Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Join us and unwine with a good book. Welcome to
relaxing Reads. Hi, I'm Devin Halifax. Hey, it's Simone in Vancouver.
Speaker 2 (00:09):
Hi, it's Tanya and Edmonton.
Speaker 3 (00:11):
Simone. How are you feeling?
Speaker 1 (00:13):
Yeah?
Speaker 2 (00:13):
What did you drink or what?
Speaker 1 (00:15):
Yeah?
Speaker 4 (00:15):
I recently got really sick from drinking the silk almond
coconut milk, the one that's been making all the news
with the recall. Woke up in the morning and I
was like, I'm gonna make myself a smoothie and it
was the almond coconut milk with the protein.
Speaker 1 (00:28):
Put it in with a banana, drank it.
Speaker 4 (00:29):
And then that evening like I had the worst abdominal pains.
I've never felt like this, and I've gone through childbirth,
and I was like, what is happening to my body
that it hurts this much?
Speaker 5 (00:41):
And I.
Speaker 1 (00:43):
Was in a meeting, it was like an evening meeting,
and I had.
Speaker 4 (00:46):
To just get out of there really fast because I
just was in so much pain.
Speaker 1 (00:50):
And I was like, hey, guys, I gotta go pick
my son up from.
Speaker 4 (00:52):
Baseball, even though I didn't, but I was like, I
need out of here, and I went home. I just
laid down and my husband's like, what did you eat today?
And I was like, nothing that you guys didn't eat.
I didn't get any like takeout or fast food or anything.
So I was like, I didn't eat anything bad today,
Like I couldn't place it. And then that night it
just got worse, and so I was gonna go to
the hospital. But I looked up the er waight times
(01:12):
because the website and it was like an eleven hour wait,
and I was like, well, I'm not gonna go sit
there in this much pain. I'd rather just you know,
sit at home and then go to the doctor in
the morning. And as I was getting up in the morning,
like after a whole like I barely slept all night,
my husband was about to go to the gym, and
then he walks into the room holding the carton and
he goes, hey, you should probably throw this out.
Speaker 1 (01:34):
He goes, I just saw on the news as a
recall for it. I was like what.
Speaker 4 (01:37):
And then right away it triggered what it was because
I only had it that morning.
Speaker 1 (01:41):
But I didn't think that could have been a culprit.
Speaker 4 (01:43):
You always think about like did I, like, you know,
touch meat to something, What did I do right? I
looked it up and yeah, that's what it was. And
as soon as I posted on my social media saying
I don't know what was wrong with me, this was it,
I had like four or five people message me back
saying they experienced something similar and deb like you had
mentioned that this is like these plant based milks are
(02:05):
more susceptible to this.
Speaker 3 (02:06):
Yeah, apparently they are. So it's something to consider, I guess.
I mean, if you're into and that's unfortunate because a
lot of people have allergies and you know, their stomach
can't handle the regular dairy, so it's nice to have alternatives.
And now if I don't know if it's in the processing,
(02:27):
what happens to it. But there's so many things that really,
you know, throw our systems.
Speaker 6 (02:35):
Like I started drinking oat milk just because I drink
a lot of coffee and I don't like almond milk
because it coffee and almonds don't go together for me,
and so I've been doing that, but I just get
I get annoyed because the packaging of it. I don't
use oat milk for anything else other than my coffee,
and I just have a little bit. But it says
you know, once it's opened, consume within seven days, right,
(02:59):
seven days, and it doesn't matter what the expiry date is, right, Yeah,
It'll stay there forever until you open it. So I
find I just flushed a lot of it down the
sink because I don't drink it.
Speaker 2 (03:11):
I drink enough of it in a week to get
through it. And I'm like, why can't they make like
little but.
Speaker 1 (03:16):
Yeah, juice box sized cartons.
Speaker 6 (03:19):
Yeah, well you can buy like the little tetra packs
like juice box kofee packs, but it's like five something, yeah,
or like which, I guess.
Speaker 2 (03:27):
I do that and I bring it to work.
