it ends with us thesis statement

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It Ends with Us

Colleen hoover.

Welcome to the LitCharts study guide on Colleen Hoover's It Ends with Us . Created by the original team behind SparkNotes, LitCharts are the world's best literature guides.

It Ends with Us: Introduction

It ends with us: plot summary, it ends with us: detailed summary & analysis, it ends with us: themes, it ends with us: quotes, it ends with us: characters, it ends with us: symbols, it ends with us: theme wheel, brief biography of colleen hoover.

Historical Context of It Ends with Us

Other books related to it ends with us.

• Full Title: It Ends with Us
• When Published: August 2, 2016
• Literary Period: Contemporary
• Genre: Romance
• Setting: Boston, Massachusetts
• Climax: After the birth of Lily and Ryle’s child, Lily decides to leave Ryle to end the cycle of abuse.
• Antagonist: Ryle Kincaid
• Point of View: First Person

Extra Credit for It Ends with Us

Contemporary Come Up. Though It Ends with Us was written and published in 2016, the novel only gained broad notice when it was featured on TikTok in a spotlight by a book-based content creator.  The novel exploded in popularity in 2021, reaching #1 on the New York Times best sellers list in early 2022. In October 2022, Hoover published a long-awaited sequel, It Starts with Us.

Write What You Know. Hoover has shared that her personal experience with witnessing her father’s domestic abuse against her mother inspired some of the events of It Ends with Us , making writing the book a difficult but meaningful experience.

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“It Ends With Us” by Colleen Hoover Report

Introduction.

It Ends With Us is a book based on the real-life story of its author, Colleen Hoover. Hoover writes about a woman who struggles to break the cycle of abuse to create a secure life for herself and her son. Given Hoover’s previous work, she described the book as the hardest she had ever had to write. Colleen gives a detailed insight into what people who struggle with violence brought about by their romantic partners go through. This review will highlight some of the themes discussed in the novel.

At the beginning of the book, the writer introduces a character named Lily, a young entrepreneur fresh from college. Bloom has just moved to a new town to have a fresh start when she meets a surgeon called Ryle. (Hoover, 2020) With time she begins to develop romantic feelings for him. Hoover recalls the heart-breaking abuse her mother endured at the hands of her lover. She wanted to show how ethically ambiguous gender-based violence can seem when true love and romantic love are at risk.

Ryle is traumatized by accidentally shooting and killing his brother Emerson when he was younger and never fully recovers from it. He goes on to project this mental and physical trauma on Lily (Hoover, 2020). The book is majorly based on the themes of generational cycles, abuse, and jealousy. The fairytale love story ends when Ryle becomes envious of Lily’s affection towards Atlas. In this heated moment, he begins to physically lash out at Bloom, who now finds herself torn between her love for Ryle and her fear of him.

Colleen paints a descriptive picture when she recalls the instances when Ryle was physically abusive to Lily. She recalls that Lilly was drinking while making dinner when her husband decided to take the tray from the oven without gloves. Unfortunately, he burns his hand and drops the casserole. She understands his extreme actions and states, “My tears, my heart, my laughter, and my soul. Shattered like broken glass” (Hoover, 2020, pp. 186). At this moment Bloom relates Ryle to her abusive father. “I do not hear Ryle’s voice this time,” she says ” All I hear is my father’s voice.” (Hoover, 2020, pp. 189).

Gender-based violence is a rampant thing in our society. This book shows the abuse that goes on behind closed doors. It highlights the conflicted decision one has to make between the person one took an oath for and themselves.

Hoover, C. (2020). It Ends with Us: A Novel . Pocket Books.

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IvyPanda. (2023, December 5). “It Ends With Us” by Colleen Hoover. https://ivypanda.com/essays/it-ends-with-us-by-colleen-hoover/

"“It Ends With Us” by Colleen Hoover." IvyPanda , 5 Dec. 2023, ivypanda.com/essays/it-ends-with-us-by-colleen-hoover/.

IvyPanda . (2023) '“It Ends With Us” by Colleen Hoover'. 5 December.

