It Ends with Us by Colleen Hoover Pages: 384
Genres: Contemporary Romance
Also by this author: Layla
Goodreads
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.
It Ends With Us
Colleen Hoover
This isn’t a book I can say I LOVED. Because, holy moly it is NOT an easy read. It was one of those books I had to read in small chunks because it just tears at your soul. Colleen Hoover is the only author I have read that can do that.
The subject matter is dark and difficult. Also, while the synopsis might lead some to think its a love triangle, its not. I felt empathy for Lily but not affection. I felt like I saw everything coming when it came to Ryle. And the one character I did like (Atlas) was almost a bit part. He was there in the letters but I didn’t feel that he was really a major character in the book, yet his impact is critical.
So, this book is a 5 star for the writing, the angst, the way the traumatic experiences are expressed. Hoover has a way with words that honestly I haven’t found in other NA authors. She never over or under uses words and never comes off as pedantic or verbose. However, its only 2 stars for the characters (And 1.5 of those stars is for Atlas). I love that Hoover wrote about such an important topic and did so in her beautiful way of writing. I just wished I liked the characters more or that I felt more deeply about them.
- POV:
- Tears: Oh yeah…
- Trope: abuse, second chance
- Triggers: abuse
- Series/Standalone: standalone
- Cliffhanger: no
- HEA: View Spoiler »
Honestly, its hard to pick books that are similar because this book is unique, but these are ones that have similar angst and emotional levels…
Before We were Strangers by Renee Carlino, Fishers Light by Tara Sivec, Kaleidoscope Hearts by Claire Contreas…then you will probably like It Ends with Us.
I’m surprised you gave this one a try. At least it wasn’t all that terrible for you. I agree the characters weren’t all that.
Yeah, I have to stop clicking on every book that a publisher emails me the widget for…I should know better by now.