It Ends With Us

Author: Colleen Hoover
Pages: 385
Overall: 4/5
Setting: 3/5
Characters: 4/5
Plot and Themes: 3.5/5
Cheers Factor: 4/5
Pairing: ​Self Love

​"I love it when the sky makes me feel insignificant."




Ingredients
-1 oz St. Germain
-1/2 oz lemon juice
-1 oz  Empress Gin
- Prosecco
-ice

Instructions
- Combine St. Germain, lemon juice and gin in a shaker with ice
-Shake and strain into a coupe glass
-Top with prosecco
-Enjoy responsibly

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Setting
I like the big city setting we get in this novel. I personally have never been to Boston, but I do feel like I romanticize the idea of living in a big city as a young person. I also loved the way it wasn't detracting from the story and it didn’t take away from the quintessential plot line.

Characters
I think the way that the characters are written is very interesting. The flashbacks to see the old relationship versus the new relationship are very intriguing in the way that time is shown passing between present day and the past. I think it helps to give the characters growth and experiences without having to genuinely witness it.

Plots and Themes
This is such a deep book that totally hit me out of left field. I did not know anything going in to this book and it did indeed take me by surprise. It felt very similar to when I read In Five Years and it was a hard hitting in the same way. 

Overall
It has taken me a few days to truthfully come around to liking it. And by a few days I mean a couple of weeks. I think at first, this novel felt very triggering for a multitude of reasons and then I began to respect it as I continued to reflect. I think my heart hurt a lot and processing that was very difficult.
​
Too Strong - check trigger warnings before reading
Reasons to raise a glass - painful, but in a good way

"Just because someone hurts you doesn't mean you can simply stop loving them."

Warning spoilers ahead. Proceed at your own risk.

"'You are my wife. I'm supposed to be the one who protects you from the monsters. I'm not supposed to be one.'"


Again like I said this felt incredibly triggering for me so I will keep this short. Again I want to repeat that I didn’t love this book at first and don’t think I still love it, but I respect it immensely. I really do respect the way that the characters were done and the way that the blurred lines existed. I think that is something we often forget about abuse victims is the way that nothing is ever cut and dry. I really loved the message from this book that just because someone is abusive towards someone doesn’t mean that they stop loving them on the spot. I appreciated the honesty that this story was told with.

​"I am in love with a man who physically hurts me. Of all people, I have no idea how I let myself get to this point."