Reviews tagging Infertility

It Ends with Us, by Colleen Hoover

203 reviews

ellie_murdock's review

challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Just be careful not to read spoilers before or during this book. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/injury detail, Toxic relationship, Pregnancy, Physical abuse, Torture, Domestic abuse, Violence, Death of parent, Suicide attempt, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual violence, Rape, Emotional abuse, Child abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual harassment, Sexual assault, Misogyny, Mental illness, Infertility, Gun violence, and Grief

moraina's review

dark reflective sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

I have complicated feelings towards this book. I do appreciate the content and think the message is important.

Spoiler

I particularly think it’s important that Colleen Hoover points out how quick outsiders are to blame victims of domestic violence. I like that she really delves into how complicated it is to decide to leave a partner like that, when their good moments are so good. I also appreciate that she wrote this for her mother and was a witness to that type of behavior firsthand, while also having her own complicated relationship with her father.

That being said, I unfortunately can’t say I’m a big fan of her writing style. Much of it made me cringe and I just found it repetitive. It honestly read a bit like fanfiction at some parts.

Spoiler

Perhaps the biggest thing that drove me crazy is the obsession with Atlas, I understood that Lily never got closure and struggled with it, but it felt inappropriate to me. Ryle’s actions were entirely inexcusable, but I can’t say I blame him for being upset. I was also bothered by the implausibility of her journal entries, as 90% of most 16-year-olds I know are not that introspective.

Overall, I think this can be a good read with important takeaways for the reader, and may even work for a young adult audience that is mature and supervised. I just wouldn’t say it’s a literary masterpiece.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Child death, Gaslighting, Injury/injury detail, Pregnancy, Toxic relationship, and Rape

Minor: Suicide, Infertility, Medical content, and Panic attacks/disorders

Major

Spoiler

domestic violence and rape

trigger warnings. Absolutely would not read if you’re sensitive to these topics.

lixe02's review against another edition

challenging dark sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

Honestly, my feelings are so divided on this book. At the beginning, it feels like it was written by a teenager and sometimes badly written (sorry to all the Colleen Hoover fans), but at the same time, the Author Note at the end explained so much. It did feel realistic but I also feel that although it isn't explicit,

Spoiler

Lily would maybe not tell her daughter about the abuse in the future, and I felt this was a judgment by CH on women/parents who are open about the abuse they received to their children. As she said, not all situations are the same, and not everyone gets an abuser as watered down as Ryle. Here, somehow she was sure Ryle would not harm their daughter, but in a lot of situations, the parent can use the children to get back at the parent who left them or can be abusive to the children as well.

 
I did enjoy the relationship between Alyssa and Lily. However the age diff between Atlas and Lily, and the fact that he came back on her 16th birthday so it wouldn't be illegal felt so creepy to me. Jeez. Which is a shame, because apart from that I really liked his character. Never questioned Lily or her choices, never tried to control her and always defending her.

Spoiler

Why couldn't he just have told the truth and said he was single? Lily said herself that if he had, it was probable she would never have gotten with Ryle in the first place. That still makes me angry.

 
Overall, the first half I didn't enjoy, and then started to be horrified, and moderately liked the end. Meh. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse, Sexual assault, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Child death

Minor: Infertility

cdoubet's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Vomit, Classism, Death, Gaslighting, Grief, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Abandonment, Alcohol, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Injury/injury detail, Medical content, Mental illness, Rape, Suicide, Violence, Alcoholism, Blood, Child death, Cursing, Infertility, and Panic attacks/disorders

Moderate: Pregnancy and Death of parent

Minor: Bullying

thelassinlinen's review

dark emotional funny mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gaslighting, Violence, Sexual violence, Abandonment, Child abuse, Child death, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Miscarriage, Pregnancy, Rape, Emotional abuse, Grief, Infertility, Medical content, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, and Physical abuse

staceyinthesticks's review against another edition

challenging emotional sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Domestic abuse and Pregnancy

Minor: Mental illness, Infertility, Sexual assault, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, and Terminal illness

sunshineinabag's review

challenging dark emotional sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse and Sexual violence

