of this book is a retelling of the first one through Lily's creepy letters to Ellen. Literally reused, word for word scenes. Was Colleen tryna reach a word count or smth? 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. Even as Lily finds herself becoming the exception to his “no dating” rule, she can’t help but wonder what made him that way in the first place. Now, for my sole critique… The wedding at the end deserved more. They skip past the engagement all together and fast forward to a partial snapshot of their wedding to let us know they made it to the altar (which we all knew was going to happen). a sequel, which is an outright romance, being written to a book (marketed as a romance which is so gross) about domestic abuse really throws me off. Giddings, Alice (October 17, 2022). "It Starts With Us review: The long-awaited It Ends With Us sequel drops tomorrow". Metro . Retrieved October 18, 2022.

Let me start by saying this: there’s going to be a lot of hate for this book for the sole reason people just want to dislike this author for their popularity and there’s this hate train going on for the littlest things this author does so I already know people are going to just come out of the woodworks and find the tiniest thing to hate on this. That is not to say that this book is perfect or that your review will be disingenuous. Books are subjective-- therefore there can be books that I love you hate, and books I hate that you love. I just don't understand or stand for the unwarranted amount of hate that goes into BASHING books just for the way they are written. I have been reading Colleen Hoover since 2012- Slammed was my first book by her. I have had many misses with her along with many hits. Theo making fun of Atlas was funny, I actually loved that because THE KEEP SWIMMING LINE WAS CORNY AS SHIT I DON’T CARE 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. Atlas has always been book boyfriend material but this book really cemented him as one of the good guys, and if not one of the top 10 book boyfriend’s in existence. I was not expecting this to get 5 stars from me, my favorite book by Colleen Hoover is Reminders of Him but this really deserves five stars for how thoughtful, realistic and just downright beautiful this was.

Lily and her ex-husband, Ryle, have just settled into a civil coparenting rhythm when she suddenly bumps into her first love, Atlas, again. After nearly two years separated, she is elated that for once, time is on their side, and she immediately says yes when Atlas asks her on a date. Mechling, Lauren (October 12, 2022). " 'Never seen anything like it': how Colleen Hoover's normcore thrillers made her America's bestselling author". The Guardian . Retrieved October 18, 2022.

speaking of: stop writing her letters for the love of god i literally don’t know if my heart is cold and dead but we get it atlas, you love her and can’t live without her and she saved you. you don’t have to say it a hundred times!! what a waste of paper!!! give us some new content king! Atria Books to Publish Colleen Hoover's Sequel to Viral BookTok Novel, It Ends With Us in October 2022". simonandschuster.biz. February 11, 2022 . Retrieved October 18, 2022. Haupt, Angela (October 12, 2022). "Why We Can't Stop Reading Colleen Hoover's Trauma-Filled Novels". Time . Retrieved October 18, 2022.

KEEP IN TOUCH

I’ve read It Ends with Us years ago and that book made me bawl my eyes out, because it was such an honest and realistic story about a women finally ending the circle of abuse in her family. IEWU had a purpose and meaning. Whereas, It Starts With Us reads like every other second-chance romance between two past lovers that shared a connection in their childhood. Reading Lily and Atlas romance gave me n o t h i n g. This was dryer than any cactus in the dept of the Sahara. Their interactions made me yawn, I’m sorry but Atlas was better as a side character in IEWU. Atlas is (maybe) the most unproblematic Colleen Hoover Hero, but imo that also makes him the most boring one.

if it ends with us was about lily, why did colleen hoover work so hard to try and make atlas into a sexy hero? the only thing i could give it ends with us merit for was the message of breaking the cycle (even that is up for debate). this did not need a sequel at all.More spelled out isn't always better. Whatever I had imagined in my head for Lily's future, it was more interesting than what I got. And in fact, to spell out Lily's future in the way that this sequel did took something away from the difficulty of Lily's decision at the end of the first book. Part of what I loved about that book was the nuanced and flawed characters, while this book distilled everyone down to either just a good guy or a bad guy. Once you’ve started building up an an interesting book collection, you’re bound to start noticing special editions on other peoples shelves. Where do people find these gems, you wonder? Maybe they talk about getting them through exclusive (albeit expensive) book clubs like Illumicrate or FairyLoot, or maybe they are investing in beautiful (although yet again, expensive) publishers like Folio Society or Easton Press.