Your Next Read | It Ends With Us

I started this book because I had seen it recommended by multiple friends and bloggers. I’ve never read one of Colleen Hoover’s books before, but I think I will definitely make it a point to read more of her books now! I didn’t read anything about the book beforehand and was half-expecting it to be a romance. There is romance, but there is so much more to this than romance. (trigger warning: this book does cover abuse – physical, sexual, and emotional)

Lily has had a tough upbringing in a small town in Maine, but she works hard for what she wants and after college she moves to Boston and eventually starts her own business.

There she meets Ryle, a neurosurgeon who makes her feel all kinds of feelings. He’s assertive, intelligent, and a little cocky, but he’s drawn to Lily, too. The first time they meet, he tells her he wants nothing to do with a relationship, and he is adamant about it. But soon enough, Lily becomes to exception to this rule of his, and she wonders why this was such a big deal to him in the first place.

Just as she’s starting to settle into this new relationship, her first love – Atlas – springs up unexpectedly and jeopardizes her relationship with Ryle.

I loved Lily’s character – I actually loved all the characters in the book. Lily, Ryle, Lily’s mom, Atlas – there was so much humanity and complexity written into each character. If you’ve never been a victim of abuse, it’s a really good insight into “why women stay”. It also addresses generational trauma and breaking cycles of abuse. This was a wonderfully written book – I had a really hard time putting it down when it was time to go to sleep. If you can handle the triggers I mentioned above – I’d definitely recommend this one!

xoxo