JDCMustReadBooks

A special thank you to Atria and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

First, let me begin by saying. I LOVE ATLAS! Unforgettable.He can cook for me any day or night.

Second, this was my first book by Colleen Hoover! (can you believe it)? The first, of MANY more to come. (adding her backlist as quickly as possible). Wow, she is like no author I have ever read. Her style is Unique. Superb. Moving.

Third, IT ENDS WITH US was truly amazing on all levels! Emotionally charged, powerful, compelling! I savored every minute. My Top 10 Books of 2016!

Words cannot adequately describe my feelings about this book. Trust me, move it to the "Top" of your reading list (like now). EPiC in every way. From domestic violence, abuse, control, suspense, obsession, hope, courage, love, healing, understanding, and compassion. An array of emotions from all extremes.

IT ENDS WITH US, opens with Lily Bloom, age twenty-three. She has just buried her father and gave an epically disastrous eulogy- and now she feels she cannot breathe.

Her father is Andrew Bloom, the adored mayor of her hometown of Plethora, Maine. He was the owner of the most successful real estate agency, and the husband of Jenny Bloom, her mother and teaching assistant. He has a violent temper- verbally and mentally abusive. Lily has watched her abusive father beat her mom her entire life. She is escaping to a rooftop in Boston to think and clear her head. Why did her mom stay in this type of relationship all these years.

Lily Bloom once fell in love with a homeless guy (he was a senior in high school). Atlas changed her life. (what a moving story-“award winning”). Her relationship with this nineteen-year-old teen, when she was fifteen, brought shame upon her family. However, it changed her for the better. She will never forget him. She will always love him. What she does not know- he feels the same.

While on the roof that night (present), she meets a gorgeous neurosurgeon named Ryle Kincaid, and they hit it off. They become acquainted with “naked truths.” He is almost thirty years old and no desire for a wife. He does not want children-- the only thing he wants out of life is success. However, there was so much more he was hiding.

Lily does not see him again until much later, after she opens her own florist business and runs into a gal (Allysa)—wealthy husband, hard worker, with a fabulous personality and talks Lily into working with her. Of course, she happens to be the sister of Ryle. They become BFFs very quickly.

Are there really bad people? Is she missing all the signs and the secret tragic- troubled past of Ryle? All those years when she could not understand why her mom put up with her dad’s abuse. She despised her dad. Will she find herself caught in the same situation? When love clouds your judgment. Sometimes it is the one who loves you- who hurts you the most.

Gripping! The author brilliantly crafts a remarkable story. Hoover slowly unravels the past, sprinkled with poignant journal entries from a dairy Lily kept as a girl. She addressed each of her entries to Ellen DeGeneres, (LOVED), because she began watching her show every day when she was just a little girl. Then as she was older, every day after school and was convinced Ellen would love her if she got to know her. She wrote letters to her regularly until she turned sixteen, but wrote them like one would write entries in a diary. She never mailed them.

She swore she would never read them again, but with the passing of her father, she began thinking about her childhood. Somehow Lily wanted to find a little strength for forgiveness, or possibly run the risk of building up more resentment.

Slowly the past is unraveled, keeping readers glued to the pages with the poignant story of Lily and Atlas Corrigan, a senior in high school, and homeless. What happened to these two? Why are they not together now. Both from broken abusive homes, the story will touch your heart, while rooting for these two until the ending. Enter Ryle (love triangle) and more complications.

I kept expecting Ellen to jump out of the pages, before the ending (I think a special Ellen show, is in order. An entire show devoted to IT ENDS WITH US) It would be "fabulous!" Would also make for a great movie.

The author’s writing evokes so many emotions. The past and present connect. A boy and a girl, both drawn together by circumstance, time and space. Torn apart. Will fate bring their paths together again, when they least expects? Lily will learn firsthand of the difficult choices, and decisions her mother had to face.

Does everyone have a little good and evil in them? Darkness and light. From flowers to people, emotions, choices, sacrifices, and lives connected. Understanding women in abusive situations, with compassion, when things are not always black and white as it seems from the exterior. In domestic abuse, how many times do you forgive? When do you walk away? Each person is defined by their past. All characters are flawed in some way. Inspiring!

Loved the note from the author. Compelling, perplexing, and ultimately uplifting! I loved ATLAS!. He is too good to end…I hope we hear more from him in the future.

A mix of contemporary, domestic suspense, and romance. This one tops the list in women’s fiction. A must read for every woman, no matter your age. Strong family, mother-daughter, and relationships.

I loved IT ENDS WITH US so much, purchased the audiobook narrated by Olivia Song for a moving repeat experience. A perfect title.  For fans of Sarah Pekkanen, Paula Treick DeBoard, Nicholas Sparks, and Amy Hatvay.  

JDCMustReadBooks