If you use Tik Tok, you might find yourself on “Book Tok”– the side of the social media app occupied by avid readers and reviewers of contemporary romance novels. If so, you’ve probably heard about It Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover.
It Ends With Us, originally published in 2016, gained a new wave of popularity after going viral on “Book Tok” in recent months. Thousands of readers left raving reviews about the novel via the social media app– causing its popularity to spread contagiously.
Along with the mass amounts of Tik Tok hype, came questions from prospective readers about whether or not the book truly lived up to it. I recently read the book myself, and am here to give my personal opinion.
Does It Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover live up to the Tik Tok hype? I think YES.
In an attempt to preserve the mystery of the book for those who haven’t yet read it, I won’t spill all the juicy details of the story. But to give some context, I’ve copied the blurb on the book jacket below.
“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”.
In addition to the basic summary provided above, I think it’s important to note that this book delivers important messages about domestic violence and the stigma around women often staying with a toxic or abusive romantic partner.
Overall, I thought this book was a 10/10. It was a perfect balance of cheesy romance (my guilty pleasure) and discussion of more substantial real world issues. The writing was cute and clever, the characters were well developed and SO lovable (even when they didn’t deserve to be), it was unpredictable yet logical, and completely captivating. Like the kind of captivating where it consumes all your thoughts even when you aren’t reading. It had a great flow, a good ending, and barely any slow spots. It was genuinely one of the best books I’ve ever read.
Plus, most importantly, it truly educated me on the realities of domestic violence and changed my perspective on the issue altogether. Too often, women are criticized for staying with toxic or abusive partners- but this book truly opened my eyes to the realities that these women face. Hoover does an amazing job of making the reader feel like they’re in the situation themselves. Throughout the novel, when toxic and violent situations occur, the reader feels just as betrayed/optimistic/conflicted as the main character does. Of course I can only explain this so much before giving away the premise of the book, but trust me– it truly changes your perspective on domestic violence and the reactions that victims often have.
So yes– I do think this book lives up to the Tik Tok hype. 10/10 recommend.