It Ends With Us by Colleen Hover: A Book Review
Aug. 9 2018
I am familiar with the author’s name since I see it in a lot of bookstores. But when I saw the IG post of Lovi Poe and I quote, “Colleen Hoover is probably the reason why my standards of men are high,” I was really intrigued so I searched her name and watched book reviews in youtube and the rest is pretty much history.
I picked It Ends With Us first because the male protagonist is a neurosurgeon and you know how much I am obsessed with those kinds of characters. Lol
Summary
Lily came from an abusive household. Her father who is the town mayor and real-estate holder hits and rapes her mother but never got the courage to leave him. When he died, her mother asked her to deliver a eulogy but during her speech, Lily was not able to express five great things about her father because there was none. Lily flew back to Boston and found a rooftop to vent her anger and that’s where she met Ryle, a driven, captivating and utterly successful neurosurgeon.
They had an honest conversation which they termed NAKED Truths. It was revealed then that Ryle wants to fuck Lily (that was his term. Haha) in which she strongly rejected. During their talk, she mentioned her past and that she had sex with a homeless during her teenage years. Ryle almost kissed Lily if not for the phone call from work. After six months, they saw each other again through Alyssa, wife of Marshall (the bestfriend of Ryle) in her would-be flower shop.
They eventually dated but then in a restaurant, Lily saw Atlas, her first love, the homeless guy who turned out to be the restaurant owner and best chef in Boston. Atlas knew about her situation before so when he saw the cut on Lily he confronted her then Ryle showed up.
The next chapters were Ryle’s temper and how this affected their relationship. Ryle’s temper couldn’t be controlled so he ended up hurting Lily physically. They were married back then. Ryle apologized and promised not to hurt her again but he broke it again and again. Reason? Jealousy.
Atlas rescued her after Ryle headbutted her. They soon found out that Lily was pregnant.
I thought Ryle would change himself and Lily would accept him again but Lily wanted a divorce after she gave birth.
After a year, they were separated and Lily met Atlas again.
Reaction
Characterization
I was disappointed with Ryle. You know when you are rooting for someone because he was projected as the perfect guy in the beginning and in the middle, he was so broken and pitiful and in the end, he was just a pretty and smart-ass guy. Nobody wants to end up with someone like him, right? With Ryle’s character, we need not to rely on the good lucks and accomplishments. And a relationship must not be rushed most especially marriage. Don’t be like Lily. Get to know the person first. It takes time but it will save you a lot from heartaches and abuse.
Colleen is an expert in characterization. Her characters are dynamic and impressively human.
Social Issues
This story also made light on domestic violence. That you will never know how it feels when you’re in that same exact situation. It’s easy to say ‘leave him’ but the emotions that were invested and the people that will be affected would be more important than all the beatings.
And for this, eventhough the church does not approve of it, I am pro-annulment.
Why stay in a fucked-up marriage? You can raise children by yourself.
About the issue of homelessness. It’s also easy for us to judge them. Easy to say that they are lazy and that they should grind their ass; however, we do not know the whole story to begin with. If we only put more action in being kind and compassionate, the world would be much better to live in.
Style
Her plot twists are insane. I like how she repeats some of the lines for impact and how she connects all the events. She is a master storyteller. She has simple writing but it is evident, how universal and poignant the emotions are.
Favorite Lines
“I am going to make a promise to you, when my life is good enough for you to be a part of it, I’ll come find you. But I don’t want you to wait around for me, because that might never happen.”
“People come in like waves, trickling in and out with the tide. Some waves are much bigger and make more of an impact than others. Sometimes, waves bring with them things from deep in the bottom of the sea and they leave those thing tossed onto the shore. Imprints against the grains of sand that prove the waves had once been there, long after the tide recedes.”
“You make me want to be a different person but what if I don’t know how to be what you need? I want to prove to you that I want you for so much more than just one night.”
“All humans make mistakes. What determines a person’s character aren’t the mistakes we make. It’s how we take those mistakes and turn them into lessons rather than excuses.”
“I’ll keep pretending to swim, when really all I’m doing is floating. Barely keeping my head above water.”
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