It Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover

genre: contemporary fiction 

When Lily meets Ryle, she’s not in a good place. Her dreams are on hold, her childhood was full of pain and her life in Boston isn’t what she’d anticipated. But in their short first encounter, Lily sees something in Ryle that she notices - and likes. So when chance throws them together again, Lily’s story pivots in a huge way. Determined to live a different life than her mother, Lily knows how to be a strong and capable woman, no matter what she faces.

I am truly of two minds about this book. Part of me says: this book was GOOD. I couldn’t put it down, I cared about what happened to Lily, it made me feel big things and I didn’t know what would happen next. I love that. Also, the powerful look at domestic abuse is a topic that is absolutely worth discussing and I felt very invested in Lily’s past and future.

On the other hand, the writing is NOT great. I didn’t really get the chemistry between Lily and Ryle, I don’t feel like I knew them well enough to understand their obsession with each other. The best friend plot line, as well, just happened so fast that it made me work harder to suspend my disbelief.  The language never super moved me.

So, I’m giving it a strong three stars. It would be deeply triggering to anyone who has any experience with domestic/partner abuse. A few open door sex scenes and some language.

*the littlest birds sing the prettiest songs*