It Starts with Us: the highly anticipated sequel to IT ENDS WITH US

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Emerson has a birthday party and while there, Ryle asks Lily to talk. Lily declines and refuses to speak with him alone. Lily asks Allysa and her husband, Marshal, if they would be there for Lily while she talks to Ryle. They agree. When they meet, Lily tells Ryle he needs to attend anger management classes and be supervised while he is with their daughter. Ryle is enraged but agrees to her terms. i hated everything about lily’s personality when it came to ryle and what he did to her and i felt like she was being too nice to him. This all sounds rather harsh, but it's really not that bad. It was an alright way to pass a few hours if you're not quite ready to leave the world of Lily and Atlas. This pleasant and unexciting story won't leave you breathless, but it shouldn't offend either. Just be ready to forget about it almost as soon as you're done. Rile is still extremely toxic. No, contrary to many readers’ I do not feel this, his abuse, etc. is romanticized at all. I don’t understand the people who feel this way, as to me, both of these books clearly paint him as highly toxic, and Lily as a victim. But you do you, interpret it how ever you want to. < Just thought I’d share since I’m reviewing here. :) I love book discussions, hit me up if you feel like it or leave a comment.

It Starts with Us - Wikipedia

alternatively titled: a bland man does the bare minimum and people eat it up like he’s an austen character.Hoover does a great job of (at least per my own experience) depicting some of Lily’s feelings/ inner thoughts, etc. in regards to being a domestic abuse survivor. It stays with you. Simply, “It Ends With Us” is about someone who has the support and resources to break out of the cyclical nature of violence. “It Starts With Us” instead focuses on recovery and starting a new life of healthy love. It’s a story about feeling loved for the first time and giving the love you believe others deserve from you. This book explains that not all parental love is unconditional and not all romantic love will end. I feel certain that readers will find parallels between the novel and their own life, particularly the messiness that comes with love and loving. I know people are going to be mad at how often Ryle shows up here but that’s the reality of how abusive situations are, they don’t just die or leave you alone— colleen did a fantastic job at showing how realistic this situation is, at how much of a gaslighter he is. In addition to love, Hoover also explores the complexity of hate — playing with the readers’ sense of right and wrong. In making her readers feel empathy for the antagonists in the novel, Hoover effectively proves that there is no true “antagonist” in life.

with Us Series by Colleen Hoover - Goodreads It Ends with Us Series by Colleen Hoover - Goodreads

It ends with us was about Lily and her journey to end the cycle of abuse. It starts with Us is about Lily and Atlas navigating life after ending their own cycles. in conclusion, sometimes you try things and they don’t work out colleen! for me it is ice skating, for you it is writing. and that’s ok! speaking of: stop writing her letters for the love of god i literally don’t know if my heart is cold and dead but we get it atlas, you love her and can’t live without her and she saved you. you don’t have to say it a hundred times!! what a waste of paper!!! give us some new content king! also. every time tiktok is mentioned in a book, an angel loses its wings. you're telling me lily knows about tiktok and gen z but she doesn't know that ellen is a horrible person? ok

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lily doesn’t have a decent support system. i know she says that she does, but having your abusive ex husband’s sister as your best friend (and literally only her, as lily mentions in the book), is just not? like yes it’s better than nothing but i really hated the way allysa acted in a bunch of scenes. like is she supposed to be a likable character? This book is amazing. Just like the first one. I was considering it to be a solid four-star. Until the last chapter. Wonderful!