It Starts with Us: A Novel (2) (It Ends with Us)

I hadn’t decided, for sure, I wanted to read the sequel to IT ENDS WITH US. But when the audio recording became available at the library, I decided to give it a chance., At the end of IT ENDS WITH US, I was relieved that Lily chose to walk away from her abusive husband, after giving birth to their daughter, Emerson. Not all intimate partner violence survivors get out. And not all survivors survive the abuse., In IT STARTS WITH US, though Ryle is no longer Lily’s husband, his manipulating, threatening and angry outbursts are all but gone., Lily runs into Atlas, a love interest that arose from unusual circumstances in their teenage years, after not seeing or speaking to him for almost two years., Lily and Atlas figure out that the love they shared as teenagers is just as strong as before, if not more so., Lily and Atlas try to navigate whether and how they can see each other, Ryle – a very possessive and entitled ex-husband and father – making trouble, along with other life complications., What really sold the story for me was and is, Hoover does a really good job showing different things an abuser does, from gaslighting to blaming., This isn’t just another love story or romance. It’s a novel about how two survivors of domestic abuse, dealing with damage done to them, try to come together to create and have a loving, healthier relationship., I liked the novel so much I had to get a hard copy. I prefer reading a book (to listening), anyways., The novel is told from two POVs: Atlas and Lily., I love both characters, not just because they’re survivors of domestic violence. I appreciate the situations they navigate, in spite of their deep wounds, and how far they’re willing to go, not only for themselves or each other, but also for the greater community., Read it!

I loved this book. Sometimes you just need one long beautiful epilogue to an intense book that deals with issues like spousal abuse and childhood trauma., Atlas is the perfect man. He just understands what to do in the different situations supporting whatever Lily is going thought with Ryle. They just knew they belonged together and that too was beautiful., The drive by hugs. The way he dealt with Josh, his mom and his relationship with “his therapist” Theo., “I’m exactly where I belong, being loved by Atlas Corrigan”, So I’ve read how people were disappointed with this book but for me I needed that happily ever after. Still hoping to find mine ❤️, “How in the world she can make me feel so whole when I had no idea I was only half of myself without her”, It’s a beautiful story and Colleen just a gift of marking a conversation between two people, trying to figure it out, a conversation you want to sit in on. Be a fly on the wall for., Having experienced and lived through the same type of relationship, I related to “It Ends with us” so have nothing but praise for this series 🫶🏼, “Maybe we’re so hungry for each other because we know it’s rare that we’ll get days like this. Or maybe it’s because we’ve missed each other for so many years”