Reviews tagging 'Bullying'

It Starts With Us by Colleen Hoover

26 reviews

_rae6021's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted sad tense medium-paced

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

3.5

Overall alright read, not as good as the first one. Was quite long winded and seemed at a loss for storyline at times it seemed like they were just tryna keep the book going when it didn’t need to.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Gaslighting, and Abandonment

Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Bullying, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail

Abuse retelling snot as graphic as first book. 3 chapters of soft smut give or take a bit.

lovelymisanthrope's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful lighthearted sad tense fast-paced

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

4.0

I read "It Ends with Us" earlier this year and was blown away by how much I enjoyed the story. I knew I wanted more, especially from Atlas, so I quickly added "It Starts with Us" to my TBR.
"It Starts with Us" picks up almost immediately following the end of "It Ends with Us". Lily and her ex-husband Ryle have been separated for a while, but they have come together to create a great coparenting system for their daughter. Although there is no chance of reconciliation, they are living in relatively good harmony. Lily is happy and ready to move on with her life when she bumps into Atlas on the street, and she enthusiastically agrees to go on a date with him. The timing seems perfect, and everything seems to FINALLY be falling into place for Lily and Atlas. The only thing that could come between them now is Ryle.
This story alternates between Lily's and Atlas's perspectives, which was a great treat for those who adored Atlas in "It Ends with Us". Atlas is such a good guy, and after such a difficult life, it was really nice to see him have some wins and finally get a real shot with Lily. I do think he suffers from being too perfect, but in the most ideal world, it was fun to see "the perfect man".
In "It Ends with Us", Lily becomes best friends with Ryle's sister, and I was curious to see how their friendship was affected when it came out that Ryle is abusive. I was pleased to see that the two girls remained friends and Ryle's sister stood by Ryle and Lily's sides. She acknowledged her brother was wrong and out of line in his treatment towards Lily, but she supported him getting better and getting to spend time with his daughter. She also supported Lily and was nothing short of a best friend for her.
I do not think you have to read "It Ends with Us" before you pick this up, but you will definitely have a better appreciation for the characters if you do. The only thing that would have made this better for me is if the book was solely Atlas's perspective. I appreciated seeing Lily's character grow and stand up for herself, but I wanted this book to finally see Atlas's side of the story. I think we still could have gotten an update about Lily through Atlas's point of view.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Violence, Grief, Death of parent, and Gaslighting

kshertz's review against another edition

emotional lighthearted fast-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

5.0

Anytime I read a book in a day it’s a 5 star for me. There are very justified criticisms of CoHo and this book but for me, I loved every second. I got the happy ending I needed and a storyline that kept me enthralled. I do appreciate the realism and the interwoven side story of a chosen family. Highly recommend It ends with us and this sequel. ❤️

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Content Warnings

Minor: Bullying, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Sexual content, and Gaslighting

erica_reads_things's review against another edition

hopeful lighthearted medium-paced

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

2.75

This was an alright follow up to the first book. Much less plot going on and more so to just give readers more Atlas and Lilly content. I wish there had been more conflict or plot besides random bits of Ryle. It was also pretty cliche in how it talked about the dynamics of domestic violence this time around, which was a change from the more nuanced ways it tackled the subject in the first book. Highlight of the book for me was

Atlas's brother and mother involvement.

All in all it was okay to read but pretty clearly just written to give fans more of Atlas and Lilly. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Bullying, Child abuse, and Alcohol

arthur_ant18's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective 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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Gaslighting, and Abandonment

Moderate: Sexual content and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Bullying, Sexual assault, and Alcohol

m_h_t's review against another edition

challenging emotional funny hopeful reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

3.25

Liked it because I liked it ends with us, and therefore I wanted to know how the story continues. Also I really like Atlas. 
But overall it was too cheesy for me, and too much of a happily ever after. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, and Violence

Moderate: Bullying, Child abuse, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Violence, Gaslighting, Abandonment, and Alcohol