IvyPanda . 2023. "“It Ends With Us” by Colleen Hoover." December 5, 2023. https://ivypanda.com/essays/it-ends-with-us-by-colleen-hoover/.

1. IvyPanda . "“It Ends With Us” by Colleen Hoover." December 5, 2023. https://ivypanda.com/essays/it-ends-with-us-by-colleen-hoover/.

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IvyPanda . "“It Ends With Us” by Colleen Hoover." December 5, 2023. https://ivypanda.com/essays/it-ends-with-us-by-colleen-hoover/.

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It Ends With Us

“What would you say if your daughter told you her boyfriend pushed her down the stairs but it’s okay because really it was just an accident?” Questions like this are at the heart of “It Ends with Us,” based on the bestselling novel of the same name by Colleen Hoover . This is a message picture about what it takes to break the vicious cycle of domestic violence. It is not subtle. 

After the emotional turmoil of her estranged father’s funeral in Maine, our heroine, the impeccably fashionable Lily Bloom ( Blake Lively , the best clotheshorse movie star since Kay Francis), breaks into a rooftop to peer at the vast beauty of Boston’s skyline. Before she can do much introspection, she meets the impossibly handsome and impossibly named Ryle Kincaid ( Justin Baldoni , also the film’s director), a neurosurgeon (naturally). Baldoni comes barreling into the scene like a hurricane, hurling a pair of steel chairs across the rooftop in anger. Instead of repulsion from this violent act, Lily finds herself intrigued and drawn to his charm and megawatt smile. Their playful patter, peppered with barbs veiled as flirtation from Ryle, ramps up until the dashing surgeon is summoned back to the hospital by his beeper. 

This is of course not the last we see of Ryle. He just happens to be the brother of Allysa ( Jenny Slate ), the quirky rich and bored housewife Lily hires to help her run the Cottagecore florist shop of her dreams. Although Lily repeatedly insists that she just wants to be friends, Ryle pursues her, ignoring her many pleas just as flagrantly as she ignores all his red flags. Lust is a hell of a drug. 

Quickly, Ryle’s negs and flirtatious barbs ramp up, transforming into toxic jealousy and other forms of obsessive behavior. This includes inviting himself to dinner with her mother by dropping the L-word for the first time, one of several such instances of emotional manipulation he brandishes like a silver-tipped dagger. Before she knows it, Lily is not only in a relationship she didn’t really want, she herself becomes an outlet for Ryle’s raging temper. 

The early scenes of Lily and Ryle’s volatile courtship are interwoven with scenes in which teenage Lily ( Isabela Ferrer ) falls in love for the first time with a schoolmate named Atlas ( Alex Neustaedter ). The soulful boy is squatting in the abandoned house across the street from hers, fleeing his mother’s abusive boyfriend. The generous and nonjudgmental Lily offers both aid and friendship when Atlas needs it the most. He in turn offers her a caring shoulder and a safe place to finally express the fear she feels as she watches her father physically abuse her own mother over and over again. 

These scenes are innocent and tender, the two young actors imbuing the teenagers with just the right balance of world weariness from the violence they’ve already endured and the irrepressible hope that comes with youth. Yet, Baldoni and his team of editors ( Oona Flaherty and Robb Sullivan ) can’t quite find the right balance between these scenes and the more erotic and violent scenes featuring Baldoni and Lively. However, once Brandon Sklenar (doing his best Harry Connick, Jr. in “ Hope Floats “) enters as the grown-up Atlas, he is able to craft an effortless, natural chemistry with Lively that is nearly as strong as these early moments, although they both are far too fleeting. 

This story of love, trauma and abuse is wrapped up in the same amber-hued autumnal glow of Lively’s bestie Taylor Swift ’s short film for her autobiographical song “All Too Well (10 Minute Version),” which itself is about an abusive relationship. Lily even has the same tousled strawberry blonde tresses as the short film’s star Sadie Sink . So naturally, the film’s most climatic moment of domestic abuse, like the short, takes place in the couple’s kitchen. Later, the moment where Lily comes into her own power as she attempts to rebuild her life is underscored by Swift’s “My Tears Ricochet” (which perhaps counts as a spoiler if you know the topic of the song. Swifties, I’m sorry.)

