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Spoilers are ahead for the book and movie It Ends With Us as well as Colleen Hoover's sequel novel, It Starts With Us.
There’s no question that the release of It Ends With Us was incredibly anticipated, especially for the millions who have read Colleen Hoover’s novel. Now, the movie starring Blake Lively, Justin Baldoni and Brandon Sklenar is out for everyone to see, and while this book-to-screen adaption is faithful to its source material, there are some key differences.
The Flashbacks Are Not Framed Through Journal Entries
In the book It Ends With Us – which is told in first person from Lily’s perspective – all of her flashbacks are framed through journal entries. When she was in high school she used to write letters to Ellen DeGeneres in her journal, and as an adult, when her relationship starts with Ryle, she goes back to them. Throughout the book, she reads these entries, and the audience learns about her love story with Atlas. The journals are also a point of contention when Ryle finds them later in the novel.
During the movie, there is a shot of a journal in a flashback, however, we don’t see Lily go back to them as an adult.
Atlas' Restaurant Is Called Root Instead Of Bib's
Bib’s is the name of Atlas’ restaurant in the book, and it stands for “Better in Boston,” which is something he told Lily when they were kids. So, when he opened his business, he named it after the saying that kept both of them moving forward. However, in the film, it’s called Root.
Colleen Hoover told me during an interview about It Ends With Us with CinemaBlend that she actually really liked the switch:
I actually was relieved when they changed the name of the restaurant. It felt like [Bib’s] didn't translate as well into film. Like in the book, there was a lot more that went into what the word Bib’s meant to both of them, but we couldn't bring all of that onto film. So just relating it to their conversation when they were digging in the flower beds when they were younger, I thought was a beautiful way to rename that restaurant.
The scene the author is referring to shows Atlas and Lily gardening, and her telling him about how important the roots are. It’s a touching conversation that solidifies the two as grounding figures in each other’s lives, so it adds immense meaning to the name “Root,” just like Bib’s did in the book.
The Boston Magnet Is Not A Big Deal
When Ryle found out that Atlas named his restaurant after his relationship with Lily in the book, he realized that the Boston magnet she had might be connected to her first love. In the confrontation that led to Lily going to the hospital, he asked about the magnet after reading a magazine story where Atlas revealed the name’s meaning.
That, mixed with him reading Lily’s journals is what led to his violent outburst.
In the movie, it’s solely the magazine article that starts the incident that ultimately leads to Lily leaving Ryle to find Atlas and go to the hospital.
Lily Goes To Atlas At Root Instead Of Calling Him
After Ryle’s most dangerous outburst, Blake Lively’s Lily got out of their apartment and found Atlas at Root, that’s how it went down in the movie.
However, in the book, she called him and he picked her up. Just like in the film, Atlas left his phone number in Lily’s phone case. In the novel, however, she memorized it and called him to come get her. Meanwhile, in the movie, we don’t know if she remembered the number or not, she simply went directly to him.
Atlas Notices Lily's Tattoo
In the book It Ends With Us, readers know that Lily’s heart tattoo on her collarbone is a symbol of her relationship with Atlas. He carved her an open heart when they were kids, and she got it inked onto her skin when she was in college. However, in the novel, Atlas never saw it.
He saw the tattoo for the first time in It Starts With Us, the sequel to It Ends With Us.
– Spoilers for It Starts With Us ahead. –
In It Starts With Us, Atlas and Lily are dating, and they’re on the way out for the night. When he saw her exposed collarbone, he had a visceral reaction, because while the tattoo is for him, there are bite scars around it that are from Ryle. To that point, here’s how Atlas reacted in the second novel:
‘I heard you tell the nurse he bit you, but I wasn’t close enough to see that…’ Atlas pauses midsentence and swallows hard. ‘I wasn’t close enough to see that you had the tattoo and that he bit…’
In the film It Ends With Us, this whole conversation essentially happened in the hospital scene Atlas is talking about in the second book. While Lily was having her checkup after a terrifying moment with Ryle, Brandon Sklenar’s character saw the tattoo for the first time and asked her about it.
Lily's Mom Does Not Move To Boston
Lily’s mom plays a slightly bigger role in the book than she does in the film. After her husband (and Lily’s dad) died, she moved to Boston to be closer to her daughter in Hoover’s novel. It’s never explicitly said if that happens in the film, and when she goes out to dinner with Ryle and Lily, Blake Lively’s character does note that her mother is visiting not moving.
All The Fights Happen At Ryle's Apartment Rather Than Lily's
This change begins with the fact that Ryle has his own apartment next to Marshall and Allysa’s in the movie. In the book, he lives with them. So, both the intimate and violent scenes between Ryle and Lily happen at her apartment in the novel (except the last one, which happened in the new apartment they shared after they got married).
During the movie, all three instances of domestic violence as well as the pair’s intimate moments happen at Ryle’s apartment.
Lily Dosen’t Stay At Atlas’ Home For Days
When Lily went to Atlas, she ended up staying with him for a while before feeling OK enough to go back to her apartment in the novel. This led to her meeting some of Atlas' friends, and learning that Cassie, the girlfriend he mentioned during their first run-in at the restaurant, was not real.
Considering there’s no way the movie could fit every detail from the book into it, it’s not shocking that this piece was cut. In the film, we saw Atlas' home, which looked like an apartment (he’s a homeowner in the book), and the two bond. However, it’s not done in as much detail as it is in the book.
Allysa Tells Lily About Emerson Instead Of Ryle
Much like the novel, it’s revealed that Ryle accidentally shot and killed his and Allysa's brother Emerson when they were kids. In the book, Lily found out about this through Ryle.
This is a major difference in the film. Instead of Ryle telling this story to Blake Lively’s character, Jenny Slate’s Allysa did. The story comes with Allysa telling her friend that as much as she wished she could forgive her brother, if she didn’t leave him, she wouldn’t talk to her again.
The Last Line Is Different Because Finding Nemo Isn't A Big Part Of Atlas And Lily's Story
One of Pixar’s best movies, Finding Nemo, plays a vital role in Lily and Atlas' story in the book. They both latched onto the saying “just keep swimming,” because they had gone through traumatic experiences when they were younger. So, at the end of the novel It Ends With Us, Atlas tells Lily:
You can stop swimming now, Lily. We finally reached the shore.
There are Easter eggs for Finding Nemo in the film, however, there’s no direct talk about it. So, when we got to that final scene where Atlas and Lily run into each other, this is how their conversation went:
Lily: Are you with anyone?
Atlas: No, not yet.
And that’s how the film ended.
Overall, the film It Ends With Us is quite faithful to the source material, and the overarching story is the same. However, there are a handful of key changes that differentiate this project from Justin Baldoni and Blake Lively from Colleen Hoover’s novel.
To see the project on the 2024 movie schedule for yourself, you can catch It Ends With Us in theaters now.
