It Ends with Us

Lily's experiences mirror her mother's past, where her father abused her mother, and Lily herself was a witness and victim of this trauma. Ryle Kincaid, Lily's romantic interest, exhibits escalating violent behavior, including hitting Lily and knocking her to the ground. In a particularly intense incident, Ryle pushes Lily down a set of stairs and attempts to sexually assault her. Another example of severe violence involves Ryle choking Lily and forcing himself upon her due to jealousy. The book also recounts Lily's father violently attacking Atlas, nearly beating him to death.

There are scenes of passionate kissing and implied fornication between adult characters and between older high school students. Explicit mentions of sexual desire occur, such as a character saying, 'I want to f*** you' (Chapter 1, Page 20). Ryle and Lily engage in intimate physical contact where his bare chest is shown and hands explore bodies, with further events alluded to but not explicitly detailed on screen for the movie adaptation. Crucially, sexual assault is a significant and disturbing plot element, with Ryle initiating a sexual encounter with Lily by digitally penetrating her while pulling her hair, then choking her and forcing himself upon her.

The content has been noted to contain 'lots of foul language'. A direct example of strong profanity is when a character expresses sexual desire by saying, 'I want to f*** you' (Chapter 1, Page 20). Although the associated film adaptation is PG-13 and limited to one 'F-bomb,' the book is understood to contain more frequent instances of strong language.

The narrative is inherently intense due to its focus on domestic abuse, with scenes depicting physical attacks, psychological control, and the emotional toll on the victim. A particularly disturbing scene involves Lily's father violently attacking Atlas, nearly beating him to death, a traumatic event from Lily's past. Ryle's escalating jealousy, stalking, and victim-blaming behavior create a constant atmosphere of suspense and fear for Lily. The book is described as a 'chilling portrayal of a calculated and violent sexual attack' during one of Ryle's jealous rages.

Ryle's behavior demonstrates profound disrespect, escalating from tantrums, such as kicking a chair (in the film adaptation), to severe physical and emotional abuse towards Lily. He traps her, invades her personal space, demands intimate details, and insults her choices. The narrative extensively covers Lily's experience with Ryle's controlling and aggressive nature, which includes intense jealousy and victim-blaming. Lily's childhood also involved witnessing her father's severe disrespect and abuse towards her mother.