8 Books like It Starts With Us
#1 New York Times Bestselling Author, Colleen Hoover has released her highly anticipated novel, ‘It Starts With Us’, a sequel to the 2016 release ‘It Ends With Us’. Two years after its release, the 2016 novel took over TikTok’s Book section, otherwise known as BookTok, fans’ incessant pleas finally got to Colleen and she finally released a highly anticipated sequel to ‘It Ends With Us’.
The new novel, ‘It Starts With Us’ narrates the story of Lily Bloom, a florist who is a newly single mother. Lily witnessed domestic abuse as a child and promised never to take the abuse of her partner. However, despite having an overall great relationship with Ryle Kincaid, his moments of rage-filled abuse drives Lily to finally choose herself and her daughter – Emerson as she chooses to divorce Ryle.
More than a year after her divorce, Lily runs into her first love – Atlas Corrigan and finds herself reminiscing all the ways Atlas was better for her. With Atlas still sharing romantic feelings for her and her being newly single, there is not much that can keep Lily from dating Atlas.
Except for Ryle, who hates Atlas so much that his anger is channelled on assaulting Lily. Now Lily is stuck between managing her calm co-parenting relationship with Ryle or listening to her heart and being with Atlas.
If you are one of those CoHorts (fans of Colleen Hoover) who has already read ‘It Starts With Us’, here are eight similar books that you will love.
To Love Jason Thorn – Ella Maise
Similarities – Childhood friends to lovers
The 2015 novel is written in the first-person narrative where it follows the journey of Olive, a new writer who writes a book inspired by her childhood friend and crush – Jason Thorn. Olive was infatuated with Jason, her brother’s childhood friend and just like clockwork, Jason broke her tiny little heart into million pieces.
Olive pledged to stay away from Jason despite living under the same roof with him sleeping across the hall. A tragedy struck his family and drove Jason away from Olive which made her forget about him altogether.
Years later, Olive finds out that Jason has turned into a movie star, one that women from all around the world go crazy for. Olive is completely over Jason and there is nothing in the world that can change her mind. Despite that, she is somehow soon unwillingly going to be Jason’s wife
Love and Other Words – Christina Lauren
Similarities – Second-chance Romance
2018’s ‘Love and Other Words’ narrates the story of Macy Sorensen who is settling into an ambitious and emotionally tepid routine of working hard as a new paediatrics resident, planning her wedding to an older but financially secure man, and keeping her head down and heart tucked away.
That routine changes when she runs into Elliot Petropoulos—the first and only love of her life. Now with Elliot’s intrusion, the careful bubble she’s constructed begins to dissolve.
Back in the day, Elliot was Macy’s entire world but it all came crumbling down on the night he declared his love for her.
Reminders of Him – Colleen Hoover
Similarities – Second-chance Romance
Colleen’s 2022 novel, ‘Reminders of Him’ narrates the story of Kenna Rowan, a troubled young mother who yearns for a shot at redemption. After serving five years in prison for a tragic mistake, Kenna Rowan returns to the town where it all went wrong in the first place.
Kenna hopes to reunite with her four-year-old daughter, with who she has no relationship yet. It seems like Kenna’s past mistake is still not forgiven and she is shut out by everyone around her, no matter how hard she works to prove herself.
The only person who hasn’t closed the door on her completely is Ledger Ward, a local bar owner and one of the few remaining links to Kenna’s daughter. But if anyone were to discover how Ledger is slowly becoming an important part of Kenna’s life, both would risk losing the trust of everyone important to them.
The two form a connection despite the pressure surrounding them, but as their romance grows, so does the risk. Kenna must find a way to absolve the mistakes of her past in order to build a future out of hope and healing.
A Thousand Boy Kisses – Tillie Cole
Similarities – Childhood friends to lovers
‘A Thousand Boy Kisses’ was released in 2016 and tells the story of Rune and his childhood friend – Poppy. The two share a bond that not many can explain but it all changes when Rune has to leave for his native country – Norway.
