It Starts With Us by Colleen Hoover

I watch Tik Tok for 10 minutes each day from 6:20 am to 6:30 am. I love the content, don’t get me wrong. However, left to my own devices I might be on it all day long trying to decide what recipe to make or what Koren sunscreen to buy. So it's best to put limits on myself. Right now, my feed is dominated by influencers commenting on Blake Lively’s sexual harassment suit against Justin Baldoni over the film “It Ends With Us.” Along with a smear campaign, a porn addiction, as well as leaked text messages, the story has a lot of moving parts. Colleagues who worked on the movie have come out in support of Lively and against Baldon's inappropriate behavior. The issue I do not see people talking about is the book’s sequel. What will become of “It Starts With Us,” Hoover’s book that picks up after “It Ends With Us” concludes. This book follows the story of Lily and Atlas, as well as the end of the marriage of Lily to Ryle. Switching back and forth between Lily and Atlas’ perspective, the story provides insight into what it is like to date a woman with a child, who also has an extremely aggressive and angry ex-husband. This is sadly not fictional as I know a lot of women who went through a situation like this.  The more I read Hoover’s books the more I like the way she tells such a different and unique story in each one of them. The issue of course is that it is unlikely Lively and Baldoni will ever be in another movie together.  So, if “It Starts With Us” is ever made into a movie, it will need a whole new cast. But stories that depict people looking for love, despite the obstacles, are stories I want to read and see on the big screen. So I hope Hollywood can figure out how to make this one into a film, too. To buy this book on Amazon click here.