Author: Colleen Hoover
Title: It Ends With Us
Genre: New Adult
Publication Date: August 2016
Number of Pages: 367
Geographical Setting: Boston, Massachusetts
Time Period: Contemporary; 2010’s
Series: No
Subject Headings: Abuse, Homelessness, Love triangles
3 terms that best describe this book: Issue oriented, compelling, heartwrenching
Plot Summary: Lily is settling into her life in Boston when her father dies, opening up old wounds for her to contend with. Lily begins reviewing old letters that she had written - but never sent - to Ellen DeGeneres when she was fifteen. She meets Ryle after returning to Boston from her father’s funeral, but Ryle wants no strings attached and all Lily really wants is a relationship. Over the next two years she begins her own business, and when a chance meeting at a new restaurant in town puts her back in touch with her first love, Atlas, she begins to see that her relationship with Ryle might not be so perfect after all. This heartwrenching novel considers the issue abuse and how Lily manages its lasting effects.
Appeal:
Tone/Mood: Heartwrenching: the tone and mood are impacted by the story line, with certain chapters being more upbeat than others.
Story Line: Issue oriented: While Lily is finished with college and has a job at the beginning of the novel, she does quit her job to start her own business, which is it’s own plot. For the most part, however, the story line deals with abuse, both from Lily’s past and her present.
Style/Language: Compelling: the style and language are easy to process, making the novel easy to read even if the topics are heavy. The novel relies on a lot of conversation and old letters to keep readers engaged.
Characterization: Sympathetic: the characters are easy to relate to, and don’t do anything too out of line, and they are easy to empathize with.
Pacing: Steady: while some events unfold quickly, the novel does span two to three years worth of time, though we only see the periods of time where there is upheaval or change in Lily’s life. This keeps the plot moving along rather quickly.
3 Relevant Works and Authors:
Beautiful Oblivion (Jul 2014) by Jamie McGuire: Chosen for being a new adult contemporary romance with an emphasis on family dysfunction.
Chasing Red (Sep 2017) by Isabelle Ronin: Chosen for being a new adult contemporary romance that’s intricately plotted.
I See You (Nov 2016) by Molly McAdams: Chosen for being a new adult contemporary romance that deals with love triangles.My Take: It took me three tries to find a Colleen Hoover book that I could read without hate-reading, while also having it be new adult. This novel was really well done, and I especially appreciated the author’s note at the end.
It's interesting that you tried to read a few books by this author but didn't like them much. Did you pick her because she was an expressed New Adult author? I have to admit, I didn't even know this was a genre at all, so kudos to you for being adventurous and giving it a go! I have a 12-year-old daughter who is pretty mature, but I have trouble finding books that she can connect with. She always finds them "too young" or "too old" (yes, it is possible that she is task-avoiding, but I won't rest until I find her something!)I'm wondering if you would recommend this for someone her age, or is it too mature? I think the theme of abuse can be a touchy thing to tackle, but I also think its important for young women to be aware of what abuse can look like, especially if its subtle. thanks for the review, and the read-alikes!
ReplyDeleteThere is quite a bit of sex in this particular book, so I'd err on it being too on the mature side for her at the moment. I do think this book handled the topic really well, and in a nonjudgmental way - I can't say too much without giving the whole plot away though!
Delete'Girl made of stars' by Ashley Herring Blake is supposed to come out in May, and it focuses on date rape in middle school. It's got starred reviews, and it's on my TBR list and might make a good option for her. There's also 'The War that Saved my Life', which might be a good fit, depending on the type of books she likes to read.
This sounds like a book I'd read. For some reason I'm a sucker for heart-wrenching books. I've heard of the author, but haven't read any of her books.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading your annotation, I can see what New Adult means. I see the appeal. Makes me wonder if libraries should have a special section for these types of books. Different age groups deal with issues differently, so perhaps that can be a way moving forward for libraries. Young Adults transitioning to adults may want to read books that they can relate to, or teens may read these to get an idea of what they may go through.
ReplyDeleteThis is interesting. I remember this book being on our "New Books" shelf and then seeing that it won the award for best romance novel in 2016 on Goodreads. At the time, I had no idea there was a genre called "new adult", and it would appear that the readers' advisory librarian didn't either. This was with all the other general fiction books on the shelf, and promoted as a "romance" book. But I would assume it's different than a general romance book, right? Because it's "new adult". Would a reader of, say, Nora Roberts or Sandra Brown like this book? And do you think it should be separated from the rest, as Carter suggests?
ReplyDeleteAt my library NA does not have it's own special section. It's split between YA and adult. We have all of Hoover's book in adult because they tend to be really steamy. NA is really good to know for RA interactions, even if you don't have a special space for it.
DeleteExcellent annotation! I loved your personal note at the end. This does indeed sounds different from her normal route. I'm glad you found one you enjoyed. Full points!
ReplyDelete