It Starts With Us - Colleen Hoover *****/5

Before It Ends with Us, it started with Atlas. Colleen Hoover tells fan favorite Atlas’s side of the story and shares what comes next in this long-anticipated sequel to the “glorious and touching” (USA TODAY) #1 New York Times bestseller It Ends with Us.

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. (Goodreads)

Ok first of all i'm utterly speechless as to how my experience with It Starts With Us (ISWU) is completely different to that with It Ends With Us (IEWU). (ps. if you haven't read the review of the prequel, pls do go and read it first cuz u cant read ISWU without reading IEWU)

I asked my brother to pre-order a copy for me because it was cheap there compared to in Turkey, but i couldn't wait 3 months to read and for my luck i found the book pdf online. Yesterday, the whole day i dedicated it to ISWU and I finished the entire novel by midnight!!! It's been a hell lot of long time since I actually finished a book in one day, because nowadays I take it slow compared to before when i would even read during school periods by hiding the novel underneath my textbook!!!

I went with zero expectations but I knew i would love it because this was Atlas and Lily's story. As i said in IEWS it was never about Ryle and Lily but it was always about Atlas and Lily. But as Atlas made it a point in ISWU to Ryle when Ryle came to him upon knowing Lily and him are together, Lily would have never left Ryle for Atlas if Ryle didn't hurt her. She didn't cheat him with Atlas. It was Ryle's own fault that crumbled their marriage and hands up to Lily for always choosing for Emerson, because she didn't want her daughter to grow up in a house where she needs to see her father beating up her mother.

As CoHo herself admits, even I agree that IEWU ended on a good note and didn't exactly needed a sequel but i have no words to describe how grateful I am to CoHo for writing ISWU because it was the much needed serotonin I needed in my life. Yesterday I was smiling like an idiot whenever it was Atlas's POV because Atlas friggin Corrigan is THE standard of a man!!!! It's the Atlas Effect, and i'm going to make it an official thing because he captured me in IEWU and made me hopelessly fall in love with his character in ISWU. He understands Lily more than anyone else and even understood that Ryle didn't know Lily at all!! Atlas gave space to Lily but made sure she knew she's not alone in whatever she's going through and Lily made it same for Atlas!!

For me the hilarious thing was Atlas's therapist being a 12 year old *LOL* but honestly for me it was accepted because a child looks at things in a complete different way than an adult and they aren't afraid to be honest. And i absolutely adored how Theo always made it a point to make a joke about Atlas's line "stop swimming Lily. You've made it to the shore." That brat is just absolutely lovable and a character that brought so much light into this book, although he was just a side character!!

Josh's appearance made a whole lot better and just like what Lily did for Emerson, Atlas chose for Josh and got custody of his brother because he didn't want his brother to go through what he went through in his life. The title of the book, ISWU refers to Atlas and Josh starting a new family together away from people who doesn't deserve to be included. Josh calls them a "seedling" and I agree with it. But i know that Josh found a parent and a brother in Atlas, and someone who actually cares and loves him and would do anything to make him happy.

In this book also I absolutely loved Allysa and Marshall's characters because they stood with Lily and accepted from the very beginning that everything that happened between them was Ryle's fault and there's no justification for it. When Lily was doubting whether she went too far divorcing Ryle, Marshall told her that although Allysa cheated on him back in university, and although he was beyond angry he never hurt her and it was never Lily's fault but Ryle's. Even Atlas said that it was Ryle's fault because a man who loves a woman wouldn't hurt her. I'm thankful for Allysa and Marshall for being honest and helpful to Lily, even when it was their direct family member that's at fault, they didn't try to justify Ryle's actions at all.

Through the entire novel, even it was in dual pov and there were spice scenes, which is only like 3 scenes for which i'm glad (still i skipped reading them because i hate when authors go into detail but this was much better than IEWU!!), Atlas's character made me enjo9y every single bit of it. CoHo gave snippets of his own feelings back when he was a teenager and was in love with Lily and I absolutely loved how he wrote letters to her!!!

For me, the most intimate part in the whole novel was not in their kisses or spicey scenes, but when Atlas finally wrote to Lily telling her what that specific part on her neck where she have the heart tattoo meant for him. It was just so heart-warming and full of emotions. I felt goosebumps reading it and i have no words to explain how lucky i am to read such lines!!!

Atlas made this story a whole lot better and when i say Atlas is THE standard i meant it with my whole heart!! He's the guy every girl should have because he's caring, considerate, loving, protective and is a huge ass green light!! I would trade anything to have a guy like that in my life because then I know i can trust him with all my heart!!

Even Lily knew that Atlas would have never treated her the same way Ryle treated her no matter how angry he would get!!

And i do agree that the male characters female writers create, are on a whole different scale compared to what male writers create and CoHo is the perfect example because Atlas is a guy who created a standard that no one else can top!!! he's the green light is non-existent in the reality.. The following is his wedding vow and i'm honestly speechless because Atlas deserves the entire universe!!!!

If i'm honest (well when i give reviews i am honest) i would say there isn't much to the plot in ISWU because the majority of the plot happened in IEWU and ISWU is a perfect closure and a rounding up of everything!! I honestly felt that the ending was rushed because although there were time skips, Lily moving to Atlas's place and their marriage were included in back to back chapters although there were months between the two scenarios.

But, i would give anything just to read ISWU for the first time again because this was an absolute gem. Atlas made it a whole lot better and I didn't realise what i was missing until I read his pov because he was that much of a character that i wanted to read!!! I am very satisfactory with the ending and although Ryle was annoying he gradually gave space to Lily and Atlas and stopped becoming a bastard.

Read IEWU and then read this. If you don't like to read and just read solely for Atlas because he's a ML that you need to read at least once in your life! I would 100% recommend this novel to everyone and i'm more than glad that I read this and i asked my brother to buy the physical copy because this is a novel that i'm going to keep with me forever!!!

And I have no doubt that this book deserve to be THE most hyped up book this year!!!! Wish I can get a signed copy!!!