Book Review: It Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover

I read this book on a suggestion from a book club. I normally don’t endure pure romance novels, I prefer the mystery, sci-fi, or history angle. This one surprised me... in a very good way.

This book is a great example of how fiction can transcend the pages to make an impact. You can relate to the person in the book whout having any preconceived notions beyond what the author offers about who they are as a person. 

Lily finds herself in the perfect romantic relationship. Once she falls head over heels, the escalation of physical abuse and apologies begin. He even has a very good explanation for it. The love is still there, but you watch the navigation of romantic love, relationships, and an even bigger love. 

Why is matters to me:

There is currently a cultural revolution happening with women in America. We are no longer silent. We are no longer complacent. I read this book at the perfect time. Although I am in complete support of this movement, I did have questions regarding the grey areas of abuse and misconduct. This book helped me navigate my own feelings towards this. 

I have had situations where I felt uncomfortable in the workplace. I have had moments in a past relationship where I felt physically threatened and emotionally beaten. I have had these feelings of “grey area” that still plague my heart. I sympathize with Lily. I understand where she is coming from. Having never been witness to blatant abuse in the past like Lily did, how would I have handled this same situation? The abuse slowly escalates where you don’t see the increments turn into major milestones of pain. THAT, I have been a part of. But I’ll save that long story for another time. Point is, I see how the abuse becomes “allowed.” It’s like a child testing boundaries. I’m allowed to do this, now what about this?

In all, please read this book or any book to help you understand abuse or mistreatment of any form. It helped me understand my own feelings towards my own relationships in the past and better connect with those that have had major trauma. 

Fiction transcends the pages here!