The popular book “It Ends With Us” by Colleen Hoover, which hit shelves in 2016, is finally in the process of becoming a film. The book follows a young girl, Lily Bloom, as she begins her life after college and deals with the defeats and hardships that come with her developing love for two separate people, one old and one new. Her relationship with Ryle, a sophisticated surgeon, becomes heavy, leading her to find her way back to Atlas, a homeless boy that she met on the street years before. 

       This book gained popularity and began trending on TikTok, and later ,Hoover gave fans her casting for main characters Lily Bloom and Ryle Kincaid. Hoover announced on Instagram in January that Lily would be played by actress Blake Lively, who starred in Gossip Girl and many other hit films. Hoover mentioned that Lively was her “dream Lily” and expressed her excitement in working alongside her. The character Ryle has also been announced to be played by Justin Baldoni known for his role in “Jane the Virgin”. The casting of Atlas has still yet to be decided, but after a comment on Instagram by actor Shane West ,many began to speculate him as a possible actor.   

 After Hoover’s announcement, fans began to show either excitement for her choices or hatred. Numerous people went on social media to express their dislike for the casting, commenting words such as“why did Blake Lively get cast for it ends with us isn’t she too old for the role” and other comments mentioning her hair color. Lily Bloom has red hair and is 23-years old in comparison to 35- year old and blond-haired Lively. Some believe star actor Sadie Sink would fit this role slightly better being twenty years old with the same colored hair. 

    The other chosen actor, Baldoni, received less criticism on the casting decision. Ryle is 30 years old while Baldoni is 39-years old, giving them a nine year age gap, Baldoni has worked with Hoover since 2019, as they attempt to turn the popular book into a successful film. He will also be directing it as well as executively producing it. 

    Another point of critique regarding the book that did not go unnoticed was that the book seemed to undermine “red flags” and violence in relationships. Hoover’s portrayal of domestic violence relates to her experience with her mother and fathers relationship making it an emotional and difficult book for Hoover to write. However,  fans still have a strong dislike toward her, with people even taking it as far as telling fans to stop purchasing her books. Bringing people to criticize Lively’s choice to work with her and bring the book to life even more. Despite the controversy Hoover is still a bestselling author and her large fanbase is excited to see the book become adapted into a film.