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If you’ve been on BookTok or even passed by a bookstore in the past few years, you’ve probably heard of It Ends With Us. Colleen Hoover’s emotional rollercoaster of a novel has captivated millions since it hit shelves in 2016, and now, thanks to a film adaptation (by Sony Pictures) starring Blake Lively, Brandon Sklenar and Justin Baldoni, Lily Bloom’s story is hitting the big screen. But here’s the thing with adaptations: they rarely make it through without a few tweaks—and It Ends With Us is no exception.
When news first broke that Blake Lively would be playing 23-year-old Lily, fans were…let’s say, “passionate” about their reactions. Between aging up the main characters and cutting out certain characters entirely, the filmmakers definitely took some liberties with Hoover’s original story.
But hey, some of these changes actually make sense on screen.
Others? Well, not so much…
If you want to dive deeper into the It Ends With Us universe, check out our characters' breakdown, book review and analysis, and full summary!
Warning: This article, much like the book and movie, discusses matters such as abusive relationships and domestic violence. It also contains spoilers for both the film and the book.
One of the first things fans noticed—and were quick to comment on—is that Lily Bloom and Ryle Kincaid are no longer in their twenties. In the book, Lily is a 23-year-old trying to find her way in Boston, and Ryle is a 29-year-old neurosurgeon. But for the film, they’re both in their mid-thirties.
Why the change?
Well, Colleen Hoover herself admitted that setting Ryle’s age at 29 in the book was, in her words, “a mistake.” As she pointed out, “There’s no 28-year-old neurosurgeons, you know? You go to school for 15 years.”
Fair point. Apparently, the filmmakers wanted a more “realistic” take on the characters’ careers and life stages, which makes sense. Also, aging them up brings a little more weight to their love story. Tackling issues of trauma and abuse can hit differently when the characters are at a more mature point in life, giving it less of a young adult vibe and more of a serious, contemporary drama feeling.
In the book, Atlas’s restaurant is called Bib—short for “Better in Boston.” This little detail was a meaningful callback to a conversation teenage Lily and Atlas had, where they dreamed about escaping their troubled lives and how everything would be better in Boston. The restaurant's name becomes a subtle nod to their shared past, a secret only they would fully understand.
But in the movie, the restaurant is renamed “Root.” Why the switch? Apparently, this choice links back to a conversation between young Lily and Atlas about the strength of an oak tree, its roots, and how they hold strong even in the toughest storms. Atlas gifts Lily a heart trinket made of this wood, and later we see Lily with a small tattoo in the shape of it. So, Root still carries that symbolic weight of resilience and history, even if it's not quite the same. It's still a symbol of Lily’s first love.
One of the quirkiest parts of It Ends With Us, the book, is Lily’s “friendship” with Ellen DeGeneres. Teenage Lily writes journal entries addressed to Ellen, spilling her secrets and dreams as if Ellen were a trusted confidante. She and Atlas even bond over watching The Ellen DeGeneres Show together, using the line “just keep swimming” from Finding Nemo (voiced by Ellen’s character Dory) as a mantra to get through tough times. Ellen becomes this almost mythical figure in Lily's mind—a beacon of hope, humor, and a reminder to keep going.
However, in the movie, Ellen’s presence is almost entirely removed. While we do see young Lily journaling, there’s no mention of Ellen as her imaginary confidante. There’s one small reference where young Lily and Atlas watch Ellen’s show together, but beyond that, it’s much less of a central theme. This change is likely due to Ellen’s recent controversies and the practical limitations of fitting everything from the book into the movie.
One of the more nuanced shifts in the adaptation is how Lily interprets Ryle’s abusive behavior. In the book, Lily is immediately disturbed by Ryle’s actions and warns him that she’ll leave if it happens again. However, the movie portrays Lily as being initially more in denial. She dismisses his first couple of outbursts as accidents, which allows their relationship to develop a bit differently onscreen.
