Note: Spoiler alert - this post contains spoilers if you haven’t finished the book.

I wanted to revive this series of reviewing books I’ve read, including those that I’ve read in my book club. As most of you probably know at this point, I run an online book club that empowers women. We focus primarily on books written by female authors that highlight important stories if you’re interested in joining.

I recently read It Ends with Us by Colleen Hoover (thanks booktok) and I thought it would be helpful to add my review below along with some book club discussion questions and topics, in case anyone else out there is looking to use this for their reading club. :)

If you want to hear my spoiler-free my review on the book, you can find it below.

Currently, on Goodreads, this book has a 4.44 rating out of 5. I gave it a 4 out of 5 rating on Goodreads and said the below:

This was my first book by Colleen Hoover and after seeing it everywhere I was really curious. I also recently wanted to start getting back into romance novels so I thought this would be a good place to start.

I honestly did really enjoy this book. At times there were some cringey moments and I am not a fan of the voice used for the audiobook, but the actual storytelling was compelling and I feel that it was a strong message overall. And yes, this book is pretty sad so prepare for that.

*~spoiler ahead~*

Trigger warnings for this book include: domestic violence, r*pe, and alcoholism.

Ultimately I feel like colleen did a really great job of showing what it's like to be in an abusive relationship without all of the extremes. I loved that she drew on her own experience and her parents' relationship to tell this story.

Overall I feel that it's an important message to share and her book was beautifully written to tell it.

INITIAL THOUGHTS & REACTIONS OF THE ENDING

• How did you feel about that ending?

• If you were in Lily’s position, what would you have done?

  • Do you agree with her decision?

• Does reading the author’s note where Colleen talked about her parents’ relationship and abusive father change your perspective on the book?

• Do you think Atlas and Lily will end up happily ever after?

• Why do you think the title is It Ends With Us?

OVERALL THEMES

• How does this book display feminism?

• Why do you think Lily ultimately fell in the same cycle despite having grown up herself with an abusive past?

• Does this book do a good job of showcasing domestic abuse in relationships and their overall impact?

• Did Colleen’s portrayal of Atlas change your outlook on homeless people?

• Why do you think it was important for Colleen to include a character like Atlas in the novel?

• What were your initial thoughts of Ryle in the novel? And what do you think of Colleen’s choice to make him more “likable” in the beginning?

• If Lily had chose to stay with Ryle in the end and work it out, do you think it would be wrong of her (or someone in her position) to do so?

• This story unpacks the good, the bad and the ugly of domestic violence in relationships. Did you learn anything new about domestic abuse in relationships?

  1. In these types of instances, usually these problems are seen as obvious and extreme situations where Ryle and Lily’s relationship had more gray areas. Why do you think Colleen wrote the book this way?

• What message do you think this book sends to young women?

FUN MINI-GAME: ABOUT THE AUTHOR

• True or False: Colleen Hoover only writes romance novels.

  • Answer: False, she writes YA, romance, and psychological thrillers.

• True or False: Colleen is a #1 New York Times bestselling author.

  • Answer: True, she is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of twenty two novels and novellas.

• True or False: She has created a charity subscription service that has donated over $1 million to help those in need.

  • Answer: True, it’s called The Bookworm Box and it provides readers with the opportunity to receive signed novels in the mail each month from authors all over the world.

• True or False: She published her first novel in 2015.

  • Answer: False! Her first novel Slammed was published in 2012.

• True or False: She has never produced a film adaptation for any of her books.

  • Answer: False, her novel Confess was filmed as a series and is available on Amazon Prime.

OPEN DISCUSSION & THOUGHT STARTERS

• Would you like to see this made into a movie?

• Who would play Lily in a movie version of this book? Who would play Ryle? Atlas?

• Are there any other books/shows/movies that remind you of It Ends With Us?

• How would you describe how you felt after reading it in one word?

Hope this helps some fellow book lovers! And if you are looking for a book club to join, feel free to check out ours here: Bad Babes with Books. We read mostly fiction and books written by female authors that champion women’s stories.

You can also join our Facebook Group here.

love,

s.