It Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover – Book Review

“SOMETIMES THE ONE WHO LOVES YOU IS THE ONE WHO HURTS YOU THE MOST”

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Book Synopsis:

Lily hasn’t had easy upbringing, but that’s never stopped her from working hard for the life she wants. She lives in Boston where she wants to start a business and has left behind her painful childhood memories in her small hometown in Maine. One night, after her father’s funeral, she meets a gorgeous neurosurgeon named Ryle Kincaid, with whom she feels an instant spark. Everything in Lily’s life suddenly seems almost too good to be true.

Ryle is assertive, stubborn, maybe even a little arrogant. He’s also sensitive, brilliant, and has a total soft spot for Lily. But Ryle’s complete aversion to relationships is disturbing. Even as Lily finds herself becoming the exception to his “no dating” rule, she can’t help but wonder what made him that way in the first place.

As questions about her new relationship overwhelm her, so do thoughts of Atlas Corrigan — her first love and a link to the past she left behind. He was her kindred spirit, her protector. When Atlas suddenly reappears, everything Lily has built with Ryle is threatened.

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My Review:

This book is raw, honest, deeply moving and profoundly beautiful. It explores the very serious issue of domestic violence, something which I have never read about previously. It was extremely confronting and I had to pause on several occasions to pull myself together and collect my thoughts.

Colleen’s initial dedication of the book already points to the fact that this is going to be an emotional roller coaster of a read:

“For my father, who tried his very best not to be his worst. And for my mother, who make sure we never saw him at his worst.”

And it isn’t until you finish the book and then read the author’s notes at the back that you get an insight into Colleen’s life and understand where the inspiration for this story comes from.

Colleen masterfully writes about a very tough subject matter entwined with love, friendship, success and perseverance. She also shows that relationships and domestic violence are not as black and white as one would think. Lily and Ryle’s relationship and the way it develops throughout the book is anything but black and white.

There are two separate time lines in the book – Lily as an adult exploring things with Ryle, and Lily as a teenager who develops a close bond with a homeless boy – Atlas. Each time line illustrates the different impacts that domestic violence can have – whether you are experiencing it first hand or witnessing it from the sidelines.

It can be so easy for a person to judge someone else’s choices and say “she/he should have done this” or “I would never let that happen”, but as I read this book, I found I was confused and started questioning all those thoughts I had always had if I was ever faced with this situation.

This novel carries such an important message and even though I read this book a while ago, those final pages in the book will stay with me forever. The book is sweet, funny, sad, devastating and uncomfortable. It is an absolute roller coaster for the emotions. It will challenge your preconceived ideas about domestic violence and abuse.

This is a powerful and unforgettable book that I truly believe everyone needs to read. Make sure you have tissues.

In a word: phenomenal!

Just one last thing… Jane the Virgin” Star Justin Baldoni is adapting Colleen Hoover’s novel “It Ends With Us” for film through his Wayfarer Entertainment. Given the book’s powerful message, I do hope the author and director work together to do the book and story justice.

AMAZON: Click here to buy your copy of It Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover

BOOK DEPOSITORY: Click here to buy your copy of It Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover

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Favourite quotes from the book:

”All humans make mistakes. What determines a person’s character aren’t the mistakes we make. It’s how we take those mistakes and turn them into lessons rather than excuses.”

“There is no such thing as bad people. We’re all just people who sometimes do bad things.”

“Just because someone hurts you doesn’t mean you can simply stop loving them. It’s not a person’s actions that hurt the most. It’s the love. If there was no love attached to the action, the pain would be a little easier to bear.”

“I feel like everyone fakes who they really are, when deep down we’re all equal amounts of screwed up. Some of us are just better at hiding it than others.”

“Just because we didn’t end up on the same wave, doesn’t mean we aren’t still a part of the same ocean.”

“Naked truths aren’t always pretty.”

“I think that’s one of the biggest signs a person has matured—knowing how to appreciate things that matter to others, even if they don’t matter very much to you.”

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