Ever since its release in February 2016, Colleen Hoover’s young adult novel It Ends With Us took the world by storm, flying off bookshelves and dominating social media as one of the most popular romance books of the decade. 

The novel chronicles the teen and adult life of florist Lily Bloom, a woman who becomes romantically involved with Ryle Kincaid, a neurosurgeon later revealed to have abusive tendencies. A novel which sensibly handles the delicate theme of domestic abuse, It Ends With Us won the 2016 Goodreads Choice Award for Best Romance and returned to fame on TikTok years later, becoming the best-selling book of 2023.

As such, you can imagine how thrilled fans were when Colleen Hoover announced a film adaptation of the book, to be directed by Jane the Virgin’s Justin Baldoni. Excitement only skyrocketed when the star-studded cast was announced, Gossip Girl’s Blake Lively playing Lily Bloom with Baldoni, Hasan Minhaj, and Jenny Slate to support.

While It Ends With Us has enjoyed large audiences during its run in cinemas, heated rumors in the air about drama on set have embroiled the film in controversy.

It all started when Baldoni, the director of the film, made some backhanded comments regarding his fellow cast member and producer, Blake Lively. During an interview with Entertainment Tonight when asked about the possibility of returning for a sequel, Baldoni stated his opinion honestly: “I think Blake Lively’s ready to direct. That’s what I think.”

Lively is also reported to have “commissioned [her own] cut of the film” and even invited her husband, Deadpool star Ryan Reynolds, to direct some scenes.  Between Baldoni’s virtual absence from the press tour and Lively following the rest of the cast on Instagram but him, much has suggested that she worked hard to take control of the movie from Baldoni. Lively said it best during an interview with SkyNews: “I’m not the kind of actor who can act without producing.”

There have also been complaints about the way the subject of domestic abuse has been handled during the press tour. Baldoni has continued to speak on the subject, claiming he directed the film for all the real Lily Blooms out there struggling in an abusive situation. Lively, however, described the movie as “fun” in an interview and encouraged people to “grab their friends and wear their florals”. Most people found such an enthusiastic, positive promotion of the film off-putting, especially many women on social media who have experienced abuse.

With the Internet villainizing Blake Lively upon the resurfacing of some rude interviews and Justin Baldoni’s recent hire of PR Crisis Manager, it is safe to say that neither of the actors is exactly thriving following the release of their film.

 Slander and canceling aside, It Ends With Us is still a faithful retelling of the widely adored novel. I urge all readers to give it a watch in cinemas today. With florals on, maybe not.