Colleen Hoover’s book It Ends With Us has been the subject of high praise and TikTok virality as well as harsh criticism. Now, with the upcoming film adaptation of the bestselling novel set to premiere on the 2024 movie schedule, a lot of that mixed discourse is being brought back into the spotlight. So, the author is opening up about how she handles the negative critics, and what she’s learned from 50 Shades of Grey author E.L. James when it comes to doing just that.
It Ends With Us will be released in theaters on August 9, and in the time since it was initially announced, it’s been a hot topic of debate. From backlash about how the book depicts domestic violence and the way it’s marketed to people taking issue with the casting of Blake Lively, seeing as the character she plays in the book is 23 while she is 36, the harsh criticisms run the gamut. However, while chatting with People, Hoover explained how she handles it and the helpful tips she’s learned from 50 Shades author E.L. James:
She went through a lot of [similar situations]. And she’s just very good at focusing on the positive and still interacting with those people who have supported her along the way. Just seeing how she hasn’t pulled away from it all and has still found a way to manage being grateful and thankful and interactive with those who have been there from the beginning, I think, is the biggest example that I’ve seen that I want to emulate.
As I’m sure you remember, the reviews for 50 Shades of Grey weren’t exactly good, and there are many who do not like the movies or the books at all. However, as Hoover noted, her friend and fellow author focuses on the positive.
Earlier in the story, the It Starts With Us author explained that she won’t leave social media, even though she witnesses a lot of negative comments, because there’s also so much positivity there. She likes to interact with fans of her work, and she appreciates their love. To that point, she addressed both the positive and negative feedback she gets, saying:
A book that has this many readers, the negative attention’s going to be loud, and so I do my best just to stay away from that. 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. And so that’s how I look at it.
After going viral on TikTok, becoming a bestseller and promoting an immense amount of discussion online, it will be interesting to see how people who are and are not familiar with the book react to the movie. Already, Blake Lively has addressed nervous fans, and that has helped, and Hoover has spoken highly about the team behind the adaptation. With all that in mind, the author told the outlet:
I do hope that [the movie] captured the book well, but with everything there’s going to be critics, and I’m prepared for that, and I don’t stress about it.
Now, it will be interesting to see how the film is received from both lovers and critics of the book.
Book-to-screen adaptations always draw debate, especially when it comes to changes made to a given story. However, the It Ends With Us discourse is complex and has been going on for a long time. So, I imagine everything that has been spoken about will be put in the spotlight again when the film comes out.
Overall, though, it sounds like Colleen Hoover is ready for it thanks to advice from E.L. James and her own experience as an author.
You’ll be able to see It Ends With Us in theaters starting August 9.