![]() ![]() Escaping an abusive relationship isn't the "end" as the title of the first book may have misled some to believe. ![]() But as anyone who has experienced domestic violence will tell you, there is no magic switch to turn off the way every moment of fear, pain, and heartbreak affects a person. On the surface, it may have seemed like "It Ends with Us" concluded on a positive (or at least hopeful) note. It offers the happy ending readers crave. It's far from easy to "just speak up," "just leave," or, once out, "just get over it." Healing is a long and imperfect journey and this book depicted it as such, even though many victims' futures won't end as Lily's did. While some readers may have been hoping for a perfectly wrapped gift of healing in this book with no bumps in the road, that's almost never the reality for those who experience domestic abuse. If he couldn't change after he "accidentally" hurt her time and time again, divorce wouldn't be the magic fix, either.Īlso very realistically, Lily fears embarking on a new relationship, as jealousy was a major trigger for abuse in Ryle's past. Losing his wife didn't change him as a person, which is actually more realistic. Throughout the novel, she grapples with trusting Ryle to control his temper and be a safe person to be alone with, and frankly, he fails on multiple occasions. When Lily escapes her abusive relationship, her life isn't automatically perfect. It confronts the harsh reality of what happens after abuse. It may not have been the justice Lily - and all domestic abuse victims - deserve, but it's a solution that works with their new situation and one that she's ultimately comfortable with. Though Ryle is still in the picture, Lily is able to keep herself mostly safe from his rage. Though most readers (and lawyers) would agree that Ryle's actions in the first novel deserve serious prison time, they get to see a little bit of justice as Lily escaped her physically, emotionally, and mentally abusive marriage. While it barely dips back into the past, with the exception of some journal-reading and letter-writing, readers do get some of the loose ends tied they were looking for, like what happened when Lily's dad caught Atlas in her room when they were teenagers and how Atlas ended up in the same city as Lily years later. " It Starts with Us" picks up almost a year after the last book ended and includes Atlas' side of the story. As Lily slowly became an exception to Ryle's "no dating" policy, she found herself thinking of her first love, Atlas Corrigan, who she hadn't seen since they were teenagers. Readers followed Lily Bloom as she met Ryle Kincaid, a neurosurgeon with high ambitions and a temper darker than she could have imagined. ![]() ![]() " It Ends with Us" was a gutting story of romance and abuse. It answers readers' questions and provides a little bit of justice. Note: While this review does not contain spoilers for "It Starts with Us," it does contain spoilers for the first book, "It Ends with Us." Here's why we think it deserves just as much hype as the original. The book's sequel, " It Starts with Us," was just published on October 18, 2022, and it is already at the top of the New York Times Best Seller List and Amazon Charts, with rave reviews to boot. (The story was, in part, inspired by the relationship between Hoover's parents). The story follows a love triangle between protagonist Lily Bloom Ryle Kincaid, a neurosurgeon and Atlas Corrigan, her first love, while also delving deeply into topics of domestic violence and abuse. In particular, #ItEndsWithUs has 1.6 billion views on TikTok and over 1.7 million ratings on Goodreads. The author of " Verity," " Ugly Love," and the ridiculously popular " It Ends with Us," Colleen Hoover - affectionately abbreviated "CoHo" - has soared in popularity as BookTok influencers tore through her satisfyingly painful romance novels and pageturners. If you've looked for a book recommendation on TikTok, Instagram, or Goodreads - or have even stepped foot into a bookstore in 2022 - you've probably heard of Colleen Hoover. ![]()
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