At the age of 17, Rune returns to Georgia and finds that the girl who was one half of his soul, who promised to wait faithfully for his return, had cut him off without a word of explanation. Rune’s heart was broken two years ago when Poppy fell silent.
When he discovers the truth, he finds that the greatest heartache is yet to come. Rune believes that one kiss lasts a moment but a thousand kisses can last a lifetime. One boy. One girl. A bond that is forged in an instant and cherished for a decade. A bond that neither time nor distance can break. A bond that will last forever. Or so they believe.
Every Summer After – Carley Fortune
Similarities – Second-chance Romance
The 2022 novel, ‘Every Summer After’ narrates the story of Presephone Frase, who returns home after making a decade after she made the biggest mistake of her life. Instead of glittering summers on the lakeshore of her childhood, she spends them in a stylish apartment in the city, going out with friends, and keeping everyone a safe distance from her heart.
That is until she receives the call that sends her racing back to Sam Florek—the man she never thought she’d have to live without. For six summers, through hazy afternoons on the water and warm summer nights working in his family’s restaurant and curling up together with books—medical textbooks for him and work-in-progress horror short stories for her—Percy and Sam had been inseparable.
Eventually, that friendship turned into something breathtakingly more before it fell spectacularly apart. When Percy returns to the lake for Sam’s mother’s funeral, their connection is as undeniable as it had always been.
But until Percy can confront the mistakes she made and the years she’s spent punishing herself for them, they’ll never know whether their love might be bigger than the biggest mistakes of their past. The novel takes readers through six summers to fall in love and one moment for it to fall apart as well as one weekend to get it right.
Archer’s Voice – Mia Sheridan
Similarities – Second-chance Romance
2014’s ‘Archer’s Voice’ is set in the time when Bree Prescott arrives in the sleepy, lakeside town of Pelion, Maine, she hopes against hope that this is the place where she will finally find the peace she so desperately seeks.
On her first day there, her life collides with Archer Hale, an isolated man who holds a secret agony of his own. A man no one else sees. ‘Archer’s Voice’ is the story of a woman chained to the memory of one horrifying night and the man whose love is the key to her freedom.
It is the story of a silent man who lives with an excruciating wound and the woman who helps him find his voice. It is the story of suffering, fate, and the transformative power of love.
The Summer I Turned Pretty – Jenny Han
Similarities – Childhood friends to lovers
The 2009 novel trilogy that has been made into a TV show tells the story of a teenager, Belly, who measures her life in summers. Everything good, everything magical happens between the months of June and August.
Winters are simply a time to count the weeks until the next summer, a place away from the beach house, away from Susannah, and most importantly, away from her friends, Jeremiah and Conrad.
They are the boys that Belly has known since her very first summer—they have been her brother figures, her crushes, and everything in between.
But after one summer, one terrible and wonderful summer, everything changes but somehow ends up just the way it should have been all along.
All Your Perfects – Colleen Hoover
Similarities – Second-chance Romance
The 2018 novel, ‘All Your Perfects’ tells the story of a perfect romance between Quinn and Graham. The couple has the most perfect love ever until they don’t. Colleen Hoover delivers a tour de force novel about a troubled marriage and the one old forgotten promise that might be able to save it.
Quinn and Graham’s perfect love is threatened by their imperfect marriage. The memories, mistakes, and secrets that they have built up over the years are now tearing them apart. The one thing that could save them might also be the very thing that pushes their marriage beyond the point of repair.
All Your Perfects is a profound novel about a damaged couple whose potential future hinges on promises made in the past. This is a heartbreaking page-turner that asks: Can a resounding love with a perfect beginning survive a lifetime between two imperfect people?
So there we have it, our picks for 8 books to keep you busy after reading ‘It Starts With Us’.
What do you think of our picks? Do you agree? Are there any notable omissions? Let us know in the comments below!