Hope you all enjoy this vlog and essay!~ Just another warning: there's a LOT of spoilers in this video, so if you haven't read the book yet and you want to avoid spoilers, it would be wise to skip this one. Take care everyone 💛💛
Christy, I love how you dealt with critiquing a book that you didn't like and it shows how kind you are that you are concerned with offending readers who love this book. I haven't read it yet and debated about whether to watch the whole video. I like to go into a book knowing minimum about it but I've never thought that I would read this book. Now, you've made me curious to read it even though you did give spoilers. Anyway, keep on being you! I love how open and yet tactful you were about your review. 💛
Tiktok popularizing and romanticizing this book and ugly love made me question everything about mass media. I completely agree that it has it's pros like rejuvenating the love for reading in so many but the most popular books have something problematic about them. There are so many amazing books with legit writing and plot being neglected. I'm afraid that the book community might end up becoming something it shouldn't be.
@@abisolaadeko5231 All the Truth that's in me by Julie Berry and Island of the blue Dolphins. Edit: with how many views and likes I'm getting, let me quote a line from the first book that summarizes both stories: "Darrel once read to Mother the tale of a girl in France who heard angel voices telling her to save her people from the English. She dressed as a man and spoke with fire and eloquence. She raised an army and defeated the invaders, all for the love of her motherland. For her courage and her passion, she later burned to death, called a witch and heretic. Do I love you less than she loved soil? I have no words to save you."
Tbh the book community has always been like this to an extent or at least a large portion of it has been but the difference is what used to be in the shadows is now in the limelight. But I do think it says a lot about this generation coming up, talking more about taboo subjects is an important step to making them less common of an occurrence. But I absolutely agree that there are amazing books that are going undiscovered. Part of that is the school system banning a lot of classic books with tough subject matter as well. Hopefully it’s just an introduction to books. I got pulled into reading this book because I saw my daughter’s reaction to the twist and I had to know what happened 😅
I kept wait for the perfect sister character to be secretly evil or something else because otherwise it makes no sense that someone who has never had a job before is automatically an amazing employee
Don't get me started on Atlas being previously homeless and broke and then buying a whole a$$ restaurant in this day and age right out of the military.
They are but the message of this book is how to be strong enough to leave men like that and find yourself. I thought the message would be toxic but it actually wasn’t. Also the toxic man had several red flags throughout the book but SPOILER . . She doesn’t end up with him.
I've read her book Maybe Someday, and the ML and FL are involved in cheating, when the ML already had a long-term gf. The FL didn't even feel guilty about the affair and just only cared about chasing the ML. after the ML was rejected by her gf, the guy just basically went after the FL bcoz he couldn't have his (ex) gf anymore so he thought why not chase the girl that i cheated with if I couldn't have the other anymore. I hate this story so much
Its supposed to be a trick. Same with the title. When you hear the title you think that it sound romantic, something that goes "oh we fight but no matter what we stick together, it ends with us" while in reality its about an abusive bloodline "it ends with us". At least I think so
@@immasnakeee6460 the whole plot twist is that he’s not. Atlas is the actual love interest of the book, Ryle is more just a character that creates this turmoil in the book. I don’t know how to explain it but it’s obvious he wasn’t the main love interest within the book
As someone who was abused for 17 years, ive avoided this book and any discussion about it . But you made even this comforting. Thank you! I had a very hard day and your videos are like a warm hug. You handled this topic so well too! Also, just wanted to add one small thing, its not necessary that an abuser has been traumatised. Sometimes, there is no trauma , but thats just who they are. Often seen in narcissistic sociopaths.
but thats the thing, the abuser always find a reason to justify the abuse and get the blame off their shoulders and make it your fault, it happened to my mom and happened to me…so I don’t think she was validating ryle, I think she was showing how even that was used to his advantaged to make her feel guilty about 🥺 I’ve lived it and it wasn’t much different from what happened in the book.
@@mimstarkgaryen6182 im not saying shes validating the abuser. Not saying anything about the abuser blaming the victim either. Im simply referring to the fact that abusers are often thought to be that way , because its believed that they also faced some trauma to become the "monster". Which isnt always the case. A lot of abusers have no trauma at all. Theyre just evil . No empathy, no conscience, no humanity.
If you read between the lines it's about how society normalises abusive behaviour and romanticizes it. It makes my head hurt that people can't see that it's NOT condoning the behaviour of the male character -_-
Thank you for being honest and for having the courage of expressing an opinion that goes against the mass market. I have found the book horrible, but I can understand that it could reach people that are new to reading.
It’s so interesting to see someone express almost word for word the same opinions I had about this book as I was reading it. I thought Ryle was a massive walking red flag from the beginning and my experience with marketing also made me question Lily’s career stage for her age. The wish fulfilment aspects made it hard for me to take the book seriously. However, it was exactly the book I needed to read when I read it. I was in an abusive relationship at the time and I didn’t fully accept the reality of that until I read this book, romanticising the person and rationalising the incidents. This book opened my eyes, made me forgive myself for being in such a situation (having never imagined it could happen to strong independent me 😅), and make the difficult and heartbreaking decision to get out of there. So even though it’s not my favourite book in the world, it was a huge catalyst for change in my life and I’m now out, in a new place, healing and growing. It’s funny to realise that even books you don’t even really like that much can wake you up and change the course of your life. Books are amazing!!
There is a book called "Was It Even Abuse" by Emma Rose Byham and it helped me stop victim blaming myself for my abusive relationship. It is so validating of the experience of victims of covert (emotional and psychological) abuse.
@@riceballs7469 I ordered the hard copy online, I don't know if there is a virtual copy. But the hard copy was therapeutic, they encourage writing and highlighting in the book where you relate or have experienced similar things. It was very nice to write it down.
Thank you I’m a survivor of emotional and verbal abuse from my ex husband this book didn’t trigger me at all but the second book did mostly because it’s how she deals with Ryle going forward. thanks for the recommendation i will definitely check it out.
I think part of the disconnect with this book is that people keep talking about it as a contemporary romance novel, but simply having a romance within the story doesn't put it in the romance genre. Romance novels have happy endings. This is simply contemporary fiction. The marketing of it as a romance leads to confusion for a lot of readers who start reading and bump into those very serious topics you've discussed that don't lead to the happy, romantic ending that one expects from a genre romance.
There's also the issue of impressionable younger people thinking that such toxic & abusive behaviour is what romance is all about since it is categorised as such.
I tried reading Verity after all the hype. I couldn’t even force myself to finish. I’ve never even touched another one of her books and I never will. 🥰
O i have listen lots of her books, mostly because they are easy writting and its good for me to improve my english. But, i didnt like any of them, i tried, but most of them i oversleept 🤣. I think It ends with us is the only one i remembered. 🤦🏼♀️
Read Rebecca instead by Daphne du Maurier if you haven’t already. Colleen Hoover basically ripped off the entire plot of Rebecca and did it no justice.
I just finished reading It Ends with Us and personally i'd give it 1/5 here are my reasons why (first off i have much respect for Lily and anyone else who has experienced this first hand and i appreicate the effort in which the author used her book to bring light on abuse) 1. Romantized abuse - i feel like the tone and the cover along with the blurb innappropriately romantized this book it should not be a romance but rather a horror 2. trigger warnings - trigger warnings are needed, i don't care if it spoils the book, victims of domestic abuse could have been hurt by the lack of warning 3. the cliché of abusive men - being tormented by his demons. I feel that the author use of saying there's no such thing as bad people only people who make bad decisions is not ryle case at all he planned his last attack and it is not an example of a poor totured soul 4. romantizes toxic traits which is anti- feminist 5. Lily's protection and divorce for her child's saftey is a basic parental minium/ plus the co-parenting was unrealistic ryle could have been a danger to the baby she put her in an unsafe environment and the fact she doesn't press charges is unrealistic
No offence lexy but you sound like you should stick to reading Nancy Drew if you can't handle that some books portray the world as you want it to be. It is SUPPOSED to show the man's toxic behaviour being romanticised to demonstrate how women are brainwashed and controlled by them. It's called DARK romance for a reason. Good grief, grow up.
i dont think the 5 is unrealistic, at the end of the book, colleen told us that most of lily and ryle's story was based in her life, her dad was an abuser and her mom did the same, so is not unrealistic, is sad, because i think everyone wanted ryle in jail but unfortunately, it didnt happen
@@duda-hf7py yeah but its still classed as fiction, she could’ve used the novel as a more educational or hopeful moment to show people in that situation HOW they can navigate getting out of it. Imo it just seems like lazy writing and considering all her other abusive/toxic relationships in her other books, the fact that she only tries to portray Ryle as abusive because the experience is personal to her just makes it worse honestly. Like it means she can clearly recognize abuse yet she only makes a point to call a spade a spade here and not in every other book where she writes toxic relationships? Idk defending it just seems weird to me. Like I’m a certified CASA guardian for children in DV/substance abuse cases and so it’s hard for me to buy into a story where no one is seemingly against an abusive man getting to see his child, whether there’s charges filed or not…like in most dv cases, the child is put in foster care until ties are cut with the abuser. coho couldve even chose to make lily go to the police or something but she didnt and its either lazy or she just doesnt care either way it’s a no from me. like it wasnt a memoir so there’s no reason she couldn’t have embellished to be more hopeful. especially considering people who are in these situations might read the book and be influenced by the messages in it
'people should just be able to have fun and enjoy whatever forms of art and entertainment they like because we're all just silly blobs of flesh on a floating rock anyway, it doesn't matter' literally one of my new favorite quotes. Loved the video thank you as always ~~
I really appreciated what you said at the end about romances being historically looked down upon due to misogyny and classism. You're quite fair minded to point this out even though romance isn't your favorite category. I started reading romances as a graduate creative writing student when a professor wanted me to learn about plot, and though I held my nose at first, I found many amazing romance authors. Their writing is on par with the best writers of any other genre.
I tried to explain to my spouse he was teasing that I found romance novels- I tried to explain they are mostly normal books as any other just with the sex scene not censored 😂. Personally I don’t even like reading the sex scene as it doesn’t add to the romance part of the books.
