A review by lara_ayrolla
It Starts with Us by Colleen Hoover

emotional hopeful lighthearted fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? N/A
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0


I like that Ryle hasn't magically changed his personality and stayed as difficult as he was in the previous book. I LOVE Atlas relationship with his brother and Theo, I would've read a whole book about it and it would probably be a 5 starter for me.

I wish there were more stakes. There's no sense of challenge to anything, Lily and Atlas know they will end up together from the beginning, their relationship doesn't even have that much trouble navigating through dealing with Ryle and the co-parentig. Lily can magically just send Emerson to someone's house and sometimes it feels like she doesn't even care that much, I wasn't able to feel their connection. I hate how on the nose some of the interactions between Lily and Atlas are, like her sleeping during their first date. I get that this scene was there to show how much Atlas appreciates her and isn't put off by something like that, but it was still too much for me. I guess I can't expect too much subtlety of a book with florist Lily Blossom Bloom as the protagonist.

Overall, the book was addictive and entertaining, way less problematic than probably every other Colleen Hoover book ever, the couple has a healthy relationship, and there's family themes which I'm just a sucker for. However, the lack of challenge made it feel flat, underwhelming, boring and felt like forced positivity. I was a little sick of Lily and Atlas way too quickly. It did a solid job though, and it wasn't bad at all.