REVIEW: It Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover

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Lily hasn’t always had it easy, but that’s never stopped her from working hard for the life she wants. She’s come a long way from the small town in Maine where she grew up. She graduated from college, moved to Boston, and started her own business. So when she feels a spark with a gorgeous neurosurgeon named Ryle Kincaid everything in Lily’s life suddenly seems almost too good to be true.  Ryle is assertive, stubborn, and maybe even a little arrogant. He’s also sensitive, brilliant and has a total soft spot for Lily; and the way he looks in scrubs certainly doesn’t hurt. Lily can’t get him out of her head, 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.  With this bold and deeply personal novel Colleen Hoover delivers a heart-wrenching story that breaks exciting new ground for her as a writer. Combining a captivating romance with a cast of all too human characters, “It Ends with Us” is an unforgettable tale of love that comes at the ultimate price.

(Thank you to Atria Books and NetGalley for the early digital copy of this book)

4 out of 5 stars 
Please read my rating system further below.
★ ★ ★ ★

Prior to reading It Ends With Us, I had no idea what it was about. Based off my other reading experiences with Colleen Hoover books, I thought that this book would be a quick and fast read. Prime entertainment. Little did I know that this book was written on a topic that was very personal to the author. Little did I know that I picked up a book that covered the topic of abuse. Little did I know that It Ends With Us would be one of my favorite novels by master storyteller Colleen Hoover. 

This is the first book that I have ever read that dealt with the topic of abuse. I've heard about numerous abusive relationships in my lifetime. I have never pried into what actually went on in those relationships, because I never felt the need to. After reading It Ends With Us, it pains me so much to know that relationships like Lily and Ryle's exist. It was hard for me to read nonstop. It was so difficult to read about situations that are based off of true life situations. Yet I could never tear my eyes from this book. I was mesmerized by this story. 
However, I was engrossed into this story for much different reasons than I usually am. Usually, I am so engaged in reading a book because I'm loving how entertaining, funny, exciting, etc it is. This book was definitely not the case. Yes, it had it's light-hearted parts, but for most of it, I could not stop reading because of how not-lighthearted this book was. I had to keep on reading because I was so perplexed by the characters and relationships in this book. The characters confused me all the time. Not because they were undeveloped by any means, but because I needed to read more and more of them because I could not understand why they made the decisions they did. I found myself becoming more confused as I continued to read. I would constantly ask myself "Why did this person decide to do _____?". 
As I continued to venture farther into the story, the questions I was asking about specific characters' decisions became harder and harder to answer. If I didn't have to sleep, I would've read this book nonstop. Unfortunately, starting a book like this one at midnight on a night before a big exam is not a good decision. What impressed me so much was that as a writer, Colleen Hoover has developed and improved so much! Her writing has become more lyrical and deep and it made me even more captivated than the story already did. 
It Ends With Us stands out above all of Colleen Hoover's other books because it teaches you so many life lessons. Along with many relatable references, Colleen Hoover is able to make a sad yet happy at times story a personal one for her and for the reader.

(I would praise more and more but involves spoilers!!!)

ps. i wrote this right after finishing It Ends With Us, which something I normally do not do. 

pps. Thank you so much to NetGalley/Atria Books for a digital copy of this book! 

PPPS. I USED MY KINDLE FOR THE FIRST TIME IN 3 YEARS TO READ THIS BOOK. THAT'S HOW GREAT IT WAS. IF I READ ON MY KINDLE, IT MEANS SOMETHING. 



REVIEWER:
Grace