I understand why you don’t like to give negative reviews, but this was great. It was thoughtful, with nuance and with very good arguments, I hope you make more videos like this ☺️
Ack I will continue to avoid Colleen Hoover - for really excellent contemporary romance I'd really recommend literally everything by Emily Henry - she's spectacular!
I found this book educational ahaha if that makes sense. My mother was in this kind of abusive relationship and never tried to leave my stepfather which was the abuser. I always blamed her for being weak, but after reading this book at least I understood how it feels when you're the one who's getting abused. I still didn't forgive her for choosing him over me but I stopped blaming her.
I’ve never intended to read this book, but the review hits me hard in my feelings. I also left my abusive (not physically) ex fiancé earlier this year, and it truly is a hard thing to do. Those who haven’t been through any abuse in their lives may not be able to empathize with that, but I hope that this book has been able to help someone get out of abusive situations or empathize with victims (even though this book has a lot of peculiar and wish fulfillment parts structurally). Still not something I think I’d read, but I really appreciate your review! Thank you 🤗
So I learnt about this while researching Fanfiction for an essay I wrote in defence of it back in like 2019. But a lot of books are priced the way they are because of their genre, and by gender too. A lot of romance novels are going to be cheaper because they're written by women and marginalised groups. Whereas books like Sci-Fi for example (even though it was invented by a woman) are more expensive because they attract men more often. It's why YA is also cheaper because it predominantly attracts marginalised groups. Romance is cheaper because they're not seen as "good enough" literature compared to novels in Fantasy or Sci-Fi genres. (If you want to know why I learned about this because of Fanfiction, a lot of men will put their nose up towards Fanfiction because it's free. They don't understand why most people (from marginalised groups) would write something for free when they could be paid for it.)
Great point! I wrote a paper on this in a diversity class I took in college were I looked at wage gaps in the book publishing industry. You’re spot on.
@@annac9534 aww thank you! Yeah it was a weird side tangent to why people (often cismen in fandom spaces) look down upon fanfiction. But it makes sense when you think about it, which sucks.
Really off topic, but i just learned my literature class lied to my face because of your comment lmao. I was taught that Jules Verne was the first sci-fi writer. I never looked for the actual origins because i was never really interested in that,(im less of a literature person than an art history person) but like. First science fiction books appeared like two centuries before him. While Verne's books are very influential and fun to read they werent the first. I feel lied to. Or maybe im misremembering my class. I cant really check since i sold my textbook 😭
I genuinely loved this video. I don’t intend to read this book, I’m here with you since Morgan Long’s collab, and I stayed because of your love for Neil Gaiman, Japan, fantasy + dark academia, and also because seeing your writing routine inspires me to be more productive in my personal projects (as a UX designer). That being said, I wish to see more videos like this one, where you deep dive in a specific book while also vloging your routine. I’m specifically fond of your videos reading The Secret History and Babel, so I was curious to see how you’d approach a reading vlog of a book that is obviously outside of your comfort zone. Thank you for sharing your input on It Ends With Us, for being brave to share your honest opinion, and acknowledging the positive aspects you were able to find in it!
I haven’t read this one by her (and I won’t) but I have read Verity. The writing was bad; the story was sickening and unrealistic (especially since it’s supposed to take place in our contemporary world). I thought the relationships were abusive, manipulative, co-dependent and enabling. It’s the first book in a LONG time that I’ve hurled a book across the room in rage. 😂 I then ranted to my fiancé for about an hour. Like IEWU, everyone seems to love it and I just cannot see why. Edit: Christy, it’s ok to say you don’t like a book. It’s ok to say that you hate a book. Watering down your opinion so you won’t offend anyone is really a waste of time. The simple fact that you didn’t get to the end in a sobbing heap screaming how much you loved it has already offended people. There is far too much sensitivity about opinions in today’s world. You want to be known as an honest, trustworthy book reviewer. That includes being willing to say that you couldn’t stand a book, even if other people love it. From your comment section, quite a lot of people didn’t like it either. Don’t worry so much about offending people by not liking a book. If someone gives a thumbs down or unsubscribes because of this review, then they probably weren’t the kind of person you wanted around your channel anyway.
Ryle was like a walking red flag from the beginning but also I feel like the author gave too much credit to Atlas for being a decent human being ?? Also book club drinking game - take a shot every time Ryle says he is a neurosurgeon 😂😂
I don't get how people were surprised and couldn't believe he was a piece of shit when his mask fell, the first thought that crosses my mind when he appeared was: "no surprise this guy's gonna thorw her of stairs". I've seen girls saying they love this book cuz they fell in love with Ryle as Lily does and believed he would get better just like her. But, sis... HOW???
Right, she tried to make Atlas as perfect as possible but let’s not forget he did sleep with an underage Lily. She could’ve made Atlas and Lily same age and avoided that
I really appreciate your explanation at the end of the video about the ways we snub romance novels. I am not a romance reader myself but I always try to encourage people when they say they like the genre bc it deserves the same amount of respect. Thank you!!! Great video as always ♥️
This is my first time watching your video and I love it instantly!! I adore the way you speak and the atmosphere of the video and everything. Immediately subscribed!!
I love your nuanced take on the book! I personally haven’t read any of this author’s books, mostly because contemporary fiction isn’t my jam, but I appreciate the author’s personal experience and it seemed to give a good insight into how hard it is to leave abuse. Well done Christy!
SO glad you addressed wish-fulfillment in contemporary romance. I do enjoy the occasional Hallmark or Netflix romance get particularly triggered by unrealistic professional situations. Just read the Graveyard Book to my son as per your recommendation. A boy being raised by ghosts, AWESOME! A protagonist advancing in her career unrealistically, GRRRRR! It seriously triggers me. Probably says more about me than the book. But I agree that the same concept of wish-fulfillment can romanticize unhealthy relationships. Whereas somebody who gets lost in personal development makes positive changes, somebody who gets lost in the world of contemporary romance won't get better at finding love. Because of that weird caricature of a man, that frankly, all the cool, smart, caring guys resent being measured against. So glad she leaves the abusive guy! And also glad I didn't have to read the whole book to get there.
i have not read any coho books so maybe my opinion is a little misguided, but part of the problem i find with her books, and i don't necessarily blame the author herself for this, is the way they are marketed and discussed online as romances. like i see tiktoks of people saying various male characters are super romantic and "book boyfriends" and stuff, and seeing them be put into romance categories (you yourself described this as a contemporary romance at the beginning) and that can be really misleading. i think i would be less concerned about the hype around her books if they were described as books *about* abuse, as opposed to being romances that when you read them the characters are abusive, as it seems like, from reviews I've seen about some of her other books, the love interests are always walking red flags
ive read the book, and i understand your opinion but the way the book was meant to be seen is in a point of vew in a way, like how lily left ryle, showing for how hard is to leave a abusive relationship is, everyone has different experiences but is just choeing a different poiint of vew, and i agree it shuld of not been romance but the way the mc sees the situation and the way the reader sees the situation is different is not meant to follow all the same opinions.
I don't mind reading about toxic relationships or domestic violence, but I would not read a book that romanticizes those things. 🙅♀️ Thank goodness for that ending though. That was a good decision.
I have a hard time with this book. I was raised with parents that were abusive to each other and to me. My roommate LOVES this book and when I tried to read it I just off the bat hated the writing. It just came off as romanticizing abuse, fan fiction writing. I couldn’t get past chapter 1. I really appreciate the pacing and the delicacy of how you handled this video and the harm these kind of books (I am being specific to Colleen Hoover here) can do to growing girls. Her books, in my opinion, don’t handle these harsh topics correctly or don’t frame it the right way at all. Great job on the video i thought it was worded perfectly!
its great that she ended up with Atlas and all that but to let Ryle have access to her daughter at the end knowing everything that happened gave me chills like... you know how violent this man is does she really think he won't be abusive towards their child?
(Taking a deep breath) I will never read this book cuz I was in an abusive relationship. He never hit me, but it was emotional abuse. I was destroyed when I finally left him. And I don't want to go back to that place... even for a little while. But I agree with you on the need for these stories to be out there. It was while reading another book about emotionally abusive relationships that I finally forgave myself and stopped blaming myself for something that wasn't my fault. I can't speak on the book (since I won't read it) but I applaud you for putting your opinion out there in such a polite but honest way. And you're totally right. People should read whatever they want. Art can't and shouldn't be put in a box.
The way I went various versions of "YES! I KNOW! RIGHT, CHRISTY I KNOW!" throughout this video, because I'm also scared of offending people who love this book.
I never was interested in contemporary romance until I read Get a Life, Chloe Brown - and I know, I KNOW the Brown sisters get promoted everywhere and usually popular romance doesn't work for me either but those three books just GET it. So. If you ever think about giving cont romance another chance please try them 🧡
Thank you Christy for still sharing your perception despite feeling uncomfortable. I haven’t read this book, but watching your take of it was really helpful to cement that I would most likely not enjoy this book. The internet is a scary place to broadcast opinions. Even I’m also fearful that someone will take personal offense to my comment in some way and I almost didn’t post it. 😅 The part that stuck most with me in your video was that you saw a young teen reading it in the airport. I know a lot of my younger cousins have read this book, too. It reminds me of when I was their age reading Twilight- and how that had negatively shaped me in my first dating relationship. 😖 Thank god that this Hoover novel didn’t have her going back to her abuser and justifying his actions.
Thank you for making this video Christy Anne. So many booktubers won’t touch a TikTok book, and only read books that are sometimes unaccessible to the masses; but it’s great that you have. You handled your review sensitively as well as honestly. ❤❤
Oh this makes so much sense. I can imagine a certain segment of the readers feeling icky about it and then realizing at the end the point of it all. Or readers buying in to the whole romance angle only to be hit with the bigger point that it’s trying to make.
