It Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover, published in 2016, is a great read. The book takes place in modern time Boston, Massachusetts. The main character, Lily, is a single, independent girl who is in her early 20s. Something important to know about Lily is that her parents didn’t have a healthy relationship while she was growing up, and that changed her view on relationships; she was not quick to get into relationships. The book includes many flashbacks from her childhood. Another main character is a handsome neurosurgeon named Ryle. Ryle was never really interested in relationships and chose to play the field, that is, until he met Lily.
One minor character is Alyssa. Alyssa is Ryle’s sister who became Lily’s best friend and her coworker for her plant business. Throughout the book, She is always there for Lily and taught her what having a real best friend is like. Another minor character is Atlas. Atlas is who Lily considers her “First Love”; they met when they were in high school. They had a deep relationship as best friends and confided in each other about their homes and families. Atlas taught Lily what a real relationship should feel and be like. Although Lily and Atlas met when they were young, she learned a lot from him. Over time, Atlas and Lily lost touch, that was until they bumped into each other at the restaurant Atlas owns.
The story all begins when Lily is on a rooftop deck after her Father’s funeral. Lily didn’t want to interact with anyone at this moment, that was until she noticed Ryle. Ryle and her instantly clicked, they talked for hours about random things. Over the next few months, they would bump into each other every once in a while. After months of constantly thinking about each other, they decided that they should start a relationship. At the beginning of their relationship, Ryle was very supportive of Lily’s dreams, and treated her like a princess. He would bring her to dinner, and even bought an apartment for them to live in together, It seemed too good to be true. Throughout their relationship, there were many ups, but even more downs.
A main conflict in It Ends With Us is abuse and violence. Lily grew up watching her mom get treated terribly by her Father. When Lily’s father died, she had nothing great to say about him. Once Lily got into a relationship with Ryle, she started to understand and relate to how her Mother felt being in a physically and mentally abusive relationship. Once Lily was deep in the relationship, she found it very difficult to get out. “I release a quick breath, and then drag in more air. I start shaking my head, and when his arms come down around me, I cry harder then I knew my body was capable of. He holds me the entire time I cry. He holds me through my hatred. I did this to myself. I allowed this to happen to me. I am my mother.” ( Hoover 273). This quote is a great example of how Lily started to relate to her mother and started to realzie what she was really going through. Luckily, Lily has a great head on her shoulders, and knows what’s best for her. Lily definitely had many struggles throughout her relationship, never knowing how to fully convince herself that what she was doing was right.
I would rate It Ends With Us 5 out of 5 stars. Colleen Hoover did a great job adding key details and dropping little hints of what the ending would be, it made it difficult to put the book down. It is a great book for the teenage audience since there are many examples of a good relationship versus a bad relationship. One word I would use to describe this book would be page-turner. I’ve never enjoyed reading before bed or even in class but this book actually makes me want to read. I really enjoyed the first book in the two part series, next I’m going to read It Starts With Us, which dives deeper into the childhood story of Atlas and Lily. Now go get It Ends With Us and read it!
