Reviews

It Ends with Us by Colleen Hoover

swalsh211's review against another edition

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5.0

It Ends with Us is phenomenal! It shines a light on domestic abuse and also the love one can retain for their abuser. This is necessary when trying to empathize with people in these situations.

That said, this book should absolutely have a trigger warning at the beginning. This is not the kind of topic that survivors of abuse take lightly and many may appreciate a heads up before purchasing or borrowing this book.

Aside from that, the characters and plot were top notch. I especially loved the friendships that Lily created throughout the book. Oh, and her flower shop! That made me want to own a flower shop.

sonybless's review against another edition

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5.0

I am going to try real hard not to spoil any aspect of the book for other readers, so my review may be very vague.
This is Colleen Hoover's best book yet. It's brilliant, happy, sad, enlightening, and tumultuous all wrapped up in one. When I first heard about the story, I was wondering what type of artistic aspect might be paired with it, after finding out via a Facebook chat there wasn't going to be one, I was a bit sad, but now that I have read the book I understand why. There is a very powerful message inside, a message so prevalent, that I hope my daughter, and sons pick this book up and read it.

"Maybe it's not about the happy ending. Maybe it's about the story." I think this quote pretty much sums up how I feel.

Now that more time has passed, I feel I can add more without spoiling it. This book hit me hard. It brought up some long dealt with issues, that I have worked very hard to over come. I feel Colleen told the story the way it needed to be told. I needed to read it and feel it through the eyes of the narrator. The emotions were raw, and at times I wasn't sure what I wanted for the heroine. In the end I felt a sense relief, and peace. Lily is so many of us, and while our paths are different, I for once did not consider this book to be glorifying any aspect of it. It was Lily's tale, and it was one I could relate to. Will this be a hard story for some, sure. For others it could change their lives. I hope everyone who reads this, whether you love it or hate it, can at least sympathize for the Lily's out there. #IAmLily

kristyreads143's review against another edition

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4.0

I am not sure I was really prepared for this book and the deep feelings they brought up inside me. The anger, the sorrow, the defeat, the perseverance... but mostly the empathy. The relationship between her and her teenage love was very well developed, but I felt the main relationship was pretty cliché... and I felt myself wanting more cerebral intimacy from that instead of the love scenes... but the heartbreak and fear were visceral and palpable. I felt what she was feeling in those moments and I wasn't quite prepared for that. Overall, I did like the book.

bellacd's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful inspiring sad tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

misstiffany's review against another edition

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5.0

A nuanced look into a complex subject. I would’ve gone with 4 stars, but the Author’s Note at the end was 5 stars in itself.

jpgapp's review against another edition

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4.0

4.5 out of 5! This book destroyed me.

jill_hohnstein's review against another edition

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1.0

This author came up in learnedleague, and I had never heard of her, but apparently this book has sold millions. So out of curiosity, I picked it up and started reading it. Friends, it's painfully bad. So far the writing is atrocious, and the author has to be conservative, the way she's writing the women characters. Like, I get that there's some occasionally anti-feminist shit with romantic tropes. But it's not that. I don't even think the author likes the main character.

DNF

lyricalkris's review against another edition

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4.0

If it hadn't been for the back story, I would have flounced this book so hard. So I'm as surprised as you are that I ended up giving it a high rating.

The thing is--I know the character of Ryle. Ryle is the same character I've seen over and over and over again. Made most popular by Christian Gray--he's controlling, possessive, obsessive, does not respect a firm and repeated no, does not respect the wishes of the female character, and generally creeps me the hell out.

I'm supposed to find this character hot. I don't. I find him abusive and rapey. I hated Ryle from chapter 1 and it only got worse throughout the book.

And then the most amazing thing happened... Ryle was called out for what he was, and dealt with.

According to the author's note at the end, I'm still supposed to find Ryle hot. The author talks about how she fell in love with him as she was writing him. Then she goes on to say she modeled him after her father. Her father, who abused her mother. Colleen Hoover hasn't claimed to be abused.

I have been abused. I know what an abuser looks like. I'm glad this book exists. I knew what Ryle was instantly and, for once, everyone else did too.


I'm glad this character was finally called what he really is. I'm glad we got a peek into just how any person can become a victim, how abusers can be sympathetic, how abusers absolutely do love the people they abuse.

I'm sad we didn't get to spend more time with Atlas. He was a gem.

lizketner's review against another edition

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Couldn't stand the audio book narrator's voice and the whiny teenage tone she gave the book

courtneypierce22's review against another edition

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5.0

Kept me on my toe. Absolutely love