In “It Ends With Us,” Lily Bloom, who even has flowers in her name, is going through a big change. After she can’t bring herself to give a touching speech at her dad’s funeral, she decides to leave Maine and move to Boston. Her plan? Start a flower shop—what else could it be with a name like hers?

As soon as she gets there, Lily bumps into Ryle Kincaid, who’s this gorgeous but complicated brain surgeon. Turns out, he’s also the brother of Allysa, Lily’s florist assistant. Ryle isn’t exactly the kind of guy who’s looking for something serious, so Lily tries hard to ignore his charm. Meanwhile, she’s haunted by some tough memories from her past—her dad was abusive toward her mom and even hurt Atlas, Lily’s first love. She still misses him.

Eventually, though, Lily finds herself drawn to Ryle anyway. But it’s when memories of Atlas resurface that she sees another side of Ryle—a dark side she’ll have to deal with.

This movie is based on Colleen Hoover’s popular novel and dives into more serious stuff than you might expect from chick lit—it tackles domestic violence head-on. There’s an interesting balance here between real danger and potential harm as Ryle shows flashes of his temper—even back when he first met Lily by angrily kicking a chair!
You know how sometimes movies walk the line between what’s not okay and what might just be acceptable? Well, this one does exactly that, especially when it shows off a bad boy with a dark side.

The film’s based on the book by Hoover which is totally in tune with today’s vibes. Director Justin Baldoni, who also plays Ryle, handles this tricky balance really well. He leaves viewers to make up their own minds about things—a cool move these days when everyone seems to want clear-cut answers.

Blake Lively brings her usual sunshine to her character Lily Bloom at first but slowly shifts as you see her dealing with insecurity rooted in her relationship with her dad. Brandon Sklenar plays grown-up Atlas and comes across like your typical romance novel guy. The younger versions of Lily and Atlas are played perfectly by Isabela Ferrer and Alex Neustaedter.

It’s fun seeing Jenny Slate and Hasan Minhaj pop up too—both well-known comedians adding a little flair.

“It Ends With Us” lives up to the book’s reputation while tossing in some funny insider jokes here and there, like a line from a neurosurgeon that’ll make you smirk: “I’m serious as an aneurysm”. It’s definitely got its own charm!
The movie’s got some cringe moments, but you’ll also find a few touching scenes. If you’re the right audience for it, you might just enjoy it enough.