Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in It Ends with Us, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Cycles of Abuse
Naked Truths
Good and Evil
Chosen Family
Summary
Analysis
It is grand opening day at the flower shop, and Lily finds that she is happier than she has ever been now that she gets to work so creatively. They are so busy all day that Allysa can’t stop telling Lily that they need to hire more employees. Ryle shows up at the end of the day and is proud when he hears what a hit the business is already. He helps them clean up after their busy day. After, Marshall arrives with onesies for all of them so they can get free beer at the bar while watching the game.
Lily’s decision to embrace the future seems to be working; even on the first day, business is booming, and Ryle’s pride in her accomplishments only makes that victory sweeter. Lily feels that she has found all the fulfillment she needs in both her professional and personal life.
Themes
At the bar, Marshall keeps trying to get Allysa to order a beer, but she won’t. Eventually, she announces to them all that she can’t drink because she’s finally pregnant. As Marshall shouts the news to the whole bar, Lily notices Ryle getting emotional. After, Lily asks Allysa to tell her how she and Marshall met. She explains that before they fell in love, Marshall had always just been Ryle’s annoying friend. One day there was a party, and Allysa was livid when she found Marshall with another girl. It made her realize how she really felt. When Marshall came to see why she was going crazy, she admitted that she liked him. They’ve been together ever since.
It’s not just her relationship with Ryle that makes Lily feel such satisfaction with her present life; having Allysa and Marshall in her life also plays a role. And learning of Allysa’s pregnancy only amplifies the joy she feels at becoming a part of this family. Ryle’s emotional response to the pregnancy news holds extra significant for Lily because Ryle had been opposed to children when they first met, just as he had been opposed to serious relationships and marriage.
Themes
Ryle reminds them that when he walked in on Marshall and Allysa kissing, they had locked him out of the room. He had been so angry that Marshall, who was 18 at the time, was making out with his 17-year-old sister. Lily comments on how close Allysa and Ryle are in age, and Allysa responds that her mother had three kids in three years. Lily is confused, and Ryle explains that they had an older brother who died in childhood. After an awkward silence, the night continues without issue. Lily has more fun with them than she can remember having, and at the end of the night she tells Allysa she’s her best friend. Allysa admits that she hopes Ryle will marry Lily so they can be sisters.
Though the four of them continue to bond and celebrate over drinks, this mention of Ryle and Allysa’s late older brother shows Lily how much she still doesn’t know about Ryle. The nature of their brother’s death isn’t revealed, but the weight of its impact is palpable. Allysa’s comment about Lily becoming her sister if she marries Ryle affirms for Lily that her chosen family has fully accepted her as one of their own.
Themes
Back at home, the couple runs into Lucy, who is packing for her move. Ryle introduces himself as Lily’s boyfriend for the first time, and Lily is overjoyed. They agree that they no longer want their relationship to be a trial run—they want it to be the real deal. Ryle notices a Boston magnet on Lily’s fridge. Then they head off to the bedroom, where Ryle tells Lily not to move. He kisses down her body, and she feels that she has had the best day of her life.
The excitement of Allysa’s pregnancy, Lily and Allysa’s shared love for each other, and Lily’s happiness at Ryle calling himself her boyfriend all feed Lily’s hopes for the future. The appearance of the Better in Boston magnet is juxtaposed against that hope, however, suggesting that it has a special significance to Lily.
Themes
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