It Starts with Us: A Novel (It Ends with Us Book 2)

Lily Bloom held me captivated since the first book. Her heartbreak, pain, the trauma, and abuse she endured... i felt for her, yet I loved it ends with us (as do i love this one as well) that i could NOT put down either book... i literally finished both books in less than a 30 hour time span... I am in awe of the story this author was able to weave together and create. The emotions and feelings she instilled through me just by the words she wrote on the pages, wow, this series was truly an incredible, beautiful, emotionally raw and honest all in one. Thank you giving Lily and Altas their happy ending because they BOTH deserved that and so much more. I couldn't have asked for a better ending than the one she wrote, truly a beautiful story. I am in awe of it & an indeed excited and cannot wait to "It Ends With Us" on the big screen since having read the series, I know watching it come to life is going to be a truly beautiful sight to behold!

MINOR SPOILERS AHEAD.

This book has wrecked me. More specifically, Atlas has wrecked me. This dude should be the standard. That in and of itself is the issue, however. Does he actually exist? COULD HE, PLEASE?!

What was hard about the previous story, It Ends With Us, outside of the obvious (the abuse), was how much we had to read about Ryle and how little we got of Atlas. Funny enough, at the end of my It Ends With Us review, I revealed my apprehension about reading It Starts With Us, as I didn’t want the author to somehow ruin Atlas.

I honestly didn’t know what to expect from this book, which was the same for the previous book. I LOVE how we got to build on not only Atlas’ relationship with Lily, but also on Atlas himself and his newfound family. The scene in the car with Josh had me in a chokehold, not to mention his coconut shrimp meal with Sutton. LITERALLY BAWLED! The letter he wrote to Lily about his version of their first kiss and how his love was buried between her neck and shoulder (where her tattoo now is), I promise you, I had to stop to clutch my heart.

The way Atlas loves should be desired and experienced by everyone—not only in the receiving aspect, but in the giving as well.

Honestly, the only two complaints I would have about this book are, one, I didn’t want it to end, and two, how everything seemed to suddenly speed up at a certain point. The timeline, at times, was a little difficult to follow. It was like I could almost feel the moment when Colleen was like, okay, looks like all is well, let’s wrap this all up now.

Despite the above, for me, this was easily a 5-star story. With the exception of Ryle (who I NEVER liked, and I’m talking way before the abuse even started), I pretty much adored every character, especially the addition of Theo, Atlas’ therapist.

Unlike the first story, I can definitely see myself rereading It Starts With Us. I’m uncertain if I am willing to read any further Colleen Hoover novels, for as previously mentioned, Atlas has ruined me for any (or many) male characters moving forward.

I had just finished up It Ends With Us and started immediately reading this book. I am so glad that Colleen Hoover decided to write Lily and Atlas's story! There was a bit if assumption at the end of the first book that they might end up together. But this book really brought it home!! It was also good to see the conflict that Ryle's involvement in Lily's life causes for her. We also get to know Atlas as an adult and the twists and turns that come in his life as well. It really completed the story. I am a huge fan! I loved both of these books and I highly recommend! I can't wait to start a new series!

Colleen Hoover is a New York Times bestselling author of It Ends With Us(book 1) and It Starts With Us(book 2). In It Starts With Us it begins with Atlas and Lily running into each other. Atlas and Lily may also rekindle their love from when they were teenagers. However, there is a problem with Lily’s ex-husband who believes Atlas could potentially be the reason his marriage ended with Lily which can potentially harm Lily and Atlas’s chance at a relationship. The novel is a young adult romance that involves some domestic abuse and child abandonment. The title of the book refers to how it ended with Lily and Atlas meeting again at the end of the first book It Ends With Us and in the second book It Starts With Us it begins with Atlas and Lily running into each other. Which explains why the author chose to title the novel. Additionally, throughout the book, it switches between the perspectives of Atlas and Lily in every chapter. Even though the perspective changes it wasn’t complicated for me to understand what was happening throughout the story. Having two different perspectives helped me understand the views of each character more fully. However, if it is hard for you to keep track when there is more than one perspective then this book may be more difficult. Colleen Hoover's writing captivates people who want to read novels. As the second book of a series, it wasn’t as enjoyable as the first book was, however, it still was an amazing read. The book was fast paced in certain moments but had points where it wasn’t as fast-paced. Before getting into this author's books I wasn’t reading many books, however, this book was extremely interesting and after I began reading it I finished it in a few days. I would recommend anyone who enjoys romance novels to read this book however the domestic abuse and child abandonment could be harder for some to handle. Although these are difficult topics Colleen Hoover does a good job of making them lighter and more readable, unlike the first book of the series which had more graphic scenes of domestic abuse. I look forward to more of Colleen Hoover’s novels in the future.