"It Ends With Us"

“It Ends With Us”

Written by Colleen Hoover

Review written by Diana Iozzia

I personally feel very mixed about “It Ends With Us”. There were many elements that I enjoyed in the book, that allowed for the creation of great plot and storytelling. I think that for the subject matter, Colleen Hoover created a story with a lot of heart, sadness, and abuse, but she brought a more serious and relevant nuance to the discussions.

In this book, we read through the perspective of Lily Bloom, an ambitious and caring young woman, in her early twenties. We also read through her past diary entries, which can be very hokey and a bit too underdeveloped. Lily is in a tumultuous relationship with Ryle, a charismatic and complicated neurosurgeon, whose past haunts him, allowing him to act in a horrific, violent side of him.

In the beginning of the story, we see Lily as she meets Ryle for the first time on the roof of a building. She’s there to refresh and collect her thoughts. He’s there, because he was not able to save a young patient. As we continue through the months, Lily moves on, never developing a romance with Ryle. She opens a flower shop, when she serendipitously meets Ryle’s sister, who begins a small position at the shop. Lily also tells us her story of her first love, a boy named Atlas, who lived in an abandoned house next to Lily’s parents’ home.

This book is a very interesting deep dive into what abuse can look like. At first, Ryle seems like a very sexy, interesting man who’s very smart and cares deeply for his family. We continue on to learn why he has such a complicated past and can understand why he becomes abusive in his relationship with Lily. At first, there are some red flags that crop up, but I enjoyed that they aren’t your usual red flags that appear in domestic abuse fiction. I felt that because Colleen Hoover had experience with an abusive family member, she had this brilliant insight and accurately explained how these scenarios would look. I felt that Hoover explained and portrayed how the grey area in abusive relationships can be experienced. We sympathize with Ryle, once we understand the truth. However, forgiveness doesn’t come, but moving on in a healthy way comes and sets a great example in this story.

I can completely understand why some readers of this story might not enjoy it. I have always heard of Colleen Hoover and how divisive her books can be. In one circumstance, we see in clear and deep detail how abuse can look, how it can be overlooked, and how consequences of abuse sometimes look. We do not have a very clear resolution of this story, but the positive outlook might seem banal to readers. Perhaps some readers do not look for redeemable qualities in abusers, but I think Colleen Hoover that abusers are truly human, so we do see the good side of them. Whether we choose to believe and forgive the abuser is another story.

As far as literary elements go, I found this to be a very well-written book. However, when I began reading this, I was not reading this with a critical eye. I did not consider every single sentence for how fantastic it was and how the plot elements go. It can be a bit messy at times. The second love interest, Atlas, is more of a silver lining and a beacon of hope, rather than a romantic figure. He was sort of a means to an end, in my opinion. The dialogue can seem a bit juvenile at some times, but we do have to consider that the main character is in her twenties. She’s going to reference something current, every once in a while. Oh, I do have a problem with the dialogue and the prose. I don’t like reading sex scenes. So, well, there are some sex scenes that made me uncomfortable and I skipped through them.

In conclusion, I think this is a book that you can mold into what you want it to be. Do you want it to be a meaningful discussion on domestic abuse? Do you want it to be a trashy, sexy novel? Do you want it to be a frothy, beach read with a bit of a serious side? Do you want it to be a romance, that isn’t stopped at any odds? I found this book to also have a great sense of family purpose, so maybe that’s your jam. The side characters are great and although they aren’t as fleshed out as I would like, I am glad to have read them. I think that you can read Colleen Hoover’s writing through many lenses. I enjoyed this book, but I didn’t love it. I would consider reading her other books. I give this book a rating of 4 out of 5 stars.