Moderate: Violence and Suicide

Minor: Infertility

alex1's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Rape, Pregnancy, and Domestic abuse

Minor: Cancer, Death of parent, Infertility, Emotional abuse, Medical content, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, and Violence

kelly_e's review

dark emotional reflective sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

Title: It Ends with Us
Author: Colleen Hoover
Series: It Ends with Us #1
Genre: Romance
Rating: 3.75
Pub Date: August 2, 2016

T H R E E • W O R D S

Gritty • Emotional • Powerful

📖 S Y N O P S I S

Lily has had to work hard in order to get where she is today, leaving her small town and upbringing tainted by a toxic environment behind for big city life. Ryle is a brilliant neurosurgeon, with a dose of arrogance, a very busy schedule, and a firm no dating rule. After a chance encounter one night, Lily cannot get Ryle off her mind, despite them having very little in common. When life throws them together a second time, they cannot ignore the chemistry, and it all seems too good to be true.

As Lily starts to question Ryle's behaviour, her first love, Atlas, a boy she's never forgotten helping as a teenager walks back into her life threatening absolutely everything.

💭 T H O U G H T S

I'll start out my saying, that I personally wouldn't classify this as a romance novel. For me it's more of a dark contemporary fiction that explores various forms of love. It isn't light nor is it fluffy. What it is, is difficult to read and a realistic portrait of the heartbreaking reality faced by many in abusive relationships. It's a portrayal of how hard it is to break the cycle. Of how despite the violence and abuse, love can still exist. Of how easy it is for people to judge when they are on the outside looking in. The novel is beautiful and it is ugly, and it shines a light that abusive relationships are not black and white. I appreciated the author's note detailing the reason why she wrote this book and her deep personal connection to the content.

Colleen's writing is really good. She drew me into the story from the very beginning and I didn't want to stop reading. The characters were captivating, whether they were good or bad, and for me that's the power of great character development. I appreciated the letters Lily wrote to Ellen. To me this felt like a type of journal in which Lily shared her deepest secrets and desires, and gave insight into her past that I wouldn't have gotten otherwise. I also really liked the floral shop backdrop. And I loved how Lily grew to understand and have empathy for her mother. I also appreciated Alysa and Marshall as key support for Lily.

In my opinion, Colleen Hoover has done something important with this book. If nothing else than to show people they are not alone.

📚 R E C O M M E N D • T O
• CoHo devotees
• readers who enjoyed Love and Other Words

⚠️ CW: death, death of parent, child death, grief, emotional abuse, domestic abuse, physical abuse, sexual assault, sexual harassment, violence, sexual violence, gun violence, alcohol, alcoholism, drug use, cursing, sexual content, rape, toxic relationship, mental illness, PTSD, homelessness, suicide, infertility, pregnancy, gaslighting, child abuse, injury/injury detail, blood, suicidal thoughts

🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S

"There is no such thing as bad people. We’re all just people who sometimes do bad things."

"Plants reward you based on the amount of love you show them. If you’re cruel to them or neglect them, they give you nothing. But if you care for them and love them the right way, they reward you with gifts in the form of vegetables or fruits or flowers."

"Most plants do need a lot of care to survive. But some things, like trees, are strong enough to do it by just relying on themselves and nobody else."

"Maybe love isn't something that comes full circle. It just ebbs and flowers, in and out, just like the people in our lives." 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Emotional abuse, Rape, Violence, Injury/injury detail, Pregnancy, Sexual content, and Sexual harassment

Moderate: Child abuse, Cursing, Death of parent, Drug use, Gun violence, Infertility, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Death, Gaslighting, Suicide, and Blood

Minor: Child death and Grief

PTSD, homelessness

livruther's review

dark sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

this book is definitely powerful, and it is very hard to read. i did love it, and the author’s note was beautiful. there were just a few nit picky things i didnt like. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Grief, Medical content, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Sexual harassment, Gaslighting, Injury/injury detail, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Violence, Infertility, Medical trauma, and Sexual content

Moderate: Vomit, Alcohol, and Alcoholism