Colleen Hoover is a #1 New York Time Bestselling Author renowned for emotional reads that produce copious amounts of tears. I haven’t read nearly as many of her books as I would like, and I would like to read them all, but this one sounded too good to resist.
It Ends With Us is hard hitting and an emotional read, it will resonate with anyone who has been touched by a similar situation. I think this is a must read for all women from about 15 years of age. It is insightful and powerful, empowering and enlightening and utterly heartbreaking.
I finished the book through a haze of tears, tears that I was expecting after finishing last night with 20 pages to go and knowing the end was going to hurt. I then continued to the Note from the Author (which must be read AFTER the book for spoilerific reasons) and the tears just kept coming. Let me just say that It Ends With Us is a very personal story to Colleen Hoover and I think it shows.
Funnily enough, as I sit here writing this, I just saw a post go across Colleen Hoover’s Facebook page saying that the best way to read a Colleen Hoover novel is to go in blind, now I can’t write a review that allows you to go in completely blind but I will try to leave as much of the story out as I can.
Lily Bloom hasn’t always had it easy but she worked hard for what she wanted and took her chances with a move from her small hometown in Maine to the bright lights of Boston. Her biggest issue with living in Boston is living in an apartment, which means no garden. She has graduated college and works for the biggest marketing firm in Boston but her dream has always been to be a florist.
An inheritance gives her the means to follow her dream and open a florist, which she wants to be unique. Her choice of career change is brave and bold, and her store has to reflect that… and it does.
This book was emotional and powerful on many levels and I’m struggling with how to convey all of that without actually giving too much away.
There was a perfect quote in the first chapter of the book, that I won’t direct quote because I read an uncorrected proof, but basically it says that there are no bad people, just people who sometimes do bad things. I think this is perfect, and it is something that we all need to remember in our lives. It starts to get tricky when you have to draw a line in the sand about what constitutes sometimes, and what happens when sometimes crosses that line.
People do bad things, it doesn’t make them bad people but where does doing bad things in a relationship turn into a bad relationship. I think this is something that people in relationships often struggle with, and people outside of those relationships don’t understand.
Hoover brings a better understanding to these relationships and paints an empathetic picture of the people in these relationships, and draws on the strength of these women rather than the often misconstrued belief that they are weak.
The heart of this novel is love and romance.
Lily and Ryle meet by chance on a Boston rooftop one night, a night that sees them both escaping a bad day for some fresh air. Their meeting is fraught with the electricity of two souls connecting and then cut short by a fateful phone call summoning Ryle back to work. He walks out of her life after a short while getting to know one another and sharing truths they don’t usually share with other people.
A chance encounter brings them back together months later and the sparks ignite, sparks they both fight because they want very different things but where the heart is concerned the fight is often futile.
All of the change in Lily’s life has her thinking of her childhood, which leads to reading old journals and remembering an old flame. Imagine her surprise when she runs into him at a restaurant one night….
It Ends With Us is powerful and emotional, looking at family and relationships in-depth; exploring the complex layers of relationships and the beliefs that are formed by our childhoods. Well worth the read, definitely worth the tears and one that I will be recommending to everyone!
Thanks to Simon & Schuster 25 of our Beauty and Lace club members will be reading and reviewing It Ends With Us so please be aware there may be spoilers in the comments.
I devour books, vampires and supernatural creatures are my genre of choice but over the past couple of years, I have broadened my horizons considerably. In a nutshell – I love to write! I love interacting with a diverse range of artists to bring you interviews. Perhaps we were perfect before – I LOVE WORDS!
“It Ends With Us” by Colleen Hoover is an absolute must read for any book lover.
An instantly engaging book with huge emotional impact.
I think a lot of people could personally relate to the subjects in this book which makes it all the more personable.
The main character of Lily takes us on this emotional rollercoaster .It deals with some very hard issues and could be quite confronting for those who have experienced abusive relationships, but in saying that I myself found it very relatable to some of my own situations and I think the author treated the subject with respect and a way to help other people understand why and how some people stay in relationships that are not what others deem as appropriate and that the people in these relationships are not just what they seem.
A fabulous read , but have some tissues on hand.
I don’t even know how to write a review worthy of this read…..it was amazing!
I had trouble putting it down at night and was sad when I finished it. I’ve ordered another Colleen Hoover novel and I tell you what it better be in my letterbox Monday haha.
Colleen writes so well and I felt every every emotional associated with each situation. She made me see things through new eyes. Situations I couldn’t ever image and how complex they can be.
Lily Bloom is a gorgeous character. Lily is driven, strong, caring and soft all in one.
I love the character Atlas and how we come to meet him through journal entries and eventually he is brought back into the mix.
Ryle is complex, I loved him and boy does he sound HOT , then I hated him then pitied him….
Anyone reading this I encourage you to find this book it’s utterly heartbreaking, breathtaking and easily one of the best books I’ve ever read and I’ve read a ton.
Thanks for another great review ! This one will be on my mind for a long time to come x
WOW! Really what can I say about this book! Not only does it grab hold of you but wont let you go until you have heard its story. The characters are well developed, thought out and very real. I found myself on a roller-coaster with them, loving them one moment and being shocked the next.
