The Queen of BookTok has given fans exactly what they wanted (Picture: Simon & Schuster/ Instagram)
Colleen Hoover’s novel It Ends With Us is one of the best-selling books of all time.
Her new book, It Starts With Us, is the stunning sequel to the book that took TikTok by storm, earning her more than 2.4 billion views on the social media platform.
It is set to be another booming success – with a third of people saying it is their most highly-anticipated book of the year. Not to mention, Colleen already occupies five of the top ten best-seller spots in 2022 so far.
And she certainly doesn’t disappoint with this one.
If It Ends With Us was a brutally honest open wound of a book, then It Starts With Us is a story of healing and growth.
While it doesn’t have the grit or the emotional pain and catharsis of the first book, Colleen’s latest work is exactly what it needs to be, which is the light at the end of the tunnel.
It Starts With Us, by Colleen Hoover releases on Tuesday 18th October (Picture: Simon & Schuster)
It Ends With Us was never meant to have a sequel – but Colleen couldn’t keep a story from fans that they were so desperate to hear.
At the heart of it is Lily Bloom, a young mother who is a year out of a physically and emotionally abusive marriage to her ex-husband Ryle.
She is trying desperately to navigate custody arrangements and co-parenting to ensure their daughter Emerson never witnesses an abusive relationship.
We see Lily embark on a new relationship with long-lost love Atlas Corrigan, which infuriates her ex-husband.
But while the bad moments still rear their ugly head, Atlas is a reminder of the standards to which Lily should have held Ryle.
Atlas is proof, after he falls victim to unexpected developments in his own life, that no matter the turmoil you’re experiencing, it is still possible to treat those around you with care and respect.
Colleen Hoover is one of the best-selling authors of all time Instagram posts (Picture: Instagram )
There are moments of awkwardness and sincerity as Lily juggles the realities of motherhood with a romance that makes her feel 16 again.
This journey is masterfully peppered with flashes of fear and anxiety prompted by Ryle’s behaviour, which is still as unpredictable as ever.
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There’s a reason Colleen is the third most-followed author of all time on Goodreads and it’s because of her ability to create characters that we could easily see pieces of ourselves in.
While that can be eye-opening and scary at times, particularly when we are following a character like Lily, this book validates the feelings and thoughts of abuse survivors around the world while also praising their strength.
I read it cover to cover without putting it down. Colleen knew what the expectations were for this book and she has quite honestly nailed it.
Readers can rest easy now and take comfort in the fact that even if Lily is still swimming, she is no longer swimming alone. The shore is in sight.
Verdict: A heart-warming resolution to a brutal exploration of the life of a domestic abuse survivor.
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Readers can rest easy now and take comfort in the fact that even if Lily is still swimming, she is no longer swimming alone. The shore is in sight.