A review of the book It Ends With Us, by Denielle Pena.

Colleen Hoover is best known for her self-published book titled, ‘It Ends With Us’ the 2016 romance novel. In this article, you will be able to identify if the book fits your interest.Why were there people who loved this particular book? What had the characters/author done that entertained readers so much? How is this different from other novels? These questions will be answered, now let us start with a story summary!

Lilly, a college student alone in Boston encounters a surgeon named Ryle on a rooftop, and the tension between the two is inevitable. It is clear that Ryle wants Lilly, but in a lust-want not in a love-want that Lilly anticipated. So the two parted ways. Not long after, Lilly opens her flower shop where she encounters Ryle much more often. Lilly finds herself re-opening her past to move on from her father’s death by reading her journal. In her journal an important young homeless boy is introduced, Atlas. While she goes through her journal, she wonders if closure is necessary between her and Atlas as well. While Ryle and Lilly approach problems in their relationship, one retreats to Lilly’s life.

One factor why many are interested in this book is because they can possibly relate to Lilly, who is abused by her lover. A data from CDC shows “About 41% of women experience violence by their intimate partner.” Hoover’s mother is part of the percentage because the novel was written ‘Based on the relationship between Hoover’s mother and father.’ (wikipedia). Another factor is that every book chapter, Hoover leaves you wondering what is next; What is Lilly’s decision going to be? How is that going to affect her? It was never predictable. Lastly, the ending of the book fits the reality of life. This is how the novel “It Ends With Us’ differs from other books.

It is a very well written book. Reading through the chapters, I was building my trust and love for the characters. I was begging the characters to do better, to forgive, and to consider other factors. However, when Hoover said “It takes an astronomical amount of pain and courage to disrupt a familiar pattern.” I realized that what Lilly had done was right. I surely hoped for a happy ending, which I received but in a very unexpected way. It took me a while to realize that the ending was indeed happy. I recommend reading this book because it made me realize that you have to choose yourself, choose your peace and happiness. Now why don’t you find a way to have this book in your hands and start reading!

An image of the book cover It Ends With Us, By Colleen Hoover.

Sources:

https://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/intimatepartnerviolence/fastfact.html#:~:text=Data%20from%20
CDC’s%20National%20Intimate,related%20impact%20during%20their%20lifetime.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colleen_Hoover
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/It_Ends_with_Us
I took the photo!