I am Molly from Pu Tai Senior High School and the book for which I wrote my reading report is “It Ends with Us” by Colleen Hoover. I have been a bookworm since I was a child and enjoyed the stories my mom used to read me. Growing up, I’ve read books from different genres and my favorites are young adult romance, contemporary literature, and self –help books. Aside from reading, my hobbies include shopping, watching Netflix (mostly young adult rom-coms), and listening to indie-pop music.

As I was lost in a world created by Colleen Hoover, mourning over the loss Lily faced while silently cheering beside her over the newborn baby, I pulled myself out of the fictional world and looked at the book analytically. “It ends with us”, a novel written by Colleen Hoover, is a personal story about domestic violence which the author witnessed in her early childhood. I asked myself what I liked about this book and found answers in my approbatory admiration for her for addressing such a sensitive topic. I admire her for finding the courage to speak up for those without a voice, for exposing herself and her childhood with such vulnerability that is sometimes too painful to bear. I admire her, most of all, for the educational purpose of the book– the outcome of the novel is meant to inspire and encourage those in abusive situations to break the cycle and stand up for themselves.

The novel was written from the perspective of Lily Bloom, a young woman in her twenties who was the owner of a flower shop in Boston. The storyline followed the relationship between Lily and Ryle Kincaid, a successful neurosurgeon who was also charismatic, smart, and driven. Parallel to the main storyline, Hoover included passages of the early childhood of Lily, reminiscing about her first love and the bittersweet moments with the homeless boy, Atlas Corrigan. As the narrator shifted back and forth, the two relationships intertwined, one in the past, and the other at present.

A seemingly perfect relationship has its ugly side that we don’t see with a brief glance. Sharing the best time of her life with the person she loved the most, Lily most certainly did not expect she would be hurt by the hands of her own husband. For Lily, growing up in an abusive household, with the weight it carried on her childhood, and the resentment she held towards her father, she’d never allow herself to be in the same position as her mother. The first time Ryle hurt her, it was a push and she believed, after countless apologies with earnest sincerity and regret, it was an accident. As a part of the discussion of the book, Lily, within the fifteen seconds in which the incident occurred, had become a part of the endless cycle every victim of domestic abuse went through. “Cycles exist because they are excruciating to break. It takes an astronomical amount of pain and courage to disrupt a familiar pattern. Sometimes it seems easier to just keep running in the same familiar circles, rather than facing the fear of jumping and possibly not landing on your feet.”

I particularly like how the author depicted the inner struggle of the abused with nuance, with comparisons to the misconception people held on the outside. I agree with Lily as she watched her mother being abused by her father, believing that her mother chose not to leave him out of her own fear and cowardice. It was not until Lily went through the same thing with Ryle that I started to make sense of the complexity the problem stands on. “Just because someone hurts you doesn't mean you can simply stop loving them. It's not a person's actions that hurt the most. It's the love. If there was no love attached to the action, the pain would be a little easier to bear.” The quote perfectly encapsulated the inner struggles the abused faced.

I have learned a lot from the characters in the book because of how authentic and relatable they felt. From their experiences and emotions, I’ve learned the complexities of life. Every character in the book is a victim, especially for Ryle, the abuser. Losing the ability to control his temper due to his childhood trauma, he knew it was his reality and no amount of love, regret, and sorrow he felt for Lily would make up what he had done to her. Navigating life and relationships is a difficult lesson, but it is an inevitable part of growing up. I’ve learned the most from Lily that somewhere along the way, toughness and compassion will help heal some wounds.