It Ends with Us by Colleen Hoover: In-Depth Review and Analysis
Table of contents
If you’ve been anywhere near BookTok —or have not been living under a rock for the past years—you’ve probably heard of It Ends with Us by Colleen Hoover . This book has taken TikTok by storm, sparking countless videos of readers gushing—or crying—over its emotional rollercoaster of a story. Hoover’s novels, in general, have had a massive surge in popularity, but It Ends with Us is easily one of her most popular. With over a billion tags on social media, it’s fair to say this book is everywhere.
Originally published in 2016, It Ends with Us isn’t a typical romance . It dives into some pretty heavy themes like domestic abuse, trauma, and difficult relationships, making it stand out from the sea of lighter love stories. But as much as readers are raving about it, not everyone’s on the same page. Some love it, some find it a bit problematic, and a lot of bookworms are stuck somewhere in between.
It Ends with Us
So, without further delay, let’s dive into what makes this book such a big deal and explore why it got everyone talking long before the movie adaptation was even announced.
Trigger warning, this article, much like the book itself, speaks of heavy subject matters such as domestic violence and abuse.
Also, spoiler warnings for both the book and the movie .
What is It Ends With Us In a Nutshell About:
It Ends With Us is a romance-drama novel that centers around Lily Bloom’s life—a young woman navigating a complicated love life while confronting the cycle of domestic abuse. Set in Boston, the story begins when Lily meets Ryle Kincaid, a charming and ambitious neurosurgeon who is initially committed to a no-strings-attached lifestyle. They initially decide to stay away from each other since they want completely different things. Lily goes on to use her father’s inheritance to open her own business, a flower shop. She meets and befriends Alyssa, who starts working with her. And by complete luck, Ryle happens to be her new best friend’s brother. The two reconnect, and despite their differing views on relationships, they develop a serious romance. However, cracks begin to show as Ryle’s temper and possessive behavior lead to increasingly violent outbursts.
Through flashbacks from her teenage diaries, we learn how Atlas Corrigan, a homeless teenager, was Lily’s first love, protector, and confidant during a turbulent period in her childhood. His reappearance complicates Lily’s relationship with Ryle, stirring jealousy and tension.
As Ryle’s violent behavior escalates, Lily is forced to confront her painful past, which mirrors her mother’s own experience with physical abuse. Pregnant and torn between love and safety, she realizes that staying with Ryle would perpetuate the same cycle she swore to break. The novel’s title, It Ends With Us, reflects Lily’s resolve to end the cycle of abuse for the sake of her daughter.
Ultimately, the story is about finding the strength to let go of a toxic relationship, self-empowerment, and choosing to break free from generational patterns of trauma. It’s a poignant exploration of the complexities of love, family, and resilience.
For a more in-depth summary, continue reading here !
Reception and Popularity:
It wouldn’t be too much to say Ends With Us has become a cultural phenomenon in recent years, especially with the rise of Booktok. It seems like everyone’s either reading it, posting about it, or discussing it with their book clubs .
Despite its enormous success, the book’s reception isn’t without some controversy. A lot of readers have praised Hoover for shining a light on the cycle of abuse, while others have been more critical. Some feel that the romance between Lily and Ryle sends mixed signals, especially in how Hoover writes Ryle—his character comes with a tragic backstory that almost makes you feel sorry for him, despite his abusive behavior. Others have also pointed out the lack of proper content warning for such a heavy topic, which some felt was needed, especially for people who may have personal experiences with abuse.
Still, none of this stopped It Ends With Us from becoming a massive success. It’s sold millions of copies, it has been translated into multiple languages, and even became the best-selling novel of 2022. Not to mention, Hoover followed it up with another story, It Starts With Us, which dives deeper into Lily and Atlas’s relationship—a part of the story that fans had been craving more of.
And if that wasn’t enough, the book was adapted into a film this year starring Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni. While the film had mixed reviews from critics, and the press tour caused another controversy, it still drew in huge crowds at the box office.
In conclusion, one thing is clear: It Ends With Us has left an undeniable impact on the literary world, sparking countless discussions and resonating with readers worldwide. You can love it, or question parts of it, or fall somewhere in between, but it’s clear the book continues to make waves.
Pros of It Ends With Us
Emotional depth.
Colleen Hoover takes us into the emotional complexity of abusive relationships, which can be really eye-opening for those who may not have personally experienced it. You feel everything with Lily—her love, her fear, her confusion. It's raw and real.
Relatable Characters
While not everyone may love or relate with every character—looking at you, Ryle, Hoover writes characters that feel like real people with flaws and struggles. Lily, in particular, is easy to root for because of her strength and resilience, even in the face of really tough decisions.
For a deeper dive into the It Ends With Us characters, you can continue reading here !
Unique Take on Romance
It’s not your typical “happily-ever-after” romance. It Ends With Us explores the gray areas of love—the idea that sometimes love just isn’t enough and that leaving can be the bravest thing a person can do. It’s refreshing to read a romance novel that challenges those fairy-tale endings we’re so used to.
