These characters are developed in a manner that makes it hard to emphasize with what they go through throughout the second book. Three characters, who were pivotal parts of the book, but were largely boring, were Lily, Atlas, and Alyssa (Ryle’s sister). Although there were still some interesting characters, such as Atlas’ friends, Jenny (Lily’s mom), who is adorable, and Theo, the son of Atlas’ best friend, Brad, there were many other characters who were developed in an uninteresting manner. However, in the second book, Hoover fails to create that same reader engagement with her lack of new characters. In the first book, due to the fact that an array of characters are introduced to the reader, the author is given many chances to include character development, and in-depth character descriptions to invest the readers into the story of Lily. The character development in the first book is significantly better than the attempt at character growth in the second book. Although this book may be enjoyed by someone who thought the first book a masterpiece, it would not likely be enjoyed by people who like more sophisticated reading, a more well-throughout plot, and interesting characters. The writing style of Colleen Hoover is childish and cringy, as the book attempts to portray its ideals as significant but the poor writing by Hoover makes it close to unreadable. The main three issues with It Starts With Us were the lack of character development, weak writing style, and Hoover’s excessive comparison of Lily’s two love interests, Atlas and Ryle. It Starts With Us further develops the relationship between the three protagonists, utilizing its dual-point-of-view narration to explore the obstacles that Atlas and Lily face throughout the novel. However, the same cannot be said about its sequel.

The first book, although it was not revolutionary or exceptionally enjoyable, had an interesting plot that kept one wanting to keep reading.

Given that It Ends With Us is very poorly written literature, and had very mixed reviews and opinions, many avid readers had relatively low expectations for this novel. Most of It Ends With Us deals with Lily’s past romance with a kind but poor man named Atlas, and her current romance with a neurosurgeon named Ryle. The two novels follow the story of Lily Bloom, a girl who grew up with a difficult childhood, throughout her journey into adulthood and romance. It Starts With Us is the sequel to author Colleen Hoover’s bestselling novel, It Ends With Us, published in 2016 and recently popularized through social media platforms such as TikTok.

It Starts with Us by Colleen Hoover