Character ages and all the other huge differences in It Ends With Us from the book

The It Ends With Us movie hit cinemas after a long long wait – and Colleen Hoover fans have had a lot to say about it. It’s always hard producing a movie based on a film which is so popular – it’s loved and hated by so many different people. Whether you’ve been a Colleen Hoover fan since her first book or whether it was the star studded celebrity cast which pushed you to book tickets to watch the movie in cinema, you’re surely curious to know all of the movie differences from the It Ends With Us book. Here’s a rundown of them all.

Atlas’ restaurant name is different

via Sony

The movie uses a big word play on the word root – it being the name of Atlas’ first restaurant and the focus of Atlas and Lily’s discussion about stability and feeling safe. In the book, Atlas’ book is actually named Bib’s, an acronym for “better in Boston”. Both restaurant names are based off of conversations between Atlas and Lily so I suppose this isn’t a huge difference which changes the feel of the story, but it definitely caught readers by surprise.

Lily wrote letters to Ellen DeGeneres in the book

via Sony

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My god, I’m pleased this element of the book didn’t make the movie cut. In the book, Lily writes endless letters to her idol, Ellen DeGeneres, detailing everything in her life. She’s basically obsessed with her – it almost makes her character a bit insufferable. So we’re all collectively thankful that this was toned down in the movie. In one scene of young Lily, we catch a glimpse of one letter she’s writing to Ellen and The Ellen Show is on when Atlas and Lily sit down to watch TV one afternoon, but luckily that’s as far as it goes.

Ryle revealed his traumatic past to Lily himself

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In the movie, it’s Alyssa who reveals to Lily that Ryle killed his brother by accident as a child. It seems like the reference to the incident bothers Ryle back in the bar when it gets brought up, so Lily learns about the accident from Ryle’s sister. But in the book, it’s Ryle who reveals this incident to Lily at his sister’s insistence.

Lily’s friends didn’t get mentioned in the film

Lily’s best friend, Devin, and her old housemate, Lucy, were not even mentioned in the film. This made her seem a lot more isolated than she was in the book.

Lily and Ryle actually got married in Vegas

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In both the movie and the book, Lily and Ryle get married really quickly – but in different locations. In the book, they decide to go to Vegas to get married and the whole thing takes a few days. In the movie, Ryle and Lily decide to get married in Boston after Ryle’s sister Alyssa gives birth and he proposes in the hospital. Things also move a lot quicker in the movie, whilst the book explains this happens over a longer period of time.

Lily and Ryle are a lot younger in the book

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This may have something to do with the cast all being in their mid 30s and 40s, but the flashbacks in the film make Lily seem a lot older than she was in the book. Lily opens her flower shop as a college graduate in Colleen Hoover’s book, but in the film, she’s quit her job to follow her lifelong dream.

This means that she’s likely a lot older than the 23-year-old she was meant to be in the book and makes it clear that it’s been a while since Lily and Atlas last saw each other.

Similarly, Ryle was meant to be 30 in the book, but is played by Justin who is clearly a lot older. This was changed after Colleen Hoover admitted she aged her characters’ far too young and that there would never be a 28-year-old neurosurgeon in real life.

Lily and Atlas’ breakup was a lot more clear

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The traumatic events that see Atlas in an ambulance are consistent throughout the book and film, but what we don’t see in the movie is how things actually ended between Lily and Atlas. In the book, it’s clear that they break up after Atlas promises to come get Lily once he’s out of hospital. But in the movie, all we see is Atlas being put into an ambulance – there’s no further explanation and Lily doesn’t see him again until they meet in his restaurant.

Ryle’s parents were in the book

Ryle’s parents were not included in the film, meaning Ryle had to change how he proposed to Lily. Instead of proposing in their apartment, it was in Allysa’s hospital room after she gives birth to her daughter.

Ryle leaves the country when they separate

via Sony

When they separate, Lily moves out of their home in the movie and into her own apartment. Ryle still wears his wedding ring, but they are separated when she asks him for a divorce sitting in the hospital with their newborn daughter. In the book, things moved a little differently.

Ryle actually left the country for a fellowship, leaving a pregnant Lily to return to their home.

Lily’s perception of the abuse was a lot clearer

It’s clear from the start of the abuse Ryle inflicts on Lily that she’s aware of his actions. From the accident in the kitchen to being pushed down the stairs, the book makes it clear that Lily is aware she’s the victim of domestic abuse. However in the film, it’s portrayed that Lily only becomes consciously aware that she’s in a domestic abuse relationship after Ryle forces himself on her. It’s following this that we are shown the full scenes in which were preciously clipped to suggest Lily wasn’t fully aware of this dynamic.

For more like this explainer of all the All the It Ends With Us book differences compared to the movie and all the latest news, drops, quizzes and memes, like The Tab on Facebook. 

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Featured image via Sony Pictures