It Ends with Us vs It Starts with Us: Read in Order?
It Ends with Us and It Starts with Us are Colleen Hoover's Lily and Atlas duology. Here's how they differ, what each does best, and the order to read them.
By Elena Marsh
Colleen Hoover’s most famous story comes in two parts, and readers new to it always ask the same things: which comes first, do you need both, and how do they differ? It Ends with Us (2016) became a defining BookTok phenomenon, and after years of fan demand, It Starts with Us (2022) continued the story. Here is how the duology compares — and the order to read it in.
The Essentials
| It Ends with Us | It Starts with Us | |
|---|---|---|
| Published | 2016 | 2022 |
| Focus | Lily’s marriage to Ryle; first love Atlas | Lily and Atlas’s second chance |
| Perspective | Lily | Lily and Atlas (dual POV) |
| Tone | Devastating, high-stakes | Hopeful, gentle |
| Subject | Surviving domestic abuse | Healing and co-parenting |
| Read first? | Yes — required | Second |
Inside It Ends with Us
It Ends with Us follows Lily Bloom as she falls for charismatic neurosurgeon Ryle Kincaid, even as her first love, Atlas, reappears in her life. What begins as a love triangle becomes a frank, emotionally devastating examination of domestic violence, as Lily confronts the same cycles of abuse she watched her mother endure. It is Hoover at her most ambitious — a romance that refuses easy comfort and takes a serious real-world issue seriously. It is the book that made her a global phenomenon.
It Starts with Us: The Premise
It Starts with Us picks up almost exactly where the first book ends, following Lily as she cautiously rebuilds a relationship with Atlas while co-parenting her daughter with Ryle. Written in response to overwhelming fan demand, it finally gives readers Atlas’s point of view and the hopeful continuation they craved. Gentler and lower-stakes than its predecessor, it is a story about healing, second chances, and daring to accept a love that does not hurt.
The Real Differences
The first difference is tone and stakes. It Ends with Us is wrenching and high-stakes, built on danger and heartbreak. It Starts with Us is warm and hopeful, trading dread for tenderness. The sequel is, by design, the calmer exhale after the storm.
The second is perspective. The first book is told entirely from Lily’s point of view. The sequel adds Atlas’s perspective for the first time, deepening a character readers had only seen through Lily’s eyes and giving the romance a fuller, more balanced foundation.
The third is ambition versus reward. It Ends with Us is the more substantial, important novel — it has something to say and says it powerfully. It Starts with Us is slighter, functioning almost as a generous epilogue, prioritising emotional satisfaction over dramatic tension. One is the achievement; the other is the payoff.
Which to Start With
Read It Ends with Us first — this is not optional. It Starts with Us is a direct sequel that begins moments after the first book ends and depends entirely on it for context, character history, and emotional weight. Reading the sequel first would spoil the original’s biggest turns and strip the continuation of everything that gives it meaning.
Once you have finished It Ends with Us, move straight to It Starts with Us if you want closure for Lily and Atlas. Some readers prefer to leave the first book as a complete, self-contained story; others need the hopeful resolution the sequel provides. Both choices are valid.
A Note on Sensitive Content
It is worth knowing that It Ends with Us deals directly and unflinchingly with domestic abuse, and some scenes are genuinely difficult. Hoover handles the subject with care, and the novel is widely praised for its honesty, but readers for whom the topic is sensitive may want to go in prepared. It Starts with Us is much gentler, though the lingering threat of Ryle keeps the abuse in view. The duology never treats the subject lightly, which is precisely why it has resonated with so many readers who have lived something like Lily’s story.
Read These Next
Once you have read both, our authors like Colleen Hoover guide points to Ana Huang, Taylor Jenkins Reid, and more, and our books like It Ends with Us and books like Regretting You lists gather more emotional reads in the same vein.
Cutting to it: read It Ends with Us first — it is required — then It Starts with Us for the hopeful continuation, and together they give you Colleen Hoover’s most powerful and complete story.
Frequently Asked Questions
Should I read It Ends with Us or It Starts with Us first?
Read It Ends with Us first — always. It Starts with Us is a direct sequel that picks up where the first book ends and depends entirely on it for context and emotional weight. Reading the sequel first would spoil the original's major turns and rob the continuation of its meaning.
Do I need to read It Ends with Us before It Starts with Us?
Yes. It Starts with Us is not a standalone; it continues Lily and Atlas's story immediately after the events of It Ends with Us and assumes you know everything that happened. You must read It Ends with Us first to understand and appreciate the sequel.
Which is better, It Ends with Us or It Starts with Us?
It Ends with Us is the more powerful and ambitious novel, tackling domestic abuse with real emotional weight, and it is the one most readers rate higher. It Starts with Us is a gentler, more hopeful sequel that gives fans the happy continuation they wanted, but with lower stakes. The first book is the achievement; the second is the reward.
