In author Colleen Hoover's bestselling novel And we end up the The main character, Lily Blossom Bloom, is certain of several things. First, her name is ridiculous, especially since her dream is to open a flower shop. Second, no relationship has ever come close to what she experienced at age 15 with her first love, Atlas Corrigan. And third, the belief she has held since childhood—that she would never stay in a relationship as physically and emotionally abusive as the one her mother endured—is easier said than done. With 8 million copies sold, We end up The film deals with a basic idea about the insidious nature of domestic violence, in a sparkling romantic love story full of details, and often absurdity. So, naturally, the filmmakers thought it would be a great movie.
Starring Blake Lively, Justin Baldoni, and Brandon Sklenar, the film has spent the past six months preparing to take over the box office with its August 9 release. That means the cast has been on a massive media blitz to promote the film to as wide an audience as possible. Lively has been hyped as the next big movie star. Glossy promotional material has included a Taylor Swift song. There’s even a pop-up experience at Century City Mall for fans, where Lily’s quirky flower shop has been recreated for photo opportunities. But all this glossy, marketing-heavy treatment proves that Hollywood hasn’t found a decent way to market films about domestic violence. What’s worse, the film is still in its early stages of life. We end up He doesn't even try.
As shown in numerous promotional trailers, most of which were accompanied by Swift's song “My Tears Are Bounced Back,” We end up The film follows flower shop owner Lily Bloom (Lively) who is choosing what kind of love she wants in her life. After attempting to give a eulogy at her abusive father's funeral, and sitting silently for several minutes on stage instead of speaking, Bloom goes to the rooftop of an apartment building to think. There, she meets handsome but emotionally troubled neurosurgeon Ryle Kincaid (Baldoni). The two share their secrets and spend a magical night together, but they don't talk until a chance encounter puts them in each other's paths. Lily and Ryle's relationship quickly blossoms, and they date and eventually marry. But when Lily runs into her first love, Atlas Corrigan (Sklenar), whom she hasn't seen since she was a teenager, her memories and past feelings for Atlas collide with her relationship with Ryle, which has gone from fairytale to physically abusive hell.
As for Hoover, whose books sold more than the Bible in 2022, the author has always been open about how her personal experience with domestic violence inspired her novel and its sequel, It starts with us“My first memory of life was when I was probably two years old, and I remember my sister and I hiding in our bedroom, and I peeked in as my father threw a TV at my mother,” Hoover said. today“It’s a pillar of strength, and I’ve always wondered what it was like to be in an abusive relationship. So writing this story was a way for me to explore that.” The author also shared her hope that the story will encourage women to leave abusive relationships. “I’ve heard from readers who have left horrible situations that my books have inspired them to do so — and that’s the most amazing thing I could ever hope for,” she told TIME.
But Hoover’s personal connection to the heavy subject matter hasn’t stopped the author from being caught between the seriousness of her inspiration and her need to engage in promotion. After her books skyrocketed in popularity during the pandemic, online critics have accused Hoover of capitalizing on the real struggles of women experiencing domestic violence. The book is a love story, but Lily’s justification of her abusive surroundings, combined with the book’s subsequent heavy focus on romance, means the novel often has an inconsistent tone. In 2023, Atria Books announced it will release a new book titled “Romance Fiction.” We end up “The coloring book was developed with Lily’s strength in mind, but I can totally see how this was tone deaf. I hear you guys and I agree,” she said in a statement. “No excuses.”
Since its inception and success, We end up It’s been skewed by the intensity of its inspiration and the book’s wide readership—something the film seems to have taken in its quest to become a faithful adaptation. But what’s been glaringly obvious about the promotion cycle is that the studio prioritizes ticket sales for a love story while ignoring the domestic violence awareness message at its core. The book’s darker themes have been overlooked in favor of fan-friendly pop-ups and activations, like photo calls, virtual memorial bouquets, and treasure hunts in New York and Los Angeles. It’s a paint job, done by the film’s star. Lively’s promotion for the film has been dominated by Lily Bloom’s themed costumes, like celebrity floral nail art by Elle Gerstein, and floral dresses everywhere, including Lively wearing Britney Spears’ iconic 2002 floral Versace gown to the premiere. There’s also been a shocking amount of cross-promotion with the summer blockbuster action comedy Deadpool and WolverineStarring Ryan Reynolds, who is Lively's husband and also a writer. We end up.
Something else isn’t helping either: the major discussion surrounding the film’s behind-the-scenes drama with the cast. Internet sleuths on TikTok and X (formerly Twitter) noticed earlier this week that Baldoni, who also directed the film, was conspicuously absent from its promotion. He attended the premiere but was noticeably absent from any full-length cast photo shoots. He didn’t introduce the film with Hoover and Lively and wasn’t photographed with any of the cast members. When Jenny Slate, who plays Lily’s best friend and Ryle’s sister Alyssa in the film, was asked at the premiere about working with Baldoni, she sidestepped the question, instead saying that doing both the directing and acting job felt exhausting. All of the cast members and Hoover also stopped following Baldoni on Instagram, reminding fans of the drama surrounding the press junket for the Olivia Wilde-directed film. Don't worry dear.
It would be naive to say that books or movies about domestic violence can’t also include romantic elements. The stories allow the main female characters to fall in love and include the lesson that having six-pack abs doesn’t give a man the right to beat his partner. But as with domestic violence, men can’t put limits on them. We end up The novel has gone from a standalone paperback to a multimillion-dollar intellectual property, and not only has the story received the Hollywood treatment. It has prioritized selling a romance by glossing over themes of abuse at almost every opportunity. Hoover has been vocal that while writing the book was a primary way for her to process her feelings about her parents’ relationships, she fervently hopes the story will encourage women in similar situations to escape. The Film Version to We end up The film clearly has a different purpose: to get people in the seats. And right now, the film is selling tickets. But it undermines what Hoover intended to do, and diminishes the value of an already weak film.
