It Ends with Us by Colleen Hoover – book review

It Ends With Us is one of those read-in-a-sitting books for me. Here’s the blurb:

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, maybe even a little arrogant. He’s also sensitive, brilliant, and has a total soft spot for Lily, but Ryle’s complete aversion to relationships is disturbing.

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.

Themes of jealousy, emotional abuse and generational cycles are insightfully and powerfully explored in It Ends With Us. What starts as a love story becomes more of an examination of what love is and isn’t, as well as the self-sacrifice that often defines relationships that live on an emotional rollercoaster. I could relate to some aspects more than I wanted to, but I’m far enough removed to be able to read without baggage being triggered. What I appreciated was Colleen’s sensitivity to these potential triggers, and the way she approached what is a challenging subject. While she has a message to tell people who are caught up in generational cycles, there is no judgement or preaching involved, rather there’s understanding and awareness shown through believable character development.

The ending was beautifully handled and brought tears to my eyes for all involved.

Available from good bookstores (RRP $19.99 AUD). My copy was courtesy of Simon & Schuster.

Monique Mulligan
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