The following contains spoilers for It Ends With Us, out in theaters August 9.
Colleen Hooper, a famous romance novelist, drew on her personal experiences to write It ends with us, the story of abuse, lost love and redemption. What began as a single book in 2016 soon became a worldwide sensation in 2021 and a feature film from Sony Pictures in 2024. The story follows Lily Bloom (Blake Lively of Gossip Girl fame), still reeling from her parents’ abusive marriage, as she moves to Boston to pursue her dream of opening a flower shop. Along the way, she meets magnetic surgeon Ryle Kinkaid (Justin Baldoni) and sparks begin to fly between them. Despite their mutual attraction, things become much more sinister and tragic when Ryle’s demons surface. Lily’s situation is further complicated when she meets her first love, Atlas Corrigan (Brandon Sklenar), at the local diner and discovers that their feelings for each other have never gone away. When Lily recognizes that her parents’ relationship is playing out in hers, she must make difficult decisions to find true happiness.
In this exclusive interview with CBR, Hooper talks about the process of turning a novel into a film, the changes he made for the adaptation, the huge success of his story, and the nagging feeling of impostor syndrome.
CBR: Your novel, It ends with us, It's a very personal story, and now it's become a cultural phenomenon. As a writer, how does it feel to see your story resonate with such a large audience?

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Colleen Hooper:
Oh my god, it's… I can't even say it's a dream come true, because I don't think my dreams have ever grown this big! Yeah, it's just been crazy. I feel like I'm pinching myself every day waiting to wake up.
That's right. I think, I think most of us, if our dreams came true, or if something happened that we never thought would happen, we probably wouldn't believe it.
Yes, yes. I suffer from impostor syndrome, more or less.
Well, that's good to know, most of us know that. What's it like to see your novel become a movie? Were there any changes that had to be made? And if so, why?
Yeah. I, you know, obviously condensing an entire book into a movie, there have to be things that get left out and changes that get made. But I kind of go with the flow. I figured out all the changes that needed to be made.
I feel like everything contributed to the improvement of the film.
So I hope that when readers go to see it, they feel the same way and feel that they have done the book justice, because I absolutely believe that they have.
It's interesting, because you wrote It ends with us alone. And now it’s a team effort! You’re working with another writer, Christy Hall, and producer Alex Saks, and director-slash-actor Jason Baldoni, not to mention the cast, crew, and art direction. Did you have any say in what it was all going to look like? What was it like working as a team to make this happen?

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Yeah, I kind of stood back and let them do it. I trusted them with the project. I had complete trust in them. I didn’t really get involved until later, towards the end of the shoot and the editing process! So the fact that I don’t know if I would have made many changes is a testament to their passion and talent for it.
Yes, especially because a lot of the iconography in the book and the film is about nature, flowers, wood, natural textures, and we saw that in the costumes and the set design. Did you have a role in making that happen?
I wish I could say yes, but it was all scenery! [laughs] There are some really talented people working on this film, as you can see behind me, and every time I show up to do something, I'm just blown away by how beautiful everything is. The pop-up shop in Los Angeles that they opened is just amazing. I wish I could say that, you know, I supervised some of the stuff, but I didn't.
Well, to be fair, you did all the dirty work years ago with the novel. So maybe it’s a good idea to take a little break. Because writing is half the battle! Most of us can’t write. Is there a scene you’re particularly excited to see come to fruition?
Almost every scene in Atlas! There were quite a few in the book that I hoped would make it into the movie, and not be lost on the cutting room floor. But, yeah,
I'm excited for everything that ended up on film.
I think you have reason to be excited. I think Atlas is going to be a very popular character.
Yes I hope so.
I think so. He was definitely my favorite character.
Oh good! [laughs]
It Ends With Us hits theaters on August 9.

It ends with us
Based on the 2016 novel by Colleen Hoover, It Ends With Us is a romantic drama film directed by Justin Baldoni. The film follows a recent college graduate named Lily, who meets and falls in love with a man named Ryle. However, a traumatic incident compounded by her former high school sweetheart re-entering her life complicates her plans.
- Director
- Justin Baldoni
- Release date
- June 21, 2024
- Launch
- Blake Lively, Jenny Slate, Brandon Sklenar, Justin Baldoni
- Writers
- Justin Baldoni, Christy Hall, Colleen Hoover