It Starts With Us (It Ends With Us #2) by Colleen Hoover
Lily and her ex-husband, Ryle, have just settled into a civil coparenting rhythm when she suddenly bumps into her first love, Atlas, again. After nearly two years separated, she is elated that for once, time is on their side, and she immediately says yes when Atlas asks her on a date.
But her excitement is quickly hampered by the knowledge that, though they are no longer married, Ryle is still very much a part of her life—and Atlas Corrigan is the one man he will hate being in his ex-wife and daughter’s life.
Switching between the perspectives of Lily and Atlas, It Starts with Us picks up right where the epilogue for the “gripping, pulse-pounding” (Sarah Pekkanen, author of Perfect Neighbors) bestselling phenomenon It Ends with Us left off. Revealing more about Atlas’s past and following Lily as she embraces a second chance at true love while navigating a jealous ex-husband, it proves that “no one delivers an emotional read like Colleen Hoover” (Anna Todd, New York Times bestselling author).
Review: "We'll be on our own brand-new, tiny family tree - one that starts with us." (278).
In this sequel to her bestseller, It Ends With Us, the story picks up where book one left off. Lily and her ex-husband Ryle have a fairly comfortable coparenting situation worked out until Lily once again bumps into her first love Atlas. Since it has been nearly two years since her marriage ended, it feels like finally the stars are aligning for her to be able to give her feelings for Atlas a chance. But Ryle is still very much part of her life because of their daughter, and her connection with Atlas sets off the anger that originally broke apart their relationship.
Told in alternating chapters between Lily and Atlas, this second chance romance explores love but also the realities of dealing with unmanageable anger, physical abuse, and traumatic childhoods. Atlas was my favorite part of book one and so I loved getting to hear more from him in this sequel but also to see Lily through his eyes. Hoover did a great job of incorporating and reiterating their original love story from their teenage years and expanding it out further as Atlas deals with secrets from his past in this novel.
I will say that the handling of the abusive partner is all very much best-case scenario verging heavily into highly unlikely in both of these books. Lily remains far too trusting of Ryle. I regret that she never went to the police in book one, which is something I would want readers in similar situation to feel empowered and justified in doing. And Lily is overwhelming supported by Ryle's family, which seems optimist at best and totally fictionally improbable in reality.
I loved Atlas and Lily as a couple and was rooting for them from book one. I'm so glad that Hoover listened to her fans to go back and write this follow up. Not only did it provide a satisfying exploration of their love story and redemption for Lily after the events of book one, but it allowed for Atlas to become a much more well fleshed out character.
Stars: 4
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