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It Ends With Us: The emotional #1 Sunday Times bestseller. Now a major film starring Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni Kindle Edition
THE MULTI-MILLION-COPY GLOBAL BESTSELLER. SOON TO BE A MAJOR MOVIE.
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 where she grew up—she graduated from college, moved to Boston, and started her own business. And when she feels a spark with a gorgeous neurosurgeon named Ryle Kincaid, everything in Lily's life seems 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.
With this bold and deeply personal novel, It Ends With Us is a heart-wrenching story and an unforgettable tale of love that comes at the ultimate price.
- LanguageEnglish
- PublisherSimon & Schuster UK
- Publication date2 Aug. 2016
- File size1.7 MB
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From the Publisher



Product description
Review
"The BEST book this author has ever written. It's so incredibly deep, and sincerely explores a complex struggle between what you feel, and what is real. 5++++++ STARS. Favorite book of the year!!!!
"Her most daring novel to date . . . one hell of a story." -- "NY Daily News"
"Colleen Hoover reminds readers that love is a fragile thing, built from courage, hope, and tears. Every person with a heartbeat should read this book." --Kami Garcia, #1 New York Times bestselling author
Colleen Hoover may have written her best novel yet. Hoover's latest novel, It Ends With Us---is a heartrending and powerful exploration of the different sides of domestic abuse. It is one of the most honest and inclusive novels written about the issue that I have ever read. It was an emotional rollercoaster that kept me reading past my bedtime.--Joni Andersen (Librarian)
"Colleen Hoover brilliantly tackles a very tough subject matter with brutal realness and honesty that left us stripped completely raw... Confidently a 2016 Top Recommendation and Must Read." -- "Rockstars of Romance"
"Fans of Hoover's emotional stories, conflicted characters and intense romances will gleefully devour her new novel. If you're a Hoover newbie, this is a great place to start. It Ends with Us is a perfect example of the author's writing chops and her ability to weave together uplifting, romantic and somber plotlines. No matter your level of fandom, readers will love and respect protagonist Lily and learn something from her struggles."-- "RT Book Reviews (4 starred review)"
"Emotional, unforgettable and extraordinary . . . Colleen Hoover deserves all the accolades this story will bring . . . remarkable, different, honest, heartbreaking and at times agonizing reading. This is not an easy book to get through but by God, it's rewarding . . . one of the best reads of this year."-- "Totally Booked Blog"
"It Ends with Us tackles [a] difficult subject...with romantic tenderness and emotional heft. The relationships are portrayed with compassion and honesty, and the author's note at the end that explains Hoover's personal connection to the subject matter is a must-read. Packed with riveting drama and painful truths, this book powerfully illustrates the devastation of abuse--and the strength of the survivors."-- "Kirkus, STARRED REVIEW"
"Best-selling Hoover's latest valiant and compelling...novel packs her trademark emotional punch... The power and pain of the relationship will stay with readers even as Hoover offers hope."-- "Booklist"
"[an] epic summertime read. With complex characters, a heartbreaking premise and drama aplenty, it's the perfect companion for a day at the beach." -- "Brit + Co"
"It Ends with Us isn't an ordinary love story. It will break your heart while filling you with hope, and by the end of this gripping, pulse-pounding novel, you'll be smiling through your tears."--Sarah Pekkanen, International bestselling author of Perfect Neighbors
"her most daring novel to date...one hell of a story." -- "NEW YORK DAILY NEWS"
"emotional, unforgettable and extraordinary...Colleen Hoover deserves all the accolades this story will bring.... remarkable, different, honest, heartbreaking and at times agonizing reading. This is not an easy book to get through but by God, it's rewarding...one of the best reads of this year,"-- "TOTALLY BOOKED BLOG"
"What a glorious and touching read, a forever keeper. The kind of book that gets handed down."-- "USA Today"
"It Ends With Us is one of the most powerful books of 2016 and one of the most raw, honest, inspiring, and profoundly beautiful stories I've ever read. It's one of those books that EVERYONE should read."-- "Aestas Book Blog"
"It Ends with Us tackles tough subject matter with a deft and confident hand."-- "Huffington Post"
"tackles tough subject matter with a deft and confident hand"-- "Huffington Post"
From the Back Cover
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.
About the Author
Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
Chapter One
As I sit here with one foot on either side of the ledge, looking down from twelve stories above the streets of Boston, I can’t help but think about suicide.
Not my own. I like my life enough to want to see it through.
I’m more focused on other people, and how they ultimately come to the decision to just end their own lives. Do they ever regret it? In the moment after letting go and the second before they make impact, there has to be a little bit of remorse in that brief free fall. Do they look at the ground as it rushes toward them and think, “Well, crap. This was a bad idea.”
Somehow, I think not.
I think about death a lot. Particularly today, considering I just—twelve hours earlier—gave one of the most epic eulogies the people of Plethora, Maine, have ever witnessed. Okay, maybe it wasn’t the most epic. It very well could be considered the most disastrous. I guess that would depend on whether you were asking my mother or me. My mother, who probably won’t speak to me for a solid year after today.
Don’t get me wrong; the eulogy I delivered wasn’t profound enough to make history, like the one Brooke Shields delivered at Michael Jackson’s funeral. Or the one delivered by Steve Jobs’s sister. Or Pat Tillman’s brother. But it was epic in its own way.
I was nervous at first. It was the funeral of the prodigious Andrew Bloom, after all. Adored mayor of my hometown of Plethora, Maine. Owner of the most successful real-estate agency within city limits. Husband of the highly adored Jenny Bloom, the most revered teaching assistant in all of Plethora. And father of Lily Bloom—that strange girl with the erratic red hair who once fell in love with a homeless guy and brought great shame upon her entire family.
That would be me. I’m Lily Bloom, and Andrew was my father.
As soon as I finished delivering his eulogy today, I caught a flight straight back to Boston and hijacked the first roof I could find. Again, not because I’m suicidal. I have no plans to scale off this roof. I just really needed fresh air and silence, and dammit if I can’t get that from my third floor apartment with absolutely no rooftop access and a roommate who likes to hear herself sing.
I didn’t account for how cold it would be up here, though. It’s not unbearable, but it’s not comfortable, either. At least I can see the stars. Dead fathers and exasperating roommates and questionable eulogies don’t feel so awful when the night sky is clear enough to literally feel the grandeur of the universe.
I love it when the sky makes me feel insignificant.
I like tonight.
Well… let me rephrase this so that it more appropriately reflects my feelings in past tense.
I liked tonight.
But unfortunately for me, the door was just shoved open so hard, I expect the stairwell to spit a human out onto the rooftop. The door slams shut again and footsteps move swiftly across the deck. I don’t even bother looking up. Whoever it is more than likely won’t even notice me back here straddling the ledge to the left of the door. They came out here in such a hurry, it isn’t my fault if they assume they’re alone.
I sigh quietly, close my eyes and lean my head against the stucco wall behind me, cursing the universe for ripping this peaceful, introspective moment out from under me. The least the universe could do for me today is ensure that it’s a woman and not a man. If I’m going to have company, I’d rather it be a female. I’m tough for my size and can probably hold my own in most cases, but I’m too comfortable right now to be on a rooftop alone with a strange man in the middle of the night. I might fear for my safety and feel the need to leave, and I really don’t want to leave. As I said before… I’m comfortable.
