Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links which means YBC® will earn a small commission if you happen to make a purchase. Thanks for the support.
I absolutely love to read. My boyfriend does, too, which is one of the reasons I think we get along so well. I think I speak for both of us when I say that our idea of a perfect day starts and ends with dedicated time reading.
I love to read everything from memoirs to entrepreneurship books to personal growth to thrillers, mysteries and smart love stories, and I tend to switch genres with each book I read. Prior to picking up today’s review, I read Delivering Happiness, which was an interesting book from the CEO of Zappos on business, expansion, small business struggles, and ultimate growth. As a small business owner, it was an informative read, and inspired me to step up my game as a leader. But after it was over, I was ready for a genre change.
It Ends with Us was written by Colleen Hoover, a Times best-selling author who writes the kind of novels that just suck you in with the first sentence. They’ve usually got everything I love in a quick read - an interesting plot-line, well developed characters, an element of humor and love, and they’re never too fluffy nor too dry and serious. This book, while light on the surface (it’s a love story), has some real meat to the plot and should come with a trigger warning, as it contains graphic scenes of domestic abuse.
In this book, we meet Lily, who grew up in an abusive household with a father who had a raging temper he took out on her mother. She meets Atlas, a homeless boy slightly older than her who has been squatting in an abandoned house near Lily’s. They develop a deep friendship, and the two bond over their shared adolescent struggles. At the end of high school, Atlas moves away and the two part ways, convinced they’ll meet again later in life.
Lily goes to college, and moves to Boston, where she meets Ryle, a neurosurgeon, and they hit it off. Lily meets his sister, who becomes her best friend, and the two open Lily’s dream - an unconventional flower shop. Everything seems to be going well. Her relationship with Ryle is moving forward, her business is taking off - everything seems perfect, until Ryle has an episode of explosive anger, and Lily is instantly transported to her abusive childhood home and needs to decide what to do next. The book was so engrossing, I whipped through it in a day and a half, and I laughed, cried, and experienced nearly every emotion in between. I highly recommend it, but you have to know going into it that there are some graphic abusive scenarios.
If you love reading as much as I do, I’d love to hear any recent recommendations you have! Let me know down in the comments section below.
PS: 12 Edge of your seat books to read this month.