I do not use Tiktok so I had not heard about this book and I also had not heard about the whole "books becoming popular through Tiktok" thing. Whilst this book does not seem like the kind of book I would enjoy, I really enjoyed the part at the end about reading accessibility!! I think that is really important to remember with all forms of art. Thank you for always producing such insightful content!!
English Lit major here, who is a huge fan of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice. I was cleaning out my iBooks a month ago when I realized I bought this book, and never read it again. I'm glad I deleted it. I had the exact same problems with the book (I closed it after the first chapter) and I have no plans on watching the movie.
I nearly choked when you put those Derek pictures up 🤣 But in all seriousness, thank you so much for your commentary on book snobbishness, Christy! I feel like it's such an important message to be introduced to and not many people are that open-minded or fair in their videos. It's so ingrained in our brains that I think we all need to be better at it
I love your video! The way we get to follow you reading the chapters is so fun and makes it feel like I'm experiencing it with you for the first time again. Side note I loved this book. This book is not about the side details which I think many people get too caught up with like riles age being a doctor or how much money you have to have to actually start a flower shop, but the main message is the insight into how we always think it wont happen to us and we know better but being in it is way more complex and takes masive strenght to break out of. CoHo does an amazing job with showing how even the ones who comes across as the best can turn out not to be and the internal sturggle to break out of the romantisized version of the man you have in your mind. I felt every single part of this book and I was so glad for her when she managed to end it despite her feelings. Sometimes, just because someone hurts us, it doesn't mean that we stop loving them emmiedietly.
I feel exactly the same about the book as you did, and I loved the way you expressed it. I never had a problem with the way the relationship happened, because Ryle was charming and it’s not Lily’s fault she didn’t notice the red flags, and that’s realistic! But the rest of the book was SO unrealistic and the characters lacked depth, while also dealing with such traumatic, deep things, and it felt like such a weird disconnect to me. I’m happy people are reading anything and very happy that it’s helped so many people process their trauma.
i really love your insight at the end. it’s so refreshing to have someone judge a book without being actually judgmental! u earned a subscriber with this one
What you say bout this book made me think of the "after" novels by anna todd. A few years ago, my best friend was reading one of the last book that came out and she really is obsessed with those novels and she would talk about it a lot. I knew a bit about the story and i had prejudices about it. However i decided to try and read the first book. I did and i hated it, i didn't actually even finished it. I was really uncomfortable and the story's weird. But, at least, i know now that i won't be reading "it ends with us" !
As a librarian in always shocked of how quickly this book leaves the shelf as soon as we receive some, every teen ask it all the time I swear and it has been out of stock quiet often since it has been out
Oh my god i have been waiting for a video like this ever since I read this a few years ago. You summed up my EXACT reactions while reading this book. Like to the bit! Christy- you HAVE to read more of these colleen hoover books, like you think the next one can’t get as stupid and twisted and then it exceeds your expectations. She kind of takes the exact same formula and changes the situations. All the main characters are interchangeable between books, I find it fascinating lmao
the last straw for me while reading this book is how lily had to do the whole 'what if this was your daughter?' hypothesis to ryle in order to make him understand his actions. i hate how ryle is framed as 'not a bad person but a person who has done bad actions' and the book's whole message of 'there are no bad people only bad actions' which makes a LOT of people who read this book redeem ryle (when he should absolutely not be redeemed). also i hate how this book about dv gets convoluted to being a romance and how the most important thing seemes to be whether she ends up with ryle or atlas. (also i don't like atlas because of him having sex with lily when she was a minor). in short, this book would have been good if it was marketed & executed better but i have so many problems with the execution that it makes me hate it lol.
I thought it was really weird how she wrote her diary/Ellen roasts to be very innocent, she's saying how he's asking about her age and looking disappointed and not realising why and thinking he sees her as a child. I though it was a really weird choice. I knew the ending so I knew she ended up with atlas but I was hoping it would be a story of her realising and assessing the 2 of the types of relationships people who grew up in abusive house holds may experience but no he's fit so it's chill
I absolutely loved your review and your perspective about this book. I heard of this book because of TikTok and at first I was convinced it was a romance novel(AND that teenagers could read it). I was 17 when I read it and I remember discussing the book with my friends(who were also 17-18)every lunch before we graduated high school. I remember that the day we discussed the ending some of my friends loved it and some of them hated it. I was perplexed because my friend rated the book a 4,5 star because she was very upset with the ending. She said she wishes Lily had taken Ryle back! Me and my other friends went “what?”. It’s crazy how different people have different points of views and perspectives on the same book. And also that TikTok can be a very dangerous place to find book recommendations because most of the times they are poorly done and you can end up picking up a book that is completely different from what you thought it would be about. Proof of that is that my girl friends as high schoolers had completely misunderstood the message behind the story.
THANK YOU for this entire video! Your thoughtful approach is refreshing. Just because something is popular doesn't mean it's good and reviews like this are absolutely necessary! Thanks!
I could feel every of your "uuugh". I put the book aside at some point and actually am here for the spoilers because I couldn't bring myself to finish reading it. Especially how it was marketed, I have seen it on Instagram with the coating of a easy read, enjoyable love story and was shocked when I started reading it. I picked this book up because I needed an easy escape and instead I got thrown into this horrible situation of having to reflect on everything said and done in this book. This is my reason for not liking it at all, but I think if I would have known what I would get into it I could appreciate the book a lot more, since it addresses so many important points.
I have watched enough Coho slander for this kind of videos to be up in my UA-cam algorithm alley to the point where I'm getting bored of it lol, but when I received a notification that you were uploading one as well, I knew I had to hear what you think of it! And I'm glad I did. 🤭
I started reading this book after seeing your video and I started it at the same time. I came back to finish your video as I finished the book today. It was so hard for me to read initially-just like you said, I would have put the book back after reading the first chapter. i hated Ryle since the first chapter. He was NOT okay, I hate seeing angry peopple, but especially those who cannot communicate it properly. Because I went through something similar in my last relationship that lasted for 7 years, a man who never bothered to change or get help for his anger issues. And i got hurt in th eprocess, I felt everything she said. Thankfully, I was fairly young and I left the relationship not too long ago, at the beginning of this year. And I'm so glad I did because I'm not sure what would have transpired for worse if I stayed back. It was so toxic for me and it was also hard foro me to leave and move on. never. Again. As a psychologist myself, this book was actually a true protrayal of abusive relationships and what goes in the victim's minds, it represented the true reality fo the 4 stages of an abuse very well. Obviously hated Ryle and I don't like people romanticing and glamourising their relationship, it should never be. But it's an eye-opening for those who have never been in these situations, and heart-breaking for those to relive these. Please watch carefully how your partner expresses themselves, right from the beginning. These signs are very evident right from the beginning, we just choose to turn a blind eye.
It makes me sad when I think of all the beautiful books I've read that definitely deserve to get popular, but this one did instead. I haven't finished your video as of writing this, but from what I've watched so far it's just so disappointing to see how the media has pushed this book into the spotlight when others clearly deserve it more.
Oh my goodness, you are reading my most anticipated book , I have been too hearing about this book everywhere. Friends, cousins, book tube, booktok, etc. 😂 That's why I want to read it despite I did not like this author's other book. You are such a blast of positive energy! Your videos inspires me very much. 💕💕 Really excited to hear your thoughts.
I can relate so much!! I just don’t like contemporary romance as a genre. Every time i pick up a romance book, I want to like it so much but I always end up being very disappointed😬 I do like Sally Rooney though, I guess she’s an exception😅
I love all your videos and this was especially a great watch! I love it when people tell the story of a book or movie with their own view on it, even more than reading or watching stories myself 😄 Another one like this please, yes will all the spoilers! I particularly liked you filming yourself while reading the end, that was a real gem 😍
Christy, all I can say is THANK YOU 😂 I feel so seen lol this is how I ALWAYS feel about Colleen Hoover books and just contemporary romance in general. Once in awhile I read one because I’ve seen it all over TikTok or Instagram and every single time, I just don’t enjoy it. I try, but I know I’m not supposed to be alternating between laughing and cringing the whole time. And usually I get a little angry by the end. No shade at all to the people that love them, though. We’re all different. It was just nice to see someone have the same reactions as me! 😂 Also really appreciated your thoughtful commentary at the end.
my friends loved colleen hoover so they told me to read ugly love, it ends with us, regretting you, November 9, etc. I hated them all, lame ass plot and predictable twists. soon enough they also started to dislike colleen hoover the more they read actually better books.
the only reason i would give the story a 3/5 (which i still feel like is pretty generous) is not only bc she didn’t end up with ryle, but also bc the book enlightened me a lil bit on domestic abuse and how hard it can be to walk away. like it changed my perspective a lil bit on how even though the violence was bad, it was rare and that’s why lily thought that the good outweighed the bad bc the food was more frequent. i never thought of it that way, and i’m glad she came to the realization that even though the good was more frequent, the bad was still way worse than any good moment and she deserved better than that. anybody would.
I bought this book in a special book shop in Venice and was really excited to read it but finally I had the same thoughts as you - it was just horrible. I also thought Ryle was just a terrible, flat character & that Lilly was extremely privileged in her position and ability to open a book shop at 23. So glad you have the same opinion 😘
I appreciate your honest review. I almost read this book because of all the hype. Hearing your critique was helpful especially when you explained why some things weren't working for you. When you talked about the flat writing and characters in the beginning and the wish full filment was a good critique. It's also something I'm afraid of happening with my writing. That's something I'm trying to be more conscious of, making sure my writing is believable.
As someone who knows people who have been in relationships like Lily and Ryle's, I saw so much realism in the struggle. I see why some people read it as a glorification of abuse- we read it from Lily's POV and I think that was part of the point. So many people who find themselves in DV situations can't see all the negativity, they make excuses, they justify because x, y, z good qualities about their partner. They go back over and over because a part of them does love that partner. It wraps up in that last chapter- when Lily realizes SHE always judged her mother for not leaving, and then found herself in the exact same place. Also, one quick note- she didn't leave into the arms of another man. Her and Atlas run into each other MONTHS later, and they still don't get together, haha. Totally fine to not like this book- I enjoyed it but it wasn't like my favorite book ever. But I did find a lot of truth and realism in the DV storyline, and I think a lot of people missed the point of it.