I finally allow my eyes to make the journey to the silhouette leaning over the ledge. As luck would have it, he’s definitely male. Even leaning over the rail, I can tell he’s tall. Broad shoulders create a strong contrast to the fragile way he’s holding his head in his hands. I can barely make out the heavy rise and fall of his back as he drags in deep breaths and forces them back out when he’s done with them.
He appears to be on the verge of a breakdown. I contemplate speaking up to let him know he has company, or clearing my throat, but between thinking it and actually doing it, he spins around and kicks one of the patio chairs behind him.
I flinch as it screeches across the deck, but being as though he isn’t even aware he has an audience, the guy doesn’t stop with just one kick. He kicks the chair repeatedly, over and over. Rather than give way beneath the blunt force of his foot, all the chair does is scoot farther and farther away from him.
That chair must be made from marine-grade polymer.
I once watched my father back over an outdoor patio table made of marine-grade polymer, and it practically laughed at him. Dented his bumper, but didn’t even put a scratch on the table.
This guy must realize he’s no match for such a high-quality material, because he finally stops kicking the chair. He’s now standing over it, his hands clenched in fists at his sides. To be honest, I’m a little envious. Here this guy is, taking his aggression out on patio furniture like a champ. He’s obviously had a shitty day, as have I, but whereas I keep my aggression pent up until it manifests in the form of passive-aggressiveness, this guy actually has an outlet.
My outlet used to be gardening. Any time I was stressed, I’d just go out to the backyard and pull every single weed I could find. But since the day I moved to Boston two years ago, I haven’t had a backyard. Or a patio. I don’t even have weeds.
Maybe I need to invest in a marine-grade polymer patio chair.
I stare at the guy a moment longer, wondering if he’s ever going to move. He’s just standing there, staring down at the chair. His hands aren’t in fists anymore. They’re resting on his hips, and I notice for the first time how his shirt doesn’t fit him very well around his biceps. It fits him everywhere else, but his arms are huge. He begins fishing around in his pockets until he finds what he’s looking for and—in what I’m sure is probably an effort to release even more of his aggression—he lights up a joint.
I’m twenty-three, I’ve been through college and have done this very same recreational drug a time or two. I’m not going to judge this guy for feeling the need to toke up in private. But that’s the thing—he’s not in private. He just doesn’t know that yet.
He takes in a long drag of his joint and starts to turn back toward the ledge. He notices me on the exhale. He stops walking the second our eyes meet. His expression holds no shock, nor does it hold amusement when he sees me. He’s about ten feet away, but there’s enough light from the stars that I can see his eyes as they slowly drag over my body without revealing a single thought. This guy holds his cards well. His gaze is narrow and his mouth is drawn tight, like a male version of the Mona Lisa.
“What’s your name?” he asks.
I feel his voice in my stomach. That’s not good. Voices should stop at the ears, but sometimes—not very often at all, actually—a voice will penetrate past my ears and reverberate straight down through my body. He has one of those voices. Deep, confident, and a little bit like butter.
When I don’t answer him, he brings the joint back to his mouth and takes another hit.
“Lily,” I finally say. I hate my voice. It sounds too weak to even reach his ears from here, much less reverberate inside his body.
He lifts his chin a little and nudges his head toward me. “Will you please get down from there, Lily?”
It isn’t until he says this that I notice his posture. He’s standing straight up now, rigid even. Almost as if he’s nervous I’m going to fall. I’m not. This ledge is at least a foot wide, and I’m mostly on the roof side. I could easily catch myself before I fell, not to mention I’ve got the wind in my favor.
I glance down at my legs and then back up at him. “No, thanks. I’m quite comfortable where I am.”
He turns a little, like he can’t look straight at me. “Please get down.” It’s more of a demand now, despite his use of the word please. “There are seven empty chairs up here.”
“Almost six,” I correct, reminding him that he just tried to murder one of them. He doesn’t find the humor in my response. When I fail to follow his orders, he takes a couple of steps closer.
“You are a mere three inches from falling to your death. I’ve been around enough of that for one day.” He motions for me to get down again. “You’re making me nervous. Not to mention ruining my high.”
I roll my eyes and swing my legs over. “Heaven forbid a joint go to waste.” I hop down and wipe my hands across my jeans. “Better?” I say as I walk toward him.
He lets out a rush of air, as if seeing me on the ledge actually had him holding his breath. I pass him to head for the side of the roof with the better view, and as I do, I can’t help but notice how unfortunately cute he is.
No. Cute is an insult.
This guy is beautiful. Well-manicured, smells like money, looks to be several years older than me. His eyes crinkle in the corners as they follow me, and his lips seem to frown, even when they aren’t. When I reach the side of the building that overlooks the street, I lean forward and stare down at the cars below, trying not to appear impressed by him. I can tell by his haircut alone that he’s the kind of man people are easily impressed by, and I refuse to feed into his ego. Not that he’s done anything to make me think he even has one. But he is wearing a casual Burberry shirt, and I’m not sure I’ve ever been on the radar of someone who could casually afford one.
I hear footsteps approaching from behind, and then he leans against the railing next to me. Out of the corner of my eye, I watch as he takes another hit of his joint. When he’s finished, he offers it to me, but I wave it off. The last thing I need is to be under the influence around this guy. His voice is a drug in itself. I kind of want to hear it again, so I throw a question in his direction.
“So what did that chair do to make you so angry?”
He looks at me. Like really looks at me. His eyes meet mine and he just stares, hard, like all my secrets are right there on my face. I’ve never seen eyes as dark as his. Maybe I have, but they seem darker when they’re attached to such an intimidating presence. He doesn’t answer my question, but my curiosity isn’t easily put to rest. If he’s going to force me down from a very peaceful, comfortable ledge, then I expect him to entertain me with answers to my nosy questions.
“Was it a woman?” I inquire. “Did she break your heart?”
He laughs a little with that question. “If only my issues were as trivial as matters of the heart.” He leans into the wall so that he can face me. “What floor do you live on?” He licks his fingers and pinches the end of his joint, then puts it back in his pocket. “I’ve never noticed you before.”
“That’s because I don’t live here.” I point in the direction of my apartment. “See that insurance building?”
He squints as he looks in the direction I’m pointing. “Yeah.”
“I live in the building next to it. It’s too short to see from here. It’s only three stories tall.”
He’s facing me again, resting his elbow on the ledge. “If you live over there, why are you here? Your boyfriend live here or something?”
His comment somehow makes me feel cheap. It was too easy—an amateurish pickup line. From the looks of this guy, I know he has better skills than that. It makes me think he saves the more difficult pickup lines for the women he deems worthy.
“You have a nice roof,” I tell him.
He lifts an eyebrow, waiting for more of an explanation.
“I wanted fresh air. Somewhere to think. I pulled up Google Earth and found the closest apartment complex with a decent rooftop patio.”
He regards me with a smile. “At least you’re economical,” he says. “That’s a good quality to have.”
At least?
I nod, because I am economical. And it is a good quality to have.
“Why did you need fresh air?” he asks.
Because I buried my father today and gave an epically disastrous eulogy and now I feel like I can’t breathe.
I face forward again and slowly exhale. “Can we just not talk for a little while?”
He seems a bit relieved that I asked for silence. He leans over the ledge and lets an arm dangle as he stares down at the street. He stays like this for a while, and I stare at him the entire time. He probably knows I’m staring, but he doesn’t seem to care.
