It Starts with Us | Book Review | 2022 | Colleen Hoover

It Starts with Us Book by Colleen Hoover – A Gentle, Earnest Follow-Up to a Wrenching Love Story

Let’s be honest. Not all sequels have the courage to be quiet. After the raw, emotional impact of It Ends with Us, Colleen Hoover had a choice: she could raise the stakes again—or do something braver. She chose tenderness.

As a book, It Starts with Us doesn’t try to compete with its predecessor’s intensity. Instead, it gives readers what they secretly craved but didn’t expect: closure. A soft landing. A love story that begins, not with sparks flying or chaos unraveling, but with two people who’ve already been through the storm—choosing peace.

About the Author

Colleen Hoover’s name has become almost synonymous with emotional fiction in recent years. Her stories walk the line between romantic drama books and heartbreak novels, always grounded in very real, very messy human emotions.

Born in Texas and originally self-published, Hoover’s rise to global stardom has been nothing short of phenomenal. Whether you’re new to Colleen Hoover books or a longtime reader, one thing is certain: she writes from the gut. And It Starts with Us is no exception.

A Quick Setup: Where the Story Begins

If It Ends with Us was a letter to the past—raw, angry, transformative—then It Starts with Us is a quiet promise to the future.

The story picks up immediately after the events of the first novel. Lily Bloom is now a single mom, co-parenting her daughter Emerson with her ex-husband Ryle Kincaid. Ryle’s history of abuse hangs like a shadow over her, and though he’s supposedly working on himself, Lily remains rightfully cautious. His volatility hasn’t vanished—it’s just better disguised.

When Lily runs into Atlas Corrigan, her first love, the past flickers back. But this isn’t a story of rekindling old flames for the sake of nostalgia. As a book, It Starts with Us is about building something new on ground that once felt scorched—redefining what love looks like after trauma.

What This Book Does Right

One of the most satisfying aspects of this story is its emotional pacing. There’s no rush. No forced drama. Just two people trying to figure out if love can be safe this time around.

Atlas, who we mostly saw through Lily’s eyes in the previous novel, is now given a voice of his own. His chapters reveal a kind, soft-spoken man who has clawed his way out of an abusive childhood and is now trying to reconnect with his younger brother, Josh. He runs a successful restaurant, but it’s clear that his real growth lies in how he handles relationships—with grace, patience, and boundaries.

Lily, meanwhile, has matured in ways that are less dramatic but deeply resonant. She’s no longer simply surviving—she’s learning to thrive, one careful step at a time. Whether it’s setting boundaries with Ryle or allowing herself to trust Atlas again, her journey in this novel is all about second chances. And it feels earned.

Atlas vs. Ryle: A Study in Contrast

It’s impossible not to compare the two men in Lily’s life—and perhaps that’s intentional. Ryle, despite his success as a neurosurgeon, remains controlling and prone to outbursts. He’s not a monster, but he’s far from safe.

Atlas, on the other hand, is the embodiment of what healthy masculinity can look like. He listens. He respects Lily’s pace. He doesn’t flinch when things get complicated.

The book, It Starts with Us, uses this contrast to quietly ask its readers: what does it really mean to feel safe with someone? To be heard, not overpowered? In a world flooded with stories that romanticize toxicity, Hoover’s portrayal of Atlas feels refreshing—almost revolutionary in its simplicity.

What Some Might Find Lacking

That said, not every reader will be swept away. If you’re expecting the gut-wrenching emotional highs of It Ends with Us, this sequel might feel… subdued. There are fewer gasp-worthy twists, fewer scenes that leave your heart pounding.

Some readers might even feel the book, It Starts with Us, functions more like an extended epilogue than a full-fledged novel. And that’s not entirely untrue. Much of the plot unfolds in a linear, predictable fashion. There’s co-parenting drama, some family revelations, a few emotional confrontations—but nothing explosive.

Even Atlas’s brother Josh, though a welcome addition, doesn’t add much narrative tension. He’s sweet, he’s likable, but he doesn’t shake things up.

Also, the writing occasionally dips into sentimentality. Certain lines feel like they’re trying a bit too hard to tug at your heartstrings, especially if you’re already familiar with the events of the first book. But for fans of Colleen Hoover romance novels, this familiarity might be the very thing they came for.

A Few Favorite Moments

Hoover’s strength lies in the little things—the almost-throwaway lines that somehow carry the weight of entire backstories. For example:

I feel my entire body stiffen at his gradual change in demeanor. He moves a couple of inches closer, too close and dips his head.

‘Lily,’ he says, his voice a scratchy whisper. ‘What are we doing’

That quiet hesitation, that question hanging in the air—it’s a beautiful moment that perfectly captures the novel’s emotional tone.

Or this one:

Now we’re both in the closet. The dark closet. But not so dark that I can’t see the flicker in his eyes that indicates he’s holding back a smile. Maybe he doesn’t absolutely hate me for this.

Is It a Standalone?

No. And it doesn’t pretend to be. As a book, It Starts with Us makes little effort to catch readers up or re-explain its characters. It assumes you’ve read It Ends with Us—and more importantly, that you care.

That’s why the emotional payoff works. Without the first book’s pain, this book’s peace wouldn’t feel as meaningful.

Still, readers searching for books like It Ends with Us might find this one worth picking up—not for the tension, but for the tenderness.

Final Verdict