It Ends with Us by Colleen Hoover - 5 stars

[Barbara M]

Lilly hates her father for what he does to her mother, he beats her when he's mad and/or drunk. She hates her mother for not leaving him. Her father doesn't abuse her but she's always cautious around her parents. At the same time, of course, she loves them. There are wonderful times with her parents. Sometimes, when she sees things brewing, she puts herself in the picture because that's been known to defuse things. We learn this through Lilly's journals after one night when she is on the roof of a building in Boston where she meets a man who comes to the roof and kicks a chair across the roof. They start a conversation that will, throughout the book, lead to a relationship.

When she lived in Maine, she had a relationship with a young man named Atlas. Atlas was homeless and staying in an abandoned house right next door. He went to the same high school she did and rode the bus. Others made fun of him because he smelled bad and wore the same clothes every day. Lilly takes him under her wing. Taking care not to let her parents find out, she finds ways to feed and clothe him. He's actually only a few years older than her.

As life in her beloved Boston changes from office worker to owner of a florist shop, we follow her evolving life with bits and pieces of her past through her journals. She has a best friend Alyssa who comes to the shop before it opens and starts to work Lilly even though she and her husband are quite wealthy - she's bored and an amazing worker. Ryle comes back into her life, their love develops and the story flows from sweet to scary at times.

The resolution at the end, in an epilogue, is touching and sad—very well done. The author shares her own story at the end of the book, and it's a nice addition.

I'm looking forward to reading the second book which promises to be a continuation of Lilly's story. I also understand there is a movie I hope I get a chance to see.