When you buy through our links, Insider may earn an affiliate commission. Learn more.
If you’ve looked for a book recommendation on TikTok, Instagram, or Goodreads — or have even stepped foot into a bookstore in 2022 — you’ve probably heard of Colleen Hoover.
The author of “Verity,” “Ugly Love,” and the ridiculously popular “It Ends with Us,” Colleen Hoover — affectionately abbreviated “CoHo” — has soared in popularity as BookTok influencers tore through her satisfyingly painful romance novels and pageturners.
In particular, #ItEndsWithUs has 1.6 billion views on TikTok and over 1.7 million ratings on Goodreads. The story follows a love triangle between protagonist Lily Bloom; Ryle Kincaid, a neurosurgeon; and Atlas Corrigan, her first love, while also delving deeply into topics of domestic violence and abuse. (The story was, in part, inspired by the relationship between Hoover’s parents).
Related Post
The book’s sequel, “It Starts with Us,” was just published on October 18, 2022, and it is already at the top of the New York Times Best Seller List and Amazon Charts, with rave reviews to boot.
Here’s why we think it deserves just as much hype as the original.
It answers readers’ questions and provides a little bit of justice.
“It Ends with Us” was a gutting story of romance and abuse. Readers followed Lily Bloom as she met Ryle Kincaid, a neurosurgeon with high ambitions and a temper darker than she could have imagined. As Lily slowly became an exception to Ryle’s “no dating” policy, she found herself thinking of her first love, Atlas Corrigan, who she hadn’t seen since they were teenagers.
“It Starts with Us” picks up almost a year after the last book ended and includes Atlas’ side of the story. While it barely dips back into the past, with the exception of some journal-reading and letter-writing, readers do get some of the loose ends tied they were looking for, like what happened when Lily’s dad caught Atlas in her room when they were teenagers and how Atlas ended up in the same city as Lily years later.
Though most readers (and lawyers) would agree that Ryle’s actions in the first novel deserve serious prison time, they get to see a little bit of justice as Lily escaped her physically, emotionally, and mentally abusive marriage. Though Ryle is still in the picture, Lily is able to keep herself mostly safe from his rage. It may not have been the justice Lily — and all domestic abuse victims — deserve, but it’s a solution that works with their new situation and one that she’s ultimately comfortable with.
It confronts the harsh reality of what happens after abuse.
When Lily escapes her abusive relationship, her life isn’t automatically perfect.
Throughout the novel, she grapples with trusting Ryle to control his temper and be a safe person to be alone with, and frankly, he fails on multiple occasions. Losing his wife didn’t change him as a person, which is actually more realistic. If he couldn’t change after he “accidentally” hurt her time and time again, divorce wouldn’t be the magic fix, either.
Also very realistically, Lily fears embarking on a new relationship, as jealousy was a major trigger for abuse in Ryle’s past.
While some readers may have been hoping for a perfectly wrapped gift of healing in this book with no bumps in the road, that’s almost never the reality for those who experience domestic abuse. It’s far from easy to “just speak up,” “just leave,” or, once out , “just get over it.” Healing is a long and imperfect journey and this book depicted it as such, even though many victims’ futures won’t end as Lily’s did.
It offers the happy ending readers crave.
On the surface, it may have seemed like “It Ends with Us” concluded on a positive (or at least hopeful) note. But as anyone who has experienced domestic violence will tell you, there is no magic switch to turn off the way every moment of fear, pain, and heartbreak affects a person. Escaping an abusive relationship isn’t the “end” as the title of the first book may have misled some to believe. “It Starts with Us” is a necessary part of Lily’s story to tell, all the way to her true happy ending.
Unlike other CoHo books, this one isn’t full of twists or angst. It’s not heavy and heartbreaking. It’s a story of healing, as non-linear and ungraceful and slow as that may be.
That being said, this sequel does end with a happy ending, which is an important message, too. The hardest days don’t have to be what defines our entire lives and starting over doesn’t have to be a negative thing. Forging our own paths and choosing new futures for ourselves and the people we love can be the greatest opportunity, even if the road to get there is more challenging than anyone deserves.
The bottom line
You absolutely have to read “It Ends with Us” before the sequel to understand the story. While both books involve a love story, they also focus on themes of abuse, domestic violence, and assault.
If you already read and enjoyed “It Ends with Us,” you should definitely pick up the sequel. Not only does it tie up some loose ends, but it gives readers the authentic and true happy ending these characters both need and deserve. It’s not full of Colleen Hoover’s signature twists and pain (though there are moments, for sure) but it’s a necessary sequel that gives readers the hope, love, and healing they’ve been longing for.
