It Ends with Us by Colleen Hoover
Week 2: Chapters 5–9 — Lily's Journals and the Ghost of Atlas
Read Chapters 5–9 of It Ends with Us by Colleen Hoover
Previewing Week 2 of It Ends with Us
Read 3 of 7 discussion questions below. Unlock the complete 8-week guide when you’re ready.
As Lily's connection with Ryle deepens, she begins reading her teenage journals aloud — and with them, Atlas Corrigan walks back into the story.
Discussion Questions
7 questions1.Hoover structures large portions of these chapters through Lily's teenage journals, written to Ellen DeGeneres. Why do you think Hoover chose this specific, unusual device — writing to a celebrity — rather than a more conventional diary format? What does it tell us about teenage Lily's character?
2.Atlas Corrigan is introduced through Lily's memories as a boy living in an abandoned house near her family's home. What is it about their first encounters — the way they are cautious with each other, the way they communicate — that makes their connection feel so distinct from Lily's dynamic with Ryle?
3.Teenage Lily hides Atlas from her parents and brings him food and supplies. What does this protectiveness reveal about her character, and how does it connect to the adult Lily we've already met in the novel's present timeline?