IT ENDS WITH US - review:

“His touch is everything I need and everything I shouldn’t.”

This book!
Yea, if you allow yourself to get lost it in, it might wreck you a couple times.
I’m not new to Colleen Hoover but there was a certain circumstance (won’t tell you, no spoilers!) made me actually curse her out and hate her for a moment.

Elicting those feelings is impressive enough of course.
The writing’s also addictive and she did a great job setting the book in Boston, so mad props there.

What I especially think is note-worthy is, like in other books, she has a way of putting things in perspective.
Think anyone who stays in an abusive relationship is asking for it? Stupid? Bringing it on themselves? Think again. It’s really easy to judge when you aren’t actually in the sitation.
This lends perspective - and a few different ones at that - to an important subject. Everyone should read this. It might just open your eyes and your mind.

I don’t usually do this, even for Colleen but … 5 stars.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️





IT STARTS WITH US - review:

“He’s a broken man, but he isn’t broken because of me. He was broken before he met me. Sometimes people think if they love a broken person enough, they can be what finally repairs them, but the problem with that is the other person just ends up broken, too.” —It Stars With Us

***

This seems to start up about 18 months or so after Emerson’s birth and Rile & Lily are divorced. I’m disappointed to learn that Lily didn’t speak about her abuse and therefore she doesn’t have total/ solo parenting rights but I think I sorta get where her head is on this.

She doesn’t seem to have been in regular touch with Atlas, and they’ve just run into each other.

Hoover does a great job of (at least per my own experience) depicting some of Lily’s feelings/ inner thoughts, etc. in regards to being a domestic abuse survivor. It stays with you.


“I’m no longer letting his reactions control my happiness.”


Rile is still extremely toxic. No, contrary to many readers’ I do not feel this, his abuse, etc. is romanticized at all. I don’t understand the people who feel this way, as to me, both of these books clearly paint him as highly toxic, and Lily as a victim. But you do you, interpret it how ever you want to. < Just thought I’d share since I’m reviewing here. :) I love book discussions, hit me up if you feel like it or leave a comment.

Lily is stronger than she thinks, and perpetually trying to be still-stronger. She struggles to / forces herself to set her boundaries and stick to them. I felt this so hard and think Hoover did a great job of depicting this.

I do think Rile had some issues/ there were circumstances for why he was so abusive in the first book. He’d mainly only hurt her when he was black-out drunk or devastated, triggered, etc. But then in this one, he’s seemingly, purposely, when in complete control of himself, full-on attempting to gaslight and manipulate Lily. I’m honestly not sure whether: I was just too forgiving of his emotional / mental issues in the first one … or if he’s devolved into an even bigger jerk / villain in this one. Either way, here we are and it works, as the drama in this one is intense and fun. Definitely prompts feelings (of rage, but still feelings.