Top critical review
3.0 out of 5 stars3.5 stars
Reviewed in India 🇮🇳 on 6 January 2023
3.5 stars
The author says that she was sure she didn’t want to write a sequel to It Ends With Us but because of the momentum it gained, she ended up writing it. Well, I feel that her initial decision would have been valued.
It Ends With Us was a book I had only good things to say about and no other book instilled such strong feelings as it did. But that’s not the case with It Starts With Us. It most definitely is a page-turner but I think that’s because of the writing style.
I have a couple of things that I didn’t like. First, it doesn’t have an emotional drive to it like the prequel did. The story just went on. Secondly, it’s about Ryle. Ryle was one of my favourites from the first book despite his bad character because I had some points I could reason him with. BUT here, he’s a different person. Totally. He is sick and basically an a*****e. And even Atlas, on whom I had an impression that he wasn’t particularly handsome, is totally reversed here. I’ve found such inconsistencies in the second book.
It is an okayish sequel to an outstanding book.
