Title: It Starts With Us
Author: Colleen Hoover
Genre: Romance
Rating: 4/5
Two years after Lily and her ex-husband Ryle split up, Lily stumbles into her first love, Atlas. Upon seeing him, her old feelings for him instantly begin to surface. However, with Ryle still being a large part of her life, starting a new relationship with Atlas won’t be easy. Together, she and Atlas will navigate their new relationship while reminiscing about the time they spent together as kids.
“I can draw a seedling with two tiny branches. Yours and mine. We’ll be on our own brand-new, tiny family tree—one that starts with us.”
After reading It Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover, I immediately pre-ordered It Starts With Us in anticipation that it would be just as good as the first book. Sadly, I was left a little disappointed. Although the story was cute and I enjoyed watching Lily and Atlas build their relationship, I found myself asking what is the point of this? The book itself really didn’t add much to the original story and the conflict felt a little forced. I did like reading Atlas’s perspective, but I found Lily’s to be repetitive and somewhat boring.
After everything that I just said, you are probably wondering “well then why are you rating it 4 stars?” Although the book was a little boring and not really necessary there were still a lot of really cute moments and the writing was well executed. Colleen Hoover has a way of making you feel emotionally connected to the characters and It Starts With Us is no exception. Seeing Lily and Atlas find a happy ending was exactly what I wanted. The book also shined light on what it might be like being a single parent and the obstacles that it might pose. Like Hoover’s other pieces of work, it shows the challenges of real life relationships which is always refreshing.
“My choice helped me realize that sometimes the hardest decisions a person can make will most likely lead to the best outcomes.”
If you are a fan of Colleen Hoover and loved It Ends With Us then give this book a shot. It will answer all your questions for what happens to Lily and Atlas and give you more insight into what Atlas’s thoughts were when they were kids.
