Contemporary Romance • Drama • Women’s Fiction
Trigger Warning: Domestic Abuse, Sex
It Starts with Us is the highly anticipated sequel to Colleen Hoover’s It Ends with Us, and it serves as both a continuation and a reprieve from the heartbreak of the first novel. The first novel was raw, devastating, and centered on Lily Bloom’s struggle to break free from abuse, while this one centers healing, hope, and the rediscovery of love.
It continues from the first book, where Lily is running a thriving florist business and raising her almost-one-year-old daughter. After separating from Ryle, she begins to reconsider what love should feel like, allowing herself to imagine a future where happiness and safety coexist. Enter Atlas Corrigan, the boy who once saved her heart and soul, reenters her life. He is no longer the mysterious homeless teenager she fell in love with years ago. He is a successful restaurateur in Boston. Their friendship, briefly rekindled in It Ends with Us, blossoms here into something deeper and more mature.
If you loved the first of the series, this book is necessary to heal from Lily’s shattering journey. It’s like taking a breath of fresh air, to read beyond just her survival and instead on her reclamation of joy and redefinition of love.
The alternating narration between Lily and Atlas is one of the book’s strongest elements. By giving Atlas his own voice, the reader understands his motivations, and after the brutal switch in Ryle’s character, it builds the reader’s trust in the assuredly of his unwavering love for Lily. Building both trust and intimacy, it’s clear that Atlas’s feelings are genuine and grounded. His tenderness and stability stand in stark contrast to Ryle’s volatility, and the result is a romance that is both healing and earned.
Final Thoughts
It Starts with Us explores themes of second chances, resilience, and the courage to embrace happiness after trauma. It’s not just about romance. It’s about Lily reclaiming her agency, learning to co-parent with Ryle, and choosing a love that uplifts rather than destroys.
The tone is gentler than its predecessor, infused with hope and tenderness, yet it doesn’t shy away from the lingering challenges of Lily’s reality. I will not stop raving about how much I love this series, and I’ll recommend it to everyone.
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Her Voice Rising 