It Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover Book Review

 

I was fortunate enough to win this book through a Facebook giveaway hosted by Kim Law. This is also the first book I have read by Ms. Hoover.

I found this book to be a compelling read and after reading Ms. Hoover’s message in the back, I understand why. Ms. Hoover has not just written a made-up story, she based this story on fact, on what she saw as a child growing up. I applaud that. Her experience makes this a very believable story and, on a personal note, coming from a mentally/emotionally abusive experience, I found myself relating to Lily. I am also putting a trigger warning on this book regarding domestic violence. If you have experienced that you may find this a hard book to read.

There are also some underlying messages within these pages. There is a childhood friendship that became everlasting, even though time and distance separated them. There is healing. There is forgiveness. There are new friendships developed. There is a deeper understanding from a daughter’s perspective as to what her mom went through and why she stayed. More importantly, there is the message of breaking the cycle that we sometimes find ourselves in.

It is very easy to say what you would do if you were in certain situations. The thing is, we really don’t know what we would do. As an outsider looking in, it is easy to make judgment calls. As the person in the situation, we can’t see it until we reach our limit. We don’t consciously know what our limits are until we reach them, then we know what to do. It’s like some lightbulb goes off, like we finally reach our ‘naked truth’ and then we can walk away.

For everyone who has found the strength to leave an abusive relationship, I commend you. Through this book, Ms. Hoover has proven that you have value and more importantly that you are seen and heard. Well done, Ms. Hoover, well done.