I do think the blurb and lack of ANY hinting towards the DV is problematic, and I don't really consider it a romance...? She doesn't end up with Ryle OR Atlas at the end. But CoHo has also said beofre that she just kinda writes whatever and doesn't really question genre so maybe that's not surprising lol
Also, re: realism in Lily's career- I worked as a marketing manager RIGHT after graduation (was NOT a great choice on behalf of the company who hired me lolll). It was a small company, and I ran the entire marketing department. Titles really don't mean anything without context. If she'd been a marketing exec at like a fortune 500 that might be a different story, but stuff like that happens at small companies allll the time. And people start businesses without good plans every day- the fact that it was suddenly booming is more unrealistic, but eh, that happens too lol. And I get these cheesiness that of COURSE her friend was Ryle's sister- but I've also heard that for marketability, you want to limit your characters as much as possible and have heard countless stories of writers pursuing publishing being told to combine characters all together. Her friend/coworker also served the purpose of being a link to Ryle, without throwing in yet another name/character to keep up with. I know it seems like I'm defending this book like I love it 😂 I'm not trying to. You had a lot of valid critiques! And of course, we're all free to like/dislike whatever we please:)
When you said the two main guys’ names are Ryle and Atlas, I knew it was going to be an absolute shit show. Also, I laughed so hard when you critiqued Lily’s business acumen. And you’re not wrong about marketing in the US. I have known of a handful of marketing executives at that age, but in every instance it’s been for a startup.
Thank you so much for your honesty Christy. This was so insightful (and very entertaining) & I loved hearing your opinion. Also though, your whole marketing executive/running a business rant = 👌🏼The need for realistic plot points is so accurate.
Loved this video ! ☀️ I really like how you’ve shared your experience of reading this novel (I haven’t read it at all, so I really appreciated the spoilers ! ) 🍁 ♥️
I NEVER seek out book review/vlog content but this video gained you a new follower. This was equal parts funny and cozy and it made me feel like I was talking about a book with an old friend. ♥️ Be well!
Seeing a positive person talk about a person they dislike is pretty amusing to me and idk why like the way you say you don’t like it then laugh bc same😂
As someone who doesn't really "read" and is only getting in to it that's why I'm watching book review type videos, I appreciate the fact that you don't trash other people's preferences and the fact that you think about what the book could mean to other people. You know that the book is not for you but you still manage to find the the good in it, being an introduction to new readers and whatnot. I still don't know how to feel about this book but other people were really "mad" (not sure how else to put it) about it, which is completely valid, but they never really thought about it like you did. I don't know, I just like your way of thinking.
I think this book met the needs of many abused people who are still struggling to overcome the cultural conditioning that leads to DV. It's not a one and done thing. There was a need for a book like this, this book filled it in a way none have before. It's a step forward in a long line of women and oppressed people learning how to recognize and respond to covert and overt abuse. Also, in the real world, there would have been more pressure on Lily to conform and excuse Ryle and more social pressure for her to stay. The lack of that is privileged and wish fulfillment too. I agree with the problems but I think this book did many people a huge favor. If it gave a lot of women a new threshold and backbone, it's more than just a "good book". It's a social impact book. I'm so glad you're further along in the journey, but many of us grew up in cultures that punished us for leaving and many custody suits have subsequently ripped apart families and destroyed them. The value of this book lies in the courage it gives young women and men to leave an abusive relationship long before they may pay for it the rest of their lives. It's a privilege if you can't relate, and I'm so glad you can't. But the book's value isn't for someone who doesn't struggle with these patterns. It's for someone who does see themselves in Lily and finds strength to avoid or leave, hopefully avoiding and not ignoring the red flags from the beginning.
I just read Verity for the same reason. I chose Verity over It Ends With Us because it was a one-off thriller. It was an incredibly fast read. I also said the two female characters didn't have particularly different voices, but overall, I found the book a quick, easily digestible page-turner. I didn't expect a whole lot of depth and I wasn't disappointed. I can be a bit of a book snob, but I also try to be realistic, and I found Hoover to be a good storyteller in the sense that her books (well, just Verity for me) pull the reader along, invoke emotional responses, and create some conversation. Your vlog touches on so many of my own thoughts, though you say them much more fully. My review of Verity is much shorter and forgivable.
Hi Christy! I like your analyse of the book! I read it as well, and yes, I think as well that the characters are not really realistic... And those "coincidences" , like meeting sister of Ryle or Atlas in the restaurant... :-) it was like reading Soap opera 🙂 but I liked the end, and I was also relieved that she's not staying with Ryle.
Could not be more thankful for your review of this one. I have a few people in my life who love her as an author. However, this review helps me avoid it bc of the content. Christy, you were very compassionate and graceful with your review. I highly appreciated it as well as your philosophical statement at the end! 🎉
I want to thank you for sharing this experience because you have saved me even remotely thinking I might read this book. It sounds awful on every level. Thank you! And your review was not "negative" - it was honest. Please don't let haters keep you from sharing your very legitimate thoughts.
I feel you! Only read it because I fell in love with the trailer. I hated Ryle from the very first second. I was screaming at her to leave the roof. I hated the whole relationship dynamic. I was SO interested in the diary entries, I wish there was a book just about that. Atlas is so lovely. I think Lily is just stupid. But then again, we do stupid things when we’re under the wrong influence. If you have not been through a similar situation, you would not understand properly. I am a survivor of domestic violence with TWO men so I kinda found myself in her story. I cried, I had goosebumps, I felt everything.
This was really interesting and nuanced! Probably not going to be a book for me, those topics would make me uncomfortable. but I appreciate you doing a really in-depth, careful, and honest review! Definitely important things to be thinking about!
i just wrote and entire comment but it was deleted but basically most of my friends read and love colleen hoovers books, i dont as ive been reading alottt since i was like 8 years old, all my friends (who are predominantly teenage girls) only started reading coho from tiktok, majority of them have revealed to me that they think ryle was a good person and that ms coho writes the best romances ever. this terrifies me - the fact that theyre defending the ONE not openly glorified abuser in her books. and theyre defending him, its scary because this means my friends could get into a relationship like this and think "oh my god its just like we're in a romance book!!" because ms coho has screwed the idea of romance in teenage girls head into justifying abuse. its gross and scary and horrifying and im scared for my friends im soso scared for them i just hate what cohos doing to their ideas of love LOVE ISNT ABUSE. abuse is abuse, love doesnt come with emotional OR physical abuse. i hate colleen hoover, i hate her books & i hope her books go out of trend faster than this so she can rot in the disgusting pile of unsold books she calls "young adult romance". (am i a little overdramatic? eh maybe, am i terrified for my friends and what cohos books are doing to personable teenagers? absolutely.)
yep. i agree. also, idk if you care but as an ace,an overly smutty book is not something i like. i get it that ppl like it but imo ao3 is THE best for smut. like,nothing compares to it. I've not seen a SINGLE book w good smut,it's always BAD. also, idk bout you but i also hated 'the kiss quotient' and DNF'd it on like 4th chapter. couldn't get past it. cuz like, that girl is not comfortable w sleeping w men/dating them and instead of being ok w it she HIRES a male prostitute?!?! like huhh?!? does it make ANY sense?
Hope you all enjoy this vlog and essay!~ Just another warning: there's a LOT of spoilers in this video, so if you haven't read the book yet and you want to avoid spoilers, it would be wise to skip this one. Take care everyone 💛💛
Christy, I love how you dealt with critiquing a book that you didn't like and it shows how kind you are that you are concerned with offending readers who love this book. I haven't read it yet and debated about whether to watch the whole video. I like to go into a book knowing minimum about it but I've never thought that I would read this book. Now, you've made me curious to read it even though you did give spoilers. Anyway, keep on being you! I love how open and yet tactful you were about your review.
💛
@@bookishly.introverted u stole the words out of my mouth. she really dealt with this well.
Tiktok popularizing and romanticizing this book and ugly love made me question everything about mass media. I completely agree that it has it's pros like rejuvenating the love for reading in so many but the most popular books have something problematic about them. There are so many amazing books with legit writing and plot being neglected. I'm afraid that the book community might end up becoming something it shouldn't be.
Can u please recommend,I am unfortunately book deprived🙃🙃🙃🙃
@@abisolaadeko5231 All the Truth that's in me by Julie Berry and Island of the blue Dolphins.
Edit: with how many views and likes I'm getting, let me quote a line from the first book that summarizes both stories:
"Darrel once read to Mother the tale of a girl in France who heard angel voices telling her to save her people from the English. She dressed as a man and spoke with fire and eloquence. She raised an army and defeated the invaders, all for the love of her motherland. For her courage and her passion, she later burned to death, called a witch and heretic. Do I love you less than she loved soil? I have no words to save you."
@@sunnysodapop thanks
@@abisolaadeko5231 song of achillies
Tbh the book community has always been like this to an extent or at least a large portion of it has been but the difference is what used to be in the shadows is now in the limelight. But I do think it says a lot about this generation coming up, talking more about taboo subjects is an important step to making them less common of an occurrence. But I absolutely agree that there are amazing books that are going undiscovered. Part of that is the school system banning a lot of classic books with tough subject matter as well. Hopefully it’s just an introduction to books. I got pulled into reading this book because I saw my daughter’s reaction to the twist and I had to know what happened 😅
coho fans being the reason z-library got down makes sense.
More reasons to hate booktok
I'm still shocked that this overhyped shitty book is the reason I will have to buy my textbooks now 💀coho fans owe me a degree
i am this close to holding a zlibrary funeral istg
Those fans do not think straight just like every protagonist of Coho books
@@kunjalgorule9109 100%
As a small business owner that is a florist, her startup and how ‘easy’ everything was made me unnaturally upset more than most things in this book 😅
How could that possibly make you more upset than the abuse that is romantisized in the book?