“A guy fell off this roof last month,” he says.
I would be annoyed at his lack of respect for my request for silence, but I’m kind of intrigued.
“Was it an accident?”
He shrugs. “No one knows. It happened late in the evening. His wife said she was cooking dinner and he told her he was coming up here to take some pictures of the sunset. He was a photographer. They think he was leaning over the ledge to get a shot of the skyline, and he slipped.”
I look over the ledge, wondering how someone could possibly put themselves in a situation where they could fall by accident. But then I remember I was just straddling the ledge on the other side of the roof a few minutes ago.
“When my sister told me what happened, the only thing I could think about was whether or not he got the shot. I was hoping his camera didn’t fall with him, because that would have been a real waste, you know? To die because of your love of photography, but you didn’t even get the final shot that cost you your life?”
His thought makes me laugh. Although I’m not sure I should have laughed at that. “Do you always say exactly what’s on your mind?”
He shrugs. “Not to most people.”
This makes me smile. I like that he doesn’t even know me, but for whatever reason, I’m not considered most people to him.
He rests his back against the ledge and folds his arms over his chest. “Were you born here?”
I shake my head. “No. Moved here from Maine after I graduated college.”
He scrunches up his nose, and it’s kind of hot. Watching this guy—dressed in his Burberry shirt with his two-hundred-dollar haircut—making silly faces.
“So you’re in Boston purgatory, huh? That’s gotta suck.”
“What do you mean?” I ask him.
The corner of his mouth curls up. “The tourists treat you like a local; the locals treat you like a tourist.”
I laugh. “Wow. That’s a very accurate description.”
“I’ve been here two months. I’m not even in purgatory yet, so you’re doing better than I am.”
“What brought you to Boston?”
“My residency. And my sister lives here.” He taps his foot and says, “Right beneath us, actually. Married a tech-savvy Bostonian and they bought the entire top floor.”
I look down. “The entire top floor?”
He nods. “Lucky bastard works from home. Doesn’t even have to change out of his pajamas and makes seven figures a year.”
Lucky bastard, indeed.
“What kind of residency? Are you a doctor?”
He nods. “Neurosurgeon. Less than a year left of my residency and then it’s official.”
Stylish, well spoken, and smart. And smokes pot. If this were an SAT question, I would ask which one didn’t belong. “Should doctors be smoking weed?”
He smirks. “Probably not. But if we didn’t indulge on occasion, there would be a lot more of us taking the leap over these ledges, I can promise you that.” He’s facing forward again with his chin resting on his arms. His eyes are closed now, like he’s enjoying the wind against his face. He doesn’t look as intimidating like this.
“You want to know something that only the locals know?”
“Of course,” he says, bringing his attention back to me.
I point to the east. “See that building? The one with the green roof?”
He nods.
“There’s a building behind it on Melcher. There’s a house on top of the building. Like a legit house, built right on the rooftop. You can’t see it from the street, and the building is so tall that not many people even know about it.”
He looks impressed. “Really?”
I nod. “I saw it when I was searching Google Earth, so I looked it up. Apparently a permit was granted for the construction in 1982. How cool would that be? To live in a house on top of a building?”
“You’d get the whole roof to yourself,” he says.
I hadn’t thought of that. If I owned it I could plant gardens up there. I’d have an outlet.
“Who lives there?” he asks.
“No one really knows. It’s one of the great mysteries of Boston.”
He laughs and then looks at me inquisitively. “What’s another great mystery of Boston?”
“Your name.” As soon as I say it, I slap my hand against my forehead. It sounded so much like a cheesy pickup line; the only thing I can do is laugh at myself.
He smiles. “It’s Ryle,” he says. “Ryle Kincaid.”
I sigh, sinking into myself. “That’s a really great name.”
“Why do you sound sad about it?”
“Because, I’d give anything for a great name.”
“You don’t like the name Lily?”
I tilt my head and cock an eyebrow. “My last name… is Bloom.”
He’s quiet. I can feel him trying to hold back his pity.
“I know. It’s awful. It’s the name of a two-year-old little girl, not a twenty-three-year-old woman.”
“A two-year-old girl will have the same name no matter how old she gets. Names aren’t something we eventually grow out of, Lily Bloom.”
“Unfortunately for me,” I say. “But what makes it even worse is that I absolutely love gardening. I love flowers. Plants. Growing things. It’s my passion. It’s always been my dream to open a florist shop, but I’m afraid if I did, people wouldn’t think my desire was authentic. They would think I was trying to capitalize off my name and that being a florist isn’t really my dream job.”
“Maybe so,” he says. “But what’s that matter?”
“It doesn’t, I suppose.” I catch myself whispering, “Lily Bloom’s” quietly. I can see him smiling a little bit. “It really is a great name for a florist. But I have a master’s degree in business. I’d be downgrading, don’t you think? I work for the biggest marketing firm in Boston.”
“Owning your own business isn’t downgrading,” he says.
I raise an eyebrow. “Unless it flops.”
He nods in agreement. “Unless it flops,” he says. “So what’s your middle name, Lily Bloom?”
I groan, which makes him perk up.
“You mean it gets worse?”
I drop my head in my hands and nod.
“Rose?”
I shake my head. “Worse.”
“Violet?”
“I wish.” I cringe and then mutter, “Blossom.”
There’s a moment of silence. “Goddamn,” he says softly.
“Yeah. Blossom is my mother’s maiden name and my parents thought it was fate that their last names were synonyms. So of course when they had me, a flower was their first choice.”
“Your parents must be real assholes.”
One of them is. Was. “My father died this week.”
He glances at me. “Nice try. I’m not falling for that.”
“I’m serious. That’s why I came up here tonight. I think I just needed a good cry.”
He stares at me suspiciously for a moment to make sure I’m not pulling his leg. He doesn’t apologize for the blunder. Instead, his eyes grow a little more curious, like his intrigue is actually authentic. “Were you close?”
That’s a hard question. I rest my chin on my arms and look down at the street again. “I don’t know,” I say with a shrug. “As his daughter, I loved him. But as a human, I hated him.”
I can feel him watching me for a moment, and then he says, “I like that. Your honesty.”
He likes my honesty. I think I might be blushing.
We’re both quiet again for a while, and then he says, “Do you ever wish people were more transparent?”
“How so?”
He picks at a piece of chipped stucco with his thumb until it breaks loose. He flicks it over the ledge. “I feel like everyone fakes who they really are, when deep down we’re all equal amounts of screwed up. Some of us are just better at hiding it than others.”
Either his high is setting in, or he’s just very introspective. Either way, I’m okay with it. My favorite conversations are the ones with no real answers.
“I don’t think being a little guarded is a negative thing,” I say. “Naked truths aren’t always pretty.”
He stares at me for a moment. “Naked truths,” he repeats. “I like that.” He turns around and walks to the middle of the rooftop. He adjusts the back on one of the patio loungers behind me and lowers himself onto it. It’s the kind you lie on, so he pulls his hands behind his head and looks up at the sky. I claim the one next to him and adjust it until I’m in the same position as him.
“Tell me a naked truth, Lily.”
“Pertaining to what?”
He shrugs. “I don’t know. Something you aren’t proud of. Something that will make me feel a little less screwed up on the inside.”
