I have to confess that I missed all the hype about these books and about Colleen Hoover. She is evidently quite a phenomenon, and these books have been on several best seller lists for quite some time. Luckily, just before going on vacation, I saw a review and took these books along as my “beach reads.”

Lily has escaped to Boston and is building a new life. Raised in an abusive home, Lily still bears the scars of being unloved and abandoned. The one highlight in her growing up years was her friendship with Atlas, a homeless teen who lived in an abandoned house adjacent to Lily’s. Both lived under difficult circumstances and found solace in each other. But their time together was short and when Atlas left to find his father, Lily had to struggle on her own.

Now she is building her own life, starting a unique niche flower shop and Lily finally feels like her life is opening up in many new ways. If starting a new business wasn’t enough, Lily has also met an intriguing man, named Ryle. He is a neurosurgeon and lives a very busy life, but Lily finds herself think about him quite a lot.

But as their relationship progresses Lily sees some warning signs. Ryle is resistant to any kind of committed relationship. He often seems disconnected and self absorbed. But Lily finds it hard to  evaluate these signs against the feelings she has for Ryle. She begins to question her own instincts and wonders whether her own upbringing is making her unable to fully trust Ryle. Then she runs into Atlas and suddenly Lily’s world is turned upside down. As the warning signs multiply in her relationship with Ryle, Lily is drawn to Altas who was her protector in the past.

These are the first novels I have read which really explores the complicated dynamics of domestic violence and abuse. My first instinct is to say “run away,” but for the people involved in these relationships it can be much much more complicated, especially if they were raised in a home where they saw domestic violence and abuse. As Hoover has Lily say: “Preventing your heart from forgiving someone you love is actually a hell of a lot harder than simply forgiving them.” Hoover, whose mother escaped with her kids from an abusive relationship, knows first hand the impact such an exposure to violence can have. The acclaim for these books is well deserved, although they could certainly be triggering for those who experienced abuse or grew up in an abusive home.

Brenda’s Rating: ***** (5 Out Of 5 Stars)

Recommend this book to: Marian, Lauren, Sharon and Keith

Book Study Worthy? Yes

Read in ebook format.