Speaker 6 (03:28):
I mean, I only do it because sometimes I have
sensitivities to milk and sometimes I think I sho but
more about maybe I shouldn't be drinking milk, you know,
Like yeah, you know, so I started made the choice
of doing that, and I actually do feel better not
having milk in my coffee.
Speaker 1 (03:44):
I do too.
Speaker 4 (03:46):
You never like notice it when you're younger. You just
kind of have it and drink it. And now it's
like I will skip the dairy, like I will not
have milk. I will sometimes have yogurt. I'm still not
even a big yogurt person, but I will have the cheese,
like if there is cheese around me. So I'm like,
if I'm picking and choosing what form of dairy like
I'm having, it's gonna be the cheese and ice cream.
Speaker 5 (04:06):
Don't forget Yes, sorry, I love ice cream sometimes what
is it really dairy?
Speaker 6 (04:13):
Yeah?
Speaker 5 (04:13):
I question?
Speaker 6 (04:14):
And then there's all the craft stuff and pay you know,
a huge amount of money for it, like we have
kind here, which is awesome, we have made by Marcus,
like all these little batch, small batch ice cream places. Oh,
my one is like four blocks from my place.
Speaker 2 (04:30):
Just oh.
Speaker 4 (04:31):
And then there's the conversation around like we we don't
buy a lot of ice cream for us because we
will just eat it.
Speaker 1 (04:37):
We'll often buy stuff for the kids.
Speaker 4 (04:38):
And then my husband went to Costco and he bought
those Hoggin DAWs bars and then I was like, oh,
these are good and there's only like nine in there.
So we put them in the downstairs freezer where the
kids don't go. And I'm like, because I'm like they
started eating them, they'll be gone tomorrow and I'm like,
where's we like to kind of save it for the
weekend or whatever, and so we just go down there,
and then sometimes you have that that parent guilt. We're like,
oh my god, we're eating this ice cream is secretly
(05:01):
when they go to bed. But I'm like, at the
same time, they've had enough treats today, They've eaten, They've
gotten their fair share.
Speaker 1 (05:06):
This is mommy daddy treats.
Speaker 3 (05:09):
I think you deserve, like a mommy daddy covered with
sacks or freezer, fridge whatever, and it's off, you know,
to the kids.
Speaker 4 (05:18):
I know, for you, and I would say sometimes I'm like,
it's a part of adulting, right, Like.
Speaker 1 (05:21):
We can regulate what we eat when we eat it.
Speaker 4 (05:25):
I'm like, you know, we put a box of cookies
in the pantry, like those cookies are gone in three days.
I'm like you were, guys, you can't regulate how much
to eat and not to eat.
Speaker 1 (05:32):
And sometimes we can't either. But still it's like, you
know you have the little secret stash and then you
know it's going to be there for when you want it.
Speaker 2 (05:40):
Yeah, how wonderful. Yes, when you bake the.
Speaker 5 (05:47):
Cookies, oh my gosh, cookies, I know, it's like, oh, well,
good to be back here with you after another great read.
Speaker 1 (05:59):
I'm so happy we chose this one to lead with
this month.
Speaker 3 (06:03):
Yes, so our latest read. It ends with us by
calling Hoover. It takes us through Lily Bloom's emotional journey
as she navigates relationships with Atlas, her childhood love, and Ryle,
her husband who has shown abusive behavior. The story explores
the complexities of Lily's connections, her inner turmoil, and her
determination to break the cycle of abuse for her daughter's
(06:26):
well being, and as she confronts the harsh realities of
her marriage, she resolves to prioritize her child safety and
embark on a path of healing, ultimately seeking the nurturing
love that she deserves. And this novel was inspired by
the author's own parents and her upbringing. And it has
spent one hundred and fifty seven weeks now on the
New York Times Paperback Trade Fiction bestseller List. So it
(06:50):
is one of those tough stories to share, but it's
a very important one as well. And I found myself
very emotional points and I guess it was because of
this particular story and the characters, but also I think
thinking about other women, other families who've gone through something similar.
Speaker 4 (07:12):
How about you, ladies, Yeah, I mean this book has
been everywhere. I've seen so many friends like I think
it was more like last year into this year posting
about reading it. And I was always curious about it,
but I was like, I don't know what that's really about.
