It Ends With Us a 4.32/5 and It Starts With Us a 4.01/5.

Did you read either book? I’m curious about what others thought about these stories. Drop your thoughts and reviews in the comments!