@@nafeesanaz People tend to get more upset about things personal to them being misrepresented
I kept wait for the perfect sister character to be secretly evil or something else because otherwise it makes no sense that someone who has never had a job before is automatically an amazing employee
Don't get me started on Atlas being previously homeless and broke and then buying a whole a$$ restaurant in this day and age right out of the military.
@@taiyabazaheer9492veterans get business loans and a VA loan which means you don’t need to put a down payment down on a house like other people do.
I have avoided all her books because I've heard the love interests are walking red flags 🚩
Gud for your mental health
They are but the message of this book is how to be strong enough to leave men like that and find yourself. I thought the message would be toxic but it actually wasn’t. Also the toxic man had several red flags throughout the book but
SPOILER
.
.
She doesn’t end up with him.
i read ugly love and it ends with us and they literally are. Coleen hoover books are not only overhyped, but very problematic
I've read her book Maybe Someday, and the ML and FL are involved in cheating, when the ML already had a long-term gf. The FL didn't even feel guilty about the affair and just only cared about chasing the ML. after the ML was rejected by her gf, the guy just basically went after the FL bcoz he couldn't have his (ex) gf anymore so he thought why not chase the girl that i cheated with if I couldn't have the other anymore. I hate this story so much
@@saving_graciela9203 Sounds like those shitty chinese novels but even they can do better
it’s so weird how this book is marketed as romance when it’s mostly about a toxic relationship instead
Should be labelled "smut" instead of "romance"
Its supposed to be a trick. Same with the title. When you hear the title you think that it sound romantic, something that goes "oh we fight but no matter what we stick together, it ends with us" while in reality its about an abusive bloodline "it ends with us". At least I think so
Uh but the toxic one isn’t the love interest atlas is I thought this was established
@@hanzie_bearz6281 what do you mean he isn’t the love interest she was with him for the whole book. Ryle is definitely a love interest here
@@immasnakeee6460 the whole plot twist is that he’s not. Atlas is the actual love interest of the book, Ryle is more just a character that creates this turmoil in the book. I don’t know how to explain it but it’s obvious he wasn’t the main love interest within the book
As someone who was abused for 17 years, ive avoided this book and any discussion about it . But you made even this comforting. Thank you! I had a very hard day and your videos are like a warm hug. You handled this topic so well too!
Also, just wanted to add one small thing, its not necessary that an abuser has been traumatised. Sometimes, there is no trauma , but thats just who they are. Often seen in narcissistic sociopaths.
I agree, my father was and is like that. Pure narcissism and cruelty
but thats the thing, the abuser always find a reason to justify the abuse and get the blame off their shoulders and make it your fault, it happened to my mom and happened to me…so I don’t think she was validating ryle, I think she was showing how even that was used to his advantaged to make her feel guilty about 🥺 I’ve lived it and it wasn’t much different from what happened in the book.
@@mimstarkgaryen6182 im not saying shes validating the abuser. Not saying anything about the abuser blaming the victim either. Im simply referring to the fact that abusers are often thought to be that way , because its believed that they also faced some trauma to become the "monster". Which isnt always the case. A lot of abusers have no trauma at all. Theyre just evil . No empathy, no conscience, no humanity.
@@r.22r yes, I’ve lived it. I know exactly what you mean 😢
If you read between the lines it's about how society normalises abusive behaviour and romanticizes it. It makes my head hurt that people can't see that it's NOT condoning the behaviour of the male character -_-
Thank you for being honest and for having the courage of expressing an opinion that goes against the mass market. I have found the book horrible, but I can understand that it could reach people that are new to reading.
😂 LOVE the subtle shade … “new to reading”. 🙌🏼
Hahahha "new to reading"
NOOOO THE ABSOLUTE S H A D E
I too didn't like the book.
I read it when I was new to reading and after some time I re-read it and realised how garbage it is lmfao
It’s so interesting to see someone express almost word for word the same opinions I had about this book as I was reading it. I thought Ryle was a massive walking red flag from the beginning and my experience with marketing also made me question Lily’s career stage for her age. The wish fulfilment aspects made it hard for me to take the book seriously.
However, it was exactly the book I needed to read when I read it. I was in an abusive relationship at the time and I didn’t fully accept the reality of that until I read this book, romanticising the person and rationalising the incidents. This book opened my eyes, made me forgive myself for being in such a situation (having never imagined it could happen to strong independent me 😅), and make the difficult and heartbreaking decision to get out of there. So even though it’s not my favourite book in the world, it was a huge catalyst for change in my life and I’m now out, in a new place, healing and growing. It’s funny to realise that even books you don’t even really like that much can wake you up and change the course of your life. Books are amazing!!
That's the point. It's NOT actually saying that men like this are good, it's about how society normalises such behaviour.
@@M.H.I.A.F.T. That's good, and hopefully it's audience gets the message
Love the last bit! The power of books are amazing aye!
There is a book called "Was It Even Abuse" by Emma Rose Byham and it helped me stop victim blaming myself for my abusive relationship. It is so validating of the experience of victims of covert (emotional and psychological) abuse.
Are you able to read it online?
@@riceballs7469 I ordered the hard copy online, I don't know if there is a virtual copy. But the hard copy was therapeutic, they encourage writing and highlighting in the book where you relate or have experienced similar things. It was very nice to write it down.
Thank you I’m a survivor of emotional and verbal abuse from my ex husband this book didn’t trigger me at all but the second book did mostly because it’s how she deals with Ryle going forward. thanks for the recommendation i will definitely check it out.
I think part of the disconnect with this book is that people keep talking about it as a contemporary romance novel, but simply having a romance within the story doesn't put it in the romance genre. Romance novels have happy endings. This is simply contemporary fiction. The marketing of it as a romance leads to confusion for a lot of readers who start reading and bump into those very serious topics you've discussed that don't lead to the happy, romantic ending that one expects from a genre romance.
THIS THIS THIS. It is not a romance book but marketed it in such a way!
THANK U!!!!! i love this book and it really resonates with me after my toxic relationship. it’s not a love story!
Yeah, the marketing is quite sneaky. Possibly crafted by a marketing executive with only ~two years of experience. I kid
There's also the issue of impressionable younger people thinking that such toxic & abusive behaviour is what romance is all about since it is categorised as such.
I tried reading Verity after all the hype. I couldn’t even force myself to finish. I’ve never even touched another one of her books and I never will. 🥰
O i have listen lots of her books, mostly because they are easy writting and its good for me to improve my english. But, i didnt like any of them, i tried, but most of them i oversleept 🤣. I think It ends with us is the only one i remembered. 🤦🏼♀️
God i HATE Verity with a passion
self-care is avoiding colleen hoover books like the plague
@@peanutbutter4741for real 😅
Read Rebecca instead by Daphne du Maurier if you haven’t already. Colleen Hoover basically ripped off the entire plot of Rebecca and did it no justice.
I just finished reading It Ends with Us and personally i'd give it 1/5
here are my reasons why
(first off i have much respect for Lily and anyone else who has experienced this first hand and i appreicate the effort in which the author used her book to bring light on abuse)
1. Romantized abuse - i feel like the tone and the cover along with the blurb innappropriately romantized this book it should not be a romance but rather a horror
2. trigger warnings - trigger warnings are needed, i don't care if it spoils the book, victims of domestic abuse could have been hurt by the lack of warning
3. the cliché of abusive men - being tormented by his demons. I feel that the author use of saying there's no such thing as bad people only people who make bad decisions is not ryle case at all he planned his last attack and it is not an example of a poor totured soul
4. romantizes toxic traits which is anti- feminist
5. Lily's protection and divorce for her child's saftey is a basic parental minium/ plus the co-parenting was unrealistic ryle could have been a danger to the baby she put her in an unsafe environment and the fact she doesn't press charges is unrealistic
No offence lexy but you sound like you should stick to reading Nancy Drew if you can't handle that some books portray the world as you want it to be. It is SUPPOSED to show the man's toxic behaviour being romanticised to demonstrate how women are brainwashed and controlled by them. It's called DARK romance for a reason. Good grief, grow up.
Trigger warning where
i dont think the 5 is unrealistic, at the end of the book, colleen told us that most of lily and ryle's story was based in her life, her dad was an abuser and her mom did the same, so is not unrealistic, is sad, because i think everyone wanted ryle in jail but unfortunately, it didnt happen
@@duda-hf7py yeah but its still classed as fiction, she could’ve used the novel as a more educational or hopeful moment to show people in that situation HOW they can navigate getting out of it. Imo it just seems like lazy writing and considering all her other abusive/toxic relationships in her other books, the fact that she only tries to portray Ryle as abusive because the experience is personal to her just makes it worse honestly. Like it means she can clearly recognize abuse yet she only makes a point to call a spade a spade here and not in every other book where she writes toxic relationships? Idk defending it just seems weird to me.
Like I’m a certified CASA guardian for children in DV/substance abuse cases and so it’s hard for me to buy into a story where no one is seemingly against an abusive man getting to see his child, whether there’s charges filed or not…like in most dv cases, the child is put in foster care until ties are cut with the abuser. coho couldve even chose to make lily go to the police or something but she didnt and its either lazy or she just doesnt care either way it’s a no from me. like it wasnt a memoir so there’s no reason she couldn’t have embellished to be more hopeful. especially considering people who are in these situations might read the book and be influenced by the messages in it
exactly
'people should just be able to have fun and enjoy whatever forms of art and entertainment they like because we're all just silly blobs of flesh on a floating rock anyway, it doesn't matter' literally one of my new favorite quotes. Loved the video thank you as always ~~
I really appreciated what you said at the end about romances being historically looked down upon due to misogyny and classism. You're quite fair minded to point this out even though romance isn't your favorite category. I started reading romances as a graduate creative writing student when a professor wanted me to learn about plot, and though I held my nose at first, I found many amazing romance authors. Their writing is on par with the best writers of any other genre.
any recommendations?
I tried to explain to my spouse he was teasing that I found romance novels- I tried to explain they are mostly normal books as any other just with the sex scene not censored 😂. Personally I don’t even like reading the sex scene as it doesn’t add to the romance part of the books.
