**Warning: Major Spoiler Alert. This post will contain spoilers for It Ends With Us. You have been warned.**
BOOK REVIEW:
It shows that you are not alone. That a book can really make a difference in people's lives. A deeply personal book for Colleen, she writes from her own truth, her own reality.
What I loved about this book:
** the real factor. The love between Lily and Ryle, Lily and Atlas. Two different types of love because Lily was at two different points in her life, she was two different people. At 15, love is such a strong emotion, it consumes you like nothing you felt before, mostly because its an emotion most 15 year olds haven't felt before. Its why teenagers love so deeply, so quickly. In her early 20's, Lily has to deal with life- a job, an apartment, bills, rent, etc. Love is still a deep emotion, but it is not at the top of her list. Meeting Ryle did not consume her (though it consumed him!) as it did with Atlas. With Atlas, at 15 years old, she had nothing else to think about, no other major worries in her life. With Ryle, things get in the way, the mind gets distracted.
**the real factor, part 2. Like I said, this is no fairy tale. There main plot line follows abusive relationships. Lily's father/mother, which is an intentional abusive relationship, and Lily and Ryle, which is more of an accidental abusive relationship. How Lily has to deal with both is a driving part of this novel. We want it to end with Ryle and Lily living happily ever after, but that's not real life. She makes a decision and sticks with it, no matter how much it rips our hearts out (not to mention hers)
** Friendship story lines as much as love story lines. The friendship Lily develops with Allysa (even though shes Ryle's sister) is just as fabulous as the relationship story lines. Lily turns to her as an employee, as a best friend, as a sister. She hits a wall when it comes to talking about relationship issues with Ryle, but eventually knows that she is her best friend and will be non-biased when needed.
What I did not love about this book:
**the jumping between timelines. I've never been a fan of the back and forth of past and present, so that's just my personal opinion. I loved reading about Atlas and that story line just as much as I loved reading about Ryle. Honestly, they could be two different books and I would be totally good with that! (More CoHo? Sign me up!)
**the ending. I always want more, more, more!
AUTHOR SIGNING:
I had the pleasure of attending a Q and A and signing with Colleen Hoover yesterday. I quietly fangirled in my seat for the duration, and got flustered when it was actually time to meet her. What did I want to say? "Hi Colleen! I love your books! You inspire me to be a better writer, to actually work on my stories, to write like you do. Thank you for your novels!" What I ended up saying- "Hi... (she signs and takes a pic) Thanks so much!"
I'm a loser. (and took a really bad picture!)
Colleen answered a ton of questions during the speaking portion. Questions about her work, life, writing, etc. Seems hard to imagine she's only been writing/publishing for just under 5 years! She's had so many books come out in that short amount of time, and I love almost every one of them (list below). The best thing about her books are that they are different. Each book has a very distinct tone and plot to them- they are not all your basic girl meets boy story. She mentioned in her Q&A that her goal is to make the current book completely different from the previous book.
Here are my favorite CoHo books, in order:
1. It Ends with Us (on sale now!)
2. Hopeless (also on sale!!)
3. Losing Hope (sequel to Hopeless)
4. November 9
5. Maybe Someday
All of her books are amazing, however. Check them all out. I say in advance: You're Welcome.
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