It Ends with Us by Colleen Hoover Book Review + Quotes

I've been reading a handful of romance novels for the past months which had me feeling “meh” to “I feel so single it hurts”.

Being in quarantine, I found myself reaching out for books to read again. I would honestly get bored because I’ve been finding ‘okay’ books and I really wanted to find a book I could fall in love again with.

One typical night last March, I was scrolling through TikTok and I found a video about this specific book “It Ends with Us” by Colleen Hoover. There was so much hype in the comment section about how much they loved the book.

I was really intrigued as to why people loved the book so much. I was honestly prepared to be disappointed because nowadays, people hype up something so much and when you read it, it’s not really as good as you thought it would be.

I didn’t want to miss out in case it really proves the hype, so I decided to read it.

Before we dive in to my review, let me give you a little background about the book.

Synopsis:

Sometimes it is the one who loves you who hurts you the most.

Lily hasn’t always had it easy, but that’s never stopped her from working hard for the life she wants. She’s come a long way from the small town in Maine where she grew up—she graduated from college, moved to Boston, and started her own business. So when she feels a spark with a gorgeous neurosurgeon named Ryle Kincaid, everything in Lily’s life suddenly seems almost too good to be true.

Ryle is assertive, stubborn, maybe even a little arrogant. He’s also sensitive, brilliant, and has a total soft spot for Lily. And the way he looks in scrubs certainly doesn’t hurt. Lily can’t get him out of her head. But Ryle’s complete aversion to relationships is disturbing. Even as Lily finds herself becoming the exception to his “no dating” rule, she can’t help but wonder what made him that way in the first place.

As questions about her new relationship overwhelm her, so do thoughts of Atlas Corrigan—her first love and a link to the past she left behind. He was her kindred spirit, her protector. When Atlas suddenly reappears, everything Lily has built with Ryle is threatened.

***

(Have you tried reading a book with a background music? This is actually the first time I ever tried that. I played a reading playlist on Spotify that made me connect to the book on a deeper level. You should try it too!)

Now, back the book.

It’s rare for me to fall in love with the first chapter of the book. In this one, I did. It’s the kind of book that you’re excited to know how the story’s going to unfold. I really loved the way Colleen Hoover wrote this book – the sequence of events and the backstory.

One of the main reasons why I loved this book is that it’s realistic. I love stories that you could see happening in real life. It’s something people could actually relate to and learn from.

I mentioned the realistic side because I know a lot of romance fiction with stories that are just too good to be true. Those that come off super cheesy and unrealistically. To be honest, I find it hard to finish reading a book with that kind of story. They have this multiple plot twists that are really unnecessary and could’ve been better off with.

Contrariwise, this book is so well-written, considering the high rating it has on Goodreads (4.8 stars).

If there’s one book I hope people should read at least once in their life, this would be it. I personally learned a lot from this. This book could help a lot more people who reaches the message of this story.

Halfway through finishing the book, I found myself crying while washing the dishes. It was a moment I will never forget, not because of some random chapter from a book, but because I know what I was crying about actually happens in real life too.

This book broke my heart to an extent I didn’t prepare my heart for. I read this book in less than 24 hours because it’s really hard to put it down.

So if you’re looking for a book to add on your TBR list, I really do recommend this one.

I mean it, read it and share it to everyone you know. I feel like a lot of people, especially women, should get the message of this book and keep it inside their hearts.

We, women, are special and should be treated and loved right. No buts.

To wrap this up, I’m going to share some of the lines that resonated with me in this book. I always do this to any book that I read – I jot down the lines that I find beautiful so I can read it anytime and remember why I loved the book so much.

“The last thing I want you to do is lose sight of your limit. Please don’t allow that to happen.”

“I know that you believe he loves you, and I’m sure he does. Bu he’s not loving you the right way. He doesn’t love you the way you deserve to be loved. If he truly loves you, he wouldn’t allow you to take him back. He would make the decision to leave you himself so that he knows for a fact he can never hurt you again. That’s the kind of love a woman deserves.”

“My eyes fill with tears, and not for myself this time. I cry for Ryle. Because even though he’s responsible for the situation he’s in, I know how sad he is about it. And when you love someone, seeing them sad also makes you sad.”

***

I give this book a 5-star rating. No doubt.

If you’re going to read this book, please prepare your heart because it’s gonna be broken into tiny little pieces. Prepare your eyes because you’ll cry them out for sure. Lastly, make sure you still have enough tissue to wipe those tears out. Or you could use your blanket like I did.

What are your thoughts about It Ends with Us? Have you read it already? What book should I read next?

I’d love to chat with you in the comments!