Disclaimer: contains spoilers and mentions of domestic violence.

From TikTok to Instagram, “It Ends With Us” has been advertised everywhere. 

Any other person (including myself) would think it was just the usual cheesy romance novel. 

Girl meets mysterious Boy. Boy and Girl fall in love. Girl’s childhood lover comes back. Girl has to choose between the two. 

Trust me though, it’s so much more than that. 

As soon as my eyes landed on the first few words I was immediately hooked.

It was brutally honest, beautiful, raw, riveting, and completely ripped my heart out. If I had to choose one word to describe this book it would be powerful. 

The story takes us through the eyes of twenty-three-year-old Lily Bloom, a business graduate aspiring to open up a flower shop in Boston after growing up in an abusive household.

After her father’s funeral, she meets Ryle Kincaid, a charismatic neurosurgeon on a rooftop of an apartment complex and they immediately click, despite their differences. But, as they try to navigate through their relationship—Atlas Corrigan (Lily’s first love) comes back into the picture. Ryle and Lily’s relationship slowly begins taking a turn for the worse, and soon isn’t as perfect as it was before. 

One of the things I like most about this book is how the author, Colleen Hoover, wrote Lily’s perspective in a way where we as the readers could connect with her. We can feel her pain, joy, frustration, and anger. And eventually, we feel how she understands her mother. She finds herself relating to her more now that they’ve gone through similar situations.

When she first met Ryle and as their relationship developed, it was so easy to fall in love with him—as did she. He’s perfect in all the right ways and portrayed as the perfect guy for Lily. 

But as the story progressed, the true side of Ryle unfolded beneath the surface and I began to feel hurt and betrayed in a way—as does Lily while she struggles to make a difficult decision. 

As I mentioned before, Lily grew up in an abusive household. She witnessed domestic violence throughout her whole life which is a big part of this book. Her childhood trauma shaped who she is as a person. When she faces it again with Ryle—the man who she thought loved her, the line between love and reality blurs. 

We witness him making excuses and her taking him back countless amounts of times. Although it’s frustrating to read about and you just want to grab Lily out of the book and tell her to leave him, you have to remind yourself how realistic this is. 

Which is another thing I liked while reading. Hoover’s portrayal of these serious topics was so painfully authentic, unlike other things I’ve read.

Domestic violence in books should be tackled for what it is rather than romanticizing it. No sugarcoating, just the pure truth. 

You shouldn’t influence your audience into thinking it’s okay when it’s not. And while yes, it’s a tough subject to cover, it’s important to talk about. It may not seem like it to most people but it’s more common than we think.

According to an online statistic done by NCADV, 1 in 3 women and 1 in 4 men have or will experience any type of domestic violence at the hands of their partner. And every year, more than 10 million people are subjected to domestic violence in the U.S alone. 

The author even shares her own experience with witnessing domestic violence at the end of the book which she based on Lily’s childhood.

But this story isn’t just about Lily’s trauma. It’s also about her strength and ending the cycle of abuse in her life.

I’ve never been so proud of a main character until now. 

She immediately went onto my list of favorites after reading just a couple of chapters. Her personality is just so fun and easy to fall in love with.

“It stops here. With me and you. It ends with us,” is one of many impactful quotes said by Lily throughout the novel and is one of my favorites that I felt the need to share. Although, you might just need to read the book to find out the context behind it.

And while I think everyone should read this book—some may not enjoy it.

Although the message behind it is incredibly important (which is why I think this is a book that should be given a chance), it’s very heavily romance-based and deals with some cliches. Its beginning is also slow-paced, which is why most people who don’t favor romance would probably put this book down within the first few pages. 

You let that decide whether you want to read it or not. 

But if you do choose to, just remember to have a box of tissues nearby.

This is the type of book that will move you. It will make you laugh and cry. It will frustrate you at times and make you want to put it down for a second but pick it back up again because you want to know what happens next. It will make you go on an emotional rollercoaster and that’s when you know you’re reading something brilliant.

If you’re a victim or know a victim of domestic violence that could use assistance please visit: www.thehotline.org