And I had no idea this is what it was about.
I just saw it everywhere. And then when we decided,
(07:33):
you know, this was going to be our book because
of course the movie comes out, I was like, let's
see what this is about. And yeah, it was really captivating.
And I had no idea this was about the author's family.
I didn't go to the back of the book. Sometimes
I do. Sometimes I like to read the author notes
and this and that first, but this time I didn't,
and I was shocked to learn all that. And I
(07:53):
think it's I think it's an important topic, you know,
to be discussed, and it's so interesting the kind of
the yeah, the way it was put together and how
it all ended, and you're right, deb it just makes
you feel really emotional while on this journey of reading it.
Speaker 6 (08:11):
Yeah, And I think you know, Simone, I was like, you,
I sort of knew about these books or this book,
but I didn't. It wasn't it was not on my radar, like,
I don't know what I thought it was. I guess
I just thought it was a summer romance, you know.
I thought it was pretty light, and I went, yeah,
you know what, I'll get to that. But it's interesting
because I was visiting a friend, like, gosh, maybe I
(08:33):
think around Christmas, and she's an avid reader, and she
gave me three books, and so those three books was
were sorry, it ends with us, it starts with us,
and then I think September or something.
Speaker 2 (08:46):
And she's like, you got to read these books. These
are great, and I'm like, oh, yeah, sure, yeah, I guess.
Speaker 6 (08:50):
I Well, so when we decided to read this book,
I was like wow. So I went and dug through
all my stuff and grabbed the book, and I want
to read more. But I didn't know that the subject
matter was so intense, you know, And I didn't know
that it was about the author's childhood. And you know,
(09:11):
I'm reading this book and I felt exactly like what
the author, through Lily, was talking about, which is it
is so easy for someone who is not in an
abusive relationship to say, get out already. What are you
waiting for? Like, what are you waiting for? It's plain
(09:32):
as day, it's written on the chalkboard, just leave him.
And it isn't that simple when you love somebody like that.
And I learned that through this book that it's an
outsider looking in has no idea what's going on in
a relationship. And I don't personally know an abusive relationship.
(09:52):
I know that my sister went through a bad relationship
of just.
Speaker 2 (09:56):
The guy being an asshole.
Speaker 6 (09:59):
And I remember having conversations with her saying, you know,
you have your son, now can you just leave?
Speaker 2 (10:05):
Like what are you saying to your son? Bye bye?
Speaker 6 (10:09):
By keeping by having that relationship, you know, by keeping
in the relationship, it's it's telling him, it's making him
learn all the wrong stuff, you know. And she eventually
did leave, but it was quite a few years. And
so yeah, I mean, I'm looking in going leave already,
and it's not.
Speaker 2 (10:27):
It's complicated.
Speaker 6 (10:28):
And that's what this book really delves into, is how
complicated relationships are between two people. Yeah, it was very
emotional to read, and it was very like I found
myself challenging my own judgments I guess on relationships that
I kind of go, oh, this is not a good relationship,
(10:49):
and I think differently now after reading this book.
Speaker 1 (10:53):
Yeah, well that's what we say.
Speaker 4 (10:54):
It's so easy to just say, why is that person
doing that?
Speaker 1 (10:57):
Why can't this person do this?
Speaker 4 (10:59):
Even with the situation with Atlas and his background and
people who treat homeless people or look down on people
who are down on their luck. Well, everyone has a story,
everyone has a situation. And sometimes you can have those
moments where you feel like you're passing judgment, but then
you really have to look back and be like, okay,
you know, like this, you don't know someone's story or
(11:20):
what they're going through, and you don't know your story,
and your story could change within a day. So really
it's like you don't know what life is going to
throw at you. One moment, you could think life is perfect.
The next moment it could crumble apart. And that's the
interesting thing in this book, when it's like everything can
change in two minutes, everything can change in fifteen minutes,
everything can change. We just don't know what the future
(11:41):
holds for us. And that is the scary part too,
is when things are humming along, you just don't know
what could happen. And again, someone's situation, like you look
at the characters obviously three main characters, Lily, Ryle, and Atlas.
