Fans will love this tamer, feel-good romance sequel.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 15+?
Any Positive Content?
communication. He's able to defuse tense situations by talking calmly to highly emotional people and helping them see things more clearly. Atlas and Lily are both good models for empathy and teamwork. They're able to put themselves in others' shoes and understand what they're going through. And they also work well not just with each other as a couple but with their friends and coworkers, too.</p>
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Sex, Romance & Nudity
a lot
A few sex scenes between adults describe genital penetration including thrusting, moaning, positioning, kissing with some detailed descriptions, manual stimulation to orgasm, and oral sex. One scene offers a good example of asking for and giving consent. Mention of condom use, birth control, and getting tested. Past sex between teens is described vaguely.
Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Sex, Romance & Nudity in your kid's entertainment guide.
Most of the violence is past memories of physical abuse, including hitting, pushing down stairs, attempted rape, being burned with cigarettes, a beating with a baseball bat, and being gashed near the eye by a thrown screwdriver. In the present an adult slaps her child; a man pushes a woman against a wall, puts his hand on her throat, and slams his other hand on the wall near her head to intimidate; and a man slams another man to the ground and punches him once. Some descriptions of fear and memories of pain.
Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Violence & Scariness in your kid's entertainment guide.
Sometimes the hardest decisions lead to the best outcomes. Nothing you do, no matter how wrong or terrible, gives someone else the right to lay a hand on you in anger. Separated parents and blended families need to be a team for their children; it isn't easy, but it's really the only thing you have to do. Don't stay in a bad situation because it's family. Sometimes the best thing you can do is walk away from it so you can make your own, better family.
Positive Role Models
a lot
Atlas is an especially good role model for communication. He's able to defuse tense situations by talking calmly to highly emotional people and helping them see things more clearly. Atlas and Lily are both good models for empathy and teamwork. They're able to put themselves in others' shoes and understand what they're going through. And they also work well not just with each other as a couple but with their friends and coworkers, too.
Diverse Representations
very little
All characters read as cisgender, heteronormative, able-bodied, neurotypical, and White, except a middle schooler who acknowledges being attracted to the same sex.
Parents need to know that Colleen Hoover's It Starts With Us is the sequel to the popular contemporary romance and TikTok sensation, It Ends With Us. It picks up right where the first book left off, so reading them in order is recommended. Neither book was marketed to teens, but this sequel still has enough sexy stuff and romance to appeal to teens. Sexual content includes a few sex scenes between adults that describe genital penetration, thrusting, moaning, positioning, kissing with some detailed descriptions, manual stimulation to orgasm, and oral sex. Past sex between teens is described vaguely. Violence is mostly remembering past physical abuse including attempted rape and a beating with a baseball bat. In the present an adult slaps her child; a man pushes a woman against a wall, puts his hand on her throat, and slams his other hand on the wall near her head to intimidate; and a man slams another man to the ground and punches him once. Strong language includes "s--t," "d--k," and "f--k." An adult smokes, and past smoking and day drinking in an abusive home environment are mentioned. Otherwise adults occasionally have wine with meals.
After reading it ends with us , I did not expect the sequel (it starts with us) to be anywhere near as brilliant to read , the story of atlas and lily is truly beautiful, I understand that not everyone will have the same view but it is safe to say Colleen has such a pure talent at portraying such disasters into beautiful words
What's the Story?
IT STARTS WITH US, begins right where the story left off in It Ends With Us. Lily and Ryle are divorced but have worked out a relatively amicable, if still very tense, co-parenting arrangement for their daughter Emmy, now almost a year old. Past ugliness begins to resurface when Ryle suspects that Lily is seeing Atlas again. Ryle's not wrong, but how long will Lily and Atlas have to tiptoe around Ryle's jealousy? While all this is going on, Atlas is in for the surprise of his life when his mother gets in touch for the first time since she threw Atlas out of their home when he was a teen. Are either Atlas or his mother ready to be a family again?
This popular romance sequel will have fans of the first book cheering for, and sighing with, the couple they've wanted to see all along. It Starts With Us brings back many familiar and favorite characters and introduces some intriguing new ones. And although there are a few steamy sex scenes, it's less edgy than It Ends With Us.
Most of the writing is less corny, although there are still some gems like using being "taken" for having sex. But author Colleen Hoover does a good job of continuing Lily's authentic voice while creating a new and very believable voice for Atlas. Fans will enjoy the chance to see events past and present through his eyes.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the sexy stuff in It Starts With Us. Is it too much? How much is OK in books and other media? Is it a big deal?
How are Atlas and Lily positive models for empathy and teamwork? How is Atlas in particular a good model of communication? Why are these important character strengths?
Did you read It Ends With Us first? If you did, which book do like best? If you didn't, would you like to now?
Available on:
Paperback, Nook, Audiobook (unabridged), iBooks, Kindle
Last updated:
November 15, 2022
Did we miss something on diversity?
Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by
suggesting a diversity update.
Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.
By Andrea Beach
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