He’s staring up at the sky, waiting on me to answer. My eyes follow the line of his jaw, the curve of his cheeks, the outline of his lips. His eyebrows are drawn together in contemplation. I don’t understand why, but he seems to need conversation right now. I think about his question and try to find an honest answer. When I come up with one, I look away from him and back up to the sky.
“My father was abusive. Not to me—to my mother. He would get so angry when they fought that sometimes he would hit her. When that happened, he would spend the next week or two making up for it. He would do things like buy her flowers or take us out to a nice dinner. Sometimes he would buy me stuff because he knew I hated it when they fought. When I was a kid, I found myself looking forward to the nights they would fight. Because I knew if he hit her, the two weeks that followed would be great.” I pause. I’m not sure I’ve ever admitted that to myself. “Of course if I could, I would have made it to where he never touched her. But the abuse was inevitable with their marriage, and it became our norm. When I got older, I realized that not doing something about it made me just as guilty. I spent most of my life hating him for being such a bad person, but I’m not so sure I’m much better. Maybe we’re both bad people.”
Ryle looks over at me with a thoughtful expression. “Lily,” he says pointedly. “There is no such thing as bad people. We’re all just people who sometimes do bad things.”
I open my mouth to respond, but his words strike me silent. We’re all just people who sometimes do bad things. I guess that’s true in a way. No one is exclusively bad, nor is anyone exclusively good. Some are just forced to work harder at suppressing the bad.
“Your turn,” I tell him.
Based on his reaction, I think he might not want to play his own game. He sighs heavily and runs a hand through his hair. He opens his mouth to speak, but then clamps it shut again. He thinks for a bit, and then finally speaks. “I watched a little boy die tonight.” His voice is despondent. “He was only five years old. He and his little brother found a gun in his parents’ bedroom. The younger brother was holding it and it went off by accident.”
My stomach flips. I think this may be a little too much truth for me.
“There was nothing that could be done by the time he made it to the operating table. Everyone around—nurses, other doctors—they all felt so sorry for the family. ‘Those poor parents,’ they said. But when I had to walk into the waiting room and tell those parents that their child didn’t make it, I didn’t feel an ounce of sorrow for them. I wanted them to suffer. I wanted them to feel the weight of their ignorance for keeping a loaded gun within access of two innocent children. I wanted them to know that not only did they just lose a child, they just ruined the entire life of the one who accidentally pulled the trigger.”
Jesus Christ. I wasn’t prepared for something so heavy.
I can’t even conceive how a family moves past that. “That poor boy’s brother,” I say. “I can’t imagine what that’s going to do to him—seeing something like that.”
Ryle flicks something off the knee of his jeans. “It’ll destroy him for life, that’s what it’ll do.”
I turn on my side to face him, lifting my head up onto my hand. “Is it hard? Seeing things like that every day?”
He gives his head a slight shake. “It should be a lot harder, but the more I’m around death, the more it just becomes a part of life. I’m not sure how I feel about that.” He makes eye contact with me again. “Give me another one,” he says. “I feel like mine was a little more twisted than yours.”
I disagree, but I tell him about the twisted thing I did a mere twelve hours ago.
“My mother asked me two days ago if I would deliver the eulogy at my father’s funeral today. I told her I didn’t feel comfortable—that I might be crying too hard to speak in front of a crowd—but that was a lie. I just didn’t want to do it because I feel like eulogies should be delivered by those who respected the deceased. And I didn’t much respect my father.”
“Did you do it?”
I nod. “Yeah. This morning.” I sit up and pull my legs beneath me as I face him. “You want to hear it?”
He smiles. “Absolutely.”
I fold my hands in my lap and inhale a breath. “I had no idea what to say. About an hour before the funeral, I told my mother I didn’t want to do it. She said it was simple and that my father would have wanted me to do it. She said all I had to do was walk up to the podium and say five great things about my father. So… that’s exactly what I did.”
Ryle lifts up onto his elbow, appearing even more interested. He can tell by the look on my face that it gets worse. “Oh, no, Lily. What did you do?”
“Here. Let me just reenact it for you.” I stand up and walk around to the other side of my chair. I stand tall and act like I’m looking out over the same crowded room I was met with this morning. I clear my throat.
“Hello. My name is Lily Bloom, daughter of the late Andrew Bloom. Thank you all for joining us today as we mourn his loss. I wanted to take a moment to honor his life by sharing with you five great things about my father. The first thing…”
I look down at Ryle and shrug. “That’s it.”
He sits up. “What do you mean?”
I take a seat on my lounge chair and lie back down. “I stood up there for two solid minutes without saying another word. There wasn’t one great thing I could say about that man—so I just stared silently at the crowd until my mother realized what I was doing and had my uncle remove me from the podium.”
Ryle tilts his head. “Are you kidding me? You gave the anti-eulogy at your own father’s funeral?”
I nod. “I’m not proud of it. I don’t think. I mean, if I had my way, he would have been a much better person and I would have stood up there and talked for an hour.”
Ryle lies back down. “Wow,” he says, shaking his head. “You’re kind of my hero. You just roasted a dead guy.”
“That’s tacky.”
“Yeah, well. Naked truth hurts.”
I laugh. “Your turn.”
“I can’t top that,” he says.
“I’m sure you can come close.”
“I’m not sure I can.”
I roll my eyes. “Yes you can. Don’t make me feel like the worst person out of the two of us. Tell me the most recent thought you’ve had that most people wouldn’t say out loud.”
He pulls his hands up behind his head and looks me straight in the eye. “I want to fuck you.”
My mouth falls open. Then I clamp it shut again.
I think I might be speechless.
He shoots me a look of innocence. “You asked for the most recent thought, so I gave it to you. You’re beautiful. I’m a guy. If you were into one-night stands, I would take you downstairs to my bedroom and I would fuck you.”
I can’t even look at him. His statement makes me feel a multitude of things all at once.
“Well, I’m not into one-night stands.”
“I figured as much,” he says. “Your turn.”
He’s so nonchalant; he acts as if he didn’t just stun me into silence.
“I need a minute to regroup after that one,” I say with a laugh. I try to think of something with a little shock value, but I can’t get over the fact that he just said that. Out loud. Maybe because he’s a neurosurgeon and I never pictured someone so educated throwing around the word fuck so casually.
I gather myself… somewhat… and then say, “Okay. Since we’re on the subject… the first guy I ever had sex with was homeless.”
He perks up and faces me. “Oh, I’m gonna need more of this story.”
I stretch my arm out and rest my head on it. “I grew up in Maine. We lived in a fairly decent neighborhood, but the street behind our house wasn’t in the best condition. Our backyard butted up to a condemned house adjacent to two abandoned lots. I became friends with a guy named Atlas who stayed in the condemned house. No one knew he was living there other than me. I used to take him food and clothes and stuff. Until my father found out.”
“What’d he do?”
My jaw tightens. I don’t know why I brought this up when I still force myself not to think about it on a daily basis. “He beat him up.” That’s as naked as I want to get about that subject. “Your turn.”
He regards me silently for a moment, as if he knows there’s more to that story. But then he breaks eye contact. “The thought of marriage repulses me,” he says. “I’m almost thirty years old and I have no desire for a wife. I especially don’t want children. The only thing I want out of life is success. Lots of it. But if I admit that out loud to anyone, it makes me sound arrogant.”
“Professional success? Or social status?”
He says, “Both. Anyone can have children. Anyone can get married. But not everyone can be a neurosurgeon. I get a lot of pride out of that. And I don’t just want to be a great neurosurgeon. I want to be the best in my field.”
