Book Review: It Starts With Us by Colleen Hoover

It Starts With Us is the sequel to Colleen Hoover’s most successful novel, It Ends With Us (click the link to read my full review). It came six years after the original bestseller and it was Hoover’s thank you to her TikTok fans, who wanted to know what happened to Lily and Atlas. It was also highly anticipated, and it became Simon & Schuster’s most pre-ordered book of all time at the time of its release.

BOOK SPECS:

• Number of pages: 336

• Format: Paperback

• Genre: Contemporary Romance, New Adult

• Tropes: Second Chance Romance, First Love, Dysfunctional Family, Absent Parents

SHORT REVIEW:

Overall it was a good book to read, but the ending really ruined it for me. So it’s getting the same rating as its big sister.

HEART RATE:

SMUT SCORE:

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FULL REVIEW:

Plot & Characters

While Hoover might not have originally intended for this to be a duology, she did finish It Ends With Us in a bit of a cliffhanger. The only thing that was definite was that Lily had left Ryle, but there were still a lot of questions left unanswered – would she be able to stay away from Ryle while co-parenting their daughter? Would she get back with Atlas? Would Ryle accept that as an option? So plotwise, It Starts With Us picks up from where its predecessor left off.

Now, the second book of any series tends to be a slower one. That is mostly because writers usually end the first novel with a dramatic bang and, on the second book, characters are reflecting or dealing with the fallout from what happened at the end of the first. In that respect, It Starts With Us is no different - welcome to the aftermath train.

While I say the pace is slower, I don’t mean it’s slow. Hoover doesn’t really do slow pace. Her plots move swiftly at quite nice speed. Even the steamy scenes don’t linger. If you don't watch out, you can miss important details. I just mean that the sequel is slower going than its big sister. For example, It Ends With Us has sexual tension from the first chapter. On It Starts With Us you don't get to see a kiss in between Lily and Atlas until page 185, almost two thirds of the way through.

All the known characters are back with the addition of a few more from Atlas’ side of the fence. Lily is scared of starting a relationship with the man Ryle blames for the end of their marriage; and Atlas wants to catch up on lost time, but he has his own family drama unraveling throughout the novel.

Overall, it's a nice read, but there was a couple of things that really bugged me in this book, including the ending. Endings can sometimes really disappoint, even when you’re getting what you want as a reader. And as an aspiring author myself, they can be bloody hard to write and get right.

WARNING: SPOILER INCOMING – jump the following paragraphs if you don’t want to read them

One of the issues for me was what I talked about in my review of It Ends With Us – it’s all resolved very quickly and neatly. And along the way, Marshall and Allysa become close friends with Atlas too. Marshall is even part of the wedding party for Lily's and Atlas' wedding. Well... Wouldn't that be a kick in the teeth if your sibling and her partner were in the wedding party for your ex’s wedding? The only thing that would justify this for me would be if they were friends before Lily was with Ryle, which is not the case here.

Don't get me wrong, it's fair game to attend the wedding as a close friend, but being part of the bridal or groomsman party? Personally, if I was on Ryle's shoes, I would think that's cruel. You’re not a better person if you’re not treating the other person any better than how they treated you. And having Ryle's best friend and sister as part of your wedding party... That's not a kind move. In fact, some people would do it to deliberately hurt their ex.

But my biggest gripe with this book is the ending.

Atlas has been in love with this woman for most of his life. He finally gets to be with her and marry her. But then, on his wedding day to said woman, he spends his wedding vows talking about divorce, breaking up and statistics?! I mean, seriously now! After writing her romantic letters dripping in sugar throughout the whole book, this is what he talks about on his wedding vows?

I mean... Ok, he finishes on a sweet note, but Jesus! If someone read that to me as our vows, I would be depressed and second-guessing my decision to get married! Why get married if you are just a statistic, right?

 SPOILER FINISHED 

Romance & Smut Score

This is a slow burner in terms of its romance. You are two-thirds of the way through when you finally get kissing and smut, but it's worth the wait. There is a shower scene in particular that I found quite sexy.

Writing

Told from the point of view of both Lily and Atlas, it departs from the original’s Lily-centric perspective, and the sequel focuses a lot more on Atlas, which was actually more interesting.

Atlas was always the underdog for me in It Ends With Us. I knew he was Lily’s first love, but sometimes first loves are exactly that – the first, not the last. Atlas is also a good, respectful man. The type that brings serenity and equilibrium to your life. The kind you marry, but not necessarily the kind you like to read about, which is quite unfair if you ask me. However, there are scenes where you get to see Atlas' more confident and assertive side come through. And when it does... Boy, is he sexy!

And true to Colleen's writing style, the pace is on the speedy side and the writing is easy to consume.

Overall it was a good book to read, but the ending really ruined it for me. So it’s getting the same rating as its big sister.

Buy this book on Bookshop.org

Buy it on Amazon