“It Ends with Us” is a fine-looking picture. Baldoni and cinematographer Barry Peterson know how to frame movie star faces in flattering medium close-ups, allowing every nuanced emotion, every twinkle in their eyes to transport the viewers on this emotional journey with them, even when the characters feel more like didactic cyphers than fully-realized human beings. Lily’s flower shop (which never seems to have any customers) is a Pinterest board brought to life. And Lively’s designer duds are nearly as showstopping as the ones she sports in “ A Simple Favor .”

Lively does her best to add emotional layers to Lily so we see her internal growth, but this process is often hampered by the film around her. I kept thinking of “ Alice, Darling ,” Mary Nighy’s incredible film about intimate partner violence from a few years back in which Anna Kendrick finds herself suffocating in a psychologically abusive relationship. In that film, Kendrick’s character is given a full life and a group of friends who help her overcome the codependent trap she’s been caged in. Here, the few women in Lily’s life – her so-called best friend Allysa and her mother Jenny ( Amy Morton ) – are underdeveloped, relegated to a handful of scenes that largely exist as plot points.  

The PG-13 rating keeps the violence Ryle inflicts on Lily, or her father’s violence in the flashbacks, to a minimum visually (and often seen in slow motion or in choppy montages), Christy Hall ’s script unfortunately often falls into “as the father of daughters” territory, giving more care to explaining why these men are the way they are (especially in Ryle’s case, in the film’s most cringe-worthy twist) than it does to the psychology – let alone the economics – of why women often stay with abusive partners. Instead, this subject, which should really be the key to the whole story, is covered in one very short scene between Lily and her mother. The forced love triangle once Atlas re-enters Lily’s adult life also restricts things, causing Lily’s life to once again orbit mostly around the men in it. 

“It Ends with Us” is certainly not a bad film. At times, it’s actually quite good and its central message is crafted with intention and care. I just wish it had a sharper focus on Lily’s interiority, her life beyond her trauma, and who she really is in relation to herself, and herself alone.

Marya E. Gates

Marya E. Gates is a freelance film and culture writer based in Los Angeles and Chicago. She studied Comparative Literature at U.C. Berkeley, and also has an overpriced and underused MFA in Film Production. Other bylines include Moviefone, The Playlist, Crooked Marquee, Nerdist, and Vulture. 

It Ends with Us

• Blake Lively as Lily Bloom
• Justin Baldoni as Ryle Kincaid
• Brandon Sklenar as Atlas Corrigan
• Jenny Slate as Allysa
• Hasan Minhaj as Marshall
• Christy Hall
• Justin Baldoni

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• How to Write a Thesis Statement | 4 Steps & Examples

How to Write a Thesis Statement | 4 Steps & Examples

Published on January 11, 2019 by Shona McCombes . Revised on August 15, 2023 by Eoghan Ryan.

A thesis statement is a sentence that sums up the central point of your paper or essay . It usually comes near the end of your introduction .

Your thesis will look a bit different depending on the type of essay you’re writing. But the thesis statement should always clearly state the main idea you want to get across. Everything else in your essay should relate back to this idea.

You can write your thesis statement by following four simple steps:

• Start with a question
• Write your initial answer
• Develop your answer
• Refine your thesis statement

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Table of contents

What is a thesis statement, placement of the thesis statement, step 1: start with a question, step 2: write your initial answer, step 3: develop your answer, step 4: refine your thesis statement, types of thesis statements, other interesting articles, frequently asked questions about thesis statements.

A thesis statement summarizes the central points of your essay. It is a signpost telling the reader what the essay will argue and why.

The best thesis statements are:

• Concise: A good thesis statement is short and sweet—don’t use more words than necessary. State your point clearly and directly in one or two sentences.
• Contentious: Your thesis shouldn’t be a simple statement of fact that everyone already knows. A good thesis statement is a claim that requires further evidence or analysis to back it up.
• Coherent: Everything mentioned in your thesis statement must be supported and explained in the rest of your paper.