Powerful Message
One of the biggest strengths of the book is its message of breaking the cycle of abuse. The title itself, It Ends With Us, hints at that decision to stop the pattern of violence, which can resonate with so many readers, especially those who have faced similar struggles in their own lives.
Heartfelt Author’s Note
If you’ve read the author’s note at the end, you know how personal this book was for Hoover. Knowing that it was inspired by her mother’s real-life experience with domestic abuse adds an extra layer of emotion to the story. It’s clear Hoover wrote this book from a very personal place, which makes the story feel even more genuine.
Cons of It Ends With Us
Predictability .
While the emotional journey is intense, some plot points feel a bit predictable. If you’re a seasoned romance bookworm, you might see where the story is headed fairly early on. There aren’t a lot of shocking twists, which could leave some readers wanting a bit more surprise.
Simplistic Writing Style
Colleen Hoover’s writing is straightforward, which makes the book easy to read, but for some, it can feel a little too simplistic. If you’re looking for more lyrical or complex prose, this may not be the book for you. The writing doesn’t always dive deep into character development or setting, so it can feel a bit surface-level
Lack of Depth in Supporting Characters
While Lily is fleshed out, other characters, like Ryle or even Atlas, could have been explored a bit more. Ryle’s trauma is explained, but the exploration of his character beyond his violent tendencies felt a bit shallow. Atlas, too, serves more as a symbol of Lily’s past and future rather than a fully developed character in his own right.
Heavy Themes Without Trigger Warnings
For a book that deals with such subjects like domestic abuse, some readers feel there should have been clear trigger warnings. Many pick this book up thinking it’s a light romance, only to find themselves in the middle of an intense, sometimes distressing, story. It’s important to know what you’re walking into, and It Ends With Us doesn’t make that super clear.
In conclusion, It Ends With Us offers a very emotional and thought-provoking story that explores love, trauma, and the strength it takes to make difficult choices. While the book has its imperfections, it also shines in its portrayal of resilience and the complexities of relationships.
You could be picking it up because of the BookTok hype, or you could simply be curious about the journey; either way, it’s a novel that leaves a lasting impression and encourages important conversations.
For more Colleen Hoover content, join our world , and for more bookish deep dives and posts like this one, join our crewfiction and subscribe to our Tea & Cakes Newsletter !
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the main message of it ends with us.
The central message of It Ends with Us is breaking the cycle of domestic abuse. Colleen Hoover uses Lily’s journey to showcase the complexities and emotional struggles that come with abusive relationships. The story highlights how hard it can be to leave someone you love, even when they hurt you, and emphasizes the importance of self-worth and making tough decisions to protect yourself and those you care about.
Is It Ends with Us based on a true story?
Yes, the novel is partly inspired by Colleen Hoover’s own experiences. In her author's note, Hoover reveals that her mother suffered domestic abuse, and this deeply personal connection helped shape Lily’s story. The raw emotions and difficult decisions that Lily faces are rooted in Hoover’s desire to shed light on the reality of abuse and its impact on families.
Nina Siscou
First and foremost, Nina is a reader; she devours literature with gusto, from classic novels to contemporary poetry to graphic novels and everything in between. She believes that within each story, there's a universe waiting to be explored, and loves exploring with company. She's often found sharing her perspective on characters, plot twists, and literary themes with friends. When her friends get tired of listening to her ranting, she writes blog posts sharing her explorations with the other bookworms of the internet. In recent years she has developed an inexplicable addiction to matcha lattes, but has asked us not to talk about that.
It Should End Here
Hollywood sheen isn’t enough to enliven the tiresome romantic drama of Colleen Hoover’s best-selling novel, It Ends With Us .
Produced by ElevenLabs and News Over Audio (NOA) using AI narration.
If you’ve so much as glanced around an airport terminal recently, you’ve probably seen the name Colleen Hoover. Since the start of the pandemic, Hoover and her dedicated readers have reconfigured the publishing landscape: The author, who has nearly 4.5 million followers across her social-media platforms, is far and away the most prominent author on BookTok, the industry-shaping literary corner of TikTok, where “CoHo” is discussed with the enthusiasm generally reserved for A-list musicians. Thanks largely to the digital evangelism of the “CoHort,” eight of the 25 highest-selling print titles of 2022 (and four on the 2023 list) were Hoover novels. Now a film adaptation of It Ends With Us may project Hoover’s most popular novel—and her broader oeuvre—into a new tier of recognizability, much like prior screen adaptations did for reader-driven sensations such as Twilight and 50 Shades of Grey . Originally published in 2016, Hoover’s book follows a young woman named Lily Blossom Bloom, who is on the precipice of realizing her lifelong dream to open a flower shop. After the death of her father, who abused her mother throughout her childhood, Lily begins dating an attractive, enigmatic neurosurgeon named Ryle—and when Ryle becomes violent toward her, Lily faces a series of difficult choices in her agonizing quest to break the cycle of abuse. Led by Gossip Girl ’s Blake Lively, the new film refracts this coming-of-age tale through the glossy lens of a big-budget Hollywood production soundtracked by Taylor Swift and Lana Del Rey . But the result is a disjointed project that highlights the shortcomings of Hoover’s dull approach to character-driven storytelling and social commentary.
