It Ends with Us (It Ends with Us, #1) in forever and evermore swifties

Feb 13, 2024 RB (evangeline fox’s version) rated it did not like it

Shelves: mental-health-and-serious-problems, better-than-expected

Edit: giving it 3.75 stars rounded up to 4

I’m going to need some time to think on this before I give it a rating. Because there are problematic aspects (like it being marketed as romance, a lack of TW’s, the author’s problematic history) but I liked the book itself. I thought it did exactly what it set out to do, which was show you how easily anyone can fall into the cycle of abuse, and I thought the author’s note and q&a with the author and her mother were very powerful. I guess I can see how s ...more

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Feb 27, 2023 Natalie rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: faves-fiction, favorites

Wow! I'm speechless! This book was everything they said it was and more. It is worth all the hype! And it did not fail to meet my expectations.

Although this book has become so popular, it is worth reading and it won't disappoint. And even if it is one of the most talked books on social media, you never know what is going to happen or who and for what reasons certain quotes were spoken. It is not just the story, but the thoughts and feelings portrayed.

It is such a powerful and empowering book wi Wow! I'm speechless! This book was everything they said it was and more. It is worth all the hype! And it did not fail to meet my expectations.

Although this book has become so popular, it is worth reading and it won't disappoint. And even if it is one of the most talked books on social media, you never know what is going to happen or who and for what reasons certain quotes were spoken. It is not just the story, but the thoughts and feelings portrayed.

It is such a powerful and empowering book with such a raw, honest and beautiful story. There were moments I laughed, I fell in love with the characters and their stories, and there were moments I cried and felt their pain and anger. Whatever these characters were feeling, I was feeling them too.

Lily is one of my favorite characters. Maybe it's because I can relate to her personality and the way she thinks and makes decisions. But she is one of the strongest book characters, a person every woman should look up to. I love how we explored her vulnerability, her thoughts, her triggers and why she made some decisions. She is so raw, pure and honest and it makes you want to hug her and be there for her, and tell her how proud you are of her. As Colleen said this is for all the women, the ones who have been or going through a similar situation. But, for me, it's also for the women who haven’t been through it and hopefully won’t but they’ll know how to handle a situation like this either for them or someone they know and is been going through this…It is for women and not only to understand how hard this situation is.

Also what makes this book better is how Colleen gives insight and explains the thoughts that went through the characters minds before making a decision. And at times this was cathartic and a closure for us as the audience who were invested in these characters and relationships. It is easy to invest in them and their stories and want to forgive them because of what they are going through and their background story. When really it's not ok. Colleen humanizes Ryle. And there are people like him in real life who need help and can’t control it and do regret it and change. But then again, as she said in her author's note, not every person and situation is the same. And this is a book character, a character most people fell in love with and felt his pain and heartbreak and would forgive him. What makes this better is how Colleen shares her own story and how this book and story came to be, and why these characters made those decisions. And even if we liked a character or fell in love with him, and liked the idea of them changing or wanting to forgive them, knowing how it is in real life, behind words and fictional characters, and how they should be treated makes all these decisions better, more justifiable and more cathartic. And we understand why these decisions, no matter how painful they were, had to be made!

SPOILERS AHEAD

There are times I wouldn't agree with Lily’s decisions and things she did especially with Ryle. And I did at times question her love for Atlas and how quickly she fell back in love with him even after so many years - which is weird because it has been a lot of years - and how quickly she forgot about Ryle. Her feelings were going back and forth between them. And she never really was over Atlas… And for that, I don’t blame Ryle. He shouldn’t have treated Lily like that, and I won’t excuse him treating her like that. It wasn’t a healthy relationship. But, I don’t blame him for his paranoia and jealousy for Atlas.

