It Ends With Us

A follow-up novel, It Starts With Us, continues Lily and Atlas's story after the events of this book.

A film adaptation of It Ends With Us is in production, with Blake Lively cast as Lily Bloom and Justin Baldoni as Ryle Kincaid.

Hoover has stated in multiple interviews that the novel was inspired by her own parents' relationship and the complexity of loving a parent who was also an abuser. The book's dedication reads "To my mother. You are my favorite what-if." She has said the novel was the most difficult she has ever written.

Colleen Hoover has stated that the novel was inspired by her mother's experiences and her own childhood observations.

The novel was published in 2016 to positive reception but without widespread commercial breakout. In 2022, it went viral on BookTok (TikTok's book community) after readers began sharing emotional reactions and discussions about its portrayal of domestic violence. The viral moment sent it to #1 on the New York Times list, and it remained on the list for over two years.

Yes — a major film adaptation was released in August 2024, starring Blake Lively as Lily and Justin Baldoni as Ryle. The production was widely covered in the press for reasons extending well beyond the film itself, and the controversy became a significant cultural story independent of the book's content.

Yes — It Starts with Us, published in 2022, continues Lily's story. The two books form a complete duology.

It refuses to present abuse as a simple moral equation. The novel engages with why victims stay, why abusers are not always recognizable as abusers early in a relationship, and the enormous difficulty of breaking a cycle — especially when love is genuinely present alongside harm. Hoover has been praised by advocates for the accuracy of this portrayal.

The title refers to a decision Lily makes about the cycle of abuse she witnessed in her parents' relationship and found herself in — the phrase signals her intention to be the one who stops it passing to the next generation. Its meaning is fully understood only at the novel's end.

Yes — it contains detailed depictions of domestic violence, including physical abuse within a romantic relationship. It also touches on Lily's history of witnessing abuse as a child. Readers who have experienced domestic violence should approach it with awareness of these elements.

The novel deliberately portrays him as genuinely loving and charming alongside his abusive behavior — because real abusers typically are. Hoover has said this was an intentional choice to reflect how abuse actually works rather than to excuse it. Many readers find this the most disturbing and effective aspect of the book.