This is by no means a social book, and by that I mean, once you pick it up you will find it hard to put it down again. It is a book which balances the emotional roller-coaster with heart felt feelings and the love and support of an amazing friend. At times when reading it, I wondered how an author could actively research the issues and find out later on how this was done (this in itself was worth reading).
The last part of the book almost killed me! I was in such a rush to find out what was going to happen, I found myself having to reread pages as I had skipped over too many words in my attempt to get to the end. Whilst doing this I was dreading how fast I was reading that the end was coming too quickly and I didnt want the story to end!
Be sure to pack a box of tissues, a family block of chocolate, a glass of wine (which you may very well forget to drink) and lock yourself away for this book because its a ‘really good read’!
It Ends With Us explores the highs and lows of Lily’s relationships both past and present. Lily first meets Ryle a handsome neurosurgeon . After lily looses her father, she reflects on her past which introduces us to Atlas. The three characters intertwine throughout the book and into their relationships, emotions explode. Lilys friendship with Alyssa is the type all girls desire some one with strength and without judgement, which helps to balance the story line .its a story well worth the read and one i defenitly will take to our library book club for them to enjoy too
Hoover does not shy away from a very dark and comfronting topic but makes it hit home , this is a subject that need to be told while exploring the physiologically and emotions involved. It Ends With Us is an honest and powerful story i have ever read.
It All Ends With Us………….
Boy does it ever ! This is a very well written book about the struggles and demons within relationships.
It is a heart breaking story which takes us back and forth emotionally.
The two main characters Lily and Ryle are so desperate to feel love, joy and happiness that they endure the most unforgivable encounters in their relationship. Lily is tested so many times and pushed to her limits.
When reading this book you are able to feel the true gut wrenching life experiences the author has faced.
This book needs to be read by many people and I will gladly hand my copy out to friends.
Wow what a read I finished it in a day I couldnt put it down.
The story follows Lily a young successful woman with ghosts in her past, things that she doesn’t understand and choices that were made that she didnt get.
Her life seems to be going so well opening her own business meeting the man of her dreams life couldnt be better but then it all starts to change and things are not going according to plan leaving her to make decisions for her own life that will in turn change the lives of others also.. She finally understands the choices that were made in her past and how hard they were to make, she has to be strong to be able to do the right thing for herself and others.
This book could reach so many people and give understanding to something that affects a lot of the people around us.
I will happily reccomend this read as it can give all of us an insight and understanding of things that happen and choices that are made that we don’t understand.
It is an emotional rollercoaster from start to finish.
A great read & it really does “”End with us” a book to make you think & realize we all do endure a lot but come through in the end.
Such good interesting characters so strong but with a soft side too.
A very emotional read (another box of tissues) & entertaining through out hard to say too much without giving the storyline away.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book one of the best I have read & besides passing it on to friends I will recommend it to anyone that will listen.
Thanks for the opportunity.
I absolutely loved this book “It Ends With Us” by Colleen Hoover. I had no idea what to expect when I started reading it.
This book really follows the life of Lily Bloom, from an angsty teenager into her adult years. As a young girl she watches her father become more and more abusive to her mother and ends up totally resenting him, and also her mother, a little. She cant understand why her mother puts up with it.
This story revolves around three people. Lily, Ryle and Atlas. We are taken on the journey with Lily and see everything through her eyes. I found the whole story line so enthralling and saw how easy it is to make excuses for others behaviour.
Lily’s thought process is very similar to my own and I really relate to a lot of her situation.
I am really glad that the ending is as it is.
I am not going to ruin this for anyone and can only say that this is a must read!!
It Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover was as emotional book that drew me in with the lead character Lily Bloom immediately. She is strong despite her past and wanting to make her way in the world. When she falls in love it leads to difficult times and much looking into her past and what she is okay to have in her life. It made me think of what I would do in her situation – being such a grey area made it harder to separate feeling, memories and current events. This was displayed well and kept me thinking all through the book. I loved her main female friendship and how this was handled throughout.
I would thoroughly recommend this book and read many more by this wonderful author.
Thank you for the opportunity to read Colleen Hoover’s ‘It ends with us’. I knew absolutely nothing about this author despite her being a NYT best selling author. I purposely avoided reading any prior reviews of this book as well, as I did read that someone said its best going into this book knowing nothing about it, which is what I did!
This book started off about Lily and her traumatic childhood living in an abusive household, and her way of coping with this was to keep a diary and write to Ellen DeGeneres, this was how she coped with what went on in her life. One day she notices movement in an abandoned house next door and discovers that a young boy (Atlas) is homeless and squatting there. She takes great pity on him and starts leaving food and clothing for him, and generally looking out for him. They build a strong friendship, that is until her father discovers their friendship.
Fast forward and Lily has grown up and is starting a retail business. She meets Allysa, who offers to work for free in her shop. She also meets Allysa’s brother Ryle who is a surgeon and very personable and attractive. They actually met in weird circumstances briefly some time ago.
What started off as a romance story escalates into classic Domestic Noir between Lily, Ryle and Atlas in a battle of jealousy, control, power struggles and heartbreak.
This was a very interesting book which started off slow but then drew you in, was not too predictable and finished in sadness. Highly recommended for lovers of Womens Fiction/Domestic Noir.