It Starts with Us: A Novel

Colleen Hoover

Oct 2022 · It Ends With Us Book 2 · Sold by Simon and Schuster

About this ebook

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 and major motion picture 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).

Ratings and reviews

This read more like a wattpad book than a professionally published novel. It Ends With Us was really well written and you could tell she put a lot of care and thought into it, but this felt more like a quick cash grab that she decided to write based off it going viral on tiktok. It is a quick and easy read for those who need something to get out of a reading slump, however.

Really disappointing. I feel as though the first book would have been a great stand-alone novel. There is no plot development, and it ultimately leads to nowhere. I do not feel like this book was necessary; the relationship with Atlas and Lily was cliche and I would have rather refrained from reading this one and kept the ending of It Ends with Us in my mind instead.

I found this book to be very interesting. Shorter than I expected but a good quick read. I believe the principles in this book are found often in today's lives, more so than we realize. Thanks to the author and all those who brought a good representation of this ancient work.

About the author

Colleen Hoover is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of more than twenty-three novels, including It Starts with Us, It Ends with Us, All Your Perfects, Ugly Love, and Verity. Colleen lives in Texas with her husband and their three boys. For more information, please visit ColleenHoover.com.