It Starts With Us by Colleen Hoover: My Honest Review After Reading It in One Night

I finished It Ends With Us in 2021 on a rainy weekend after I moved apartments. I was still unpacking boxes and I needed something to distract me. I started reading at 9pm and finished at 3am. I was not ready to let Lily and Atlas go. So when I heard about It Starts With Us, I bought it on release day on my Kindle, but then I also bought the physical copy because I wanted to feel it.

This is the sequel published on October 18, 2022 by Atria Books. It picks up literally the next day where the first book ended. Lily now has an 11 month old daughter, Emerson, and she is trying to navigate co-parenting with Ryle. And she runs into Atlas again on the streets of Boston. The biggest difference in this book is that we finally get Atlas POV. The chapters alternate between Lily and Atlas, which was what everyone asked for.

The Atlas POV We Finally Got

What I liked most was how quiet this book is. The first book was painful and intense and I had to put it down many times. This one is about healing. It is not trying to be more dramatic than the first one. It is about what comes after leaving. Lily learning to trust again. Not just trusting Atlas, but trusting herself to make a good choice.

Atlas learning to be a family with his younger brother Josh, who he finds after years of not knowing about him, was my favorite part. Josh is 12 and angry and in a bad foster situation. Atlas just shows up for him. That scene where Atlas makes him grilled cheese in his restaurant after closing and says "You have a brother now" made me cry. It felt real because my own brother and I have that kind of quiet relationship.

I also liked that Atlas is not perfect. He is insecure. He thinks Lily will go back to Ryle. He owns a successful restaurant but he still lives like he is that homeless teenager. That felt honest.

What Frustrated Me a Little

There were parts that frustrated me. When Ryle shows up unannounced at Lily's apartment after her date with Atlas, I felt anxious all over again. My chest got tight. The book does not try to redeem him, which I appreciated so much. Colleen Hoover could have made it easy, but she did not. It shows the reality of co-parenting after abuse. The scene where Lily has to set the boundary with Ryle at the birthday party is uncomfortable but necessary.

My favorite moment was simple. Not the big romantic gesture. Atlas noticing Lily's heart tattoo and her telling him why she got it when they were teenagers. It felt earned. It was not rushed. After six years of waiting, they finally talk properly.

My Final Thoughts

If you loved the first book for the pain and the drama, this one might feel too soft for you. I saw some reviews on TikTok saying it is boring. I disagree. If you loved it for Atlas, you will love this. This book is a hug after a punch.

I give it 4.5 stars. Not because it is perfect, but because it gave me closure. I read it in one night, on my couch, with tea, and I closed the book feeling peaceful. It Ends With Us made me sad for days. It Starts With Us made me hopeful.

What did you think of the ending? I am still thinking about the Finding Nemo reference in Atlas vows and how Lily finally got to choose happiness without guilt.