But Ryle’s complete aversion to relationships is disturbing. And the way he looks in scrubs certainly doesn’t hurt. He’s also sensitive, brilliant, and has a total soft spot for Lily.

Ryle is assertive, stubborn, maybe even a little arrogant. So when she feels a spark with a gorgeous neurosurgeon named Ryle Kincaid, everything in Lily’s life suddenly seems almost too good to be true. She’s come a long way from the small town in Maine where she grew up-she graduated from college, moved to Boston, and started her own business. Lily hasn’t always had it easy, but that’s never stopped her from working hard for the life she wants. Sometimes it is the one who loves you who hurts you the most. It Ends with Us is a vitally important book, one that will make you cry, make you think, and make you a CoHort for life. Her fluid prose might be evidence of the ease with which she crafts stories, but make no mistake: this is not a lightweight read. Hoover once wrote on Instagram that she doesn’t think of writing as work. Lily’s story grips you early on and doesn’t let up until the final, bittersweet chapter. Someone’s heart will surely be broken, but Hoover takes us to such an unexpected place that it is we readers who end up with hearts that are shattered, then slowly mended. When a chance encounter brings both men into the same room with Lily, it’s impossible to know which guy to root for, at least at first. It contains two love stories entwined together-one from protagonist Lily Bloom’s past, and one set in the present day. It Ends with Us is arguably Hoover’s most powerful, heartfelt book. “CoHorts”-as her fans are dubbed-rave about her raw, powerful storylines and relatable characters. Hoover is often a triple or quadruple threat on bestseller lists, with her titles dominating the fiction categories.

The buzz about Hoover is everywhere: Bookstagrammers weep into their cameras as they praise her writing. Publicists aren’t known for understatement, but this sure turned out to be one. Years ago, a book publicist slipped me a novel by Colleen Hoover, promising, “She’s going to be big.”

It ends with us part 2