Throwback Thursday: It Ends with Us by Colleen Hoover

Throwback Thursday is a weekly meme hosted by Renee at It’s Book Talk. Throwback Thursday is an awesome opportunity to share old favorites as well as older books in our TBR. I love this idea as I’m often distracted by all of the shiny, new books I see every day and don’t make it back to the ones that have been sitting on my shelves.

My pick of the the week is:

It Ends with Us by Colleen Hoover

 

It Ends with Us was published in August of 2016. I received a signed copy at Book Expo 2017. I was actually surprised to see that this  book was being promoted there as it’s unusual to see a book there that had been released the previous year.

The Blurb:

Sometimes it is the one who loves you who hurts you the most.

Lily hasn’t always had it easy, but that’s never stopped her from working hard for the life she wants. She’s come a long way from the small town in Maine where she grew up—she graduated from college, moved to Boston, and started her own business. So when she feels a spark with a gorgeous neurosurgeon named Ryle Kincaid, everything in Lily’s life suddenly seems almost too good to be true.

Ryle is assertive, stubborn, maybe even a little arrogant. He’s also sensitive, brilliant, and has a total soft spot for Lily. And the way he looks in scrubs certainly doesn’t hurt. Lily can’t get him out of her head. But Ryle’s complete aversion to relationships is disturbing. Even as Lily finds herself becoming the exception to his “no dating” rule, she can’t help but wonder what made him that way in the first place.

As questions about her new relationship overwhelm her, so do thoughts of Atlas Corrigan—her first love and a link to the past she left behind. He was her kindred spirit, her protector. When Atlas suddenly reappears, everything Lily has built with Ryle is threatened.

 

My Review:

While I was very excited to begin reading this one and fully expected it to be four or five stars for me, I’m sorry to say that it didn’t live up. I knew this book was categorized as women’s fiction but it just felt extra-very chick-lit to me. The way in which the book was written felt very incongruent to the subject matter and what I believe was the author’s objective in writing the book. (I’m basing this on the Author’s Note at the end of the book which elicited more emotion from me than the actual book.)

It wasn’t all bad though. Here’s what I think Colleen Hoover did well:

1. Pacing  – This was a quick and easy (in terms of language) read.
2. Ryle’s character – She did a nice job in giving us a flawed but multidimensional character. I liked that she didn’t need to make one character “bad” and one “good”.
3. Lily’s character – I think she did a great job getting to the heart of the difficulty women in Lily’s position have in making choices for themselves and their children. (Which was possible because of #2.)

As for the ending, it was a good ending but predictable.

This was the first book I’ve read by Colleen Hoover. I’ve come understand that she has a very loyal fan base. Though I can see why, I’m not sure I’m the right audience for her books.

3/5 stars 

Thanks to Atria for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

**This book contains detailed descriptions of domestic violence.**