Fifteen seconds. That’s all it takes to completely change everything about a person. Fifteen seconds that we’ll never get back.
HOLY WOW! It Ends With Us is one of the most powerful books of 2016 and one of the most raw, honest, inspiring, and profoundly beautiful stories I’ve ever read. It wasn’t anything like what I expected, but it delivered so much more than I ever hoped for. This is the kind of book that I want to give to every woman and just be like… READ THIS BOOK. NOW. Come to think of it, all the men should read it too. EVERYONE should read this book. Absolutely everyone. It’s a story of unshakable love and finding the strength to make the right choice in the hardest situation. I honestly don’t think I’ve ever been prouder of a heroine. I’ve loved Colleen Hoover’s books for a long time because she always writes unique stories… and this one left a lasting mark on my heart. It is a MUST-READ!!
This is a completely spoiler-free review. I’m not even going to add the blurb or tell you what this book is about. It’s a Colleen Hoover book. That should be enough to tell you it’s amazing. But I really feel that you should just dive into this book without knowing anything about the plot. To be honest, I’m the usually the kind of reader who likes to know every little thing about what to expect in advance, but I’ve really learned to trust Colleen’s writing and her storytelling so even I went into this book without knowing anything at all… and I was blown away by the story!
This book is unputdownable. You’ll notice as you read that there are no good stopping points. None at all. I began reading it late at night and every time I tried to put it down to go to sleep, I just had to get back up and keep reading because I couldn’t stop thinking about it. I didn’t finish until almost 5AM but my gosh was it ever worth it!
Of all the heroines I’ve ever read, Lily was most certainly one of the ones I admired the most. I knew loved her from the first few pages, but having finished the book, I truly couldn’t be prouder of her. Her strength and conviction over the course of this story made her into a heroine I’d want every girl and woman to read about and look up to. She was so real and vulnerable as we all are, but the strength with which she took control of her life was admirable on such a deep level. I just wanted to hug her and cheer. I don’t think I’ve been this proud of a fictional character before.
There’s an incredibly powerful message in this book that is very subtly woven in from the start. It begins in the first chapter, but you don’t yet realize how significant each of these moments truly are… and as you read more, these pieces of the story come together forming a scenario that gives such a raw, honest portrayal of an incredibly relevant issue. I’m not mentioning it on purpose because I don’t want you to expect it. The fact that it’s unexpected for you as the reader is very important because it’s also unexpected for the heroine. As she begins to realize what kind of situation she’s in, so do you. And this realization very much allows you to experience her journey with her.
The only thing I want to address head on is the question of the ‘love triangle’ because a few of you have read the blurb and have asked about it. All I want to say is to please try and move away from that thought. I don’t want to spoil the plot at all, but that is so not what this book is about. That is not the point, or the focus. Whatever it is you’re thinking this book is, just trust me — it’s so much bigger than that. Seriously, trust Colleen. I did.
As a romance reader, I found this book incredibly refreshing. As much as I adore the romance genre (and I really do), it sometimes can get a little repetative. As both an avid reader and a blogger, I’m always looking for books that step outside the lines a little; ones that do something different or take the issues a little deeper. This book represented exactly what I wish I could be reading all the time — not this literal story, but just the fact that it went in such a different direction and gave me such an unexpected story that left me with such a strong message.
One of the things that intrigued me the most and had me wondering when I heard about this book was what the title really meant — and there’s this very specific moment when the title is echoed in the story that just had such a strong impact as I read it. That was my cheer moment. I just sat back and went ‘woah!’. The title is truly perfect.
In order to write this review, I went back over the book a second time and one thing I noticed strongly was how many intricate layers there were to the story that I couldn’t possibly have known about in my first read. I loved that this is one of those books you experience differently (in a good way) both the first and second time though.
I have to say that this book would make a seriously amazing movie. I could picture every scene so clearly as I read. This is also such an incredibly relevant story for many people — whether they’ve personally been through what happened to Lily or they know of someone who has — so I really do hope that one day this makes it to the big screen.
My copy of this book is literally filled with highlighted quotes in every single chapter but I made a conscious decision not to add any to this review because I really truly do not want to give anything away about the story. Just trust me and jump into this story blind. I promise that it is a reading experience you don’t want to miss.
This began as one of my most highly anticipated books of 2016 and it is now of my top favorite books of the year. I was unable to put it down from the moment I started reading and I know that this is one of those profoundly beautiful and unforgettable stories that will stay with me for a long time. I highly recommend it to everyone!
That’s what fifteen minutes can do to a person. It can destroy them.
It can save them.
Rating: 5+ STARS! Standalone.