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The thesis statement generally appears at the end of your essay introduction or research paper introduction .

The spread of the internet has had a world-changing effect, not least on the world of education. The use of the internet in academic contexts and among young people more generally is hotly debated. For many who did not grow up with this technology, its effects seem alarming and potentially harmful. This concern, while understandable, is misguided. The negatives of internet use are outweighed by its many benefits for education: the internet facilitates easier access to information, exposure to different perspectives, and a flexible learning environment for both students and teachers.

You should come up with an initial thesis, sometimes called a working thesis , early in the writing process . As soon as you’ve decided on your essay topic , you need to work out what you want to say about it—a clear thesis will give your essay direction and structure.

You might already have a question in your assignment, but if not, try to come up with your own. What would you like to find out or decide about your topic?

For example, you might ask:

After some initial research, you can formulate a tentative answer to this question. At this stage it can be simple, and it should guide the research process and writing process .

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Now you need to consider why this is your answer and how you will convince your reader to agree with you. As you read more about your topic and begin writing, your answer should get more detailed.

In your essay about the internet and education, the thesis states your position and sketches out the key arguments you’ll use to support it.

The negatives of internet use are outweighed by its many benefits for education because it facilitates easier access to information.

In your essay about braille, the thesis statement summarizes the key historical development that you’ll explain.

The invention of braille in the 19th century transformed the lives of blind people, allowing them to participate more actively in public life.

A strong thesis statement should tell the reader:

• Why you hold this position
• What they’ll learn from your essay
• The key points of your argument or narrative

The final thesis statement doesn’t just state your position, but summarizes your overall argument or the entire topic you’re going to explain. To strengthen a weak thesis statement, it can help to consider the broader context of your topic.

These examples are more specific and show that you’ll explore your topic in depth.

Your thesis statement should match the goals of your essay, which vary depending on the type of essay you’re writing:

• In an argumentative essay , your thesis statement should take a strong position. Your aim in the essay is to convince your reader of this thesis based on evidence and logical reasoning.
• In an expository essay , you’ll aim to explain the facts of a topic or process. Your thesis statement doesn’t have to include a strong opinion in this case, but it should clearly state the central point you want to make, and mention the key elements you’ll explain.

If you want to know more about AI tools , college essays , or fallacies make sure to check out some of our other articles with explanations and examples or go directly to our tools!

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A thesis statement is a sentence that sums up the central point of your paper or essay . Everything else you write should relate to this key idea.

The thesis statement is essential in any academic essay or research paper for two main reasons:

• It gives your writing direction and focus.
• It gives the reader a concise summary of your main point.

Without a clear thesis statement, an essay can end up rambling and unfocused, leaving your reader unsure of exactly what you want to say.

Follow these four steps to come up with a thesis statement :

• Ask a question about your topic .
• Write your initial answer.
• Develop your answer by including reasons.
• Refine your answer, adding more detail and nuance.

The thesis statement should be placed at the end of your essay introduction .

Cite this Scribbr article

If you want to cite this source, you can copy and paste the citation or click the “Cite this Scribbr article” button to automatically add the citation to our free Citation Generator.

McCombes, S. (2023, August 15). How to Write a Thesis Statement | 4 Steps & Examples. Scribbr. Retrieved October 4, 2024, from https://www.scribbr.com/academic-essay/thesis-statement/

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It Ends with Us

64 pages • 2 hours read

A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement.

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Chapters 1-4

Chapters 5-8

Chapters 9-12

Chapters 13-16

Chapters 17-20

Chapters 21-24

Chapters 25-28

Chapters 29-32

Chapter 32-Epilogue

Character Analysis

Symbols & Motifs

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

Part of It Ends with Us unfolds through Lily’s entries, which are presented for the reader. What is the effect of framing Lily’s past in this way?

What is the role of Lily’s body in It Ends with Us ? How do Atlas and Ryle physically relate to Lily?

In what ways does the novel subvert traditional tropes of the romance genre?

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