It Ends with Us

Plot

23-year-old college graduate Lily Bloom moves to Boston with hopes of opening her own floral shop. She grew up in a broken family – her late father, Andrew, would physically abuse her mother, Jenny, leading Lily to resent him, as well as resenting her mother for staying with him. She has recently given a eulogy at Andrew's funeral in her hometown of Plethora, Maine, during which she announced she would list five things she loved the most about him, then stood in silence for several seconds before walking off.

Reading through her old childhood diaries, Lily remembers her first love, Atlas Corrigan, who left to join the military but promised to return to her. She later meets Ryle Kincaid, a charming, ambitious 30-year-old neurosurgeon. They are mutually attracted, but do not pursue a relationship as Lily is seeking commitment while Ryle is only interested in a string of casual affairs. However, once Lily successfully starts her business, they continue to meet and eventually begin a relationship.

One night, Lily laughs when Ryle accidentally drops a casserole, and he angrily slaps her before frantically apologizing. Lily is reminded of her childhood; while horrified, she decides they are different from her parents and accepts his apologies, but warns him that she will leave if he hurts her again.

While dining at a restaurant with Ryle, she discovers that Atlas is the owner and head chef there and reconnects with him, making Ryle instantly jealous despite her insistence that Atlas is only a friend. Noticing Lily's bruised eye and Ryle's bandaged hand, Atlas suspects Ryle may be abusing her. He corners her in the bathroom and begs her to leave Ryle. Ryle discovers them and the men fight violently. The next day Atlas shows up at the flower shop and Lily tells him she could not be happier. He leaves but gives her his phone number.

One night, Lily and Ryle impulsively get married in Vegas, and have a stable marriage until he finds Atlas's number and pushes her down the stairs. He then confesses that he accidentally shot and killed his brother Emerson as a child, resulting in unresolved trauma that manifests in bouts of uncontrollable rage. Lily forgives him, but he later finds and reads her childhood diaries; believing she is having an affair with Atlas, he attempts to rape her, knocking her unconscious when she tries to defend herself.

Background and publication

It Ends with Us was published by Atria Books on August 2, 2016. Based on the relationship between her mother and father, Hoover described it as "the hardest book I've ever written". It explores themes of domestic violence and emotional abuse. However, the book is ultimately still billed as a "romance novel". The book's publisher described it as a story about "a workaholic with a too-good-to-be-true romance who can't stop thinking about her first love".

On April 18, 2023, a special "collector's edition" of the book was published. It features a Q&A between Hoover and her mother and comes in hardcover with a foil embossed jacket, foil stamped binding and newly designed endpapers that wrap around the front and back covers.

Reception

Critical response

In a starred review, Kirkus Reviews wrote, "The relationships are portrayed with compassion and honesty" and concluded that the novel "powerfully illustrates the devastation of abuse—and the strength of the survivors". Romantic Times stated: "It Ends with Us is a perfect example of the author's writing chops and her ability to weave together uplifting, romantic and somber plotlines. No matter your level of fandom, readers will love and respect protagonist Lily and learn something from her struggles."

Sales

As of 2019, the novel had sold more than one million copies worldwide and been translated into more than twenty languages.

In 2021, the novel – and Hoover's works overall – experienced a surge in popularity due to attention from the #BookTok community on TikTok. In January 2022, It Ends with Us debuted at number 1 on The New York Times combined fiction best-seller list. It was number 1 on the Publishers Weekly adult list and number 1 overall in the first six months of 2022, selling a total of 925,221 units. It was also number 1 on the Publishers Weekly annual list, selling a total of 2,729,007 copies. It was the best-selling novel of 2023 too, with a total of 1,292,733 copies. It Ends With Us has more than one billion tags on TikTok.

Following the film adaptation's trailer release, the novel returned to number one on Amazon. On August 11, 2024, two days after the film's release, the novel returned to number one on The New York Times best-seller list.

Accolades

The novel won the 2016 Goodreads Choice Award for Best Romance.

Sequel

In February 2022, it was announced that Atria Books would publish a sequel to It Ends with Us in October 2022. The follow-up, titled It Starts with Us, was published on October 18, 2022. The sequel continues from where It Ends with Us ended and centers on the relationship between Lily and Atlas.

Coloring book

In January 2023, Hoover announced the planned release of a coloring book based on It Ends With Us. Following backlash from readers due to the novel's subject matter of domestic violence, Hoover decided to cancel the project the next day, stating: "The coloring book was developed with Lily's strength in mind, but I can absolutely see how this was tone-deaf." Atria Books confirmed that they would not proceed with the coloring book's publication.

Film adaptation

In July 2019, Justin Baldoni optioned the novel for a film adaptation, produced through his Wayfarer Entertainment company. In January 2023, Blake Lively was cast in the role of Lily Bloom. Baldoni, who plays Ryle Kincaid, directed the film and Christy Hall adapted the script. In April 2023, Brandon Sklenar was cast to play the role of Atlas. Filming began in Hoboken, New Jersey, on May 5, 2023. The film was theatrically released on August 9, 2024. It received mixed reviews from critics, but was a box-office success, grossing $351 million worldwide against a production budget of $25 million.