It Ends With Us: The emotional #1 Sunday Times bestseller. Now a major film starring Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni (Lily & Atlas, 1)

**TW** Domestic ab*se, r*pe, manipulation, s*icide, homelessness, child neglect, death, substance ab*se This book contains a lot of sensitive themes, if a sensitive reader, this book may not be suited for you. Where to begin? This book was powerful in its own way. The character development of Lily was amazing and she definitely showed what it was like to come out on the brighter side. Her relationship with Ryle though, that was clearly toxic from the start with many red flags to view. But she loved him and it can be difficult to see past the love you have for someone. There were scenes where he was kind and gentle with her but coming into the middle of the book, and onwards, his behavior started to change and his attitude towards Lily was not at all kind and gentle. Reading the interactions they have together really makes you think long and hard about the type of people they are. Yes, they cared for each other, but they had to think of themselves too. Lily's mother gave some great advice towards the end of the book and I love that. Speaking of Lily's mother, their relationship had some great development as we got further and further into the book. Their bond grew stronger as they found some common ground. Lily's mother gently pushed her daughter to make the decision that kept her safe. Of course, if anyone has been on TikTok or Instagram, then you know there is another love interest mentioned in this book and his name is Atlas. Dear, sweet Atlas. Always compassionate Atlas. Our first encounters with him are mostly through Lily's journals and we learn an awful lot about his character. At such a young age, Lily showed strong compassion and determination when it came to Atlas, and giving him what felt like a home, and he never once took advantage of her. Their connection with Ellen DeGeneres was beautiful and the continuing messages of 'Just Keep Swimming' was enough to put a sop smile on my face while reading. The ending of this book was beautiful. I loved that there was a positive and that everything seemed to start to slot itself in place. It truly showed the development of Lily's character. And, as her mother said, Lily is definitely brave and bold. This book deals with many issues that people face in real life and it truly gets you thinking about your own life and values. Many people have advertised this book as a romance, but I see it differently, it's a book of life. Of a difficult life that does have a brighter outcome. Even when everything may feel wrong, it can get better. I do highly recommend this book and I look forward to reading more of Colleen Hoover's books in the near future.

𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗪𝗮𝗿𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀: Domestic abuse (physical/emotional), Attempted rape, Child death, Potential PTSD “𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘯𝘰 𝘴𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘴 𝘣𝘢𝘥 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦. 𝘞𝘦’𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦𝘴 𝘥𝘰 𝘣𝘢𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴.” ✮ ✮ ✮ ✮ ✮ 𝐒𝐰𝐢𝐩𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐬𝐲𝐧𝐨𝐩𝐬𝐢𝐬 ➡️ I have not ever cried this much at a book. I don’t know what I was expecting when I read this, but it sure as hell wasn’t this, this is not a romance novel. I can’t even fathom putting my thoughts about this book on paper, because I am still crying an hour later. They are now happy tears, but they were sad tears. What a story. I had planned to read this book this month anyway, but I pushed it forward after being selected for the 100 person Tandem Readalong for the sequel, starting after release day. I’m glad I did read it sooner. Sometimes do you ever feel like you just need a good cry, but not for any reason in particular? Maybe your just overtired. Overworked. Okay that was me, and this book released my pent up ness through the tears I shed. Perfect book, perfect timing. This was a really hard read, but an impressive one. There were a lot of incredible quotes and life lessons that could be taken from this. I please urge anyone who hasn’t read this to check the content warnings carefully, because it can be an extremely uncomfortable read at times. The character development was spot on. I love Ryle (to start with), I loved Atlas, I loved Lily and I loved Allysa. None of the characters could have been better built. You’ve got the attractive but troubled neurosurgeon, the once troubled “ex”, an MC who is repeating her mothers experience and a best friend who is perfect in every way! Go and buy the book. I think that’s all I can say.

