Book Review: It Starts With Us by Colleen Hoover

Title: It Starts With Us

Author: Colleen Hoover

Published: October 18^th 2022

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary, Romance

Pages: 336

It Starts With Us” is the sequel to Colleen Hoover’s best-selling novel and book talk sensation “It Ends With Us”.

The straightforward sequel to “It Ends With Us” takes readers through the complexities of life after divorce and domestic abuse. “It Starts With Us” is a lighter read than its predecessor, allowing readers to experience Atlas and Lily’s relationship as they navigate a divorce, find a family and start a new life after abuse.

In many ways, Hoover presents a “second chance” romance that alternates between Atlas’s and Lily’s visions. To fully understand the scope of some of the trivial phenomena of “It Begins With Us,” one must first read “It Ends With Us.”

Before the novel begins, Hoover explains in a letter to readers that this novel will be a much lighter subject than its predecessor, and to a certain extent that is certainly true.

Immediately after It Ends with Us, the sequel focuses on Lily’s next steps, after the events of the first book and after the events of part, allowing her to move on and build a new life for herself and her daughter, the boy she fell in love with as a teenager.

Therefore, a large part of It Starts With Us is driven by the relationship between Atlas and Lily. Their obvious connection, compatible chemistry and general emotional maturity – not to mention the resulting slow burn, and second romance – is a joy to read from page one.

Lily and her ex-husband Riley are just settling into a civil co-parenting rhythm when suddenly she runs into her first love, Atlas, again. After nearly two years apart, she is elated that time is on their side for once, and when Atlas asks her out on a date, she immediately says yes. Switching between Lily and Atlas’ perspectives, It Starts With picks up where the epilogue left off for the “gripping, pulse-pounding” bestselling phenomenon It Ends With Us.

Revealing more about Atlas’ past and following Lily as she embraces her second chance at true love as she navigates a jealous ex-husband proves that “no one provides an emotional read like Colin Hoover” (Anna Todd, New York Times bestselling author).

The story of It Starts With Us continues the story of ‘It Ends With Us’It is a heartwarming story of love, abuse and healing. It is a heartwarming story of love, abuse and recovery. Hoover’s subtle characters stay with readers long after the story ends. Fans of the author or those new to Hoover’s novels should add this book to their reading lists this year.

It Starts With Us begins with a heartfelt dear reader letter from Colin Hoover to his waiting audience. Hoover’s latest film is told in thirty-seven chapters through the changing perspectives of Lily and Atlas, two characters. Who was crucial to the success of Colin Hoover’s number-one hit, It Ends With Us. I appreciated this shifting perspective because it allowed me to get inside the hearts and minds of both leads.

Hoover certainly knows how to pull out all the stops and emotional stakes in the play. In Lily, we learn more about the effects of her trauma, past relationships, fears, trauma, cycles of abuse and trust issues.

Life as a single parent comes in handy too, which I felt was realistically portrayed. Thanks to Lily’s journey, Colin Hoover explores the dating situation as a single parent in believable detail. At Atlas, we know a lot more about this resilient young man. Atlas has come far from child abuse, neglect, homelessness and gaslighting. It Starts With Us sees the introductions of Josh and Theo, who each play a role in helping Atlas become an even better person.

It Starts With Us by Colleen Hoover was published on 18th October 2022 by Simon & Schuster. Details on where you will purchase the book are here.

Learn more about It Starts With Us author Colleen Hoover here.