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It Starts with Us

It Starts with Us

Contemporary RomanceRomance
Pages
336
Published
2022
Language
English

Synopsis

Lily Bloom is rebuilding her life after leaving Ryle, cautiously beginning something real with Atlas Corrigan — her first love, who has been present at the edges of her life since she returned to Boston. But navigating a new relationship while co-parenting with an ex who is not ready to accept that the marriage is over requires more than love; it requires the kind of clear-eyed courage that It Ends with Us spent an entire novel establishing Lily had. The direct sequel to It Ends with Us, It Starts with Us focuses on what happens after the ending — the legal complexity, the co-parenting negotiations, the small ordinary moments of starting over — and completes the duology. Published in October 2022, it debuted at number one on the New York Times bestseller list.

Prose complexity
4/10

Vibe

EmotionalHopefulHeartwarming
Second ChanceMultiple POVs

Genres

Contemporary Romance Romance Contemporary Literature New Adult Romance Young Adult Women's Fiction Drama

About the author

C
Colleen Hoover

Colleen Hoover was born on December 11, 1979, in Sulphur Springs, Texas, and grew up in nearby Saltillo. She earned a degree in social work from Texas A&M University–Commerce in 2004 and worked in social work, latterly as a counselor for the federal WIC nutrition program. She began her first novel, Slammed, on a borrowed laptop in 2011, originally intending it as a Christmas gift for her mother, and self-published it in 2012; its word-of-mouth success led to a publishing deal with Atria Books....

Characters

Lily BloomProtagonist

Co-parenting her daughter while navigating a divorce and a new relationship with Atlas.

Atlas CorriganProtagonist

Restaurant owner and Lily's first love, now building a life with her.

Ryle KincaidSupporting

Lily's ex-husband and co-parent of their daughter.

AllysaSupporting

Ryle's sister and Lily's closest friend; her position between her brother and Lily becomes increasingly difficult as the divorce proceeds.

JoshSupporting

A troubled boy connected to Atlas's family.

All characters in It Starts with Us

Frequently asked questions

  • Can It Starts with Us be read without having read It Ends with Us?

    No — it is a direct sequel that begins immediately after the first novel's ending and assumes complete knowledge of the events, characters, and emotional stakes of It Ends with Us. Reading the first book first is required.

  • Does It Starts with Us resolve all the threads left at the end of It Ends with Us?

    Yes — the duology is complete. The sequel addresses the legal and practical dimensions of Lily leaving Ryle, the co-parenting arrangement for their daughter, and the full development of Lily's relationship with Atlas. The two books form a complete story.

  • Is the tone of the sequel lighter than the first book?

    Somewhat — It Ends with Us is primarily concerned with recognizing and leaving an abusive relationship, which carries significant emotional darkness. It Starts with Us focuses more on the recovery and new beginning, which is structurally more hopeful. However, Ryle's difficulty accepting the separation reintroduces tension throughout.

  • Did It Starts with Us also reach the bestseller list?

    Yes — it debuted at number one on the New York Times bestseller list in October 2022, making the duology a consecutive number-one pair. Its publication came at the height of the BookTok-driven surge in interest in It Ends with Us.

  • How does the novel handle the co-parenting dynamic?

    Co-parenting with an ex who remains emotionally dangerous is treated as the primary practical obstacle of the sequel. The novel takes seriously how much legal and logistical complexity separating from an abusive partner actually requires — not just the emotional decision to leave but the ongoing negotiation of what shared parenting looks like.

  • Does the film adaptation of It Ends with Us affect the sequel?

    The sequel was published in 2022, two years before the 2024 film adaptation of It Ends with Us. The novels exist independently of the film. A sequel film had not been officially confirmed as of 2024.

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