And look how Atlas's life turned around, right, So you
(12:02):
shouldn't really judge.
Speaker 3 (12:04):
I love her as a child being able to connect
with this young boy as well. No, I don't know
many people who would have been able to create that relationship.
And not that people aren't kind as children, because we
know they certainly are and offer.
Speaker 2 (12:22):
Up a lot of love as well.
Speaker 3 (12:23):
But the way she just stepped in right away to
take care of this person was just I just, I mean,
warmed my heart so much. And that she found an
even bigger connection once she got to know him.
Speaker 2 (12:37):
Yeah, and I.
Speaker 6 (12:37):
Love how she I love how Lily, you know, as
a fifteen year old, sixteen year old girl, how she's
putting her thoughts in her journal and her journal her journaling,
sorry is is writing letters to Ellen DeGeneres. She never
ever sends them, but she writes the letters, right, And
I'm like, I mean, I tried to keep a journal
on a lost interest, but maybe if I was writing,
(12:58):
you know, fake writing to somebody is if they're my confidante,
you know.
Speaker 2 (13:03):
I could get a lot of stuff out.
Speaker 6 (13:04):
So I think it was a really cool how Colleen
the author kind of wrote Lily at that age, and
we got to know her and what was going on
between her and Atlas, and what was going on between
her parents and everything in this kind of beautiful letter
letter to herself, but letter to Ellen. And I really
(13:25):
liked reading that part of the book because I really
got into it and I started thinking about I started
thinking about love, and you know, love is so different
at our stages of our lives. Right There's that love
that you have as a kid, you know, love that
you have as a teenager, adolescents, all that kind of stuff,
younger love twenty three, twenty four, twenty five, where you
(13:47):
don't really know anything, but you think you know everything.
And then you get older and you find you know
a different kind of love that is more mature, and
all of them have a place in our lives. And
I kind of relived a little bit of, you know,
my sixteen seventeen year old self through Lily. I never
knew a homeless guy, but you know, I had a
(14:09):
lot of crushes on guys, and I just loved sort
of that, you know, I love that whole relationship between
her and Atlas.
Speaker 2 (14:17):
Yeah, did you so?
Speaker 1 (14:18):
Did either of you keep a diary. Yeah, it's interesting.
Speaker 4 (14:21):
It was to Ellen because most of us would just
be like, dear diary, and you're just speaking to this
like your book, which is a character. But yeah, I
kept I kept like a journal. I still have it.
And this was when I had my first crush, and
I would write poems about him and write things, and
it's and it's just there, like when I go to
(14:41):
my mom's house, it's still there, and it like sometimes
I'll flip through it because you forget I think you know,
the stuff she went through through life.
Speaker 1 (14:49):
Her experience was very.
Speaker 4 (14:50):
Traumatic for Lily. So maybe sometimes you block things out
or you have a select memory of things, but if
you've written it down, going back and reading it takes
you back to that younger person. Like I wrote those
things when I was fourteen. I'm almost forty four, so
it takes you back thirty years where you're like little
Simone was having all these big feelings that she didn't
(15:13):
know what to do with at that time, whereas now,
like you say, Tan, you get older, you're more sure
of yourself, expressing yourself your feelings. You know, We're just
we're getting to the age where we have no filter,
and we're not scared to hold back and say what
we want to say, whereas then you're like, I.
Speaker 1 (15:28):
Don't know what to do. I'm keeping it all inside.
So the journal is kind of like the outlet, right.
Speaker 3 (15:33):
Yeah, I did have a journal when I was quite young.
I guess I probably would have been eleven or twelve.
And it had the little lock and key, and of
course you could easily open it without a key, and
I kept it in my room and I remember my
brother would, you know, try to open it and read
through it. Not that I had anything very exciting, but
I also kept just it was in high school and
(15:54):
I recently came across it. It was just a daily
calendar with you know, events going on in school, trips
and all kinds of stuff related to I guess it
was grade eleven or grade twelve, and I had little
hearts beside a couple of names like that was such
a great day, Oh, I can't wait for the dance.
