I went to the movies last night. A mid-week outing with a friend, which was a treat in itself. And although we complained about the twenty minutes of ads and stupid horror movie previews, the movie itself was really good, lots to think about. Hence, this blog.

I have only read one Colleen Hoover book, and I didn’t technically even choose it. I needed a new book while on a visit to my family in Florida, and my niece gave me her copy of It Ends With Us, sharing how much she’d liked it. I was skeptical. I hate to admit it, but I felt too good for Colleen Hoover, like she was somehow below my usual reading standards, which is silly because I read all kinds of books. And I was wrong, because I loved the book. Why I haven’t read any more of hers probably still goes back to my judgement of how she is perceived and how I want to be perceived, but I’ll save that introspection for my own time.

For this blog, I wanted to talk about the amazing adaptation of this book to a movie. It was spot on. It captured everything I loved and tweaked a few things that had bothered me in the book (namely, that the characters were older in the movie, which fit their story more realistically).

It Ends With Us is categorized in the romance genre, although I think that perpetuates the perception that it is perhaps less complex or meaningful than it actually is. In some ways, it reminded me of my novel, All I Know. Both narratives are driven by a central love story, but they are both really about these complex women who fall in love with men who are not bad, but who are deeply wounded, and hurt them in return. Kai and Lily must decide how much of themselves they are willing to sacrifice to be with Josh and Ryle, who they will become if they stay and who they will be if they go.

When I wrote my book, it was important to me to accurately and realistically portray struggles with mental health issues—depression, addiction, grief, trauma. I wanted to educate while entertaining, to broaden understanding and empathy for these challenges. Colleen Hoover and Justin Baldoni, the director of the movie, similarly provide a realistic glimpse into a relationship that includes domestic violence. This is not a caricature of a bad, evil man or a weak woman victim. It is a complex and multi-layered demonstration of how complicated these relationships can be.

There are two other similarities I see between our works. One is that Kai and Lily both have awesome, fun, loyal best friends in Dani and Allysa. The other is that while both stories have sad, difficult, intense moments, there is also fun and sweetness and steamy sex (more in the books, less in the movie). And both stories end up being hopeful and uplifting. Both are about overcoming obstacles, accessing strength and courage, relying on friends and ultimately having faith in oneself.

I loved seeing this book acted out on screen. I would love to see All I Know up there someday. High hopes, but why not dream, right?

In the meantime, I am currently reading North Woods, which is a fabulous book, but I’m going to need a good romance next. Which other Colleen Hoover should I try?