The Controversy Behind It Ends with Us, Explained

While fiction has evolved tremendously over time, with genres such as fantasy and romance making extensive use of it, people are drawn to true stories associated with real people. Certainly, there have been a significant number of movies based on true stories, but they are rarely controversial unless they deal with sensitive issues such as racism.

It Ends with Us, an upcoming romance drama film based on Colleen Hoover’s best-selling novel, has recently sparked controversy. It is hardly surprising because, despite selling over four million copies, the novel It Ends with Us has received a lot of criticism over the years. So, does the film’s controversy mirror those of the book? What exactly is the controversy behind It Ends with Us?

What Is It Ends with Us About?

Before we delve into the controversy surrounding It Ends with Us, it’s important to understand what it is about since the whole issue began with the premise and the way the characters were written. The official synopsis for It Ends with Us, according to Colleen Hoover’s website, is as follows:

Lily hasn’t always had it easy. She’s come a long way from the small town in Maine where she grew up — she graduated from college, moved to Boston, and started her own business. So, when she feels a spark with a gorgeous neurosurgeon named Ryle Kincaid, everything in Lily’s life suddenly seems almost too good to be true. As questions about her new relationship overwhelm her, so do thoughts of Atlas Corrigan — her first love and a link to the past she left behind. He was her kindred spirit, her protector. When Atlas suddenly reappears, everything Lily has built with Ryle is threatened.

In brief, Lily has gone through a lot to find success in life, but when she falls in love with Ryle Kincaid, a handsome neurosurgeon, her life takes a dramatic turn. However, the appearance of her former boyfriend, Atlas Corrigan, complicates everything. While this seems like a love triangle in which two boys fight for the girl they love, It Ends with Us is much more than that. Despite her intense feelings for Ryle, she can’t seem to forget about Atlas. On the other hand, Ryle is abusive to Lily due to his jealousy, but she persists in sticking with him, resulting in a toxic relationship between these three.

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Romanticizing Abuse

People who have read the book claimed it was full of domestic violence and criticized Hoover for romanticizing abuse rather than sending a clear message. When the book was initially published in 2016, it received a lot of criticism, but fans of Hoover, who appreciated her genuine writing, have defended it well throughout the years. However, when the novel was adapted to the screen, it sparked discussions on social media, with many moviegoers condemning the representation of domestic violence against women (or people in love in general).

As a result, the film, which was supposed to be released in February 2024, was delayed and pushed back to August 9, 2024. With the official trailer implying that the film had been altered, criticism has swept all over social media, ultimately becoming controversial. In other words, the current debate surrounding the film stems from the fact that It Ends with Us isn’t supposed to be a love story but rather one that encourages people to stay away from abusive partners.

Further Complaints About the Adaptation

Furthermore, the film also drew backlash in other aspects, such as casting and changes from the novel. For example, Lily Bloom is in her twenties in the book, while Blake Lively, who plays Lily in the film, is thirty-six, making her fifteen years older than the book’s protagonist. Eventually, the author admitted that she should not have written Lily younger in the novel, since these issues appear to be more common in women beyond their thirties.

It Ends with Us Is Based on Hoover’s Experiences

Now that we’ve unearthed the source of the controversy surrounding It Ends with Us, let’s delve further. Romanticizing Lily and Ryle’s toxic relationship has proven problematic for readers to love because it has only made the main protagonist’s life worse. In addition, the introduction of Atlas should have served as a wake-up call for Lilly to end her relationship with Ryle, but the author chose to complicate matters. Following her first unpleasant encounter with Ryle, Lily considers him dangerous but nonetheless decides to take another step forward.

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As if that wasn’t enough, even after her divorce from Ryle, she lets him stay in their daughter’s life. These minor plotlines have sparked controversy in both the book and the film, in addition to the major issues we’ve discussed above. For this reason, readers argue that It Ends with Us should not have been a love story from the beginning. Ultimately, Colleen Hoover acknowledged that her mother’s experiences inspired the novel, thus, she had to include certain aspects, despite being controversial.

While she worked on making Lily stronger as the story progressed, particularly through little snippets of a childhood love story between Lily and Atlas, it was often marketed as a romance novel to attract more readers. So, part of the problem derives from the fact that people tend to enjoy romance in every kind of story. Since the film has yet to be released, there may be some meaningful changes that book readers may appreciate. It Ends with Us is set to hit theaters on August 9, 2024.