Review of It Starts With Us by Colleen Hoover

I have never so highly anticipated the publication of a book before Colleen Hoover’s, It Starts With Us. Sounds dramatic? Of course; but would it be me if it wasn’t? And spoiler alert - I loved the book.

I'm celebrating this monumental occasion by dusting off my beloved blog for a one-off post because 1) I'm a rambler and I think I'm better on paper and 2) I've missed writing.

Before I get into my thoughts on Hoover’s latest release, I have to note why this (now) series holds such a special place in my heart. Long before TikTok, its sub-community - BookTok, and all of the hype Hoover receives, I found the books I would read by searching (which I still do), good old Goodreads; stumbling on hidden gems, pop-culture classics, and authors that I’d never heard of. Back in 2018 (a time before TikTok), my university went on strike for five months and I found myself with a great deal of time on my hands. I fell back in love with reading, practically devouring contemporary romances like it was going out of style. The hopeless romantic in me truly was thriving. One of the books happened to be It Ends With Us (2016), the first in the many Hoover books I would read that year. While I understand that Hoover’s writing overall is not attributed to literary classic status (she’s no Austen) and there are moments within the book that have been flagged and criticized since its publication in 2016, I look past it as I’m here strictly for entertainment purposes and falling in love with fictional men. And that’s precisely what I did. I fell in love… with Ryle.

If you haven’t read the book, click away as I’m about to spoil the plot. When I first read It Ends With Us, I was rooting for Ryle. I was rooting for him far longer than I would like to admit. I’m also not proud to say that I was a person who would judge women for sticking around in abusive relationships. I was ignorant and clearly was not the person to judge (I mean, who is?). I would say, “If it was me, I would leave. No questions asked”, as if it was that simple so reading this book really struck me. I completely fell for Ryle and upon the first incident, I wanted Lily to take him back. It was an accident. He didn’t mean it. After the second incident, I paused. I remember physically putting the book down on my bed and just staring at it. I was devastated and disgusted; for Lily and for the fact that part of me was still hopeful for Ryle’s redemption. Not only was I so strongly affected by Lily’s story, the treacherous relationship with Ryle and all its shortcomings as well as Atlas and everything he was for her, I was also so rattled by how I reacted to the story that I could not shake the book long after I had finished it and dried the many tears that I remember had fallen. I was left heartbroken but optimistic. It Ends With Us then became one of my favourite books, largely because of how much I learned about myself while reading it. Every year since, I have reread the book and have fallen more and more in love with Atlas, Lily’s friendship with Allysa and overall, this heartbreakingly beautiful story. I now read the story through a new lens as obviously, I know the ending. I completely fell in love with Atlas and every time I would near the end of the book when the prospect of a “happily ever after” between Lily and Atlas was teased, I wished for more of them. I wanted to read their love story after everything they had gone through.

Fast-forward four years to the time of TikTok/BookTok and Hoover’s/It Ends With Us' rising popularity, when she announced that she would be releasing the highly demanded sequel, I was not only ecstatic that we would finally be getting Lily and Atlas’ story, I was nervous that too much time had passed and the intention behind publishing the story would not be true to the characters. I mean, Colleen herself wrote in a short letter to the reader at the start of the book that she never imagined she would be writing a sequel but thought she owed it to the TikTok community that has changed her life so I feel I had some grounds to be hesitant.

All of this aside, I went the extra mile, preordering the book the second it was announced and scheduled vacation time for my annual reread and then went straight into It Starts With Us so everything was fresh. I know, very extra but this is the type of stuff that makes me happy.

Anyway, I’ve rambled long enough. Here are my thoughts on It Starts With Us:

I’ll be honest, the first part of the story felt forced, as if Hoover was really trying to pick up right where she had left off six years ago. I also completely rolled my eyes when Lily started writing to Ellen again. I mean, I get it but also, after everything we have learned about Ellen since 2016, I would’ve left her out of it completely (and this is coming from a once Ellen fan). I’m grateful it was a one-time thing and not as frequent as the previous book.

Hoover strongly captured the after-effects of abuse and its overbearing and unwelcome shadow that remains cast long after one has left the relationship. No matter how happy a new "happily ever after" is for the survivor, that shadow is a constant reminder of the past. Every time Ryle made an appearance, a comment, or a movement, I was bracing for something wicked and growing angrier as I read on. His gaslighting tendencies were despicable and vile and his inability to allow Lily to move on is a pattern that I now see from the first book. I could not have hated him more and was embarrassed I ever liked him.

I also don’t typically enjoy additions of new characters (especially if they’re kids) but I loved Josh and Theo and what they added to Atlas’ story. He needed more people in his life who loved him and I was happy to learn about them.

I didn’t want any plot twists, heartache, or devastation, everything that It Ends With Us was. I wanted a love story filled with closure, healing, and new beginnings and that’s exactly what we got (okay, with a little drama too). I am a SUCKER for second-chance romances and this one blew me away. I fell more for Atlas than I have in all of my rereads (which I didn’t think was possible) and I adored learning more through his point of view about his current life and the people in it, his past, and what he really thinks of Lily. As a hopeless romantic, Atlas is a standard I now hold.

I have not shut up about how much I love It Ends With Us and how much it means to me and I will not be stopping anytime soon (sorry friends). Now, It Starts With Us will be on my annual reread list and I’m so happy to finally have Lily and Atlas’ well-deserved happily ever after.

If you’re a fan of It Ends With Us, I would highly recommend It Starts With Us. While I understand that this book won’t be a five-star rating for everyone, it is for me, and really, after loving this story for so long, that’s all I really care about.

⭑⭑⭑⭑⭑/5

Thank you, Colleen. You've done it again!

xx Lex