Book Review - It Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover - Unveiling New York Times' Bestseller

The story is set in Boston. It depicts a love story between Lily and Ryle. Lily always wanted to be an entrepreneur but she was not sure about it. Ryle is a very successful neurosurgeon. 

Source - Amazon

The book highlights the ups and downs that the couple faces. While I do not believe “It Ends with Us” to be a romance story, it is a love story. It’s a love story about choosing oneself over someone they love deeply; it’s about choosing to end a cycle of violence that hurts more people than it helps. 

This book taught me how women in situations of domestic violence may feel torn between someone they took a vow for and their own personal well-being and safety.

Summary (Spoiler Alert!)

Lily Bloom is a 23-year-old, small-town girl who has worked hard to escape her past and start her own business in Boston.

Growing up in an abusive household has left its scars on Lily but she’s looking forward to a new start in a city she has always wanted to call home.

When she meets attractive neurosurgeon Ryle Kincaid, Lily finally feels like her life is heading in the right direction. Ryle is sensitive, brilliant, and has a real soft spot for Lily.

As their relationship is progressing forward, Lily can’t stop thinking about her first love Atlas. Atlas has been described as a homeless boy who abruptly leaves Lily’s life to start over a new life. Destiny brings them back together and now Lily has to choose between Ryle and Atlas.

When the novel opens, Lily Bloom sits on the roof of a building in Boston, looking out at the city and the stars, thinking about death. She’s just come from her father’s funeral. She’s reflecting on how much she resents her father for abusing her mother. 

Ryle reveals that he lost a child patient because the child’s brother shot him accidentally. Lily tells Ryle that she gave the eulogy at her abusive father’s funeral and couldn’t think of anything nice to say, so she stood there for two minutes in purposeful silence. 

Lily also tells Ryle she lost her virginity to a homeless boy named Atlas. Ryle tells Lily he wants to sleep with her, but he only has one-night stands and never wants to get married or have children. 

Though Lily is interested in Ryle, she can’t imagine having sex without it leading to a relationship. Six months later, Lily uses her inheritance to buy a storefront to convert into a flower shop. 

A woman named Allysa offers to work for Lily, and the two become fast friends. Lily and Allysa are cleaning up the storefront when Lily falls and hurts her ankle. Allysa calls her husband Marshall and her brother for help. 

When Allysa’s brother arrives, Lily sees that it’s Ryle. They pretend not to know each other for Allysa’s sake, As Lily recovers from her sprained ankle for a week, she reads her teenage journals, which were written as letters addressed to Ellen DeGeneres, which also contain the story of Atlas and Lily.

One night, when Ryle and Lily are hanging out, Ryle burns himself on a casserole dish he tries to take out of the oven without a mitt. When Lily laughs, Ryle pushes her, and she hits her head. 

She’s bleeding, and she feels horrified and heartbroken, immediately worrying she’s turned into her mother. He’s quickly apologetic and eventually, she forgives him, saying that if anything violent happens again, she’ll leave him. 

Sometime later, Lily comes home to find Ryle in a strange mood. He makes her read an article in the newspaper in which Atlas mentions a woman who is special to him and says that the name of his restaurant (bibs) means “Better in Boston.” 

Ryle has the magnet in his hand and has read all of Lily’s teenage journals. He attempts to rape Lily and hits her so hard she blacks out. She calls Atlas to come get her, and he takes her to the hospital, where she discovers she’s pregnant.

Final Thoughts

This story is not just about love. It shows how many women try to bury the emotional and physical abuse that they have been through, just for the sake of love. The victim is always blamed but no one blames the abuser. It’s high time we emphasize and support the victim.

Written By - Dhruvi Solanki