BOOK REVIEW #03: IT STARTS WITH US by Colleen Hoover

Hello hello hello again everyone!!!! What's up??!! Ahhh finally, after so many busy things in my life I am back. It's me again, haruki.tls123 back with a new blog post 🤩✊🏻!!! Today in this blog, let's dive into another book review since it's the topic I've been itching to discuss. Our focus today is on the sequel to one of the best books I've read, "It Starts with Us" by Colleen Hoover.

"It Starts with Us" continues the captivating story from "It Ends with Us," which left readers wanting more. In this sequel, we delve deeper into the lives of the characters we've grown to love and understand. The complexities of relationships, the challenges of life, and the journey of self-discovery are all intricately woven into this compelling narrative. So yeah, let's get started!!! ✨

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Earlier this year, I became curious and decided to read "It Ends With Us" by Colleen Hoover after seeing it repeatedly mentioned on TikTok. I shared a detailed review on it in my previous blog, expressing my thoughts about the book. In summary, I believe my experience with the book might have been better if I had approached it without any prior knowledge or expectations. "It Ends With Us" isn't just a love story. It tricks you into thinking one thing, then surprises you with twists and turns, just like Lily, the main character. But since I knew what would happen, I couldn't feel as invested in the story.

So after a month finishing the book, I've heard that the book It Ends With Us has a sequel and I wanted to read it immediately. Before I dive into reading, what caught my attention was the relationship between Lily and Atlas. They were highly talked about online, especially Atlas Carrigan, but I didn't feel any connection to them. While I could see that Atlas was a good person and probably the right choice for Lily, the focus of the book, for me, was more on Lily's other relationship dynamics. So, I'm intrigued by what dynamics the sequel will explore, especially since it might lean more towards romance compared to the first book.

(Anyways, Spoiler Alert ⚠️)

I find it interesting that this book picks up right where the first one ended in the epilogue. I didn't know much about this book before reading it, except for the fact that it includes chapters from Atlas' point of view. However, I assumed they would already be in a relationship at the beginning of this book.

Okay, so I found it odd in the first book when Lily was writing to Ellen DeGeneres, and it still feels odd now. I mean, why not just say "dear diary" or write to a fictional dead aunt or something? But Ellen DeGeneres? Really???! HAHAHAHHA

Theo is a character who appeared for just a little line, but he's already become my favorite. He hilariously poked fun at all the Finding Nemo references. He's the real MVP. Speaking of Theo, why is Atlas using a 12-year-old boy as a therapist? Theo rightly made fun of one strange plot element, only to be dragged into another weird plot element. Someone needs to save this boy

As a writer also, I find Ryle to be a very intriguing character to analyze. He's definitely a jerk, and I really hope Lily cuts off all contact with him by the end of this book. But just observing and noticing the way he gaslights and manipulates is... not exactly entertaining, but it's interesting to analyze.

(By the way, all of this characters that I've been mentioning about is already been discussed in the previous book review about It Ends With Us)

Even though I'm just a teenager and have no experience with marriage or domestic violence, I really admire how Lily stands her ground in the book. Especially when she refuses to let her daughter stay overnight with Ryle until she can talk.

I just said I shouldn't comment on Lily's choices, but when she remembers all the reasons she divorced Ryle and stands firm, I can't help but cheer her on! I mean, at least don't have dinner with him. It's impressive that she asked for her apartment key back, although I thought that might take longer to resolve.

Let's talk about Theo again since he's my favorite character hehehe. He's supposed to be 12 years old, right? But why does he talk like he's 32?! I don't know any 12-year-olds who say things like this that even an 18-year old me don't even use those words! 😭😭😭 I wish I had that kind of vocabulary at his age TwT.

I've read up to page 100 and finished the chapter about Atlas and Lily's first date, but I still don't get the hype around Atlas. He's a nice guy, but there's nothing special that makes him stand out to me:< And speaking of Finding Nemo topic earlier, Lily named her kid after Dory. It's funny because Bella Swan from Twilight didn't like her kid being called Nessie, like the Loch Ness monster HAHAHAHA and also another character is a highlight for me which is Josh. Josh and Theo are a dynamic duo. I love them both. I still it’s wierd that Theo doubles as Atlas’s therapist but he’s a legend all the same. You will not catch me saying that I want a spin-off of a Colleen Hoover book but if there was the opportunity to read more content featuring these two, I probably would take it 😩!!

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So, I ended up reading the whole thing:/ I didn't expect to finish the entire book in just a couple of hours. I'm pretty sure everyone else on my floor wants another part for this book, but we all know it's kind of impossible because most of the questions we wanted answers to have been explained already 😩. Once again, my feelings are conflicted. Josh and Theo were the highlights of this novel for me. If the book was solely about how much I adored them, it would easily be rated 5/5. Also, shout out to Emerson for sleeping through the entire story – I respect that HAHAHA 😂. On the other hand, I did appreciate Lily and Atlas's individual storylines – her coping with the aftermath of her divorce and him discovering he has a younger brother he never knew about. However, I'm not completely enamored with them as a couple as I had anticipated. Towards the end, they grew on me a bit more, but it took longer than expected for me to feel that way. Additionally, I believe the book effectively portrays the aftermath of an abusive relationship. Just because you've separated doesn't mean you're free from its effects; it's a cycle that you constantly battle, which can be incredibly draining. Despite any criticisms, I think the book effectively addresses these themes and can serve as a supportive voice for readers facing similar situations – if that makes sense.

Those were my thoughts - every single idea that crossed my mind while reading this book. I'm really curious to hear your opinions on it too. Feel free to share in the comments!^^!!

That wraps up my blog for today. I hope you enjoyed reading my thoughts about this book, and I encourage you to give it a read too! It's definitely worth it and highly recommended, just maybe not when you're dealing with personal problems - you wouldn't want to add to them by accident! 😄 Thank you for reading my blog! Until next time, see you in my next post. Take care! haruki.tls123, out! sayonara<3 ❤️!