I understand why you don’t like to give negative reviews, but this was great. It was thoughtful, with nuance and with very good arguments, I hope you make more videos like this ☺️
True. This is not a hate video. This is an honest and good review. I love it so much.
Ack I will continue to avoid Colleen Hoover - for really excellent contemporary romance I'd really recommend literally everything by Emily Henry - she's spectacular!
Also Rachel Lynn Solomon - they're my two auto-buys :)
I found this book educational ahaha if that makes sense. My mother was in this kind of abusive relationship and never tried to leave my stepfather which was the abuser. I always blamed her for being weak, but after reading this book at least I understood how it feels when you're the one who's getting abused. I still didn't forgive her for choosing him over me but I stopped blaming her.
I’ve never intended to read this book, but the review hits me hard in my feelings. I also left my abusive (not physically) ex fiancé earlier this year, and it truly is a hard thing to do. Those who haven’t been through any abuse in their lives may not be able to empathize with that, but I hope that this book has been able to help someone get out of abusive situations or empathize with victims (even though this book has a lot of peculiar and wish fulfillment parts structurally). Still not something I think I’d read, but I really appreciate your review! Thank you 🤗
❤
Same, hope it helps people who do read it to realize what the difference between a toxic relationship and a loving relationship.
So I learnt about this while researching Fanfiction for an essay I wrote in defence of it back in like 2019. But a lot of books are priced the way they are because of their genre, and by gender too. A lot of romance novels are going to be cheaper because they're written by women and marginalised groups. Whereas books like Sci-Fi for example (even though it was invented by a woman) are more expensive because they attract men more often. It's why YA is also cheaper because it predominantly attracts marginalised groups. Romance is cheaper because they're not seen as "good enough" literature compared to novels in Fantasy or Sci-Fi genres.
(If you want to know why I learned about this because of Fanfiction, a lot of men will put their nose up towards Fanfiction because it's free. They don't understand why most people (from marginalised groups) would write something for free when they could be paid for it.)
wow thats something new i learnt today :0
this is off topic but I adore your pfp.
Great point! I wrote a paper on this in a diversity class I took in college were I looked at wage gaps in the book publishing industry. You’re spot on.
@@annac9534 aww thank you! Yeah it was a weird side tangent to why people (often cismen in fandom spaces) look down upon fanfiction. But it makes sense when you think about it, which sucks.
Really off topic, but i just learned my literature class lied to my face because of your comment lmao. I was taught that Jules Verne was the first sci-fi writer. I never looked for the actual origins because i was never really interested in that,(im less of a literature person than an art history person) but like. First science fiction books appeared like two centuries before him.
While Verne's books are very influential and fun to read they werent the first. I feel lied to.
Or maybe im misremembering my class. I cant really check since i sold my textbook 😭
I genuinely loved this video. I don’t intend to read this book, I’m here with you since Morgan Long’s collab, and I stayed because of your love for Neil Gaiman, Japan, fantasy + dark academia, and also because seeing your writing routine inspires me to be more productive in my personal projects (as a UX designer). That being said, I wish to see more videos like this one, where you deep dive in a specific book while also vloging your routine. I’m specifically fond of your videos reading The Secret History and Babel, so I was curious to see how you’d approach a reading vlog of a book that is obviously outside of your comfort zone. Thank you for sharing your input on It Ends With Us, for being brave to share your honest opinion, and acknowledging the positive aspects you were able to find in it!
I haven’t read this one by her (and I won’t) but I have read Verity. The writing was bad; the story was sickening and unrealistic (especially since it’s supposed to take place in our contemporary world). I thought the relationships were abusive, manipulative, co-dependent and enabling. It’s the first book in a LONG time that I’ve hurled a book across the room in rage. 😂 I then ranted to my fiancé for about an hour. Like IEWU, everyone seems to love it and I just cannot see why.
Edit: Christy, it’s ok to say you don’t like a book. It’s ok to say that you hate a book. Watering down your opinion so you won’t offend anyone is really a waste of time. The simple fact that you didn’t get to the end in a sobbing heap screaming how much you loved it has already offended people. There is far too much sensitivity about opinions in today’s world. You want to be known as an honest, trustworthy book reviewer. That includes being willing to say that you couldn’t stand a book, even if other people love it. From your comment section, quite a lot of people didn’t like it either. Don’t worry so much about offending people by not liking a book. If someone gives a thumbs down or unsubscribes because of this review, then they probably weren’t the kind of person you wanted around your channel anyway.
Ryle was like a walking red flag from the beginning but also I feel like the author gave too much credit to Atlas for being a decent human being ?? Also book club drinking game - take a shot every time Ryle says he is a neurosurgeon 😂😂
Or everytime either of the MCs say "naked truth"
@@forkyfork yes omg !
I don't get how people were surprised and couldn't believe he was a piece of shit when his mask fell, the first thought that crosses my mind when he appeared was: "no surprise this guy's gonna thorw her of stairs".
I've seen girls saying they love this book cuz they fell in love with Ryle as Lily does and believed he would get better just like her. But, sis... HOW???
Right, she tried to make Atlas as perfect as possible but let’s not forget he did sleep with an underage Lily. She could’ve made Atlas and Lily same age and avoided that
You are GENUINELY the kindest person on earth. I really appreciate that you are so aware of the words you say espacially as a public figure. Thank you
I really appreciate your explanation at the end of the video about the ways we snub romance novels. I am not a romance reader myself but I always try to encourage people when they say they like the genre bc it deserves the same amount of respect. Thank you!!! Great video as always ♥️
This is my first time watching your video and I love it instantly!! I adore the way you speak and the atmosphere of the video and everything. Immediately subscribed!!
I love your nuanced take on the book! I personally haven’t read any of this author’s books, mostly because contemporary fiction isn’t my jam, but I appreciate the author’s personal experience and it seemed to give a good insight into how hard it is to leave abuse. Well done Christy!
30:45 to 32:54 Say it. Again. For the Peeps. In the BACK. You put all of that SO WELL.
SO glad you addressed wish-fulfillment in contemporary romance. I do enjoy the occasional Hallmark or Netflix romance get particularly triggered by unrealistic professional situations. Just read the Graveyard Book to my son as per your recommendation. A boy being raised by ghosts, AWESOME! A protagonist advancing in her career unrealistically, GRRRRR! It seriously triggers me. Probably says more about me than the book. But I agree that the same concept of wish-fulfillment can romanticize unhealthy relationships. Whereas somebody who gets lost in personal development makes positive changes, somebody who gets lost in the world of contemporary romance won't get better at finding love. Because of that weird caricature of a man, that frankly, all the cool, smart, caring guys resent being measured against. So glad she leaves the abusive guy! And also glad I didn't have to read the whole book to get there.
"Because we're all just silly blops of flesh in a floating rock anyway." I love this 🥺💛
i have not read any coho books so maybe my opinion is a little misguided, but part of the problem i find with her books, and i don't necessarily blame the author herself for this, is the way they are marketed and discussed online as romances. like i see tiktoks of people saying various male characters are super romantic and "book boyfriends" and stuff, and seeing them be put into romance categories (you yourself described this as a contemporary romance at the beginning) and that can be really misleading. i think i would be less concerned about the hype around her books if they were described as books *about* abuse, as opposed to being romances that when you read them the characters are abusive, as it seems like, from reviews I've seen about some of her other books, the love interests are always walking red flags
ive read the book, and i understand your opinion but the way the book was meant to be seen is in a point of vew in a way, like how lily left ryle, showing for how hard is to leave a abusive relationship is, everyone has different experiences but is just choeing a different poiint of vew, and i agree it shuld of not been romance but the way the mc sees the situation and the way the reader sees the situation is different is not meant to follow all the same opinions.
I don't mind reading about toxic relationships or domestic violence, but I would not read a book that romanticizes those things. 🙅♀️ Thank goodness for that ending though. That was a good decision.
Gone girl has same themes. You just need a good writer to. CH isn't one
Don’t read the book IT kind has the lil kids having sex to escape the clown’s tunnel at the end of the book 🤮
I have a hard time with this book. I was raised with parents that were abusive to each other and to me. My roommate LOVES this book and when I tried to read it I just off the bat hated the writing. It just came off as romanticizing abuse, fan fiction writing. I couldn’t get past chapter 1. I really appreciate the pacing and the delicacy of how you handled this video and the harm these kind of books (I am being specific to Colleen Hoover here) can do to growing girls. Her books, in my opinion, don’t handle these harsh topics correctly or don’t frame it the right way at all. Great job on the video i thought it was worded perfectly!
It is up to parents to screen what their kids get exposed to but sadly they don’t care
its great that she ended up with Atlas and all that but to let Ryle have access to her daughter at the end knowing everything that happened gave me chills like... you know how violent this man is does she really think he won't be abusive towards their child?
@@mikrohoseok8273
Thankfully it’s only a book.
You’d be surprised what single women let around their children. Pedos seek out single mothers to woo so they can access the kids 😢
Do you realize how much that happens in the real world?? The parents relationship has nothing to do with the kid.
(Taking a deep breath)
I will never read this book cuz I was in an abusive relationship. He never hit me, but it was emotional abuse. I was destroyed when I finally left him. And I don't want to go back to that place... even for a little while.
But I agree with you on the need for these stories to be out there. It was while reading another book about emotionally abusive relationships that I finally forgave myself and stopped blaming myself for something that wasn't my fault.
I can't speak on the book (since I won't read it) but I applaud you for putting your opinion out there in such a polite but honest way. And you're totally right. People should read whatever they want. Art can't and shouldn't be put in a box.
The way I went various versions of "YES! I KNOW! RIGHT, CHRISTY I KNOW!" throughout this video, because I'm also scared of offending people who love this book.
I never was interested in contemporary romance until I read Get a Life, Chloe Brown - and I know, I KNOW the Brown sisters get promoted everywhere and usually popular romance doesn't work for me either but those three books just GET it.
