A book that reaches into your soul and leaves you a little bit changed.
I recently just finished the book It Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover. I had heard so much about this book on social media so I went out and bought it. I had high expectations and I can firmly say those expectations were met and more.
Summary
Lily comes from a small town in Maine and moves to Boston in the hopes of getting the life she has always wanted. She starts her own business and meets a handsome neurosurgeon, Ryle, who she instantly feels a connection to. Its as if all the pieces of her life are finally falling into place.
Until she runs into her first love, Atlas, unexpectedly and starts questioning her new relationship and her new life. Atlas serves as a reminder of her old life. A life she would rather forget as it was not a picture of warmth for her.
It is a deep and personal novel that you can feel Colleen Hoover put her heart into.
This book contains graphic scenes and very sensitive subject matter.
My thoughts
When I’d finished reading, I had to take a few minutes to process. This book evokes emotions that I have never felt before with a book. It makes you question yourself and what you think of certain subject matters. It is an emotional rollercoaster and I can honestly say I couldn’t predict the ending.
I have to commend Colleen Hoover on her bravery for writing this book. She explains in an author’s note at the end exactly how personal this book is for her and I want to thank her for allowing us into that part of her life. I hope she realises that her book is going to impact many people’s lives, those in the same situation and even those who aren’t.
I regularly cried throughout this book. Not in the big moments as I expected, but in small moments where the words just hit a little differently.
It Ends With Us covers the grey areas in life, and especially the grey areas in relationships. How much is enough? It teaches us that from the outside it can be so easy to presume what someone should do in a situation. But from the inside, the decision might be clear but it isn’t easy and painless. There are emotions, memories, attachments that make making the ‘obvious’ decision a bit less obvious. It showed me a whole other dimension to domestic violence that I didn’t know I needed.
Lily and Ryle’s relationship is full of grey. You sit there as a reader not really knowing what to think or do. Not really knowing what you want Lily to think or do. But also clearly knowing what she should do. There are elements of uncomfortable clarity and somber, right decisions. The right choice is usually the one that hurts the most.
It Ends With Us also taught me that you are not your past. Lily taught me that. Atlas taught me that. You can flourish from a dark place, you just need a little bit of light.
A book that explores parental relationships, friendships and romantic relationships. It’s a book that is raw and honest. A book that leaves you looking at the world in a different light.
It Ends With Us broke my heart and put it back together again.
My rating? 10/10.
dedication
I have a thing for book dedications. It’s the first and last thing I read of a book. I like reading it after I read the book to get the full picture. I love finding beautiful dedications. I love finding dedications that you can tell the person the author dedicated it to will understand it more than you will.
For my father, who tried his very best not to be his worst. And for my mother, who made sure we never saw him at his worst.
Colleen Hoover, It Ends With Us dedication
In closing
Reading has always been a great source of comfort for me and I love sharing that comfort to any who will listen. Here’s to my first book review on Just Jay and here’s to many more.
All the love, Jay.
Just Jay 