BookTok: 'It Ends with Us' by Colleen Hoover

In my free time, I enjoy scrolling through TikTok, watching the latest cooking, dancing, and book trends. On TikTok, various communities follow specific hashtags created from these trends. One of which is “BookTok.” You can probably infer that this distinct group consists of book-related content such as book reviews. Less than a month ago, I was on BookTok and stumbled upon a video recommendation for a book written by Colleen Hoover. 

Colleen Hoover is a well-known author who has written 11 books and 5 novellas, many of which are on the #1 New York Times Best Sellers list. Hoover’s first book "Slammed" was published in 2012, and since then, all of her full-length novels have become New York Times Best Sellers. One of her most popular books is “It Ends with Us,” the book I came across on BookTok. I did a quick google search, read the blurb, and ordered the book on Amazon. I dove into the book expecting a light-hearted story about a love triangle. I was wrong. 

This book follows the story of a protagonist, Lily Boom, who initially works at a marketing company and realizes she is not happy in her career. Following her father’s death, she moves to Boston and follows her dream by opening a florist shop. While in Boston, she meets Ryle Kincaid, a neurosurgeon at one of the best hospitals in the city. Although Ryle is stubborn and assertive, he has a soft spot for Lily. She feels a spark with him and thinks her life is finally taking a positive turn. However, their relationship isn’t all sunshine and flowers - the pressure and demands of their jobs begin to take a toll on them. Ryle cannot control his anger, and Lily cannot cope; thus, she begins to question their relationship. As she does so, her first love Atlas Corrigan suddenly reappears, and everything Lily has built with Ryle is threatened.  

After Justin Baldoni, an actor, director, and filmmaker, read the heartbreaking story, he felt the story needed to be shared with the world. Thus, earlier this month, he posted a TikTok announcing that a script for ‘It Ends with Us' has been completed for its upcoming film adaption. However, due to the pandemic, details regarding filming are yet to be announced. With over 200k likes on the video announcement, it is evident that thousands of fans are looking forward to the movie’s release. 

In other words, this novel delivers so much more than a simple story of a love triangle. Instead, it portrays a narrative of a domestic abuse survivor who struggles to find the strength to make the right choice when faced with immense challenges. “It stops here. With me and you. It ends with us” is the most powerful statement found at the end of this touching novel. While reading the book, it took me a long time to figure out what the title meant. However, when I got to the portion of the story where the title made sense, I finally understood the title’s significance and association with Lily. I highly recommend this novel, it is worth your time, and by the end of it, you will be looking for a box of tissues.