It Starts With Us by Colleen Hoover was just released. “Booktok” fans have been waiting for this book since February, 2022. However, with anticipation leading up to the release, some people say It Starts With Us was somewhat of a let down. 

It Starts With Us begins right where the book, It Ends With Us left off. The story revolves around the main character Lily, picking her life up with her childhood love, Atlas, after leaving an abusive relationship. She ends up falling back in love with Atlas and learns how to live her best life. 

Books by Colleen Hoover typically take off pretty quickly. However, this one had a pretty slow start and was hard to get into. Junior, Jenna Shriner states, “I liked it but I felt like it was a pretty slow read and difficult to finish.” 

Readers were drawn to this book after reading Colleen Hoover’s top-selling book, It Ends With Us. Shriner shares, “ I read ‘It Ends With Us’ over the summer and had really enjoyed it, which led me to reading it.” It Ends With Us is a best seller for The New York Times. Because of this, readers were motivated to continue the storyline between Lily and Atlas. 

After reading both novels, it is easy to say that It Ends With Us is a much better book. Junior, Carleigh Conway voices, “It Ends With Us was better because it had more drama and more of a story.” 

Shriner adds, “I liked that there were plot twists and it wasn’t a stagnant read.”

Hoover is known for her plot twists. A majority of her books include jaw-dropping events. Conway comments, “I have read, Ugly Love, November 9th, Maybe Someday, All Your Perfects, and Verity. They all compare by having crazy twists and turns. However, “It Starts With Us “ continues the storyline of a couple in love, which is different compared to her other novels.”

People had high expectations for this sequel because Hoover typically never disappoints. Conway remarks, “I expected more drama between Ryle and Atlas (The love interests). Although there was one scene in Atlas’s restaurant that was nerve wracking, I thought there were going to be more occurrences of drama.”  

Shriner expands, “I was expecting more plot twists and drama and my expectations weren’t really met. I feel like everything was really predictable”. 

It Starts With Us nowhere near compared to the original. The plot was predictable, and had no unexpected twists. Readers were left disappointed and not thrilled with the results of this story. However, one dissatisfying book shouldn’t stunt Colleen Hoover’s path to success.