About the Book:

Before It Ends with Us, it started with Atlas. Colleen Hoover tells fan favorite Atlas’s side of the story and shares what comes next in this long-anticipated sequel to the “glorious and touching” (USA TODAY) #1 New York Times bestseller It Ends with Us.

Lily and her ex-husband, Ryle, have just settled into a civil coparenting rhythm when she suddenly bumps into her first love, Atlas, again. After nearly two years separated, she is elated that for once, time is on their side, and she immediately says yes when Atlas asks her on a date.

But her excitement is quickly hampered by the knowledge that, though they are no longer married, Ryle is still very much a part of her life—and Atlas Corrigan is the one man he will hate being in his ex-wife and daughter’s life.

Switching between the perspectives of Lily and Atlas, It Starts with Us picks up right where the epilogue for the “gripping, pulse-pounding” (Sarah Pekkanen, author of Perfect Neighbors) bestselling phenomenon It Ends with Us left off. Revealing more about Atlas’s past and following Lily as she embraces a second chance at true love while navigating a jealous ex-husband, it proves that “no one delivers an emotional read like Colleen Hoover” (Anna Todd, New York Times bestselling author).

My Thoughts:

I have recently become a fan of Collen Hoover’s books and style of writing. Her books always have a strong theme and plot that takes the reader on an emotional roller-coaster until the very end. I read It Starts with Us as a standalone, even though the author herself recommends that we read It Ends with Us first. I was pleasantly surprised to find that I could follow the story and fall in love with the characters just as easily in this book.

It Starts with Us pulled me in completely from the first page. I absolutely loved reading about Lily and Atlas, getting to know them through Atlas’ point of view and understanding them better through this story. A lot has happened in the first book which is referred to in this book as well since this one starts off where the first finished. This book seeks to provide closure to all fans of Lily and Atlas as we follow their journey and for those who were always shipping them, this book is indeed a treat!

“Imagine all the people you meet in your life. There are so many. They come in like waves, trickling in and out with the tide. Some  waves are much bigger and make more of an impact than others. Sometimes the waves bring with them things from deep in the bottom of the sea and they leave those things tossed onto the shore. Imprints against the grains of sand that prove the waves had once been there, long after the tide recedes.”

This paragraph from the book is one of many that stayed with me and has such profound meaning. I would read this story all over again just to enjoy the journey along with the characters again. Even though I was introduced to them only in this book, all the characters played an important role in leading the story to conclusion.

I most definitely enjoyed this book and devoured it in a day. I highly recommend this book and the first one (which I will definitely get around to reading soon) for all fans of second chance romances and YA or new adult fiction.