'It Ends With Us' by Colleen Hoover

  (This review includes spoilers)

Shock. 

That's the emotion that primarily comes to surface when I reached about halfway through this book. Very few times do young adult romance novels as such leave me genuinely surprised. 😮

Straying from the conventions of contemporary romance writers of her time, Colleen Hoover does well to challenge the typical, 'player' trope (aka the guy who changes for you ✨)  that features in almost every novel in this category. Importantly, she presents the reader with an uncomfortable truth, that reflects reality at multiple points - even those you love the most are flawed, and can be flawed in their expression of love to you. She bursts our teenage bubble that unconditional love is enough to sustain a healthy relationship. That's why Ryle, despite how in love he is, despite him wanting to change and despite him wanting his relationship to continue Lily, is just not enough.💔 

On the flip side, I'm not sure I loved Hoover's progression of the storyline of Lily and Atlas. As she focused more deeply on Lily's memory of Atlas, the retrospective view of the relationship didn't allow the reader to appreciate the depth of their relationship.🔍 Perhaps this was done deliberately so that it could contrast with the current relationship between Lily and Ryle. 🤔

Nonetheless, I love how Lily and Atlas's relationship blossomed (pun intended) through the trials and tribulations of fate and destiny... just like true soulmates 😢 (Points to Hoover for retaining some of our pre-teen delusion). I love that their love story emerged through compassion and mercy and although my heart ached for Ryle and Lily, who Hoover emphasised were both good at heart, I'm glad they were separated. 😪

As Lily mentions...

"Some risk's aren't worth taking"

Consistent with the romantic genre of the novel, Hoover does however allows us to keep a good, albeit somewhat fractured, image of Ryle as the man who was trying and who loved deeply but was just, like many of us, not there yet.

It was a bitter-sweet ending, but that's how most things in life are I guess. 💭