It Ends with Us

Well I finally broke down and read my first Colleen Hoover book. I went in with low expectations and thank goodness, because there's a lot of issues with this book.

The main character of Lily is a Mary Sue. She's loved by all the guys, including the one that says he never wants a relationship or long-term commitment, but magically does with her because she's ~~different~~. She opens up a flower shop with no concept and barely any experience but she's amazing at it because of course she is.

I didn't like the main love interest of Ryle from the beginning. He was arrogant and bossy, but I guess that's the typical romance trope. I was not on board with their romance from the beginning, so when there is conflict later in the book, I find myself having a hard time caring.

I did find the story of her and Atlas intriguing, although the way it's worked into the book is kinda dumb. This story is told via writing letters to Ellen, which I'm sure is to hammer home the “just keep swimming” line but it's just soooo forced. Also, there are times it doesn't feel like a 15-year-old is writing these letters, which took me out of it too. I wish there would have been a better way to deliver this backstory.

When I first started the book, a few chapters in, I wrote: “This Ryle guy is such a jerk and I'm probably supposed to think he's a bad boy and like him. Also it's really suspicious how the sister just shows up and offers help and immediately everything is perfect. I hope we get an explanation for all of this and it's not just lazy writing.”

But sadly it was just lazy writing.

This book wasn't all bad. I appreciate how it tried to tackle abuse from a victim's perspective. I did find Atlas's story interesting (much more than Ryle's). I liked how Lily had actual growth in the novel. I don't know if I would have read this book if it wasn't amazingly popular for some reason. And I'd only recommend it to anyone who wants to see what all the the hype is about. Apparently this is not the worst Colleen Hoover book, so that's good.

... And now I'm off to read It Starts With Us because I like torturing myself, apparently.