Also, because of his story and background and seeing his interaction with her the last week of Lily’s pregnancy and then his daughter’s birth, it is easy to say Lily should have given him another chance. Maybe, and I don’t think by giving her a chance she would lose her limit as her mom told her. She is not her mom and he is not her dad. But I do understand how her parent’s relationship was traumatic for her and it was the only example she had of a marriage. And for that, she is so strong for going against her feelings for Ryle not just for her, but for their daughter. And that was a beautiful moment. And I want to thank Colleen for that painful, yet amazing scene to read where we can see how Lily came to that decision and how Ryle loved her so much to let her go. And as she said maybe he could have changed, but it was a decision worth taking and giving her daughter a life she never wanted her to have, but a healthy life and a healthy relationship with her father. And she can now relax and stop swimming! ...more

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Aug 15, 2024 Paige rated it it was amazing

I had very low expectations going into this one because of the hate it receives. I honestly loved how it touched on the topic of domestic violence and the impact it can have on children. This book was so addicting I couldn’t put it down. I can’t wait to read the next one, I need more Atlas and Lily!

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Sep 14, 2022 Chloe (max verstappen's version) rated it it was amazing

soooo, this book. this is my 3rd time writing this review, so hopefully this time it will stick.

i don't know what to rate this book. i didn't love lily and atlas together.. i mean i loved them together when they were teens, but when their adults, idk it just didn't really click for me.

so i'm just going to put this out here now so this review makes more sense. i don't think of this as a romance novel, i more think of it as lily's story. don't get me wrong when i started this book, i fell in love soooo, this book. this is my 3rd time writing this review, so hopefully this time it will stick.

i don't know what to rate this book. i didn't love lily and atlas together.. i mean i loved them together when they were teens, but when their adults, idk it just didn't really click for me.

so i'm just going to put this out here now so this review makes more sense. i don't think of this as a romance novel, i more think of it as lily's story. don't get me wrong when i started this book, i fell in love with Ryle. i mean he's hot, smart, rich, cocky, confident, and a little bit obsessive. what isn't there to like.

then chapter 14 happened and it all went down hill from there. even after that i still held on to the tiniest bit of hope that everything would be ok, and it was just a one time thing, but as we all know that wasn't the case.

Honestly, i was sad when they split, but i wasn't sad because they broke up. i was sad for lily. it so obvious that lily still loves ryle even after everything that happened. i mean they were together for like 2 years, lived together, got married, and were very much in love. you cant just get rid of love in one day, it doesn't work like that. but it was definitely for the best that they split, and i was so proud of lily when she told him she wanted a divorce. i mean she had just had a baby not even 15 minutes before, and as i said its so obvious that she loves him so much and just wants to be happy family. but she does what was best from herself and split up with him.

lily, i know your not real but still, i am so fucking proud of you. she was one of the strongest characters i have ever read about .even after everything that happened with her parents, with atlas, and even with ryle, she never gives up. lily, i want to be you when i grow up.

as i was saying ,i think of this as more of lily's story, then a romance novel. so i am rating it as how i felt about this story, not the romance. so for the story that was told i give it a 5 stars (obviously)

now, if i were rating this for the romance (which i'm not) it would be a 3 stars. and that is because i just didnt feel a spark between atlas and lily when they were adults. i mean i loved how atlas was there for lily even after not seeing each other for like 9 years, but i never really felt a romantic connection between the two of them as adults (when they were teens i definitely did, but just not as adults) . and because of that i would give the romance between the two of them a 3 stars. that probably will change after i read it starts with us, but for now its a 3 stars. (note from 10/29/22 IT TOTALLY DID CHANGE)

AGAIN I WILL SAY i am rating this based off the story being told, not the romance.

5 stars, i love this book and the story that it told so much.
update from 10/29/22
soooooo i just finished it starts with us and i love atlas so fucking much. lily and atlas and my new fav couples and will forever be because omfg they are just everything together. i love them together so much. do not listen to past me, she doesnt know what she is talking about, lily and atlas are perfect together <3333 ...more

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May 18, 2022 Celestte (Taylor’s version) rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 2022-reads

Amazingly written. Colleen words everything so wonderfully, had me reading it from the moment I started. I couldn’t put the book down because of how good the book is from the first sentence to the last. The impact this book had on my heart was amazing and will be a book that I can’t forget.

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