So. If you ever think about giving cont romance another chance please try them 🧡
Thank you Christy for still sharing your perception despite feeling uncomfortable. I haven’t read this book, but watching your take of it was really helpful to cement that I would most likely not enjoy this book. The internet is a scary place to broadcast opinions. Even I’m also fearful that someone will take personal offense to my comment in some way and I almost didn’t post it. 😅
The part that stuck most with me in your video was that you saw a young teen reading it in the airport. I know a lot of my younger cousins have read this book, too. It reminds me of when I was their age reading Twilight- and how that had negatively shaped me in my first dating relationship. 😖 Thank god that this Hoover novel didn’t have her going back to her abuser and justifying his actions.
Thank you for making this video Christy Anne. So many booktubers won’t touch a TikTok book, and only read books that are sometimes unaccessible to the masses; but it’s great that you have. You handled your review sensitively as well as honestly. ❤❤
Oh this makes so much sense. I can imagine a certain segment of the readers feeling icky about it and then realizing at the end the point of it all. Or readers buying in to the whole romance angle only to be hit with the bigger point that it’s trying to make.
I do not use Tiktok so I had not heard about this book and I also had not heard about the whole "books becoming popular through Tiktok" thing. Whilst this book does not seem like the kind of book I would enjoy, I really enjoyed the part at the end about reading accessibility!! I think that is really important to remember with all forms of art. Thank you for always producing such insightful content!!
English Lit major here, who is a huge fan of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice. I was cleaning out my iBooks a month ago when I realized I bought this book, and never read it again. I'm glad I deleted it. I had the exact same problems with the book (I closed it after the first chapter) and I have no plans on watching the movie.
I nearly choked when you put those Derek pictures up 🤣
But in all seriousness, thank you so much for your commentary on book snobbishness, Christy! I feel like it's such an important message to be introduced to and not many people are that open-minded or fair in their videos. It's so ingrained in our brains that I think we all need to be better at it
I love your video! The way we get to follow you reading the chapters is so fun and makes it feel like I'm experiencing it with you for the first time again. Side note I loved this book. This book is not about the side details which I think many people get too caught up with like riles age being a doctor or how much money you have to have to actually start a flower shop, but the main message is the insight into how we always think it wont happen to us and we know better but being in it is way more complex and takes masive strenght to break out of. CoHo does an amazing job with showing how even the ones who comes across as the best can turn out not to be and the internal sturggle to break out of the romantisized version of the man you have in your mind. I felt every single part of this book and I was so glad for her when she managed to end it despite her feelings. Sometimes, just because someone hurts us, it doesn't mean that we stop loving them emmiedietly.
I feel exactly the same about the book as you did, and I loved the way you expressed it. I never had a problem with the way the relationship happened, because Ryle was charming and it’s not Lily’s fault she didn’t notice the red flags, and that’s realistic! But the rest of the book was SO unrealistic and the characters lacked depth, while also dealing with such traumatic, deep things, and it felt like such a weird disconnect to me. I’m happy people are reading anything and very happy that it’s helped so many people process their trauma.
This video was amazing! So articulate - I love your talk at the end about book "snobishness"
i really love your insight at the end. it’s so refreshing to have someone judge a book without being actually judgmental! u earned a subscriber with this one
What you say bout this book made me think of the "after" novels by anna todd. A few years ago, my best friend was reading one of the last book that came out and she really is obsessed with those novels and she would talk about it a lot. I knew a bit about the story and i had prejudices about it. However i decided to try and read the first book. I did and i hated it, i didn't actually even finished it. I was really uncomfortable and the story's weird.
But, at least, i know now that i won't be reading "it ends with us" !
19:40 such a nice calm voice
Hello Christy, I love your channel! Thank you for all the books you’ve shared along the way, the Tokyo illustration by you is so well done!
watching you give an educated opinion is my favorite thing in the world actually
As a librarian in always shocked of how quickly this book leaves the shelf as soon as we receive some, every teen ask it all the time I swear and it has been out of stock quiet often since it has been out
A lot of romance can be smutty/ basically porn. It is odd libraries letting kids read porn
Oh my god i have been waiting for a video like this ever since I read this a few years ago. You summed up my EXACT reactions while reading this book. Like to the bit! Christy- you HAVE to read more of these colleen hoover books, like you think the next one can’t get as stupid and twisted and then it exceeds your expectations. She kind of takes the exact same formula and changes the situations. All the main characters are interchangeable between books, I find it fascinating lmao
the last straw for me while reading this book is how lily had to do the whole 'what if this was your daughter?' hypothesis to ryle in order to make him understand his actions. i hate how ryle is framed as 'not a bad person but a person who has done bad actions' and the book's whole message of 'there are no bad people only bad actions' which makes a LOT of people who read this book redeem ryle (when he should absolutely not be redeemed). also i hate how this book about dv gets convoluted to being a romance and how the most important thing seemes to be whether she ends up with ryle or atlas. (also i don't like atlas because of him having sex with lily when she was a minor). in short, this book would have been good if it was marketed & executed better but i have so many problems with the execution that it makes me hate it lol.
probably the worst quote ever
I thought it was really weird how she wrote her diary/Ellen roasts to be very innocent, she's saying how he's asking about her age and looking disappointed and not realising why and thinking he sees her as a child. I though it was a really weird choice. I knew the ending so I knew she ended up with atlas but I was hoping it would be a story of her realising and assessing the 2 of the types of relationships people who grew up in abusive house holds may experience but no he's fit so it's chill
I absolutely loved your review and your perspective about this book.
I heard of this book because of TikTok and at first I was convinced it was a romance novel(AND that teenagers could read it). I was 17 when I read it and I remember discussing the book with my friends(who were also 17-18)every lunch before we graduated high school. I remember that the day we discussed the ending some of my friends loved it and some of them hated it. I was perplexed because my friend rated the book a 4,5 star because she was very upset with the ending. She said she wishes Lily had taken Ryle back! Me and my other friends went “what?”.
It’s crazy how different people have different points of views and perspectives on the same book. And also that TikTok can be a very dangerous place to find book recommendations because most of the times they are poorly done and you can end up picking up a book that is completely different from what you thought it would be about. Proof of that is that my girl friends as high schoolers had completely misunderstood the message behind the story.
THANK YOU for this entire video! Your thoughtful approach is refreshing. Just because something is popular doesn't mean it's good and reviews like this are absolutely necessary! Thanks!
I’ve never laughed and related so much to one of your videos!! I felt exactly the same! The whole way through!
I could feel every of your "uuugh". I put the book aside at some point and actually am here for the spoilers because I couldn't bring myself to finish reading it. Especially how it was marketed, I have seen it on Instagram with the coating of a easy read, enjoyable love story and was shocked when I started reading it. I picked this book up because I needed an easy escape and instead I got thrown into this horrible situation of having to reflect on everything said and done in this book. This is my reason for not liking it at all, but I think if I would have known what I would get into it I could appreciate the book a lot more, since it addresses so many important points.
The emotion was real 😂 I appreciate your honesty. I look forward to Sundays for your videos ❤️
I have watched enough Coho slander for this kind of videos to be up in my UA-cam algorithm alley to the point where I'm getting bored of it lol, but when I received a notification that you were uploading one as well, I knew I had to hear what you think of it! And I'm glad I did. 🤭
I started reading this book after seeing your video and I started it at the same time. I came back to finish your video as I finished the book today. It was so hard for me to read initially-just like you said, I would have put the book back after reading the first chapter. i hated Ryle since the first chapter. He was NOT okay, I hate seeing angry peopple, but especially those who cannot communicate it properly. Because I went through something similar in my last relationship that lasted for 7 years, a man who never bothered to change or get help for his anger issues. And i got hurt in th eprocess, I felt everything she said. Thankfully, I was fairly young and I left the relationship not too long ago, at the beginning of this year. And I'm so glad I did because I'm not sure what would have transpired for worse if I stayed back.
It was so toxic for me and it was also hard foro me to leave and move on. never. Again.
As a psychologist myself, this book was actually a true protrayal of abusive relationships and what goes in the victim's minds, it represented the true reality fo the 4 stages of an abuse very well. Obviously hated Ryle and I don't like people romanticing and glamourising their relationship, it should never be. But it's an eye-opening for those who have never been in these situations, and heart-breaking for those to relive these. Please watch carefully how your partner expresses themselves, right from the beginning.
These signs are very evident right from the beginning, we just choose to turn a blind eye.
When I was 14, I wrote a parody fiction of 50 shades of grey. Unfortunately, It Ends With Us reads like that.
What kind of parent let you read that at 14 😮
wtf…..
Fourteen year olds don’t ask their parents what they can read. I know I never did anyway.
It makes me sad when I think of all the beautiful books I've read that definitely deserve to get popular, but this one did instead. I haven't finished your video as of writing this, but from what I've watched so far it's just so disappointing to see how the media has pushed this book into the spotlight when others clearly deserve it more.
Oh my goodness, you are reading my most anticipated book , I have been too hearing about this book everywhere. Friends, cousins, book tube, booktok, etc. 😂 That's why I want to read it despite I did not like this author's other book.
You are such a blast of positive energy! Your videos inspires me very much. 💕💕
Really excited to hear your thoughts.
Your tea and snacks with your book look lovely!
I can relate so much!! I just don’t like contemporary romance as a genre. Every time i pick up a romance book, I want to like it so much but I always end up being very disappointed😬 I do like Sally Rooney though, I guess she’s an exception😅
I love all your videos and this was especially a great watch! I love it when people tell the story of a book or movie with their own view on it, even more than reading or watching stories myself 😄 Another one like this please, yes will all the spoilers! I particularly liked you filming yourself while reading the end, that was a real gem 😍
Christy, all I can say is THANK YOU 😂 I feel so seen lol this is how I ALWAYS feel about Colleen Hoover books and just contemporary romance in general. Once in awhile I read one because I’ve seen it all over TikTok or Instagram and every single time, I just don’t enjoy it. I try, but I know I’m not supposed to be alternating between laughing and cringing the whole time. And usually I get a little angry by the end. No shade at all to the people that love them, though. We’re all different. It was just nice to see someone have the same reactions as me! 😂 Also really appreciated your thoughtful commentary at the end.