I choose this book after seeing so many people talking about it on Instagram and Tiktok and seeing Colleen Hoover's name everywhere! I had never read one of her books before, so I thought I would give it a try. This is a different type of love story; it is quite an emotional and passionate read with a lot going on. It shows that things are never just black and white but many shades of grey. The subject matter is quite intense; Hoover's words are beautiful and raw while going some way to explaining the situation, why people stay, and their thought processes, though of course, this will be different for everyone. The story is about life choices, personal limitations, difficult situations and grey areas; sometimes, life just doesn't work out how you expect. The characters are all somewhat imperfect. I particularly enjoyed the Lilly / Atlas relationship, which was sweet and long-lasting. Hoover builds up the characters and shows their perfection before stripping them down again, revealing their flaws. I love that we follow Lilly from a teen through to adulthood. Her letters to Ellen DeGeneres are superb, full of emotion and a real story of what's happening in her life. I also liked that she didn't want to be a sheep from a young age and instead wanted to help and protect Atlas. Ryle is perfectly flawed, the dream man on the surface with such a dark and dangerous underside. However, he was superbly written, and while you want to hate him, you also feel kind of sorry for him. Lilly is probably my favourite character overall, though. The ending felt a little rushed, and I wanted to know more about Atlas. I also didn't like how Lilly's feelings changed so quickly – one minute, she was devastated and the next pining after another. I can see why she finds it so confusing! Finally, I feel unsure why Lilly is still keeping so many secrets at the end, almost like she is still protecting Ryle, which is disappointing. In all honesty, I didn't enjoy this as much as I had expected; I think all the hype probably didn't help. The story felt predictable from the beginning, although it was built in a slightly less predictable way. The book is about heartbreak, strength and breaking cycles, which is an excellent thing and hard to accomplish. At times the book had a slightly "50 shades" feel that I didn't enjoy. However, it was interesting to see everyone's thoughts on Ryle and how unsuspecting they all are, possibly the book's most authentic part. I feel a special mention should be given to the 'Note from the author' at the end of the book. It's very raw and emotional while explaining the connection between the author's life and the book. It feels courageous and extraordinary to include this.

This is the book that got me into reading!

"Fifteen seconds. That’s all it takes to completely change everything about a person. Fifteen seconds that we’ll never get back." I don't think I have cried so much at a book, or had such a massive bookish hangover since I read Noughts and Crosses (Malorie Blackman) when I was 12 years old. This book was so different to what I expected it to be but so much more than I had hoped it would be and it took me 2 whole days to recover before I could even begin to attempt to write a review for this book. I started this book after getting home from work, absolutely knackered but kept awake by my excitement to start reading this book, and finished it within 4 hours (totally beat Amazon's 7 hours estimated reading time!). It then took me another hour to calm down before I could even think about going to bed and the next morning I feel totally emotionally exhausted. I couldn't put the book down, nor did I want to. I have to admit to a couple of mini breaks in order to wipe the heavy amount of tears from my eyes and prepare myself for what was coming next, but other than that I read this book in one go. CoHo has written us some amazing characters to fall in love with in the past, but I don't think I have ever been so proud of a heroine (CoHo's or anyone else's) than I was of Lily in this book. I loved her from page one and my admiration for her and her strength and conviction only grew the more I got into the book. She was real and vulnerable and she managed to find the strength to make the right choice in the hardest of situations. I honesty don't think I've admired a character more, and I feel like she is a heroine not just in this book, but for every girl and woman to look up to and be inspired by. I want to clear up one thing in this review, and it is the only thing I will say about the story line of this book. Do not be afraid of a love triangle. After reading the description it was exactly where my mind went to, but having read a lot of CoHo books before I totally trusted her, and it was the right thing to do. Yes, there are two male characters in this book, but in no way are they or a love triangle the focus of this book. The story is so much bigger than them and I really hope that people don't get scared away from this book because of an assumed love triangle. There is a very powerful message that is woven into this book, right from chapter one. It starts subtle, but as you read on you start to realise just how significant these moments are as the story comes together and gives us a raw and honest portrayal of a very realistic story. I've purposely said very little to nothing about the storyline because everyone should go into this book blind, that way you won;t expect anything. This is very important because it is totally unexpected for our heroine too. We realise at the same time as our MC the situation she has ended up in and this allows us to experience her journey with her, which makes it all the more powerful. We often hear authors telling us about how much of themselves they have poured into their books, and this book must have had gallons from CoHo, which is proved to us by the honesty of her authors note. I can honesty say that I have only cried at one other authors note before (Sweet Fall - Tillie Cole) but CoHo deserved every single one of my tears. On a final note I have to say how much I love the title and cover of this book, the reasoning for both becomes apparent as you read the book, and for the title especially has a very strong impact emotionally. "That’s what fifteen minutes can do to a person. It can destroy them. It can save them."