And there was like a weekend trip here and there
(16:14):
with friends, and I kind of forgot about some of
those events or moments, not that they were really major
and not that I actually met up with this boy
to have a dance and talk and whatever. But just
the fact that I kept their name or their initials.
Beyond that, there wasn't a lot of exciting things happening
(16:35):
in high school. But I thought there were a couple
of cutty things. I didn't pour myself out like I
thought maybe I did, but it is interesting to come
across them.
Speaker 4 (16:45):
But like I say, I look at that journal and
sometimes I'm like, maybe I just get rid of it,
Like what's the point of it, Like, you know, like
if something happens to me, like who's going to read it,
who's going to.
Speaker 1 (16:53):
Go through it? Is it my time to just destroy
it now?
Speaker 4 (16:55):
And that was why in the book, when you see
that situation play out where Kyle Ryle, I was want
to call him Kyle because Ryle is such a unique name.
Ryle reads her journal and it's such an invasion of privacy,
and that's one thing I couldn't understand. It's like, you know,
he had the past trauma what he went through with
(17:16):
his sibling, but what was hurting him and making him
feel so insecure about the relationship, Like was there a
past woman that he was you know, because it's like
anything that he thought she would be cheating or doing
anything it triggered him, but we never got to really
learn why he's triggered from that, as opposed to Yeah,
the trigger with your sibling is a different kind of
(17:38):
a trauma. But then it's like you're you're freaking out
about all these things with her. So it could have
been maybe around the loss, like he just doesn't want
to lose her because he's lost someone important and he
just he loses it.
Speaker 1 (17:52):
But yeah, it was. It was scary.
Speaker 4 (17:53):
I was hoping the novel wasn't going to go that direction,
but then it's exactly where it took us.
Speaker 6 (17:58):
And yeah, I you know, I was reading you know,
I actually pronounced his name is Riley in my head
and I don't know why because I didn't like Ryle.
But anyway, so Ryle, I just so many parts, Like
getting up to the middle of the book, I just
I'm like, I just don't like this guy. He's possessive,
What is this manipulative behavior? What is why is he
(18:21):
so controlling? Because that just gives me red flags all
over the place, And I'm just so I didn't like
and I'm like, what's going to happen at the end
of this book?
Speaker 2 (18:30):
Is he going to turn around?
Speaker 6 (18:31):
And then you find out that he had this traumatic
experience and he's been in therapy since he was six
years old. But then rewrite someone like, but what really
made him tick? You know? Why did he have this
blinding anger where he almost blacks out and doesn't even
know what he's done. You know, there's a part in
the book where he says to Lily, he says, you know,
(18:53):
I'm supposed to be the one who will protect you
from the monsters. I'm not supposed to be one. So
he knows he's a monster, but yet he can't help it.
And then I think, okay, well she has to leave clearly.
But then I go, well what about Ryle? Like where
is where is he going to end up? Because if
he can never have a relationship because of this ext
(19:15):
you know, because of his behavior, what is his future
going to be?
Speaker 5 (19:19):
Like?
Speaker 2 (19:19):
I don't know.
Speaker 6 (19:20):
I felt I didn't like him from the beginning and
then the whole oven scene with the oh my.
Speaker 4 (19:24):
God, yeah, and there's something about being confident, but he
was coming in being like do you want a one
night stand?
Speaker 1 (19:29):
Can we just hook up?
Speaker 4 (19:30):
And I was like, that is not an opening line,
Like lead with being sexy and like maybe it might
happen for you if you're just attractive and you you,
you know, can it come.
Speaker 1 (19:40):
Across that way?
Speaker 4 (19:41):
But he was just so like abrupt, And then I
was like, that's not attractive at all, Like he just
wants to like, you know, hook up with her one
time and not talk to her again. It was nice
that he was kind of coming to and growing to
learn to have a relationship and all this, but then yeah,
he ruined it all. And it's like when you get
to the end of the book and the that moment
(20:02):
at the hospital and he realizes like he's got to
let her go, because yeah, like how many chances do
you give? And it was like that one line in
the book that said people spend so much time wondering
why the women don't leave. Where are all the people
who wonder why the men are even abusive? Like where's
the blame needs to be placed there? Like where do
(20:23):
we undo that?
