It Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover

Colleen Hoover is not a new author and this book is not a new title. Don't quote me on this but I believe that there has been a resurgence for It Ends With Us because of #booktok...?  And so because I was having a serious case of FOMO, I went out and bought a copy.  

 This might be a first for me but I'm not really quite sure how I feel about this book... Am I the only one who feels that way or is it just me...?  I know that Jessica read this book back in 2018 and she LOVED it!  I will link her review here. 

I don't know if I can say that I've loved it but I'm not quite sure that I can say that I hated it either.  I feel, dare I say, indifferent??  

I found this story to be very dark and because of that, I'm surprised that it has such a cult following behind it... It is definitely an important story that needs to be told because it deals with intimate partner violence and that is a topic that is very real for many women (and men) and it needs to be discussed, the stigma around it needs to be stripped away and the education on IPV needs to happen. 

*Update*

I would like to say that my stance has changed on this book and I understand why it's popular and why it gave Jessica the book hangover that it did. 

I must admit that I was reaching that point where I was getting at the book and I found it to be increasingly frustrating.  I understood why Lily was having doubts with leaving Ryle and I get why it was a long process.  But, we must admit that this is the hallmark of a great writer; when you feel so much about character - the good, the bad, the passion, the love, and the ugly.  

I must say that I was satisfied with the way that Hoover wrote the ending.  I thought that the message that was presented in the book was a strong one.  

But... I found about 3/4 of the book to be painfully boring.  In the beginning, it was very very mundane. I wasn't sure why Atlas didn't have more of a role in the story...?  I think what threw me was that it's marketed as Atlas being a threat to Lily and Ryle and I didn't see him to be that way... Not at ALL!  I couldn't even justify saying that he was her voice of reason.  I thought that Lily figured the situation on her own and Atlas was barely in the background.

I enjoyed reading Lily's journal entries because they did provide a lot of background and insight.

So... Would I recommend this book to my friends or patrons? Absolutely.  Did I give it 4 stars out of 5 on Goodreads? You betcha.  But for me, the greatest satisfaction and what made this book worth reading was the ending (which was a small 1/4 of the book).  And yes... we can agree to disagree on that (:

Until next time!

- Jillian