Young Adult fiction is dreamy and unrealistic. More than often you are bound to come across books which will give you a dreamy satisfaction and that’s it. Very less YA books are bound to leave you with an everlasting impression, and a remembrance of a story. “It Ends With Us” is one such book by Colleen Hoover which rows you on a boat of mature themes on troubled romantic waters.
“It Ends With Us” won the Goodreads Choice Award for Best Romance in 2016. The book rivets through domestic violence and abuse, young teenage love and the heft of emotional conflict. It’s a story of Lily who has returned from her father’s funeral, the one who subjected his mother to extreme abuse, Lily always questions why her mother never stood up to it — something she’d later understand. Lily is a bold girl who’s just moved to Boston, one day while looking over the city from the terrace she wonders why do people commit suicide, it’s the same day she falls in love with Ryle — a charming neurosurgeon. Ryle is everything she could have wished for. A man full of emotional and romantic charm. But, when his wicked side kicks in, there’s not much Lily can do.
Through the letters of Lily addressed to Ellen DeGeneres, we peek into her young adult life when she gave refuge to a guy named Atlas in an abandoned shelter in her home. Atlas was her first love, and things take a complicated turn when Atlas one day shows up in Boston amidst Lily’s already messed up life.
“It Ends With Us” is an emotional unputdownable book. A YA book which dares to subtly talk of abuse in relationships and the underlying constraints of why people don’t speak up. It’s a story of survivors.
Rating : 4/5
P.S : I don’t want to take anything away from the light themed nature of YA books as they are aimed at young and immature audiences, but I strongly believe it’s time to incorporate brave themes into YA books.
