“It Ends With Us” is a novel that took over BookTok a little over a year ago. Written by Colleen Hoover, it was presented to me with the impression that the storyline would be a sappy yet captivating love story with a happy ending, but there is simply so much more to this slow burn romance novel than just that. 

The story starts with 23-year-old Lily Bloom, who has just moved to Boston to start her new life, when she meets neurosurgeon Ryle Kincaid. After a few surprising encounters, they end up falling in love. But soon, Bloom’s relationship with Kincaid gets complicated, especially when she runs into her first love, Atlas Corrigan, who she had lost contact with many years before. 

The book overall is an easy read, as the storyline was very entertaining and kept me on the edge of my seat. As you get into reading the book, some heavier concepts begin to pop up. The novel, which starts as a romantic love story, quickly turns into a storyline of domestic abuse, and the protagonist is forced to make a difficult decision of whether or not to leave the one she loves. 

I found the story quite boring sometimes, especially when it came to the storyline between Corrigan and Bloom. I felt that to be frustratingly slow at times because all I wanted to read about was her current relationship with Kincaid. I also found the journal entries that were addressed to Ellen Degeneres to be very cheesy. I strongly believe that a lot of the issues that were caused between Kincaid and Bloom could have been avoided if Bloom would have just been more open, honest and let go of her past to focus on the future. Those, however, are really the only issues that I had with the storyline. 

Overall, I would recommend this book to anyone who is mature enough to handle the contents of the plot. There were many plot twists and shocking moments that would keep any reader satisfied enough. I think that the ending has a really strong and powerful message to women or anyone who is struggling with domestic violence and abuse.