by Colleen Hoover
4.3 · 4 reviewsA love story that asks the hardest question of all: how do you walk away from someone you swore you never would?
Lily Bloom has built the life she always wanted. Freshly settled in Boston, opening the flower shop she dreamed of as a girl, she feels ready to leave the weight of her hometown behind. Then she meets Ryle Kincaid, a charismatic neurosurgeon whose confidence is matched only by his stubborn aversion to relationships. Their connection is immediate and electric, and against her better judgment, Lily lets herself fall.
But the past has a way of resurfacing. When Atlas Corrigan, the first boy she ever loved, reappears in her life, the careful future she's been building begins to tremble. Old memories collide with new feelings, and Lily is forced to confront the patterns she promised herself she'd never repeat.
Told with raw honesty and emotional depth, this is a story about love in its tenderest and most complicated forms — about the courage it takes to protect yourself, and the strength required to break cycles that span generations.
First published in 2016.
4 reviews
Came for a beach read, left thinking about it for days. The subject matter is handled with a lot of care and the author's note at the end gives it real weight. Knocking off a star because the early chapters felt a little rushed for me, but the payoff is worth it.
I went in expecting a swoony romance and got so much more than that. The last third absolutely wrecked me — I had to put my phone down and just breathe. Lily's journey felt painfully real and I finished it at 2am sobbing.
Finished this in a single weekend and immediately wanted to talk about it with everyone I know. It's emotional and difficult in places, but it earns every tear. Lily is a character I'll remember for a long time.
The themes here are important and clearly came from a personal place, which I respected. Some of the dialogue felt a bit on the nose to me and the pacing dipped in the middle, but the emotional core is strong enough that I'd still recommend it.