From the Bookshelf of WACKY READING CHALLENGES…

It Ends with Us (It Ends with Us, #1)

Colleen Hoover

Start date: January 16, 1923

Finish date: November 25, 1922

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By jingles , Group Founder · 1 post · 32 views

last updated Jan 28, 2014 09:33AM

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What Members Thought

Mar 23, 2019 Sassafrass rated it it was amazing

Shelves: audiobooks, romance, new-adult, borrowed-library, z-2019, z-uno-2019, z-2019-audio, z-challenge-books-2019, added-in-2019, z-sfrc-spring-19

*4.5 STARS*

Ok, so woah. This was way more intense than I expected it to be. The story took me down a path that I was not ready for. I went into this completely blind and I think it made the reading experience way more authentic.

The first time shit went down with Lily and Ryle, I was so freakin' shocked, much like she was. And it was just something I couldn't get over. I couldn't believe it.

I wish the romance part had been developed a little more and wish it hadn't ended where it did but man I wa ...more

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Apr 15, 2019 Debra Barstad rated it really liked it

Another good book by this author. This book pulls you in and you feel lots of different emotions. Anger, sadness, love and betrayal. The topic of this book is a difficult one to discuss but it is one that should be discussed more as there is many women that suffer in silence because it is so taboo in society.

4 likes · Like · see review

Sep 28, 2016 Angie H rated it really liked it

This book just broke me! There were so many things I wished didn't happen. It was heart breaking and hit a little too close to home. One of her better books for sure. ...more

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Jun 23, 2017 *Dawn rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favorites, read-in-2017

"I know that you believe he loves you, and I’m sure he does. But he’s not loving you the right way."

excellent, Excellent, EXCELLENT story about two childhood friends who helped each other through very dark days, were separated by circumstances out of their control, and years later meet up again, but after one is already involved in a serious romantic relationship.

This is the most excellent example of what it is like to grow up in an abusive household and gives such an accurate portrayal of all s ...more

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Feb 19, 2017 Karen rated it really liked it · review of another edition

I would give this more of a three star rating but because it is a genre outside of my comfort zone I will upgrade it to a four star read to adjust for any prejudice I might harbor since this seems to be a wildly popular book. I'm guessing it is not so much the plot as the subject matter that resonates but there is nothing wrong with that. In addition, it is a reasonably good story about three very damaged characters trying to overcome their overwhelming demons. I had some trouble with the excess ...more

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Sep 30, 2019 Irene rated it really liked it

Shelves: title-is-meaningful, everyone-should-read, genre-challenge-2019, made-me-cry, 4-stars, plot-twist, read-in-2019

*2019 Genre Reading Challenge*
September: Contemporary

I don't think I really talk about this book without spoiling it, so the most I can say is that the summary/blurb of this book doesn't even scratch the surface of the plot twists that will happen and the rollercoaster of emotions you will feel. And this is coming from someone who had only read 1 Colleen Hoover book before this one and absolutely hated it (I gave Hopeless 1 star).

(view spoiler) *2019 Genre Reading Challenge*
September: Contemporary

I don't think I really talk about this book without spoiling it, so the most I can say is that the summary/blurb of this book doesn't even scratch the surface of the plot twists that will happen and the rollercoaster of emotions you will feel. And this is coming from someone who had only read 1 Colleen Hoover book before this one and absolutely hated it (I gave Hopeless 1 star).

(view spoiler)[ The fact that the bad boy we're rooting for since literally page 1 of this book turns into the abusive nightmare that Lily's father was is tragic, unexpected, and so well-written. Seriously. Lily (and the reader) know from her past that she'd never give a boyfriend who hit her another chance, but the heartbreakingly realistic way in which it happens makes the decision impossible to make.

Because Ryle, the ultimate well-fleshed out villain, is hardly the "bad guy" we expect. He has so many truly good traits that when he first strikes Lily after she unknowingly pushes glass into his surgeon's hands (when a major surgery is days away), both the reader and Lily want to forgive him immediately - especially given how genuinely horrified he is at his own actions. And like Lily, the reader views him as the perfect guy (sexy, sarcastic, has skeletons in the closet, honest, straightforward) from the moment we meet him.

It's a little scary how the small behaviors he shows that should be unsettling are glossed over for most of the book (before he becomes abusive) by the reader and Lily alike: for example, when Lily and Ryle first meet on the deserted rooftop of his building, he starts angrily kicking a chair around. This is written off by the reader as typical "moody," mysterious hero behavior, but Colleen Hoover really shows us how unhealthy and unrealistic it is for readers to want that kind of Alpha Male behavior in their books.

Ultimately, the character of Ryle is the reason I've given this book 4 stars because until the end, he is a realistic portrait of a "loving," abusive, family man. And at the very end, after he's accepted that Lily will not take him back after his third "slip," he is a supportive and truly loving father to their daughter, which really demonstrates the message that good and bad is not as black and white as you'd think. I'm ashamed to say that I almost wanted Lily to take him back by the end because of the amount of growth and maturity he proved, and this really hits home the feeling women must have when they keep forgiving and returning to their abusive partners - it's human nature to believe that the cycle will have finally ended when we're dealing with people we love and fell in love with for so many other reasons. And this is the first book that made me see that because Ryle becoming abusive was as unexpected for me as it was for Lily, and my inclination, like hers, was to believe that it would never happen again.

My favorite part of the book (and the part that made me cry):

“What if she came to you and said, ‘Daddy? My husband pushed me down the stairs. He said it was an accident. What should I do?’ ”

His shoulders begin to shake, and for the first time since the day I met him, he has tears. Real tears that rush down his cheeks as he holds his daughter tightly against him. I’m crying, too, but I keep going. For her sake.

“What if . . .” My voice breaks. “What if she came to you and said, ‘My husband tried to rape me, Daddy. He held me down while I begged him to stop. But he swears he’ll never do it again. What should I do, Daddy?’ ”

He’s kissing her forehead, over and over, tears spilling down his face.

“What would you say to her, Ryle? Tell me. I need to know what you would say to our daughter if the man she loves with all her heart ever hurts her.”

A sob breaks from his chest. He leans toward me and wraps an arm around me. “I would beg her to leave him,” he says through his tears. His lips press desperately against my forehead and I can feel some of his tears as they fall onto my cheeks. He moves his mouth to my ear and cradles both of us against him. “I would tell her that she is worth so much more. And I would beg her not to go back, no matter how much he loves her. She’s worth so much more.”

(hide spoiler)] ...more

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Feb 25, 2022 Olivermagnus rated it really liked it

Shelves: romance, contemporary, 2022, zfeb-2022

The novel introduces us to Lily Bloom, who is looking for true love and Ryle Kincaid, a brilliant neurosurgeon who only wants a one night stand. They meet on a rooftop of an apartment complex after Ryle loses a patient and Lily returns home from her abusive father’s funeral. They are immediately attracted to each other, despite the fact they are looking for different things. As their relationship proceeds, Lily remembers her first love, a homeless boy named Atlas. We get to relive their relation ...more

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