Colleen Hoover’s It Ends With Us and It Starts with Us, these two novels are quite popular in the reader’s arena. It Ends With Us is a story that is all too common and familiar yet forbidden to discuss and address. ‘It starts with Us”, is a light read with moments of intensity here and there. 

The cause of the trauma is the abusive cycle that starts with what Lily’s father does to her mother when she is a teenager. Lily Bloom’s experiences with traumatic events have negative and positive effects. The negative effects include difficulties in relationships, self-conflict, and affected feelings.  The after-effects of abuse in every form are vividly shown in these two novels. It shows how realistic, tragic and even a happily ever after is still shadowed by the ache and reminder of abuse. 

Speaking, It Ends with Us, broke my heart and then stitched it back together. The surprise, conflict, twists and turns in It Ends with Us, ignited the reading spirit.  It Starts with Us, gave a mundane feeling. Everything turns blunt and repeated. There is no big arc for Lily. At one point, her behaviour has been predicted. Why do we glorify Atlas, we have to glorify Lily right? She went through these abuses, facing him constantly. Why Atlas is the protagonist?

Even though Lily is writing a letter to Ellen, it sounded fun. But why did she start writing the letter? Turns out to be the bigger question. 

Colleen Hoover’s It Ends With Us and It Starts with Us

It Ends with Us – A Review

It Ends with Us is a powerful and emotionally charged novel that delves into complex themes such as love, resilience, and personal growth. The story follows Lily Bloom, a young woman who finds herself torn between two love interests: her first love, Atlas Corrigan, and the successful and charming neurosurgeon Ryle Kincaid. As Lily navigates her relationships and faces unexpected challenges, the narrative unfolds with raw honesty, tackling difficult topics like domestic abuse.

It Starts With Us – A Review

It Starts With Us digs deeper into Atlas’s story than its predecessor. Where the previous book often highlighted Lily’s point of view, It Starts With Us shows us more of Atlas’s perspective. The novel dives beneath the surface and provides backgrounds on Atlas, Lily and Ryle. The flashback scenes between younger Atlas and Lily show us the enduring impacts of abuse. We can see how abuse can affect every relationship the victim has and will continue to have. It can end the cycle of violence or perpetrate it; regardless, it’s difficult to blame the victim.

Lily Bloom

Colleen Hoover’s writing

Colleen Hoover’s writing captures the intricacies of human emotions and relationships with great sensitivity. Her emotional plot twists, melodramatic characters, and unique character relationships. The internal struggles of her characters allow readers to empathize and connect with them on a deep level. 

The book explores the complexities of love, making readers question what they would do when faced with difficult choices. I wish, ‘It Ends with Us’ should have been standalone. It packed all the bittersweet stories. With a lot of hope, I began this book. But I ended up completely because I started it.

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