“You’re right. It does make you sound arrogant.”
He smiles. “My mother fears I’m wasting my life away because all I do is work.”
“You’re a neurosurgeon and your mother is disappointed in you?” I laugh. “Good lord, that’s insane. Are parents ever really happy with their children? Will they ever be good enough?”
He shakes his head. “My children wouldn’t be. Not many people have the drive I do, so I’d only be setting them up for failure. That’s why I’ll never have any.”
“I actually think that’s respectable, Ryle. A lot of people refuse to admit they might be too selfish to have children.”
He shakes his head. “Oh, I’m way too selfish to have children. And I’m definitely way too selfish to be in a relationship.”
“So how do you avoid it? You just don’t date?”
He cuts his eyes to me, and there’s a slight grin affixed to his face. “When I have time, there are girls who satisfy those needs. I don’t lack for anything in that department, if that’s what you’re asking. But love has never appealed to me. It’s always been more of a burden than anything.”
I wish I looked at love like that. It would make my life a hell of a lot easier. “I envy you. I have this idea that there’s a perfect man out there for me. I tend to become jaded easily, because no one ever meets my standards. I feel like I’m on an infinite search for the Holy Grail.”
“You should try my method,” he says.
“Which is?”
“One-night stands.” He raises an eyebrow, like it’s an invitation.
I’m glad it’s dark, because my face is on fire. “I could never sleep with someone if I didn’t see it going anywhere.” I say this out loud, but my words lack conviction when I say it to him.
He drags in a long, slow breath, and then rolls onto his back. “Not that kind of girl, huh?” He says this with a trace of disappointment in his voice.
I match his disappointment. I’m not sure I’d even want to turn him down if he made a move, but I might have just thwarted that possibility.
“If you wouldn’t sleep with someone you just met…” His eyes meet mine again. “Exactly how far would you go?”
I don’t have an answer for that. I roll onto my back because the way he’s looking at me makes me want to rethink one-night stands. I’m not necessarily against them, I suppose. I’ve just never been propositioned for one by someone I would consider it with.
Until now. I think. Is he even propositioning me? I’ve always been terrible at flirting.
He reaches out and grabs the edge of my lounge chair. In one swift movement and with very minimal effort, he drags my chair closer to him until it bumps his.
My whole body stiffens. He’s so close now, I can feel the warmth of his breath cutting through the cold air. If I were to look at him, his face would be mere inches from mine. I refuse to look at him, because he’d probably kiss me and I know absolutely nothing about this guy, other than a couple of naked truths. But that doesn’t weigh on my conscience at all when he rests a heavy hand on my stomach.
“How far would you go, Lily?” His voice is decadent. Smooth. It travels straight to my toes.
“I don’t know,” I whisper.
His fingers begin to crawl toward the hem of my shirt. He begins to slowly inch it upward until a slither of my stomach is showing. “Oh, Jesus,” I whisper, feeling the warmth from his hand as he slides it up my stomach.
Against my better judgment, I face him again and the look in his eyes completely captivates me. He looks hopeful and hungry and completely confident. He sinks his teeth into his bottom lip as his hand begins to tease its way up my shirt. I know he can feel my heart thrashing around in my chest. Hell, he can probably hear it.
“Is this too far?” he asks.
I don’t know where this side of me is coming from, but I shake my head and say, “Not even close.”
With a grin, his fingers brush the underneath of my bra, lightly trickling over my skin that is now covered in chills.
As soon as my eyelids fall shut, the piercing of a ring rips through the air. His hand stiffens when we both realize it’s a phone. His phone.
He drops his forehead to my shoulder. “Dammit.”
I frown when his hand slips out from beneath my shirt. He fumbles in his pocket for his phone, standing up and walking several feet away from me to take the call.
“Dr. Kincaid,” he says. He listens intently, his hand gripping the back of his neck. “What about Roberts? I’m not even supposed to be on call right now.” More silence is followed with, “Yeah, give me ten minutes. On my way.”
He ends the call and slides his phone back in his pocket. When he turns to face me, he looks a little disappointed. He points to the door that leads to the stairwell. “I have to…”
I nod. “It’s fine.”
He considers me for a moment, and then holds up a finger. “Don’t move,” he says, reaching for his phone again. He walks closer and holds it up as if he’s about to snap a picture of me. I almost object, but I don’t even know why. I’m fully clothed. It just doesn’t feel that way for some reason.
He snaps a picture of me lying in the lounge chair, my arms relaxed above my head. I have no idea what he plans to do with that picture, but I like that he took it. I like that he had the urge to remember what I look like, even though he knows he’ll never see me again.
He stares at the photo on his screen for a few seconds and smiles. I’m half-tempted to take a picture of him in return, but I’m not sure I want a reminder of someone I’ll never see again. The thought of that is a little depressing.
“It was nice meeting you, Lily Bloom. I hope you defy the odds of most dreams and actually accomplish yours.”
I smile, equally saddened and confused by this guy. I’m not sure that I’ve ever spent time with someone like him before—someone of a completely different lifestyle and tax bracket. I probably never will again. But I’m pleasantly surprised to see that we aren’t all that different.
Misconception confirmed.
He looks down at his feet for a moment as he stands in somewhat of an unsure pose. It’s as if he’s suspended between the desire to say something else to me and the need to leave. He glances at me one last time—this time without so much of a poker face. I can see the disappointment in the set of his mouth before he turns and walks in the other direction. He opens the door and I can hear his footsteps fade as he rushes down the stairwell. I’m alone on the rooftop once again, but to my surprise, I’m a little saddened by that now.
Product details
- ASIN : B017RMOW2U
- Publisher : Simon & Schuster UK; Paperback Original edition (2 Aug. 2016)
- Language : English
- File size : 1.7 MB
- Text-to-Speech : Enabled
- Screen Reader : Supported
- Enhanced typesetting : Enabled
- X-Ray : Enabled
- Word Wise : Enabled
- Print length : 381 pages
- Best Sellers Rank: 415 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- 1 in Medical Romance eBooks
- 1 in Medical Romance
- 2 in Poverty
- Customer reviews:
About the author

Colleen Hoover is the #1 New York Times and International bestselling author of multiple novels and novellas. She lives in Texas with her husband and their three boys. She is the founder of The Bookworm Box, a non-profit book subscription service and bookstore in Sulphur Springs, Texas.
For more information and for a schedule of events, please visit colleenhoover.com.
To contact Colleen and her team (Her team's name is Stephanie), please email hooverink@outlook.com
Customer reviews
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Learn more how customers reviews work on AmazonCustomers say
Customers find this book to be a well-written page-turner that reaches deep into readers' souls, with a powerful love story that intertwines romance with societal issues. They appreciate its genuine relatability, amazing characters, and thought-provoking exploration of difficult topics. The pacing receives mixed reactions, with some finding it nicely paced while others say it's rushed.
AI-generated from the text of customer reviews
Customers find the book's story engaging and well-written, describing it as a page-turner that's worth the hype.
"...This was a really hard read, but an impressive one. There were a lot of incredible quotes and life lessons that could be taken from this...." Read more
"...The subject matter is quite intense; Hoover's words are beautiful and raw while going some way to explaining the situation, why people stay, and..." Read more
"...On a final note I have to say how much I love the title and cover of this book, the reasoning for both becomes apparent as you read the book, and..." Read more
"Wonderful read couldn't wait for the follow up. All emotions experienced reading ." Read more
Customers find the book emotionally engaging, with several mentioning being moved to tears of joy, and one customer noting the heartfelt message from the author at the end.
