The movie adaption of Colleen Hoover’s 2016 novel, It Ends With Us, is set to hit theaters on August 9, and there are a lot of mixed feelings about it. Although the YA author has a massive cult following, she also has plenty of very vocal critics. In It Ends With Us, college graduate Lily Bloom tries to get a fresh start after her abusive father dies, but she ends up in an abusive relationship herself with a neurosurgeon named Ryle. Lily also reconnects with a love interest from her teenage years, Atlas, and he’s there for her when she needs help. Blake Lively, Justin Baldoni, and Brandon Sklenar star in the movie as Lily, Ryle, and Atlas, respectively.

It Ends With Us has primarily been called out for glamorizing abuse, and the marketing of the book and movie has only given critics more to talk about: Here’s a full breakdown of the controversy surrounding Colleen Hoover’s It Ends With Us.

*Warning: Spoilers ahead.

It Ends With Us Controversy Explained

Does Colleen Hoover’s It Ends With Us Romanticize Abuse?

Image Credit: Getty

There are a few different reasons why people feel strongly that It Ends With Us romanticizes abuse. Although Lily divorces Ryle when she gets pregnant and realizes that the physical and emotional abuse can not go on, she’s also willing to keep him in her life as a co-parent. Critics interpret that choice as accepting or excusing his abuse. People have also pointed that the relationship between Lily and Ryle is portrayed as more romantic than disturbing throughout the novel. In a 2023 Cosmopolitan opinion piece on the book, Shivani Dubey wrote: “Hoover’s work describes abusive situations through rose-colored glasses and ultimately doesn’t really define them as abusive — rather, they’re deemed romantic.”

Many have expressed concerns that It Ends With Us is damaging for a young audience. “Hoover has curated an audience of young, impressionable minds, and the last thing they need to learn is that abusive relationships are okay and to be expected,” blogger Jenna Sassenrath wrote for her Bookstr piece, “Let’s Leave Colleen Hoover Behind in 2023.” Ultimately, the criticism is focused on the plot itself and also the romantic language Colleen uses to describe the darkest moments.

It Ends With Us Has Been Marketed As A Romance Novel

The fact that It Ends With Us has been sold as a romance novel doesn’t help the situation. For both the book and the movie, misleading marketing has suggested that the story is a romance at its core and revolves around a complicated but intriguing love triangle between Lily, Ryle, and Atlas. Of course, in romance novels, there’s usually a happy ending where people fall in love; that’s obviously not the case in It Ends With Us.

In an unfortunate marketing move, Hoover almost put out an It Ends With Us coloring book, which would imply that the novel is lighthearted and appropriate for kids. After she received swift and powerful backlash, she decided against the coloring book and apologized. “The coloring book was developed with Lily’s strength in mind, but I can absolutely see how this was tone-deaf,” the author wrote in an Instagram Story. “I hear you guys and I agree with you… Thank you for the respectful discourse and accountability. Nothing but love.”

Listen to us break down the drama and more on our latest Betches podcast (and be sure to check out new episodes every Thursday):