Everything to Know About the “It Ends With Us” Controversy In Advance of the New Movie

Colleen Hoover's 2016 bestseller, now a feature film starring Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni, has generated some eyebrow-raising discussion online

Bestselling author Colleen Hoover, 44, wrote her first book as a gift to her mom Vannoy Fite, but it was another family story that really made her a star.

Hoover's 2016 novel, It Ends With Us, which is based on her parents' relationship, will hit theaters as a feature film she co-executive produced with Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni (who also directed) on Aug. 9. And while the book is a runaway hit, ranking No. 1 on Amazon as of the time of publication, with more than 300,000 reviews and a 4.7-star rating, it's not without its critics. That's not unexpected, Hoover told PEOPLE for a story in this week's print issue.

For more on Colleen Hoover and It Ends With Us, pick up the latest issue of PEOPLE, on newsstands now, or subscribe here.

Related: Everything to Know About Blake Lively's Upcoming Movie It Ends with Us

"A book that has this many readers, the negative attention's going to be loud," she explains, adding that she sometimes has to comfort friends who get up in arms trying to defend it online. "The overall score and the amount of reviews on Amazon is incredible ... So I think people focus on all the negativity, but that's going to come with a book that has had this many readers, of course."

So what's the beef? Those who haven't read the book or watched the film will want to stop reading here, as spoilers lie ahead.

Some fans criticized the portrayal of intimate partner violence

Both the book and movie version of It Ends With Us follows Lily Bloom as she embarks on a romance with Ryle, but over time, his violent side emerges. He emotionally, sexually and physically abuses Lily, who realizes their relationship needs to change after she becomes pregnant. Ultimately, Lily decides to divorce Ryle and allow him to continue to co-parent their daughter.

That choice has driven controversy, with some readers questioning Lily's choice to keep Ryle around for as long as she does. Others praise the realistic nature of the relationship, pointing out that leaving an abusive partner isn't an easy or straightforward decision.

For her part, Hoover has been open about how watching her own parents' relationship influenced that writing choice.

“One of my earliest memories was him throwing a TV at her,” she told Today in 2023, of her biological father. “We grew up in an abusive household up to that point.”

“There were no resources for women to leave situations like that,” she continued, adding her mother divorced her father when she was 2. “She was able to get out of that relationship. And then from then on, I just remember growing up with a mother who was so strong and independent.”

Hoover recounted that she "would ask her mother all the time about how she was able to leave her father and ended up writing a book inspired by her mother’s courage."

The book is shelved as 'romance,' not 'fiction'

The categorization of the book as "romance" has also raised some eyebrows, because of the nature of Lily and Ryle's relationship. Some readers have suggested the book would be better shelved under "contemporary fiction," while others argue that dark romance is a sub-genre in itself.

Related: 'It Ends With Us' Author Addresses Controversy Surrounding Casting of Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni

Some fans thought Lily and Ryle should be younger

Once Lively and Baldoni were attached to the film, Hoover faced backlash because Lively, 36, and Baldoni, 39, are much older than the It Ends with Us characters. In June 2023, Hoover explained that casting more mature actors actually corrects a mistake she realized post-publication. “I didn't know that neurosurgeons went to school for 50 years," she said. "There's not a 20-something neurosurgeon.”

“As I started making this movie, I'm like, ‘We need to age them out because I messed up,’ ” Hoover added. "So that's my fault."

Others just didn't like the outfits

The costumes Lively wears in the film also drew criticism from devoted fans, with some calling her outfits "frumpy," but those attached to the film brushed it off. "We're not always thinking about why her clothes look that way in that area. And also once you see the movie, it all makes sense," Baldoni told ET.

Related: It Ends with Us Director Responds to Criticism on Blake Lively's Costumes: 'Just Go See the Movie'

Baldoni added that once people see the movie, he thinks they'll be pleased, and that he (and the entire team) appreciate the passionate place those critiques come from.

And as the one who dreamed them up, Hoover said doesn't even remember what Lily was wearing in the book. “I don’t remember describing outfits at all. I don’t care what they have on,” she told Today cohost Jenna Bush Hager at the time. “In my head, it’s about the conversation they’re having and the story. It’s the same way in the movie."

It Ends With Us hits theaters on Aug. 9.

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