It Starts With Us by Colleen Hoover: Book Review
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It Starts With Us by Colleen Hoover picks up the story of Lily and Atlas after It Ends With Us, but the tone is noticeably different.
This book is quieter, more hopeful, and much more focused on healing, second chances, and what happens after the hardest part of a relationship is over. I actually found this one easier to read than It Ends With Us, even though it doesn’t have quite the same emotional intensity.
If you’ve already read It Ends With Us and were hoping for more of Lily and Atlas, this sequel gives you exactly that.
My Take: I liked It Starts With Us more than I expected to. It is much softer than It Ends With Us, but for me, that was actually a plus. I enjoyed spending more time with Atlas and watching Lily move toward a healthier, more hopeful life. My Verdict? Read – especially if you finished It Ends With Us wanting more of Lily and Atlas.
What It’s About
Lily Bloom is learning to navigate life as a single mother while co-parenting with her ex-husband Ryle. Just as things begin to settle into a fragile rhythm, she unexpectedly reconnects with her first love, Atlas Corrigan.
Their connection is still there, but starting over is not simple. Ryle remains part of Lily’s daily life, and his resentment toward Atlas threatens the peace she has worked hard to build.
Told through the alternating perspectives of Lily and Atlas, It Starts With Us reveals more about Atlas’s past while following Lily as she tries to balance new love, motherhood, and the complications of moving forward.
It Starts With Us by Colleen Hoover – What I Liked
One of the best things about this sequel is finally getting Atlas’s perspective. His chapters gave the story more warmth and helped explain why so many readers were invested in him in the first place.
I also liked seeing Lily in a different stage of her life. She is still dealing with the consequences of her past, but this book gives her more room to make choices based on what she wants rather than simply reacting to what is happening around her.
The romance between Lily and Atlas also felt earned rather than rushed. This is less of a high-drama story and more about rebuilding, healing, and creating something healthier.
It Starts With Us – What I Didn’t Like
This book is definitely slower than It Ends With Us, and there is much less tension.
At times, it felt almost like an extended epilogue rather than a completely separate novel. I enjoyed seeing Lily and Atlas together, but there were stretches when I felt the story was simply giving readers more time with characters they already loved rather than moving the plot forward very much.
That said, because I was already invested in Lily and Atlas, I didn’t mind that nearly as much as I might have with another book.
It Starts With Us – Read, ReRead, or Reconsider?
Read.
If you liked Lily and Atlas in It Ends With Us, this sequel is worth reading. It is not as intense as the first book, but I actually found the calmer, more hopeful tone easier to enjoy.
Frequently Asked Questions About It Starts With Us by Colleen Hoover
Do you need to read It Ends With Us first?
Yes. This book is a direct sequel and picks up immediately after the events of It Ends With Us.
Who narrates It Starts With Us?
The novel alternates between Lily and Atlas’s perspectives.
How does It Starts With Us compare to It Ends With Us?
It is softer, quieter, and more hopeful. It Ends With Us is more emotionally intense, while It Starts With Us focuses more on healing, rebuilding, and second chances.
Is It Starts With Us Worth Reading?
Yes, especially if you finished It Ends With Us wanting more of Lily and Atlas.
This sequel does not have the same emotional punch as the first book, but I think that is part of its appeal. Instead of centering the story on crisis, it focuses more on what happens afterward – healing, rebuilding, and trying to create something better.
I found It Starts With Us more comfortable to read than It Ends With Us, and I enjoyed finally getting Atlas’s point of view.
What To Read Next
- Colleen Hoover Books in Order – See all of Hoover’s novels and series in publication order.
- It Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover – Start with the first book if you haven’t read it yet.
- Reminders of Him by Colleen Hoover – Another emotional story centered on loss, forgiveness, and second chances.
- Verity by Colleen Hoover – Try this one if you want to see Hoover’s much darker psychological side.
- Authors Like Colleen Hoover – Find more authors writing emotional, relationship-driven contemporary fiction.
