‘It Ends With Us’ is a famous book by author Colleen Hoover who has delivered some amazing books such as Verity, Reminders of Him, Ugly Love, Nov 9 etc. This particular book has a sequel- ‘It Starts With Us’.
The Storyline
‘It ends with us’ introduces the readers to Lily Bloom – the lead character who lives in Boston. After her fathers death she is ready for a fresh start. She has haunting memories of her not-so-perfect relationship with her father. This is due to his abusive behavior towards Lily and her mother.
In this new chapter of Lily’s life, fate seems to have a way of its own. She meets a young and charming surgeon Ryle Kincaid.
Being in business with Allysa ( Ryle’s sister) it does not take long for Lily to fall head over heels for Ryle after his confession of love for Lily.
Everything seems to be going well when a certain turn of events brings Atlas Corrigan into their lives. At a random lunch with Ryle and her mother, Lily runs into Atlas…. Her first best friend… the first boy she ever loved.
After a quick catch up, both part ways hoping to not meet each other again. But, things won’t turn out as expected.
Jealousy and Insecurity
The next time they meet each other is at the same restaurant but under different circumstances. Lily is seated next to Ryle with a cut near her eye which she got after Ryle accidentally pushed her in anger. Lily, knowing Ryle’s past trauma, had already justified his actions as a heat-of-the-moment reaction. However, Atlas is quick to notice it and points it out as a mistake which ends with him getting into a fight with Ryle. All this chaos leaves Ryle feeling very jealous and insecure knowing Lily’s past with Atlas.
Once the air clears out, Ryle marries Lily. The two are deeply in love when another breaking point comes. Ryle finds Lily’s diary entries from back when she was a young teenager and madly in love with Atlas. This gets him into another heated argument with Lily which ends with him hurting Lily… once again!
Ryle’s reckless behaviour linked to his past trauma makes him a vulnerable character who doesn’t know how to cling on to the thing that he cherishes most. His physical abuse turns their relationship into an absolute disaster which cannot be repaired.
Human Dilemmas
Having seen an abusive relation between her parents, Lily decides not to let this event pass as a mistake. As a lone crusader, she fights on… gets tired… seeks help and then she finds out that she is pregnant. This only increases her dilemmas, that too manifold. When she looks inside herself, she still finds those childhood bruises that had come her dad’s abusive nature. Through it all we see Lily fighting to give her future child a life unlike her own. She is determined to make sure that the vicious cycle of forgiving every action taken knowingly and disguising it as a mistake, stops!
She would make sure that it ends right there and then with her.
No Fairy-tale Romance
This book has its moments of warmth and scathing heat. It keeps the readers hooked while addressing the common issue of domestic violence and abuse.
Beneath the magical love of Lily and Ryle we find poignant shades of human character that rip apart the whole tapestry of love. A heart wrenching romance turning blue due to Ryle’s assertiveness and anger leaves Lily completely lost at a crossroad where she must find herself quickly.
It is no fairy tale romance, but a book straight out of contemporary life, woven with vivid colours of authentic human passion- a book promising resurrection, revival and new beginnings even though the title reads- It ends with Us!
Writer : Monal Haryal
Grade : 11 (Year 2023)
Place : Gurugram, India
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