"...advertised this book as a romance, but I see it differently, it's a book of life. Of a difficult life that does have a brighter outcome...." Read more
"Wonderful read couldn't wait for the follow up. All emotions experienced reading ." Read more
"...So well written that you feel every emotion, I cried a lot, laughed a little...." Read more
"...Their bond is heartwarming and filled with hope amidst the turmoil. Lily and Allysa: The friendship between Lily and Allysa is wonderful...." Read more
Customers praise the writing quality of the book, finding it well-crafted and easy to read, with one customer specifically appreciating the inner dialogue.
"...Perfect book, perfect timing. This was a really hard read, but an impressive one...." Read more
"...However, he was superbly written, and while you want to hate him, you also feel kind of sorry for him...." Read more
"...Well written kept me gripped. I would definitely recommend. ." Read more
"...So well written that you feel every emotion, I cried a lot, laughed a little...." Read more
Customers enjoy the romance in this book, which intertwines love with societal issues, making it a gripping club read.
"...Their connection with Ellen DeGeneres was beautiful and the continuing messages of 'Just Keep Swimming' was enough to put a sop smile on my face..." Read more
"...Their bond is heartwarming and filled with hope amidst the turmoil. Lily and Allysa: The friendship between Lily and Allysa is wonderful...." Read more
"...I particularly liked the emphasis on cycles and patterns of abuse, how Lily found herself in the same situation as her mother all those years ago,..." Read more
"...when I read this, but it sure as hell wasn’t this, this is not a romance novel...." Read more
Customers find the book genuinely relatable and completely believable, with one customer noting how it reflects real experiences and adds a layer of authenticity.
"...Dear, sweet Atlas. Always compassionate Atlas...." Read more
"...She was real and vulnerable and she managed to find the strength to make the right choice in the hardest of situations...." Read more
"...I found a large number of the characters in It Ends With Us to be unoriginal and stereotypical. A woman named Lily Bloom who runs a florist?..." Read more
"...that this story is based on true events and reflects real experiences adds a layer of authenticity...." Read more
Customers appreciate the character development in the book, finding them amazing and feeling connected to them throughout the story.
"...The character development was spot on. I love Ryle (to start with), I loved Atlas, I loved Lily and I loved Allysa...." Read more
"...This book was powerful in its own way. The character development of Lily was amazing and she definitely showed what it was like to come out on the..." Read more
"The characters are well written I soon became invested in their story.Well written kept me gripped. I would definitely recommend. ." Read more
"...The characters are all somewhat imperfect. I particularly enjoyed the Lilly / Atlas relationship, which was sweet and long-lasting...." Read more
Customers find the book thought-provoking and insightful, providing a bigger understanding of its subject matter and exploring various significant topics.
"...The subject matter is quite intense; Hoover's words are beautiful and raw while going some way to explaining the situation, why people stay, and..." Read more
"...' personal story is also a really sad one, with important subjects such as homelessness explored, and I loved his resilience and how these two were..." Read more
"...in which was good, as she asked us what it meant - so helps with her English vocabulary too." Read more
"...I do not do spoilers so will no more. It is hard hitting and thought provoking but worth reading." Read more
Customers have mixed opinions about the book's pacing, with some finding it nicely paced and able to read it in one sitting, while others note that the beginning is slow and everything feels rushed.
"This book was very enjoyable to read. I read it so quickly. The author has a way of you really rooting for the characters...." Read more
"...The ending felt a little rushed, and I wanted to know more about Atlas...." Read more
"Absolutely loved it, read it in two days and just couldn’t put it down!..." Read more
"...Oh my goodness, it stayed permanently in my hand for the entire reading...." Read more
Reviews with images

Lovely but tragic story
Top reviews from United Kingdom
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- Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 14 October 2022𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗪𝗮𝗿𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀: Domestic abuse (physical/emotional), Attempted rape, Child death, Potential PTSD
“𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘯𝘰 𝘴𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘴 𝘣𝘢𝘥 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦. 𝘞𝘦’𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦𝘴 𝘥𝘰 𝘣𝘢𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴.”
✮ ✮ ✮ ✮ ✮
𝐒𝐰𝐢𝐩𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐬𝐲𝐧𝐨𝐩𝐬𝐢𝐬 ➡️
I have not ever cried this much at a book. I don’t know what I was expecting when I read this, but it sure as hell wasn’t this, this is not a romance novel. I can’t even fathom putting my thoughts about this book on paper, because I am still crying an hour later. They are now happy tears, but they were sad tears. What a story.
I had planned to read this book this month anyway, but I pushed it forward after being selected for the 100 person Tandem Readalong for the sequel, starting after release day. I’m glad I did read it sooner. Sometimes do you ever feel like you just need a good cry, but not for any reason in particular? Maybe your just overtired. Overworked. Okay that was me, and this book released my pent up ness through the tears I shed. Perfect book, perfect timing.
This was a really hard read, but an impressive one. There were a lot of incredible quotes and life lessons that could be taken from this. I please urge anyone who hasn’t read this to check the content warnings carefully, because it can be an extremely uncomfortable read at times.
The character development was spot on. I love Ryle (to start with), I loved Atlas, I loved Lily and I loved Allysa. None of the characters could have been better built. You’ve got the attractive but troubled neurosurgeon, the once troubled “ex”, an MC who is repeating her mothers experience and a best friend who is perfect in every way!
Go and buy the book. I think that’s all I can say.
𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗪𝗮𝗿𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀: Domestic abuse (physical/emotional), Attempted rape, Child death, Potential PTSD
“𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘯𝘰 𝘴𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘴 𝘣𝘢𝘥 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦. 𝘞𝘦’𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦𝘴 𝘥𝘰 𝘣𝘢𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴.”
✮ ✮ ✮ ✮ ✮
𝐒𝐰𝐢𝐩𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐬𝐲𝐧𝐨𝐩𝐬𝐢𝐬 ➡️
I have not ever cried this much at a book. I don’t know what I was expecting when I read this, but it sure as hell wasn’t this, this is not a romance novel. I can’t even fathom putting my thoughts about this book on paper, because I am still crying an hour later. They are now happy tears, but they were sad tears. What a story.
I had planned to read this book this month anyway, but I pushed it forward after being selected for the 100 person Tandem Readalong for the sequel, starting after release day. I’m glad I did read it sooner. Sometimes do you ever feel like you just need a good cry, but not for any reason in particular? Maybe your just overtired. Overworked. Okay that was me, and this book released my pent up ness through the tears I shed. Perfect book, perfect timing.
This was a really hard read, but an impressive one. There were a lot of incredible quotes and life lessons that could be taken from this. I please urge anyone who hasn’t read this to check the content warnings carefully, because it can be an extremely uncomfortable read at times.
The character development was spot on. I love Ryle (to start with), I loved Atlas, I loved Lily and I loved Allysa. None of the characters could have been better built. You’ve got the attractive but troubled neurosurgeon, the once troubled “ex”, an MC who is repeating her mothers experience and a best friend who is perfect in every way!
Go and buy the book. I think that’s all I can say.
