Book Review | It Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover
“And as hard as this choice is, we break the pattern before the pattern breaks us.”
Colleen Hoover's It Ends With Us is a powerful take on abusive relationships and the strength of its survivors.
The novel opens on an apartment rooftop in Boston; Lily Bloom is taking a few moments to herself whilst halfheartedly mourning the recent death of her abusive father. Amid the nostalgic pain, Ryle, - a tall, dark, handsome and, seemingly angry stranger - enters the fray. Shaking Lily out of her reverie, the two get to talking and soon' naked truths' are exchanged. While Lily reveals a few fun-facts, Ryle breaks the ice with his feelings about relationships, or rather, lack thereof. Somehow, they have a hold on each other.
The story often flashes back to Lily's diary entries from her teenage years. Throughout her youth, Lily was the unfortunate witness to her father's regular abuse towards her mother. Confiding in her dairy, always addressed to her favourite TV star Ellen DeGeneres, Lily had a safe place to vent.
Fast forward to the present day, and Lily is smashing it! Living up to her botanical name, she is pursuing her dreams and newly opens her florist. Lily is lucky to recruit Alyssa – bright, bubbly and absolute Employee of the month material. Lily and Alyssa share a strong, loving, and beautiful friendship; it's really just a coincidence that she later learns that Alyssa happens to be Ryle's sister.
Throughout the story, we see Lily follow in her mother's footsteps. While struggling to navigate her way through the beginnings of an abusive relationship, she is confronted with the past. We follow Lily down a trip on memory lane, as she is compelled to make brave decisions about her limits within relationships.
It Ends With Us is the first novel that I have read by Colleen Hoover. The usual things I look for in a good book were easy enough to find here - pace, punch, and prose. It's clear that Hoover is a great writer, and this book is a shining example of her talents.
From the get-go, I absolutely loved Lily's alliance with Alyssa. I found Alyssa to be such a strong and admirable character, that kind of friend that everyone needs in their life. Someone who has your best interests at heart and will fight tooth and nail for you to feel the happiness that you deserve, even if that means calling out their own brother for being a dick and telling your friend – let that man go!
On that note, what I quickly discovered is that this story has so much more depth than you might think as Hoover delicately delves into a theme of abusive relationships. We learn what struggles Lily has experienced in her youth, consequently making her adult experience feel even more confronting and conflicting. At times I really struggled with Lily, wanting nothing more but to shake some sense into her. Other times I just wanted to give her a hug.
Ultimately, thanks to Hoover's sensitive touch on the topic, it is understandable to see Lily's instinctual patterns and behaviours in her relationships. Despite the struggles, her courageous strength, bravery and resilience shine through.