‘It Ends With Us’ Book Vs. Movie—The Biggest Changes In The Film Adaptation

It Ends With Us first captured the hearts of BookTok readers in 2020 during the pandemic. Now that the novel has been adapted into a romance film featuring Blake Lively, Justin Baldoni, and Brandon Sklenar, viewers might be curious about some major changes from the book versus the movie.

Written by author Colleen Hoover, It Ends With Us has sold over 8 million copies and spent 140 weeks on the New York Times Bestseller list. Lively stars as Lily Bloom, a woman who navigates a complicated love triangle between her first love and her current boyfriend.

When Lily meets charming neurosurgeon Ryle Kincaid (Baldoni), she falls deeply in love with him. But she starts to see toxic traits of Ryle that remind her of her parents’ abusive relationship. When Lily’s first love, Atlas Corrigan (Sklenar), unexpectedly enters her life, Ryle is threatened by their relationship. Lily must make a difficult decision about her future and who she wants to end up with.

ForbesActor Brandon Sklenar On His Career And Finding ‘It Ends With Us’By Jeff Conway

“Lily resonated with an enormous amount of people, as the success of the book made clear,” Lively told People in April 2024. “Stepping into a character who’s had such a meaningful impact is an honor to take on. I loved Lily, and I hope that love is felt by those who care about her like I do, and also those who are getting to know her for the first time in this film.”

Hoover added that seeing the characters come to life was a big dream come true. “The movie experience adds another layer to the connection readers already have with the characters,” the author explained. “The power of visual storytelling is undeniable, and it can evoke even stronger emotions and empathy from the audience by bringing a sense of immediacy and intensity to the story. I definitely felt so much while watching the adaptation.”

It Ends With Us Book Vs. Film Differences

Now that It Ends With Us is officially out, there are several key differences between the film and the beloved novel, including the characters’ ages, the name of Atlas’ restaurant, and the omission of key characters from the book.

The Characters’ Ages

In the book, Lily is 23, and Ryle is 29, while in the movie, both characters are in their mid-30s. Baldoni told Entertainment Weekly that when he envisioned the film adaptation, it involved aging up the characters.

“I wanted women of all ages to be able to see themselves, and aging up the characters, I think, really helps it become a universal story, and it takes it out of the YA genre. I believed, from the beginning, that Blake Lively is aspirational to young women and would never be seen as too old once they saw the movie,” the actor and director explained.

The book’s author also defended aging up the characters. Hoover admitted to Today that she initially made a mistake in setting Ryle’s age as 29 in the novels. “As an author, we make mistakes,” she said. “There’s no 28-year-old neurosurgeons, you know? You go to school for 15 years. And so to make corrections to what I messed up in the book, we aged the characters up somewhat.”

Atlas’s Restaurant Name

In the book, Lily reconnects with Atlas when she visits his restaurant with Ryle and her mother. His establishment is called Bib’s, an acronym for “Better in Boston,” which is written on the fridge magnet that he gave her when they were teenagers.

But in the film, Atlas’ restaurant is called Root, which also pays tribute to Lily and Atlas’ high school romance. “It stood for something in the book that became a big thing for Lily to show how much she meant to him,” Hoover told E! News. “So that changed to Root in the movie, because we didn’t have as much time to put in all of the things that happened in the book.”

The author added that changing the name to Root “went back to a conversation they had as kids in the film [from which] you get the same feels that you got in the book.”

How Lily Perceives Ryle’s Abuse

Lily experiences numerous instances of physical abuse from Ryle, including being pushed, shoved down a flight of stairs, assaulted and almost raped. Throughout the book, Lily recognizes Ryle’s violent behavior and warns him each time that she will leave him if it happens again.

In the movie, Lily initially dismisses Ryle’s first two acts of physical aggression as accidents. She remains in denial about his behavior until later in the film, when she finally begins to recognize the full extent of the abuse.

Ellen DeGeneres’ Involvement

In the book, Lily’s old journals, which are letters addressed to Ellen DeGeneres, play a crucial role in telling Lily and Atlas’ childhood love story. During a difficult time in Atlas’s life, they bonded over watching the popular talk show after school. They often reminded each other to “just keep swimming,” inspired by her Finding Nemo character, Dory. Atlas even gifted Lily a signed copy of DeGeneres’ memoir as adults.

However, DeGeneres is absent entirely from the movie adaptation. It’s worth mentioning that the comedian’s career and reputation have suffered since the book’s release in 2016, following a 2020 Buzzfeed News report detailing the show’s alleged toxic work environment. The final episode of the talk show aired in May 2022.

A Few Characters Are Missing

Book readers might be disappointed to know that a few characters were cut from the film adaptation. This includes Devin, Lily’s gay bestfriend, who makes Ryle jealous by pretending to be her boyfriend. The film also leaves out Lucy, Lily’s former roommate, whom she later hires to work at her flower shop. Ryle’s mom and dad are also absent from the movie. Instead of getting engaged at his parents’ apartment, Ryle proposes to Lily in Allysa’s hospital room shortly after his sister gives birth.

Watch the official trailer for It Ends With Us below.