Images in this review
- Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 3 May 2022**TW**
Domestic ab*se, r*pe, manipulation, s*icide, homelessness, child neglect, death, substance ab*se
This book contains a lot of sensitive themes, if a sensitive reader, this book may not be suited for you.
Where to begin? This book was powerful in its own way. The character development of Lily was amazing and she definitely showed what it was like to come out on the brighter side.
Her relationship with Ryle though, that was clearly toxic from the start with many red flags to view. But she loved him and it can be difficult to see past the love you have for someone.
There were scenes where he was kind and gentle with her but coming into the middle of the book, and onwards, his behavior started to change and his attitude towards Lily was not at all kind and gentle.
Reading the interactions they have together really makes you think long and hard about the type of people they are. Yes, they cared for each other, but they had to think of themselves too. Lily's mother gave some great advice towards the end of the book and I love that.
Speaking of Lily's mother, their relationship had some great development as we got further and further into the book. Their bond grew stronger as they found some common ground. Lily's mother gently pushed her daughter to make the decision that kept her safe.
Of course, if anyone has been on TikTok or Instagram, then you know there is another love interest mentioned in this book and his name is Atlas. Dear, sweet Atlas. Always compassionate Atlas.
Our first encounters with him are mostly through Lily's journals and we learn an awful lot about his character. At such a young age, Lily showed strong compassion and determination when it came to Atlas, and giving him what felt like a home, and he never once took advantage of her.
Their connection with Ellen DeGeneres was beautiful and the continuing messages of 'Just Keep Swimming' was enough to put a sop smile on my face while reading.
The ending of this book was beautiful. I loved that there was a positive and that everything seemed to start to slot itself in place. It truly showed the development of Lily's character. And, as her mother said, Lily is definitely brave and bold.
This book deals with many issues that people face in real life and it truly gets you thinking about your own life and values. Many people have advertised this book as a romance, but I see it differently, it's a book of life. Of a difficult life that does have a brighter outcome. Even when everything may feel wrong, it can get better.
I do highly recommend this book and I look forward to reading more of Colleen Hoover's books in the near future.
**TW**
Domestic ab*se, r*pe, manipulation, s*icide, homelessness, child neglect, death, substance ab*se
This book contains a lot of sensitive themes, if a sensitive reader, this book may not be suited for you.
Where to begin? This book was powerful in its own way. The character development of Lily was amazing and she definitely showed what it was like to come out on the brighter side.
Her relationship with Ryle though, that was clearly toxic from the start with many red flags to view. But she loved him and it can be difficult to see past the love you have for someone.
There were scenes where he was kind and gentle with her but coming into the middle of the book, and onwards, his behavior started to change and his attitude towards Lily was not at all kind and gentle.
Reading the interactions they have together really makes you think long and hard about the type of people they are. Yes, they cared for each other, but they had to think of themselves too. Lily's mother gave some great advice towards the end of the book and I love that.
Speaking of Lily's mother, their relationship had some great development as we got further and further into the book. Their bond grew stronger as they found some common ground. Lily's mother gently pushed her daughter to make the decision that kept her safe.
Of course, if anyone has been on TikTok or Instagram, then you know there is another love interest mentioned in this book and his name is Atlas. Dear, sweet Atlas. Always compassionate Atlas.
Our first encounters with him are mostly through Lily's journals and we learn an awful lot about his character. At such a young age, Lily showed strong compassion and determination when it came to Atlas, and giving him what felt like a home, and he never once took advantage of her.
Their connection with Ellen DeGeneres was beautiful and the continuing messages of 'Just Keep Swimming' was enough to put a sop smile on my face while reading.
The ending of this book was beautiful. I loved that there was a positive and that everything seemed to start to slot itself in place. It truly showed the development of Lily's character. And, as her mother said, Lily is definitely brave and bold.
This book deals with many issues that people face in real life and it truly gets you thinking about your own life and values. Many people have advertised this book as a romance, but I see it differently, it's a book of life. Of a difficult life that does have a brighter outcome. Even when everything may feel wrong, it can get better.
I do highly recommend this book and I look forward to reading more of Colleen Hoover's books in the near future.
Images in this review
Top reviews from other countries
- Disappointed. Misleading with the picture and what you received. Received single pack and not as advertised per picture.Reviewed in South Africa on 22 April 2025
5.0 out of 5 stars Great book
Great book. Better than the movie. Finished the book in 5days.
- Aestas Book BlogReviewed in the United States on 2 August 2016
5.0 out of 5 stars ONE OF THE MOST POWERFUL BOOKS OF 2016
HOLY WOW! It Ends With Us is one of the most powerful books of 2016 and one of the most raw, honest, inspiring, and profoundly beautiful stories I’ve ever read. It wasn’t anything like what I expected, but it delivered so much more than I ever hoped for. This is the kind of book that I want to give to every woman and just be like… READ THIS BOOK. NOW. Come to think of it, all the men should read it too. EVERYONE should read this book. Absolutely everyone. It’s a story of unshakable love and finding the strength to make the right choice in the hardest situation. I honestly don’t think I’ve ever been prouder of a heroine. I’ve loved Colleen Hoover’s books for a long time because she always writes unique stories… and this one left a lasting mark on my heart. It is a MUST-READ!!
This is a completely spoiler-free review. I’m not even going to add the blurb or tell you what this book is about. It’s a Colleen Hoover book. That should be enough to tell you it’s amazing. But I really feel that you should just dive into this book without knowing anything about the plot. To be honest, I’m the usually the kind of reader who likes to know every little thing about what to expect in advance, but I’ve really learned to trust Colleen’s writing and her storytelling so even I went into this book without knowing anything at all… and I was blown away by the story!
This book is unputdownable. You’ll notice as you read that there are no good stopping points. None at all. I began reading it late at night and every time I tried to put it down to go to sleep, I just had to get back up and keep reading because I couldn’t stop thinking about it. I didn’t finish until almost 5AM but my gosh was it ever worth it!
Of all the heroines I’ve ever read, Lily was most certainly one of the ones I admired the most. I knew loved her from the first few pages, but having finished the book, I truly couldn’t be prouder of her. Her strength and conviction over the course of this story made her into a heroine I’d want every girl and woman to read about and look up to. She was so real and vulnerable as we all are, but the strength with which she took control of her life was admirable on such a deep level. I just wanted to hug her and cheer. I don’t think I’ve been this proud of a fictional character before.
There’s an incredibly powerful message in this book that is very subtly woven in from the start. It begins in the first chapter, but you don’t yet realize how significant each of these moments truly are… and as you read more, these pieces of the story come together forming a scenario that gives such a raw, honest portrayal of an incredibly relevant issue. I’m not mentioning it on purpose because I don’t want you to expect it. The fact that it’s unexpected for you as the reader is very important because it’s also unexpected for the heroine. As she begins to realize what kind of situation she’s in, so do you. And this realization very much allows you to experience her journey with her.
The only thing I want to address head on is the question of the ‘love triangle’ because a few of you have read the blurb and have asked about it. All I want to say is to please try and move away from that thought. I don’t want to spoil the plot at all, but that is so not what this book is about. That is not the point, or the focus. Whatever it is you’re thinking this book is, just trust me — it’s so much bigger than that. Seriously, trust Colleen. I did.