As a visual work, It Ends With Us magnifies the contradictions (and, in rare moments, the pleasures) of its source material. Hoover’s book, with its pink-and-violet cover, is often marketed as a romance novel—or at least recommended as one by the CoHort, many of whom are young women or teenagers. For Gen Zers, who have spent their formative years living through a series of overlapping global crises, the predictably banal turmoil in Hoover’s books can offer a much-needed emotional release: “I feel like we all just want to feel something so badly,” one college student said in a 2022 Washington Post article about TikTokers who record themselves crying while they read Hoover’s work. Like Hoover’s other stories of romance, suffering, and redemption, It Ends With Us —both the book and the film—begins with a vision of all-consuming infatuation: Ryle (Justin Baldoni) and Lily (Lively) first meet on the roof of his high-rise building, where they exchange “naked truths” about their lives. After Lily laments not giving a proper eulogy for her father, Ryle consoles her with a mantra that recurs three more times in the book: “There is no such thing as bad people ,” he tells her. “We’re all just people who sometimes do bad things.”
Early in the film, Baldoni imbues Ryle with energizing humor and charisma, making the initial connection with Lily feel less like projection from a bereaved young woman onto a hot, brooding stranger. The self-described commitment-phobe Ryle quickly declares his love for Lily, and by the time he proposes, Ryle has seemingly undergone a classic romance-trope conversion: The alluring Lothario has found the one woman capable of opening him up to love. Following their initial honeymoon phase, Ryle’s abuse might come as a “ plot twist .” But It Ends With Us isn’t really about love—it’s about intimate-partner violence, as Hoover has said. On-screen, the second-act shift is meant to convey the idea that an abuser can come in all forms. Baldoni, who also directed the movie, said he viewed Ryle not as “a mustache-twirling bad guy” but “a guy with deep pain and deep trauma who makes terrible decisions that are never acceptable or excusable in any situation.”
Read: M.F.A. vs. GPT
Despite its stated interest in addressing generational cycles of abuse, It Ends With Us doesn’t spend much time exploring the roots of Ryle’s intense familial trauma—or even Lily’s. Instead, the film periodically zooms out to introduce some levity through his sister and brother-in-law (respectively played by Jenny Slate and Hasan Minhaj, who both seem out of place in the soapy mess). The erratic storytelling undermines the serious issue at its core: It Ends With Us is strikingly myopic in framing the central conflict as a marital rift, ignoring the fact that divorce alone may not keep Lily safe from Ryle, a wealthy, respected surgeon with institutional support.
Lily’s feelings about Ryle are also interrupted by Atlas Corrigan (Brandon Sklenar), a former teenage boyfriend with whom she reunites in the present. Atlas, who was homeless when they met and now owns a popular restaurant, quickly becomes Lily’s white knight. It’s one of the most common tropes in romance—the old lover, here to rescue the heroine from a current crisis—but it undercuts the already didactic messaging about the gradual onset of domestic violence.
On the page, all this may scan as intense , as Hoover’s breathless prose communicates that Lily is stuck in a heady and confusing situation. But in scenes performed with miserable seriousness, Lily’s dilemma is more tortuous than liberating. Lively’s acting is particularly ill-suited to the gravity of bigger emotional scenes, which is especially noticeable when she defaults to the mischievous, flirty energy that defined her past roles. Visually, It Ends With Us jumps between warm, light-filled imagery and a gloomy, foreboding palette, sometimes within the same setting—choices that draw attention to fundamental inconsistencies in a story that can’t decide what it wants to be or whom it’s for.
Even so, It Ends With Us will have no trouble finding an audience—it’s already set to have a formidable box-office debut this weekend, and CoHo fans can look forward to at least one other upcoming film adaptation . For all the tonal confusion of Hoover’s novels, readers continue to gravitate toward the repetitive writing and heavy emphasis on shocking twists. Like the protagonists in Twilight and 50 Shades , the characters at the center of Hoover’s books tend to be young women who self-actualize by negotiating (often porous) boundaries with powerful men. To young people who have become inured to the misery of modern life, there’s a seductive premise in these novels: Relentless suffering can give way to freedom—and hot sex—if women want it badly enough. On-screen, performed by real people, it’s not as convincing.
About the Author
More Stories
A Surprising Window Into the Growing Pains of Older Adults
The Transparent Cruelties of Diddy’s Entertainment Machine
IMAGES
VIDEO