A new author for me and one who has left an impression. Ryle is definitely not my favourite character but I surprisingly finished this book with no burning sense of hatred towards him. I was ready to really despise Ryle once the first incident/event happened, but as the book progressed those damn shades of grey became more apparent. The complexity of being in such a situation, and the internal conflict one can go through was depicted so well through Lily – I couldn’t help but feel for her, even as I cringed sensing strongly that the first incident/event wouldn’t be the last. There is a bit of a love triangle in this but not in the traditional sense so to speak and not in a way that had me thinking hell no, there’s no cheating (physical or emotional). Rather Lily finds herself making difficult decisions that align her path once again with her first love - Atlas. Still not sure how much I believe the “There is no such thing as bad people. We’re all just people who sometimes do bad things.” But in the context of this book and the characters the author did wonderfully at highlighting those varying shades of grey that manifest in messy ways in lived reality. One of the key reasons that I always say ‘I hope I would do….’, when talking to friends and family, because you just never know what you would do if you found yourself in such a situation. The journal entries from Lily’s youth had me loving Atlas. Throughout this book my emotions were engaged, and at 95% I could feel the tears emerging, stinging my eyes - Lily is one strong, brave woman. A book that had me absorbed and one I’ll remember, and I so see myself re-reading this at some point. However, whilst I was absorbed in this book, there are a few things that concern me a tad now I’ve had time to think a little after reading. For example, there seems to be no concern/consideration of the fact that no matter how much he doesn’t want to Ryle may hurt the next women he dates/marries – something his child, Lily’s child could witness, but there’s no sense of how he will stop himself from raising his hands/fists. Shouldn’t this be something Lily would also be concerned about? Also, the attempted rape – I don’t know as I sit back and let what happened sink further into me, I just don’t feel like Ryle was truly confronted with the horror what he almost did – although when Lily reminds him of what he did and askes him if he would want his daughter to stay with such a man – that scene is pretty powerful. Part of me does wish the author had made me feel a little less pity for Ryle, although whilst I was a tad sympathetic it wasn't a lot. I’m SO GLAD this book ended how it did, I sighed with relief.

📚✨ Book Review: It Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover ✨📚 This review has been the hardest for me yet, but I’ve settled on 3.5 stars for several reasons: Easy Read: I stayed up a few nights, not wanting to put it down. Colleen Hoover's writing style is engaging and accessible, making it a breeze. Lily and Atlas: The relationship between Lily and Atlas is beautifully crafted. Despite their sad circumstances, I was rooting for them all the way. Their bond is heartwarming and filled with hope amidst the turmoil. Lily and Allysa: The friendship between Lily and Allysa is wonderful. It’s like the friend you always wanted—supportive, caring, and always there when you need them. Emotional Rollercoaster: This book is a real emotional rollercoaster that tugs at your heartstrings. The raw emotions and difficult themes are sensibly portrayed, making you feel deeply for the characters. Slow Build-Up: The story has a slow build-up and gets interesting about halfway through the book. While the pacing might deter some readers initially, the payoff is worth it once the story picks up. Based on True Events: Knowing that this story is based on true events and reflects real experiences adds a layer of authenticity. It highlights the reality that no matter how much we want a happy ending, it doesn’t always happen for certain characters. I'm looking forward to starting the second book - It Starts With Us and for the movie coming out in August!

This book was so beautifully written and I can honestly say no book has made me ugly cry as much as this did. Colleen really knows how to have you hooked her writing is simply captivating. This story is just so realistic and raw with such a powerful message that I believe will truly stick wirh you. It is honestly one that will forever stay with me Colleen managed to respectfully address the reality of an abusive relationship making sure not to focus solely on the bad aspects but also the funny and meaningful too. There were so many things I loved about this book the main being Lily's journal entries to Ellen which introduced Atlas and the beautiful friend/relationship that he and Lily once shared. I started this book falling in love with Ryles character and seriously rooting for him and Lily to get their happily ever after he was so charming and made it hard not to swoon over him only to end up disappointing us. Surprisingly after everything they went through I didn't finish the book with a deep hatred for him like I thought I would and I'm ashamed to admit a very small part of me still wanted them to be able to overcome their problems for the sake of their little family. Lily I don't even know where to start with this beautiful, strong, kind and resilient woman... just like any other person she had her flaws but the things that she went through in life could have shaped her future in a complete different way but she made sure to be the exception and turn it all around for the better. Atlas this man was just perfect he didn't have the best start in life but that didn't stop him from making a great life for himself and I believe if it wasn't for the help and friendship Lily provided when they were young he wouldn't have been able to achieve that. Atlas and Lily were the true definition of 'right person , wrong time' 💙 This book is a MUST read Colleen once again broke my heart but slowly pieced it back together.... "In the future... if by some miracle you ever find yourself in the position to fall in love again... fall in love with me" 🥺💙