As a romance reader, I found this book incredibly refreshing. As much as I adore the romance genre (and I really do), it sometimes can get a little repetative. As both an avid reader and a blogger, I’m always looking for books that step outside the lines a little; ones that do something different or take the issues a little deeper. This book represented exactly what I wish I could be reading all the time — not this literal story, but just the fact that it went in such a different direction and gave me such an unexpected story that left me with such a strong message.
One of the things that intrigued me the most and had me wondering when I heard about this book was what the title really meant — and there’s this very specific moment when the title is echoed in the story that just had such a strong impact as I read it. That was my cheer moment. I just sat back and went ‘woah!’. The title is truly perfect.
In order to write this review, I went back over the book a second time and one thing I noticed strongly was how many intricate layers there were to the story that I couldn’t possibly have known about in my first read. I loved that this is one of those books you experience differently (in a good way) both the first and second time though.
I have to say that this book would make a seriously amazing movie. I could picture every scene so clearly as I read. This is also such an incredibly relevant story for many people — whether they’ve personally been through what happened to Lily or they know of someone who has — so I really do hope that one day this makes it to the big screen.
My copy of this book is literally filled with highlighted quotes in every single chapter but I made a conscious decision not to add any to this review because I really truly do not want to give anything away about the story. Just trust me and jump into this story blind. I promise that it is a reading experience you don’t want to miss.
This began as one of my most highly anticipated books of 2016 and it is now of my top favorite books of the year. I was unable to put it down from the moment I started reading and I know that this is one of those profoundly beautiful and unforgettable stories that will stay with me for a long time. I highly recommend it to everyone!
"That’s what fifteen minutes can do to a person. It can destroy them.
It can save them."
Rating: 5+ STARS! Standalone.
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EdaReviewed in Turkey on 7 March 2022
5.0 out of 5 stars Uygun fiyat
!!! Spoi Olabilir!!! Yazar 2.kitabi çıkaracağını duyurduğu ve amazonda İngilizce versiyonu çok uygun bir fiyatta olduğu için hemen aldım. Türkçe basımını daha önce okumuştum. Ama kapak tasarımı ve kitabın adı açısından beni üzdü. (çünkü 2.kitabin adını da ilk kitapta kullandılar)
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JohannaReviewed in France on 25 April 2023
5.0 out of 5 stars Exceptionnel !
Je suis choquée ! Pour la première fois depuis des années, mon livre est arrivé neuf ! Pas abîmé, pas gondolé, non, il est magnifique ! En plus, comme c'est une édition collector, j'avais très peur, eh bien pas du tout ! Merci Amazon ❤️.
Pour ce qui est du contenu du livre : histoire fabuleuse (bien que la fin soit vraiment digne d'une fiction vu qu'elle est heureuse) traitant d'un sujet très sensible avec des scènes qui peuvent heurter ! J'ai hâte de le relire !
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Haihappen_UhahaReviewed in Germany on 4 October 2016
5.0 out of 5 stars Geht unter die Haut
Cover: Wie alle Original-Cover der Autorin, passt auch dieses einfach nur perfekt zum Inhalt. Eine kaputte Lilie, die die Protagonistin wiederspiegelt und vielleicht sogar symbolisieren soll. Denn Lily Bloom hat nicht nur einen besonders „blumigen“ Namen, sie liebt Blumen. Aber auch die „Zerstörung“ der Blume kann Lily Gefühle symbolisieren oder einfach den Schmerz und das Zerbrechen darstellen, was genauso gut passen würde. Außerdem gefallen mir die Farben unheimlich gut. Der Titel ist ein Zitat aus dem Buch.
Handlung: Ich würde empfehlen sich einfach der Geschichte blind hinzugeben, ohne zu wissen worum es geht. Deshalb lest entweder gleich meine „Meinung“ oder bleibt dran, ich versuche nur SEHR wenig preiszugeben.
Lily hat eine schwere Vergangenheit mit sich zu tragen als sie auf Ryle trifft. Ryle ein charmanter Neurochirurg, reich, ein wenig arrogant und dennoch mit richtig großem Herz. Ryle war bisher noch nie in einer festen Beziehung und zog nur von einem One Night Stand zum anderen, aber mit Lily will er es endlich wagen. Alles scheint wunderbar zu laufen, Ryles & Lilys Karriere, ihre Beziehung, bis Atlas auftaucht. Atlas der zu Lilys Vergangenheit gehört, Atlas ihre erste große Liebe. Sie dachte sie könnte die Vergangenheit ruhen lassen, doch es scheint als wäre die Vergangenheit ihre Zukunft. Ist ihre Liebe zu Ryle groß genug um ALLES zu überstehen?
Meinung: Ich weiß nicht was ich sagen soll. Die Geschichte als schön zu bezeichnen wäre falsch. Denn es war schrecklich, es hat mir das Herz immer wieder gebrochen. Wie viel Leid kann ein Mensch eigentlich ertragen? Ungefähr ab der Hälfte musste ich wahrscheinlich alle paar Seiten weinen. Ich musste mich so oft zusammen reißen und habe dennoch an einer Stelle richtig losheulen müssen. Auch mit dem Ende hätte ich nie gerechnet.
Es war wirklich schwere Kost und brachte mich trotzdem oft zum Lachen. Wie immer bei Hoover waren die Charaktere real, zum Greifen und mitfiebern. Ich weiß gar nicht wie viele „Hotte“ Book- Boyfriends diese Frau noch erschaffen kann, denn langsam kann ich mich nicht entscheiden. Der „Schmerz“ der Charaktere war wirklich bis unter die Haut zu spüren, so real, so authentisch. Lily war eine unglaublich starke junge Frau, immer bereit für sich und andere einzustehen, hilfsbereit und ehrgeizig.
Doch das „Thema“ des Buches (was ich nicht verraten werde) war unglaublich. So viel Tiefe und Realität, so viel Ehrlichkeit der Autorin. Das „Thema“ das hier im Fokus steht musste Hoover nämlich selbst erleben, was sie dann im Autorenvermerk genauer schildert, weshalb das Buch etwas ganz Besondres für sie ist. Sogar einige Szenen sind aus dem echten Leben.
Ich habe oft über Menschen nachgedacht, die so etwas durchmachen und warum sie nicht einfach einen Schlussstrich ziehen, konnte sie nicht verstehen, nicht nachvollziehen. Aber jetzt fühle ich mich als hätte ich es selbst erlebt und musste mit Schrecken feststellen, dass ich wahrscheinlich anders gehandelt hätte.
Hoovers Schreibstil ist wie immer etwas poetisch, so dass ich mir VIELES vermerkt habe! Ein wirklich einfaches englisch, gegen Ende habe ich gar nicht gemerkt, dass ich auf Englisch lese!
Fazit: Wieder ein Meisterwerk von Hoover, dass einen Emotional immer wieder zerstört und einem das Messer in das Herz rammt. Aber dennoch wieder spannende Charaktere bereit hält, die nicht nur interessant und witzig sind, sondern dazu noch real und taff. Man wird Teil großer Gefühle und tiefster ehrlicher Liebe, gepriesen mit einem kleinen Schuss prickelnder Liebesszenen. Auch wenn auf vielen Seiten wieder Hoovers unglaublicher Humor punkten kann, behandelt das Buch ein wirklich ernstes Thema. Nicht nur das, es macht den Leser zu einem Teil der Geschichte und der Vergangenheit der Autorin. Sterne kann man hier nicht genug vergeben, denn es ist so viel mehr als nur ein gutes Buch!