Colleen Hoover’s book introduces a heart-wrenching conversation on relationship abuse for young adult readers.
*This review contains spoilers*
Originally, I purchased this book as a result of succumbing to the hype TikTok had created, but quickly became absorbed by Hoover’s delicate, yet gripping, storytelling. Lily’s sensitive and bold character inspired me, and when her dream of opening her own flower shop came to life, my heart was full. Her love interest is Ryle Kincaid, a self-assured neurosurgeon whose alluring personality captivates us just as it captivates Lily. Their unconventional romance unfolds, and readers are led to believe that their magnetic chemistry is enough to sustain their relationship for a lifetime. Hoover ruthlessly crushes our expectations, however, through the revelation of Ryle’s volatile character, complete with abusive tendencies.
When Ryle first hits Lily, we enter a state of shock with her, followed by the inevitable denial. Through Hoover’s extensive characterisation, we begin to see the underlying toxicity of Ryle’s nature. While Lily eventually forgives his first demonstration of abuse, believing his proclamations that it was a once-off mistake, his volcanic outburst had tainted his entire character for me. I was unable to see him as the troubled, vulnerable man standing atop a rooftop that we were introduced to within the first few pages of the book any longer.
There is no black and white characterisation in Hoover’s book. That is what makes the story all the more captivating. Lily’s confusion regarding whether or not to leave Ryle becomes a recurring theme that the reader understands. Her initial inability to extract herself from her abusive relationship with Ryle frustrates us, but does not bewilder us. We become one with Lily as she clings on to the hope that Ryle can be forgiven, desperate to believe that his first violent outburst was a temporary lapse of his loving character.
The ending of Hoover’s novel is heart-breaking but undoubtedly necessary. Lily must choose whether to forgive Ryle in the hopes of raising her daughter within a complete family, or a divorce. In the end, she chooses to end the violent cycle of a toxic relationship that is simply not worth the temporary highs.
The ending confirms that not simply a romance story, it is a story of love: love for oneself, and for one’s child. Lily considers the impact her turbulent relationship with Ryle would have on her young daughter’s life. Her relationship with her father would be forever tainted by his treatment of her mother. It would grow to be one of resentment, just as Lily’s own relationship with her abusive father became.
The ending, although heart-breaking, is not one without hope. I believe that Hoover wanted to give Lily a chance to find love again outside of an abusive marriage. It offers a ray of light to those who may fear that they have become irreversibly damaged by their abuse, and have no hope left for future, secure, relationships. Hoover’s ending finally gives Lily the type of love that she truly deserves, one that is constant, and not plagued with turbulence.
