I honestly went into this with low expectancies because of not liking Ugly Love, but TikTok convinced me and wow were they right. This was fantastic.
Synopsis: Honestly this is hard to synopsize. The story follows Lily, a woman who hasn't always had it easy and has a tough familial past. In a random encounter, she meets Ryle, a neurosurgeon who is strickly "no relationships," that is before he met Lily. As they become closer Lily questions why Ryle was so anti-relationship before her. This conflict becomes even more complicated when her long-lost first-love Atlas comes back into the picture threatening the assertive and stubborn Ryle.
Plot: This is written so incredibly beautifully. I have to give props to Hoover for doing this so carefully and so correctly. You cannot help but sympathize with Lily and you can't blame her for the decisions she makes, which isn't always the case with other plots like this. This is one of the very few books that has made me cry because of how raw and real it is. Super powerful and hard to read at times, but definitely worth it in the end. It also was framed in a different narrative structure than a typical romance novel, which I always appreciate and made it more interesting. Couldn't put this down.
Characters: Lily. That is it. I love Lily. I cried with her, related with her and sympathized with her. A true heroine. The men in this story I won't speak on, for obvious reasons and to keep it spoiler-free, but regardless of their characteristics, they are still written with so much detail that they feel tangible.
I think that anyone who has suffered from an abusive relationship needs to read this, with caution of course, but I think they will find it really moving. Incredibly heavy, but a must-read. Highly recommend.
Officially aboard the Colleen Hoover train. I want more.
5/5 stars.
TW: physical abuse, attempted rape.
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