Justin Baldoni had a specific writer in mind to adapt “It Ends With Us” when his Wayfarer Studios acquired the rights to the novel in 2019: its author, Colleen Hoover. Baldoni expressed to Hoover that she should be the one to write it, citing that the story was created in honor of her mother. However, Hoover ultimately felt too close to the material to take on the adaptation.
Hoover’s mother experienced domestic violence, a traumatic background that inspired Hoover to pen the novel in 2016. The bestselling author has described this book as the most challenging she has ever written, noting her struggle with the character of the abuser, which led her to consider scrapping and rewriting the book multiple times.
In her author’s note, Hoover explains her intention with “It Ends With Us” was to capture the intricate emotions involved in loving someone who inflicts pain and to illustrate that leaving such a person is often far more complicated than it appears.
After completing the story, Hoover reflected on her mother’s journey, stating, “Before I wrote this book, I had a lot of respect for my mother. Now that I’ve finished it and was able to explore a tiny fraction of the pain and struggle she went through to get to where she is today, I only have one thing to say to her. I want to be you when I grow up.” She praised her mother for her resilience after leaving Hoover’s abusive father when she was just three.
In addition to her mother, Hoover dedicated the book to her father, expressing gratitude for the lessons he taught her. She emphasized the importance of not letting someone’s worst actions define their legacy.
The novel faced criticism for allegedly romanticizing domestic violence, particularly as it gained popularity on social media as a romance novel. After Hoover announced a coloring book inspired by “It Ends With Us” in 2023, critics accused her of profiting from trauma, leading to the decision to cancel the book’s release.
Hoover clarified that while she shares her mother’s story, she does not intend for it to represent all experiences of domestic abuse. “By no means do I intend for Ryle and Lily’s situation to define domestic abuse. Every situation is different. Every outcome is different,” she wrote, specifying that she modeled the characters after her own parents.
The adaptation of the novel for the screen has been handed over to Christy Hall, the writer and director of “Daddio.” “It Ends With Us” is set to premiere exclusively in theaters this Friday.