This change adds complexity to Lily’s character, but may also be frustrating for fans who appreciate her self-awareness in the book. Still, the movie ultimately maintains the core of her journey—recognizing the cycle of abuse and choosing to break free for her own well-being.
In the book, Ryle and Lily's wedding is a bit spontaneous—they elope in Vegas. This impulsive decision reflects the whirlwind nature of their romance and Ryle’s intense, sometimes reckless personality.
In the movie, however, the wedding setting is changed to be more emotional and family oriented. Instead of an elopement in Vegas, Ryle proposes to Lily in the hospital shortly after Ryle’s sister, Alyssa, gives birth. This brings the family element more into the scene, showing Ryle in a supportive, family-centered moment, highlighting Lily's connection with Alyssa and her husband Marshall. It’s a small but meaningful change that adds a different layer to their relationship dynamic in the film.
As with many adaptations, a few side characters didn’t make it to the screen. Lily’s gay best friend, Devin, and her quirky roommate Lucy, who later becomes her employee at the flower shop, are left out of the movie’s storyline. These characters provide Lily with support and friendship in the book, so their absence may feel a bit strange to fans. Additionally, Ryle’s parents don’t appear in the movie either; in the film, Ryle proposes to Lily in Alyssa’s hospital room rather than at his parents’ place.
While these missing characters don’t drastically change the plot, they do reduce some of the secondary relationships that helped round out Lily’s world in the novel.
Both the book and the movie end with Lily’s chance reunion with Atlas Corrigan, but there are some subtle differences in how this moment plays out. In the novel, Lily is walking her toddler, Emerson, to see Ryle when she runs into Atlas, which gives the scene a feeling of casual serendipity. The book closes on a somewhat open-ended note, leaving readers with the hope that Lily and Atlas will rekindle their relationship.
In the movie, however, the encounter is more deliberate. Lily is alone at a market, and when she spots Atlas, their interaction ends with a kiss, hinting more strongly that they’re ready to start over together. It’s a more definitive “happy ending,” which may satisfy some viewers but feels a little more final than the book’s subtle approach.
In the end, It Ends With Us on the big screen keeps the spirit of Lily’s story alive, even if some fan-favorite details got left behind. Sure, a few changes might make die-hard readers raise an eyebrow, but the film still hits the big emotional beats that made the book a bestseller.
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Yes, a few minor characters didn’t make it to the screen. Lily’s friend Devin, who pretends to be her boyfriend at one point to make Ryle jealous, is left out of the film, as is Lucy, her former roommate and flower shop employee. Additionally, Ryle’s parents, who play a small role in the book, are not included in the movie. While these characters provide extra layers to Lily’s world in the book, the film focuses more tightly on the core relationships and major events.
In the book, “Just keep swimming” becomes a personal mantra for Lily and Atlas, inspired by Finding Nemo. This line is absent from the movie adaptation, but the filmmakers included little Easter eggs to hint at the connection. For example, there’s a poster on Lily’s wall with a hidden reference to the phrase, and in one scene, a plush clownfish (like Nemo) appears as a background detail. These small touches are meant to give fans of the book something familiar without directly quoting the line.
In the book, Lily is 23 and Ryle is 29, but in the movie, both characters are in their mid-30s. This change was intentional. Both Colleen Hoover and Justin Baldoni, who directed and also stars as Ryle, felt that aging up the characters added more realism, especially considering Ryle’s career as a neurosurgeon—which realistically requires years of study and training. Aging the characters up also gives the story a more mature, universally relatable tone.
First and foremost, Nina is a reader; she devours literature with gusto, from classic novels to contemporary poetry to graphic novels and everything in between. She believes that within each story, there's a universe waiting to be explored, and loves exploring with company. She's often found sharing her perspective on characters, plot twists, and literary themes with friends. When her friends get tired of listening to her ranting, she writes blog posts sharing her explorations with the other bookworms of the internet. In recent years she has developed an inexplicable addiction to matcha lattes, but has asked us not to talk about that.
