City News

“It Ends With Us,” by Colleen Hoover, is a fictional novel that follows the life of Lily Bloom, a girl in her early 20s, as she navigates life in Boston after escaping the tragic memories that her hometown of Plethora holds. Meeting on a rooftop at Boston, Lily finds herself ignoring the warning signs and trusting a neurosurgeon named Ryle who seems to have it all. However, her relationship starts crumbling. As she experiences domestic abuse in her relationship, she must find the strength to make the right decision in a difficult situation. 

Lily Bloom’s family dynamic and upbringing is very complex. Between a seemingly perfect, but abusive father and a mother who can’t help but forgive him,  she often feels resentment towards her mother for ignoring the abuse. As a result of this, Lily grows into an independent woman who swears that she will never allow a man to treat her like her father did. Despite everything that she had once promised herself, Lily finds herself being her mother. She is overly understanding and forgives Ryle, like her mother forgave her father. 

I thought that the book was so beautifully written. I loved how Colleen Hoover added so much complexity to the characters, so readers can imagine themselves to be in Lily’s position. The characters possessed relatable traits and realistic, but tragic backstories which made me connect to them more.  Like Lily, I ignored the warning signs from the beginning, and found myself making excuses for him. I gained perspective and began to realize why women make excuses for their abusers. I can only imagine how much difficult it is for victims in reality, if I felt so attached to a fictional character. 

In a world where Ryle Kinclaids exist and victims are often blamed, I think that this book serves as a valuable lesson for teens and young adults. It will force you to reconsider your ideas about what abuse is and help you understand why it is so hard for victims to leave. 

Despite the valuable lessons and perspective that I’ve gained, I dislike how a side romance was added to the plot. It felt like it took away from the novel’s purpose. I think that it is damaging to portray how Lily was saved by another man. Many women do not have the choice to leave a toxic relationship because there is a better man and it is harmful to indicate that she was choosing between people in a love triangle. 

To conclude, I would still recommend “It Ends With Us” to teen and young adult readers because it explores serious topics that can serve as valuable life lessons.  It is a meaningful novel that pulls you in with its plot twists, complex characters, and parallels to the past. Many characters such as Ryle weren’t who they seemed like, and in a novel filled with “love” and betrayal, readers cannot help but keep reading. Although it is marketed as a romance novel, I would caution potential readers that heavy topics such as domestic violence and gun violence are prevalent. Lastly, this book is a part of a duet, so if you want to know about Lily’s story after, be on the lookout for “It Starts With Us”.

Check out it ends with us from NBPL!