It Starts with Us: A Novel (It Ends with Us)

From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Reminders of Him comes a riveting sequel to the “glorious and touching” (USA TODAY) that picks up where It Ends with Us concluded and shares what happens next for Lily and Atlas.

Lily and her ex-husband, Ryle, have just settled into a civil coparenting rhythm when she suddenly bumps into her first love, Atlas, again. After nearly two years separated, she is elated that for once, time is on their side, and she immediately says yes when Atlas asks her on a date.

But her excitement is quickly hampered by the knowledge that, though they are no longer married, Ryle is still very much a part of her life—and Atlas Corrigan is the one man he will hate being in his ex-wife and daughter’s life.

Switching between the perspectives of Lily and Atlas, It Starts with Us picks up right where the epilogue for the “gripping, pulse-pounding” (Sarah Pekkanen, New York Times bestselling author) bestselling phenomenon It Ends with Us left off. Revealing more about Atlas’s past and following Lily as she embraces a second chance at true love while navigating a jealous ex-husband, it proves that “no one delivers an emotional read like Colleen Hoover” (Anna Todd, New York Times bestselling author).

Colleen Hoover is the #1 New York Times and International bestselling author of multiple novels and novellas. She lives in Texas with her husband and their three boys. She is the founder of The Bookworm Box, a non-profit book subscription service and bookstore in Sulphur Springs, Texas.

For more information and for a schedule of events, please visit colleenhoover.com.

To contact Colleen and her team (Her team's name is Stephanie), please email [email protected]

"The queen of the bestseller lists." ― USA Today

“This sequel to BookTok phenom It Ends With Us stands on its own, a portrait of the dynamics of domestic violence.” ― People

“Hoover breaks hearts all over again in this stunning sequel to her bestselling It Ends with Us . . . The author’s talent for creating nuanced and empathetic characters is on full display, and fans will be especially excited to finally hear Atlas’s side of the story. Hoover is as unafraid as ever to explore the darker and more vulnerable aspects of love, expertly demonstrating the soul-deep trust required to reach happily after ever.” ― Publishers Weekly (starred)

“Through palpable tension balanced with glimmers of hope, Hoover beautifully captures the heartbreak and joy of starting over.” ― Kirkus Reviews

“This romance delivers on all the goods that has made Hoover such a sensation on TikTok: frank sex scenes, high-stakes twists, ingenious plotting and capital-D DRAMA.” ― New York Post

"It Starts with Us" is a second-chance romance that continues the story of Lily Bloom and focuses on what happens after the heartbreak, violence, and difficult choices of her past. The novel begins with Lily trying to build a stable life for herself and her daughter, Emerson, after the collapse of her marriage to Ryle Kincaid. She is still carrying the emotional weight of everything that happened, but she is determined to move forward with more clarity, more strength, and a deeper understanding of what she wants for herself and for her child.

One of the most important parts of the story is Lily’s attempt to create peace after years of chaos. Her relationship with Ryle is complicated because he is Emerson’s father, but he is also the man who hurt her and whose temper made their marriage unsafe. In this book, Lily continues to set boundaries and make choices that protect herself and her daughter, even when those choices are painful. She is no longer the same woman who once hoped love alone could fix everything. She has grown into someone who understands that love without safety is not enough.

The emotional center of the novel is Lily’s renewed connection with Atlas Corrigan, her first love. Atlas has always represented something gentle and steady in Lily’s life, and their reunion brings both hope and fear. They come from a history that was deeply meaningful but also unfinished, and now they are trying to reconnect as adults with real scars and responsibilities. Atlas has built a life for himself, and he is still the kind, protective person he was before, but now he is also more open about what he feels and what he wants. His presence gives Lily a sense of comfort that she has never fully been able to trust in the past.

The romance between Lily and Atlas develops slowly, with caution and tenderness. They are no longer teenagers dreaming about escape; they are adults trying to be honest about the damage they have survived. Their bond is built on old love, but it is also shaped by the present. Lily is careful because she knows how much is at stake, and Atlas is patient because he understands how fragile trust can be. Their scenes together carry a sense of longing, but also maturity. The novel makes clear that their love is not about fantasy. It is about two people who have carried each other in memory for years and now have the chance to choose each other again.

At the same time, the book does not pretend that the past can simply be left behind. Ryle remains a major presence because of his role as Emerson’s father, and that makes Lily’s life more complicated. She has to navigate co-parenting, emotional boundaries, and the lingering effects of everything that happened between them. The novel shows how hard it can be to protect yourself from someone who is still tied to your life by a child. Lily wants Emerson to have a safe and loving home, but she also wants to keep her own heart from being pulled back into old pain. This tension adds much of the story’s emotional conflict.

Another important thread in the novel is Atlas’s family history and his desire to care for others. He has always been someone who notices pain and tries to ease it, and that part of his character becomes even more important here. He is no longer just the boy Lily once loved in secret. He is a man who has built stability from very little and who understands the value of kindness. His life with his restaurant, his people, and his sense of responsibility gives him a grounding that mirrors Lily’s own growth. When the two of them finally begin to imagine a future together, it feels earned because both have done the work of becoming whole enough to try again.

The title, It Starts with Us, reflects the novel’s main idea that healing, love, and change begin with the choices people make for themselves and for each other. Lily cannot control what happened in her past, and she cannot erase the damage done to her. But she can decide what kind of life she and Emerson deserve. She can choose safety over fear, honesty over silence, and love that does not require sacrificing herself. Atlas, too, chooses to step forward into a relationship that requires patience and courage. Their story is not about rescuing one another. It is about meeting each other as survivors and deciding to build something new.

By the end of the novel, Lily and Atlas move closer to the life they have both hoped for, one built on trust, family, and the chance to be happy without shame. The book gives readers a softer, more hopeful continuation of Lily’s journey, while still acknowledging the pain that shaped her. It is a story about recovery after abuse, the difficulty of moving on without forgetting, and the quiet bravery it takes to believe that a better future is still possible. In simple terms, it is the story of Lily finally choosing the love and life that let her breathe, rather than the one that left her afraid.