Book Review: “It Starts With Us” By Colleen Hoover

“It Ends With Us” Is my all time favorite book so when I heard she was releasing a sequel in Atlas’s perspective I immediately pre ordered the book. Actually, I ordered two copies to be exact, Apparently I was more excited for this boo than I knew. Even though I ordered two copies of this book I ended up listening to it on audio while I was working because I needed to know what happened! Lets get down to my thoughts.

“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.”

Colleen Hoover, It Starts with Us

About The Book

Author: Colleen Hoover

Publisher: Atria Books

Published Date: October 18th, 2022

Page Count: 336 Pages

Main Genres: Romance, Contemporary, Fiction

GoodReads Rating: 4,25

Format: Audio

“She’s my person, and I am hers, and that’s something I’ve known since the first week we met.”

Colleen Hoover, It Starts with Us

Synopsis

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.

Synopsis from Goodreads

“My choice helped me realize that sometimes the hardest decisions a person can make will most likely lead to the best outcomes.”

Colleen Hoover, It Starts with Us

Rating

Rating: 5 out of 5.

Review

Atlas and Lily have my whole heart! This book was everything that I hoped it would be plus more! These are my comfort books.

I am happy I chose to listen to this on audio because having the dual perspectives with a cast really adds to the perfection of this book. With that said, I am already wanting to reread this but with the physical copy. I just can’t get enough of their story!

This book showed a lot of character development of all the characters, I think everyone in this book really grew up from the first one. This was something that made me love this book just slightly more than the first one.

I am so happy we got more of Atlas! Getting to know him better and all the things he really had to go through to get to where he is today just made me love him more.

These books will be my favorite romance reads for the rest of my life, I am calling it now! I will forever recommend these to everyone I come across. Please pick these up and send me your thoughts!

“Thank you for being the most comforting part of my life right now. Thank you for always being the beacon I need every time I feel lost. Whether you mean to shine on me or not. I am grateful for you. I’ve missed you. I absolutely should have kissed you.”

Colleen Hoover, It Starts with Us

QOTD: I need a book that will make me cry, send me some recs.

Book Review: “Heart Bones” By Colleen Hoover

This month I meant to focus my reading around thrillers so I can start getting into the spooky season vibe. However, I have read two Collen Hoover books instead. Sometimes the heart wants what the heart wants and you can’t tell it no, what can I say?

“I wonder what kind of upbringing is worse for a human. The kind where you’re sheltered and loved to the point that you aren’t aware of how cruel the world can be until it’s too late to acquire the necessary coping skills, or the kind of household I grew up in. The ugliest version of a family, where coping is the only thing you learn.”

Colleen Hoover, Heart Bones

About The Book

Author: Colleen Hoover

Publisher: Hoover Ink

Published Date: August 19th, 2020

Page Count: 338 Pages

Main Genres: Romance, Contemporary, New Adult

GoodReads Rating: 4.35

“People sometimes still drown in the shallow end,”

Colleen Hoover, Heart Bones

Synopsis

Beyah has been raising herself her whole life, having an absent father and a drug addict for a mother. She has just graduated high school and has a full ride volleyball scholarship to a school in Pennsylvania all due to her own hard work and determination. This scholarship finally gives her the chance to leave her life behind and start over. But when her mother dies at the beginning of the summer she has no where else to turn to except her absent father for a place to stay until school starts.

Her father has a new wife and a step daughter only a few years older than Beyah and this stings but with no where else to go she tries her best to fit in. When she meets the next door hot boy, Samson, they clearly have nothing in common on the surface but quickly learn they both have damaged pasts. Will Beyah find her place in this strange new world and can she truly leave her damaged past behind?

“Sometimes I believe personalities are shaped more by damage than kindness. Kindness doesn’t sink as deep into your skin as the damage does. The damage stains your soul so bad, you can’t scrub it off. It stays there forever, and I feel like people can see all my damage just by looking at me.”

Colleen Hoover, Heart Bones

Rating

Rating: 4.5 out of 5.

Review

This book has been super high on my list to read, mostly because I find the cover absolutely gorgeous! But most importantly the story was really what pulled me in. I read this book over two days and could hardly put it down!

Beyah and Samson just have this natural connection that really makes sense by the end of the book. These two were meant to find each other and I was really wanting them to end up together in the end despite the challenges they go through together. I think they had super great banter even though they are both pretty soft spoken

I also really loved the sisterly bond Beyah and Sara developed over the course of the book. Beyah really needed someone she could trust and talk to and really just become best friends with and Sara helped her with all of those things. This was a very important relationship in this book and honestly one of my favorites.

The pinwheel is a major symbol in this book talking about turnings ones luck around. I have seen many people get the pinwheel tattoo for this book and I was so curious as to why and now it all makes sense. I might be getting one of my own now thanks to this beautiful book!

“I think when you’re the worst of people, finding the worst in others becomes a survival tactic of sorts. You focus heavily on the darkness in people in hopes of masking the true shade of your own darkness”

Colleen Hoover, Heart Bones

QOTD: What is your most meaningful tattoo? If you don’t have one what would you get?