Me: "a neurosurgeon with a bad temper" so House? :'D
my friends loved colleen hoover so they told me to read ugly love, it ends with us, regretting you, November 9, etc. I hated them all, lame ass plot and predictable twists. soon enough they also started to dislike colleen hoover the more they read actually better books.
the only reason i would give the story a 3/5 (which i still feel like is pretty generous) is not only bc she didn’t end up with ryle, but also bc the book enlightened me a lil bit on domestic abuse and how hard it can be to walk away. like it changed my perspective a lil bit on how even though the violence was bad, it was rare and that’s why lily thought that the good outweighed the bad bc the food was more frequent. i never thought of it that way, and i’m glad she came to the realization that even though the good was more frequent, the bad was still way worse than any good moment and she deserved better than that. anybody would.
Gotta say it, best vid I've watched in an age!
I bought this book in a special book shop in Venice and was really excited to read it but finally I had the same thoughts as you - it was just horrible. I also thought Ryle was just a terrible, flat character & that Lilly was extremely privileged in her position and ability to open a book shop at 23. So glad you have the same opinion 😘
I appreciate your honest review. I almost read this book because of all the hype. Hearing your critique was helpful especially when you explained why some things weren't working for you. When you talked about the flat writing and characters in the beginning and the wish full filment was a good critique. It's also something I'm afraid of happening with my writing. That's something I'm trying to be more conscious of, making sure my writing is believable.
As someone who knows people who have been in relationships like Lily and Ryle's, I saw so much realism in the struggle. I see why some people read it as a glorification of abuse- we read it from Lily's POV and I think that was part of the point. So many people who find themselves in DV situations can't see all the negativity, they make excuses, they justify because x, y, z good qualities about their partner. They go back over and over because a part of them does love that partner. It wraps up in that last chapter- when Lily realizes SHE always judged her mother for not leaving, and then found herself in the exact same place. Also, one quick note- she didn't leave into the arms of another man. Her and Atlas run into each other MONTHS later, and they still don't get together, haha. Totally fine to not like this book- I enjoyed it but it wasn't like my favorite book ever. But I did find a lot of truth and realism in the DV storyline, and I think a lot of people missed the point of it.
I do think the blurb and lack of ANY hinting towards the DV is problematic, and I don't really consider it a romance...? She doesn't end up with Ryle OR Atlas at the end. But CoHo has also said beofre that she just kinda writes whatever and doesn't really question genre so maybe that's not surprising lol
Also, re: realism in Lily's career- I worked as a marketing manager RIGHT after graduation (was NOT a great choice on behalf of the company who hired me lolll). It was a small company, and I ran the entire marketing department. Titles really don't mean anything without context. If she'd been a marketing exec at like a fortune 500 that might be a different story, but stuff like that happens at small companies allll the time. And people start businesses without good plans every day- the fact that it was suddenly booming is more unrealistic, but eh, that happens too lol. And I get these cheesiness that of COURSE her friend was Ryle's sister- but I've also heard that for marketability, you want to limit your characters as much as possible and have heard countless stories of writers pursuing publishing being told to combine characters all together. Her friend/coworker also served the purpose of being a link to Ryle, without throwing in yet another name/character to keep up with.
I know it seems like I'm defending this book like I love it 😂 I'm not trying to. You had a lot of valid critiques! And of course, we're all free to like/dislike whatever we please:)
When you said the two main guys’ names are Ryle and Atlas, I knew it was going to be an absolute shit show.
Also, I laughed so hard when you critiqued Lily’s business acumen. And you’re not wrong about marketing in the US. I have known of a handful of marketing executives at that age, but in every instance it’s been for a startup.
Please do these kind of videos more!☺️
Thank you so much for your honesty Christy. This was so insightful (and very entertaining) & I loved hearing your opinion. Also though, your whole marketing executive/running a business rant = 👌🏼The need for realistic plot points is so accurate.
Loved this video ! ☀️ I really like how you’ve shared your experience of reading this novel (I haven’t read it at all, so I really appreciated the spoilers ! ) 🍁 ♥️
I NEVER seek out book review/vlog content but this video gained you a new follower. This was equal parts funny and cozy and it made me feel like I was talking about a book with an old friend. ♥️ Be well!
The way you spoke about book snobbishness made me subscribe. You’re a gift 💗 thank you for your kind words!
Seeing a positive person talk about a person they dislike is pretty amusing to me and idk why like the way you say you don’t like it then laugh bc same😂
this book is literally in my bin
you are so so articulate and kind. thank you for this.
As someone who doesn't really "read" and is only getting in to it that's why I'm watching book review type videos, I appreciate the fact that you don't trash other people's preferences and the fact that you think about what the book could mean to other people. You know that the book is not for you but you still manage to find the the good in it, being an introduction to new readers and whatnot. I still don't know how to feel about this book but other people were really "mad" (not sure how else to put it) about it, which is completely valid, but they never really thought about it like you did. I don't know, I just like your way of thinking.
I think this book met the needs of many abused people who are still struggling to overcome the cultural conditioning that leads to DV. It's not a one and done thing. There was a need for a book like this, this book filled it in a way none have before. It's a step forward in a long line of women and oppressed people learning how to recognize and respond to covert and overt abuse.
Also, in the real world, there would have been more pressure on Lily to conform and excuse Ryle and more social pressure for her to stay. The lack of that is privileged and wish fulfillment too. I agree with the problems but I think this book did many people a huge favor. If it gave a lot of women a new threshold and backbone, it's more than just a "good book". It's a social impact book. I'm so glad you're further along in the journey, but many of us grew up in cultures that punished us for leaving and many custody suits have subsequently ripped apart families and destroyed them.
The value of this book lies in the courage it gives young women and men to leave an abusive relationship long before they may pay for it the rest of their lives. It's a privilege if you can't relate, and I'm so glad you can't. But the book's value isn't for someone who doesn't struggle with these patterns. It's for someone who does see themselves in Lily and finds strength to avoid or leave, hopefully avoiding and not ignoring the red flags from the beginning.
Haven't read this book. Good thing I have watched your video♥️ thank you Christy💞
I just read Verity for the same reason. I chose Verity over It Ends With Us because it was a one-off thriller. It was an incredibly fast read. I also said the two female characters didn't have particularly different voices, but overall, I found the book a quick, easily digestible page-turner. I didn't expect a whole lot of depth and I wasn't disappointed. I can be a bit of a book snob, but I also try to be realistic, and I found Hoover to be a good storyteller in the sense that her books (well, just Verity for me) pull the reader along, invoke emotional responses, and create some conversation. Your vlog touches on so many of my own thoughts, though you say them much more fully. My review of Verity is much shorter and forgivable.
Love your red lipstick! Such a perfect shade❤
this is soo calming
Hi Christy! I like your analyse of the book! I read it as well, and yes, I think as well that the characters are not really realistic... And those "coincidences" , like meeting sister of Ryle or Atlas in the restaurant... :-) it was like reading Soap opera 🙂 but I liked the end, and I was also relieved that she's not staying with Ryle.
Could not be more thankful for your review of this one. I have a few people in my life who love her as an author. However, this review helps me avoid it bc of the content.
Christy, you were very compassionate and graceful with your review. I highly appreciated it as well as your philosophical statement at the end! 🎉
I want to thank you for sharing this experience because you have saved me even remotely thinking I might read this book. It sounds awful on every level. Thank you! And your review was not "negative" - it was honest. Please don't let haters keep you from sharing your very legitimate thoughts.
I completly agree with you, Christy ❤️ thank you so much for always giving such a deep reviews
Omg her voice is so soothing
Loved reminders of him more! This book did get me reading again though 😊
I feel you! Only read it because I fell in love with the trailer. I hated Ryle from the very first second. I was screaming at her to leave the roof. I hated the whole relationship dynamic. I was SO interested in the diary entries, I wish there was a book just about that. Atlas is so lovely. I think Lily is just stupid. But then again, we do stupid things when we’re under the wrong influence. If you have not been through a similar situation, you would not understand properly. I am a survivor of domestic violence with TWO men so I kinda found myself in her story. I cried, I had goosebumps, I felt everything.
12:25 its so funny seeing someone reading it like and talking about it in the middle of it
This was really interesting and nuanced! Probably not going to be a book for me, those topics would make me uncomfortable. but I appreciate you doing a really in-depth, careful, and honest review! Definitely important things to be thinking about!
i just wrote and entire comment but it was deleted but basically most of my friends read and love colleen hoovers books, i dont as ive been reading alottt since i was like 8 years old, all my friends (who are predominantly teenage girls) only started reading coho from tiktok, majority of them have revealed to me that they think ryle was a good person and that ms coho writes the best romances ever. this terrifies me - the fact that theyre defending the ONE not openly glorified abuser in her books. and theyre defending him, its scary because this means my friends could get into a relationship like this and think "oh my god its just like we're in a romance book!!" because ms coho has screwed the idea of romance in teenage girls head into justifying abuse. its gross and scary and horrifying and im scared for my friends im soso scared for them i just hate what cohos doing to their ideas of love LOVE ISNT ABUSE. abuse is abuse, love doesnt come with emotional OR physical abuse. i hate colleen hoover, i hate her books & i hope her books go out of trend faster than this so she can rot in the disgusting pile of unsold books she calls "young adult romance". (am i a little overdramatic? eh maybe, am i terrified for my friends and what cohos books are doing to personable teenagers? absolutely.)
yep. i agree. also, idk if you care but as an ace,an overly smutty book is not something i like. i get it that ppl like it but imo ao3 is THE best for smut. like,nothing compares to it. I've not seen a SINGLE book w good smut,it's always BAD. also, idk bout you but i also hated 'the kiss quotient' and DNF'd it on like 4th chapter. couldn't get past it. cuz like, that girl is not comfortable w sleeping w men/dating them and instead of being ok w it she HIRES a male prostitute?!?! like huhh?!? does it make ANY sense?