It Ends With Us Book Review

 It Ends With Us

Author: Colleen Hoover

Published: 2016

Pages: 386

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary, New Adult, Contemporary Romance

My Rating: 4.8/5

Summary

It Ends With Us follows Lily, a 23-year-old college graduate, who moves to Boston to start a new chapter of her life. She meets Ryle Kincaid, a neurosurgeon who she ends up falling in love with. But her relationship with Ryle becomes more complicated after she runs into her first love interest, Atlas Corrigan, who she had lost contact with years before. She becomes overwhelmed with questions about her new relationship with Ryle, as well as her bond with Atlas. In the end, she is forced to make tough decisions in order to do what is best for her.

My Review

I absolutely LOVED this book. It is so riveting, powerful, and inspiring. This book will get you hooked from the very start. Hoover did an incredible job at portraying and shining a light on more sensitive topics, including domestic violence and relationship abuse. At first you don’t really realize the significance of certain moments and situations, but once it all comes together it makes so much sense and is so incredibly powerful. The underlying message of this book is about finding strength to make the right choice in a difficult situation, which is a tough reality for everyone and is so relatable. 

Conclusion

This book won the Goodreads Choice Award for Best Romance in 2016. I would say this is one of my most favorite Colleen Hoover books (with Verity being my all-time favorite). This book is not a light, fluffy romance. It is a lot more intense and emotional, but that’s what makes it so good. I highly recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a more raw, heart-wrenching romance.

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Carrie Soto is Back Book Review

 Carrie Soto Is Back

Author: Taylor Jenkins Reid

Published: 2022

Pages: 400

Genres: Fiction, Historical Fiction, Romance, Sports

My Rating: 4.5/5

Summary

Carrie Soto Is Back follows the legendary tennis player, Carrie, as she makes her return to the sport of tennis at the age of 37, with the ultimate goal of reclaiming her record. She has sacrificed a lot to become the greatest, climbing to number 1 in the world during her prime. But shortly after her retirement, her record gets broken by British player, Nicki Chan. Carrie decides to come out of retirement and make a return with her father, Javier, as her coach. She spends countless hours training and practicing out on the courts with Bowe Huntley, a tennis professional who also came out of retirement to prove his capabilities. Carrie is faced with a lot of adversity during her comeback, but that doesn’t stop her from working hard and dreaming big. Will she be able to take her record back? And what will happen if she is forced to live with that defeat for the rest of her life?

My Review

For those of you who have read Malibu Rising (my previous book review) by Taylor Jenkins Reid, you might be familiar with Carrie Soto, a minor character from that book. I was a little hesitant at first to read this book because I knew nearly nothing about tennis and its rules, but you really don’t need to know much about tennis to understand what is happening. This book really dives into Carrie Soto’s life as a professional women’s tennis player, and what it’s like to be a professional athlete. I felt like Reid did a great job of setting the scene by providing a lot of background information on how Carrie Soto got into the sport of tennis, and the impact that her father had on her throughout her life. I absolutely adored Carrie’s close relationship with her father. It brought me back to when I was a kid and my dad was my basketball and softball coach. To me, this book felt like real life and captured the realness of what it’s like to be an older female athlete defying the odds. 

Conclusion

Overall this book is very compelling and highlights the importance of never giving up. I would recommend this to anyone who has played sports in the past or is currently playing a sport, or to anyone who wants an uplifting, inspirational read!

This book has won a Goodreads Choice Award for Best Historical Fiction in 2022.

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Malibu Rising Book Review

Malibu Rising

Author: Taylor Jenkins Reid

Published: 2021

Pages: 400

Genres: Historical Fiction, Saga, Psychological Fiction, Domestic Fiction

My Rating: 5/5

Summary

Malibu Rising follows the history and family dynamic of the well-known Riva family living in Malibu, California. Nina is a talented surfer and supermodel. Jay, is a championship surfer, and the other brother, Hud, is a renowned photographer. Kit is the youngest of the four Riva children. Their family is a source of fascination, especially because of their father, Mick Riva, who is a world famous singer. The book all leads up to the highly anticipated, annual end-of-summer party at the Riva mansion with the attendance of famous actors, musicians, athletes, surfers, and tennis players. The wild, dramatic party forever changes the relationships between family, friends, and lovers, and leaves everyone astonished.

My Review

I absolutely LOVED this book! Taylor Jenkins Reid is one of my favorite, if not the best, historical fiction authors! I felt like each character was very well-crafted. I loved how Reid switched off between the different characters’ points of view throughout the book because I really got to know who each person was on a deep level, and know exactly what was going on inside their mind. I especially loved reading about the character of Nina Riva, the oldest sibling, who had to sacrifice a lot in her life for her younger siblings. Reid does an amazing job of not only getting you to sympathize with the characters, but also empathize with them. I truly loved everything about this book: the characters, setting, storyline, and writing (and even the cover is so cool!) This book will make you cry, laugh, and feel every emotion in between. Easily a 5/5 for me!

Conclusion

Malibu Rising won Best Historical Fiction of 2021 for the Goodreads Choice Awards. I highly recommend it! It’s definitely a great summer read. I would say that it is less of a light, fluffy beach read but a much more complex and elevated book.

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Layla Book Review

 Layla

Author: Colleen Hoover

Published: 2020

Pages: 303

Genres: Romance Novel, Thriller, Contemporary Romance, Romantic Suspense, Paranormal Fiction

My Rating: 4.0/5

Summary

Layla follows the relationship between Leeds and Layla. Leeds always thought that he was going to marry Layla one day, until an unexpected attack threatens her life, both mentally and physically. After the incident, Leeds feels like Layla has never been the same person who he once fell in love with. In order to try and get their relationship back to what it was before, Leeds takes Layla to the bed-and-breakfast in Kansas where they first met. But when they arrive, Layla’s behavior becomes very unusual and there are many strange occurrences that are happening. Leeds finds comfort in Willow, another guest of the bed-and-breakfast, whom he forms a connection with. Leeds has to decide if he wants to help Willow find answers, which would affect Layla’s well-being, or continue to try and revive his relationship with the changed, post-accident Layla. But making the wrong choice could be detrimental to all of them.

My Review

If you have read Verity by Colleen Hoover, this book has very similar vibes with the paranormal happenings and thrilling emotions. Although this book did not live up to Verity, it was still pretty good and kept me hooked. The entire premise of Layla is very interesting. I would describe it as very bizarre and strange, but in a good way. I enjoyed the beginning of the book a lot, but I felt like as it went on it became more unrealistic and harder for me to actually believe that something like this would happen in real life. Also, the ending is very intense and had me holding my breath at times as I was reading it. Overall, Layla is very abnormal yet entertaining at the same time.

Conclusion 

I found this book to be very entertaining, but I don’t think it’s for everyone. If you liked the book Verity, you’ll most likely enjoy this book too. I do wish that Colleen Hoover would come out with more thrillers because the writing and storyline behind each of them amazes me, and makes me wonder how she’s able to come up with these incredible narratives!

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