It Starts with Us - Colleen Hoover

 

                                                                 (Not today. You'll have to read the review to find out my rating)

Here’s the thing about BookTok. There are times where I am so grateful that we live in the generation of it and there’s times – like now – where I think the purpose behind it is misinterpreted which is to sell genuinely good stuff. Not that this book wasn’t good stuff – it just wasn’t great. But hey, what’s life without a few hiccups? Or in this case, indigestion.

The first thing I noticed about this book was how short it was. A lot happened in those few pages but it was significantly shorter that It Ends with Us. That alone, put me on alert. As for what was inside the book. Grab your copy of Colleen Hoover’s second-best seller, and let’s get through this together.

Until I opened to the first page, I wasn’t even aware that Colleen never intended to write a sequel which in itself was morally questionable. I mean, for what reason? There was so much to write about like what happened to Lily and Atlas? Did Ryle ever come back? Did Lily try to make it work for Emmy? Where the hell is Marshall? See. So many questions. So BookTok did their job here. It was the content that felt a bit……lacking.

We got a deeper look into the rekindling love of Lily and Atlas. It picked up directly from the end of It Ends with Us so the lack of a major leap helped stay intact with the emotions from the previous events which took place. It was refreshing to see them start what they finished so long ago. We had some new arrivals. One was Josh who was Atlas’s 12-year-old half-brother. Anyone remember Tim? Yeah, that douche was his dad. Atlas was now in a place where he could prevent a young Josh form going through what he once had to. Sutton and Atlas met several times the best being when he for once and for all said what he had to say. From beatings to bereavement, Atlas said it all. I have to say, the way Atlas and Josh met was a mixture of creative and bad for my heart. Genuis.

Lily also stood up to the monster in her life. Justin, I mean Ryle. Oopsie. TikTok doing rounds again. Lily tackled what she had to for the future of her daughter. The best part? Allysa and Marshall were on her side all the way so there was no backing out. It took long enough but Lily had what a lot of people don’t; support. Ryle had his ways of abuse. It veered from text to the little mind games he played when they were alone. Making her feel guilty to making her feel so utterly gullible. Using Emmy as his door whilst escaping the Titanic was a low blow. With that said I truly believe Ryle would never hurt Emmy. Alas. Such is a mother’s heart – until Emmy can speak, no overnight stays for Ryle.

Nothing can beat It Ends with Us because whereas that had grit, this book kind of felt like it was done under pressure. Sorry not sorry-ish. I feel bad. It’s someone’s work. I don’t want to say something like that however if you think for a second, I’ll lie on this page to get attention, puh-lease. Think again. I get why it was written the way it was. I understand the plot behind it. The creative time gone into this is appreciated. In all honesty, there’s not many duos where both books are hit. It’s always one or the other. This time, it wasn’t it. If they make it into a movie though, I believe it will be portrayed better. Reverse psychology stuff guys. Just trying to dig myself out of the grave here.

What did Vivian exactly want from another book? I’m going to tell you.

Ryle. I wanted more Ryle. I’ll tell you why. For one, I cannot stop picturing that man as Justin Baldoni for the life of me. Pretty privilege is such a thing. And because I wanted him to get something as an ending. Spoiler alert – Ryle dropping Emmy off to Atlas for the night was monumental in itself however being typical Vivian, I also wanted to know how the anger management classes went. Was Lily finally able to spend a couple of minutes alone with Ryle since then without fearing her safety? Did he ever become civil – if that’s even a thing for Ryle – with the new dynamic between Atlas and Lily? Still, some unfinished business. Though we can never ask an author to completely make everything full circle, it’s sometimes desired. What I’m trying to say is – if this Colleen added a couple more pages of this kind of content, I would have loved it

Re-reading It Ends with Us is a great way to spend time. Can you guess something I will not pick up again? Yup. It’s the one I’m writing a review for.

I do believe the movies will portray everything much better because someone who I’ve mentioned many times is in there but also because seeing raw emotions on a screen is forever capturing no matter how many flaws you put into something. What you create in your mind versus what is on screen will very rarely match. It seems silly to try and do that. There’s been so much criticism on what the actors – mainly Lily – has been wearing. Whilst I agree that it plays a part in the overall production, that’s not what the damn book is about. It’s about Lily freaking Bloom making it to the other side with her one true love after escaping domestic abuse. Thank you very much. Keep it in mind.

What’s the biggest lesson we have taken away from this point from a to b? That’s right. Never, ever pressurize authors into writing until they’re ready. Exactly.

Now I feel sad. That’s the end of Lily Bloom, Atlas and a Ryle. Yes, a Ryle because that’s not something you should aspire to be.

Hmmm. Let’s settle on 3.75/5 stars. That’s fair.

Verdict on buying the books? Yes. It’s an experience no less. Reading it has engraved the characters, the story, the damn ending into my mind. It’s heavy. It’ll make you cry, laugh, kick your feet, blush and cry some more. Lily Bloom gets her happy ending. Why is it so misty in my house? Surely it cannot be my eyes.

Oh, to have a Ryle without anger issues who we all loved for the first 150 pages. Oh, to have an Atlas who cooks you shrimp pasta. Sigh.

Vivian is off trying to find a new author who I’ll either put on a pedestal or not. Until my next review, go find some paper pages. They don’t have to be expensive.

Mwah.

Vivian.

Don’t forget to keep reading, because as long as you do, it’s making a struggling authors day that much better. Reach for the starts of success.