Warning: Spoilers ahead!
Fans of the Colleen Hoover book It Ends with Us —and the buzzy new film adaptation starring Blake Lively — will be thrilled to know that main characters Lily (played by Lively) and Atlas (Brandon Skelnar) have their story continued in a follow-up novel, It Starts with Us.
The sequel, which published in October of 2022, follows high school sweethearts Lily Bloom and Atlas Corrigan after they've once again reconnected in the last pages of It Ends with Us.
In an introduction to the second book, author Hoover writes that at first, she never considered another chapter to the characters' story.
"I also never imagined that the book would be received as it has been by so many," she continues. "After It Ends with Us gained momentum on TikTok, I was inundated with requests for more Lily and Atlas. And how could I possibly deny a community that has changed my life? This novel was written as a thank-you for the tremendous support, and because of that, I wanted to deliver a much lighter experience. Lily and Atlas deserve it."
Here's what to know about the follow-up, which many fans are hoping becomes a second movie, too.
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Is It Starts with Us as heavy as It Ends with Us?
It Ends with Us wraps up with a sweet Lily and Atlas run-in on the streets of Boston that could be seen as either closure or the opening to a new story. The second chapter of the second book sees Lily reeling from the moment and processing what might happen next in her somewhat complicated love life.
Hoover —who drew on her mother's own experiences with domestic abuse for It Ends with Us —took a sunnier approach to her sequel.
Though Lily's abusive ex Ryle Kincaid (Justin Baldoni in the film) is still part of the story as they navigate the ups and downs of co-parenting daughter Emerson, the book mostly follows Lily and Atlas' rekindled romance, which moves forward with just a few bumps in the road.
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Does it include new characters?
In the sequel, Atlas is visited by his estranged mother, Sutton. Though he first thinks she's sought him out for money after finding out about his successful restaurant business, he realizes she's looking for help in finding his much younger brother Josh — a brother he never knew he had.
Once Atlas connects with him, the book also explores his love for Josh, and Atlas' efforts to become his legal guardian.
Are there returning characters?
Fear not: even though Lily has divorced Ryle, his sister Allysa and her husband Marshall return as ever-supportive friends in the sequel, helping Lily work through her complicated new relationship with Ryle and celebrating her relationship with Atlas and milestones with Emmy.
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Is it as sexy as It Ends with Us?
Lily's journal entries to Ellen DeGeneres (IYKYK) make a return in the second book, giving new depth to the relationship between Lily and Atlas. And for those who swooned over the initial chemistry between Ryle and Lily in the first book, they'll be glad to know Atlas and Lily have just as much of a connection in It Starts with Us, too.
Has Ryle changed his ways?
(Trigger warning: domestic abuse) Though Lily and Ryle are divorced because of his domestic abuse, he does put his hands on her once again in the middle of the book, and his temper gets the better of him a number of times. He goes after Atlas, too, though a late scene in the book showcases the way the two men process their emotions in different ways.
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How does the book end?
Warning: Spoilers ahead!
At the end of It Starts with Us, Lily and Atlas get that fresh start. The book shows them moving into his home together and ultimately getting ready on their wedding day. Though readers never get to see the proposal, there is a peek at Atlas' heartfelt wedding vows as he heads to the couple's ceremony.
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Will there be a third book in the series?
That remains to be seen. In a recent chat with PEOPLE, Hoover admitted that, "in the last maybe year and a half, closing in on two years, I haven't written at all and I feel a lot of guilt for that. But I've also been extremely busy, and my mind has been in other places." Maybe once the movie, which Hoover co-executive produced, is in the rearview mirror,
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Will It Starts with Us become a movie?
The answer to that question is also up in the air, and will likely depend in part on how well It Ends with Us performs at the box office. However, Hoover did tell PEOPLE that working on this film was "a masterclass in filmmaking. I enjoy it so much that I want to be more involved on future films now that I've had a little taste of it."
It Ends with Us is now in theaters. Both books are available now, wherever books are sold.
If you are experiencing domestic violence, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233, or go to thehotline.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.
