It Starts with Us: A Novel (It Ends with Us)

It Starts With Us by Colleen Hoover absolutely delivered. 💛 This book felt like a warm, healing exhale after It Ends With Us. Getting Atlas’s POV was everything I didn’t know I needed—soft, protective, and so deeply emotional. Watching Lily finally get the love, safety, and peace she deserves was incredibly satisfying and emotional in the best way. The story didn’t rely on chaos or shock value; instead, it focused on growth, healing, and choosing better—for yourself and for your kids. It was hopeful without being unrealistic and tender without being boring. I smiled, teared up, and closed the book feeling complete. If you loved It Ends With Us, this one is a must-read. It’s proof that sometimes the most powerful love stories are about second chances and choosing yourself.

It Starts with Us was a beautifully written and heartwarming sequel to It Ends with Us. This was one of my most anticipated reads and it did not disappoint. Atlas and Lily deserved their happy ending and getting to read that was absolutely everything I wanted and more. Again this book picks up immediately after the ending of It Ends with Us, so I would highly recommend just reading that book first. I also suggest checking the content and trigger warnings before reading. It is dual POVs of Atlas and Lily and has a second chance romance and the found family trope. The premise of this book was definitely a lot lighter than the first book, as it focused more on accepting and fighting for love and family. The writing was amazing and just easy to read; I also loved the short chapters. The discussions regarding abuse, finding support and being a survivor was so powerful as well. While, there were some difficult and heartbreaking moments throughout the story, those moments were beautifully written and carefully handled. One of the most important parts of this book for me was that the author did not try or even insinuate a redemption for Ryle (Lily’s abusive ex-husband). He definitely did not deserve forgiveness and what he kept putting Lily through was heartbreaking, but I do understand how difficult that situation can be when a child is involved. So I just loved how strong and brave Lily was to stand up and do what was best for her daughter and herself. The romance between Atlas and Lily was incredible. I actually liked how they took their time and didn’t immediately jump into a relationship. All the history, banter, chemistry and spice between them was amazing. They both deserved their happily ever after especially with everything they went through, so being able to read that was so heartwarming. Atlas was honestly the most lovable, patient, understanding and considerate hero I have ever read. His letters and love for Lily was just everything anyone could hope for. He’s definitely the reason I loved this book as much as I did. All the side characters in this book were incredible. I loved the support and friendship Lilly had with Allysa (Ryle’s sister) and her husband, Marshall. Atlas bond with Theo (his friend’s teenage kid) and his half brother, Josh was amazing as well. There was no third act conflict or drama at the end, which I absolutely appreciated. Both Atlas’ and Lily fought enough for their happiness, so it was just nice to see them in love and with their family. Overall, just an absolutely beautiful and heartfelt read.

‘It Starts With Us' is the sequel book for Colleen Hoover's best-selling novel “It Ends With Us’. This book begins immediately after It ends with us when lily was dragged through a divorce and domestic abuse from her partner Riley. “It Ends With Us" is a must-read before moving on to "It Starts With Us’. ‘It Starts With Us’ is a more uplifting read than it ends with us. Lily Bloom and Atlas Corrigan have a second chance at their childhood love but not without many struggles and situations they have to tread carefully. To me, this novel, unlike many I have read, didn't feel like it was drugged and unnecessary. The plot lines transitioned very seamlessly throughout the two books not leaving unanswered questions between one and the other. Though it is the sequel, it ends with us. It has its very own unique plot and doesn’t feel repetitive. Taking you through many new character paths and revealing more about each character. The portrayal by Colleen Hoover of a divorced family dynamic and co-parenting situations is very accurate in the sense I have gone through this with my own family. Lily is trying to pursue this relationship with Atlas but still trying to respect her ex-husband Ryle. In time as the book progresses Lily Bloom realizes she deserves the love that Atlas gives her. Once she realizes she deserves this love Atlas and Lily work to rekindle the love they felt for each other as kids. There are different repercussions to this love forming again. The love that is portrayed through the two characters is genuine and child-like in a way making it easy to fall in love with it. Though this book travels through a lot of people's instances of love there are always instances of hatred. Throughout the book, there are instances where it is hard to tell who is right and who is wrong, or what is right and what is wrong. She never makes the antagonist truly the antagonist; she makes them ready to feel empathy towards them because it may not be their fault it’s happening. They may just be stuck in a cycle. “It starts with us giving us more of the background of Atlas Corrigan's life than we got in. It ends with us where it was mainly only Lily's point of view. ‘It Ends With Us’ takes you through the emotional roller coaster of domestic abuse happening and there being someone in that situation that has the resources to break out. “It Starts With Us’ is a story of rekindling love and hope for recovery from her earlier abuse. This book is proving that not every love is unconditional. They can be toxic and unhealthy, but there are those once-in-a-lifetime loves like Atlas and Lilys. Relationships are flawed and nothing comes easy. “It Starts With Us” is a beautiful and comforting read. The novel gently sorts through the aftermath of complications in “It Ends With Us”. This sequel demonstrates the sense that there is always a light at the end of the tunnel. There is a chance to have happiness even in fearful situations.``It starts with us” successfully brings forth lilies and atlases story at their second chance at true love. (This is for an English class )

Great book.

Love love love

📚BOOK REVIEW📚 It Ends With Us & It Starts With Us by Colleen Hoover IEWU Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 ISWU Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5/5 Genre: Contemporary Romantic Fiction Tropes: -domestic abuse -best friend’s brother -dual timeline -childhood friends -strong heroine -“breaking the cycle” -found family -diary entries ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ I want to start by saying that for some reason these books are classified as romances in some places, but I personally do not agree with that. I think these fit more as contemporary fiction/women’s fiction with a romantic storyline. I also think that if you go into reading these with the expectation of them not being romances, you’ll like them more. There were things I liked about these, and things I disliked. The way they are written really make you feel for Lily and emphasize with the situation she is in. It really showcases how your entire life can become intertwined with someone, which makes removing them from your life difficult. It was a little disappointing to not see her “found family” step in and intervene a little more though. There were a couple interactions between Lily and her other friends that seemed weirdly unrealistic (she mentions Devon and her “weren’t really friends” but they’re comfortable enough that he can just reach into her dress and fix her bra? Like bruh). Also, Ryle blowing up a photo of Lily and hanging it in his sister’s apartment is such a weird red flag 🚩🚩 Also, I have a love/hate relationship with using diary entries to explain someone’s past. Sometimes it can feel a bit lazy/boring (which, in this case, it did). It Starts With Us was pretty average. I was interested in seeing what happened between Lily and Atlas but overall the book fell a little flat for me. There wasn’t anything wrong with it, it just felt slow to me. I did enjoy seeing the relationship between Atlas and his brother form though. Overall, if you view these as contemporary fiction (which I did), they’re an okay read. Definitely check online for the TWs/CWs before starting.

I enjoyed both these books very much. Colleen Hoover is an amazing author. Love this book the best! Thank you Colleen Hoover for writing great stories.

This was a good sequel to the first book. I enjoyed the new characters and the plot, and also the ending. I don't usually read romance novels, but this one was a page turner.