Speaker 1 (20:24):
You know?
Speaker 3 (20:25):
Yeah, I have to admit that while I didn't like
his character, he did remind me of a lot of guys,
a lot of men that I have been attracted to.
With the arrogance with I later found out it was
arrogance and not confidence and the controlling, the narcissist that
(20:45):
was in them that came out later in you know,
full force. So I found him charming at times, and
I'm like, oh my god, that was the guy that
I was attracted to at times when I was in
my twenties and thirties. And they bring on that charm,
they make everything like oh, well, you know this was
going on at the time, or I'm having a moment,
(21:08):
but I offer you this side of me, which is
pretty wonderful, isn't it. And I think that's part of
what happened with Lily. She got caught up in it.
She did fall for him, and you can't help where
your heart leads you. So I think that's what happens
to so many women and the narcissist. I don't know
(21:30):
if you can heal someone who is a narcissist.
Speaker 1 (21:33):
Yeah, I don't think so.
Speaker 4 (21:34):
And you know, it was so interesting that she knew
who was a neurosurgeon, and you know, but it was
funny when she'd be like, we can live like this,
we can afford this, and I'm like, clearly she's not
there for the money, like you know, you would think
you just married a doctor, life is going to be good.
Speaker 1 (21:47):
But that part of it I liked, like.
Speaker 4 (21:49):
She was just into him. She wasn't into the stuff
or any of that. She still wanted her own life
and her flower shop and you know, and all of that,
and that was a beautiful side of it. But yeah,
her journey, you know, it was really nice to follow
her kind of arc in the book with where she
starts and then she's going through this with Ryle. And
(22:09):
there are some women who think I can change him,
I can change this man, you know, And so I
think a part of her, you know, in the beginning,
was starting to make those excuses. But yeah, then you
get to a part of your life where it is
about your child or something and you cannot put that
at risk. And I even really liked how beautiful it
was in those moments with her mother in the end,
(22:32):
just kind of having that conversation, because sometimes you can
go back and look at some of the decisions your
parents have made or their parents have made, and we
don't quite understand things.
Speaker 1 (22:41):
And it was like, you know, when you go back to.
Speaker 4 (22:43):
Even fifty years ago and when divorce was so shunned
upon and people just stayed together for the kids or
just stayed together and they were just miserable. And now,
at least we kind of have a generation where people
are like, no, it's okay to leave, it's okay to
find happiness. It's not the end of the world, and
we won't be as judged. It's okay to not have
kids if you don't want kids.
Speaker 1 (23:00):
Like, we're a little bit more open.
Speaker 4 (23:01):
So it was like, at least she got to kind
of break out from, you know, a situation that maybe
her mom was just not able to again financially leave,
you know, not strong enough to leave, because what do
you do in those situations? So it was nice that
they kind of came into that moment and they she sorted,
they supported each other, you know.
Speaker 6 (23:20):
Yeah, And I think so what you mentioned a little
earlier is, you know, everybody talks about why doesn't she leave?
Why doesn't she leave? And nobody says why doesn't he
quit hitting her? So that's something we need to wrap
our heads around. I think as a society, as people
(23:41):
who look at relationships, you know, like, you know, why
is it always up to the woman or whomever is
being abused, right? Why do we never look at the
abuser and go, hey, what what's up with you? Right?
Speaker 2 (23:52):
It's not okay, it's not okay. But I don't know.
Maybe they just can't fix.
Speaker 6 (23:56):
Themselves, like there isn't anything they can do about it.
Speaker 2 (24:01):
I don't know.
Speaker 6 (24:02):
And the person, I guess has to leave in the end.
But nobody ever talks about that. And yeah, one thing
the author wrote about quite a bit in the books.
She said it a few times throughout the book. Why
is it just the women that we're concerned about or
the other person who's being abused?
Speaker 2 (24:17):
Why don't they leave? And it's never why does that
person do that?
Speaker 6 (24:22):
You know?
Speaker 4 (24:22):
Yeah, and it was brought up a couple of times
that they're you know, the people aren't bad.
Speaker 1 (24:27):
These people just do bad things.
Speaker 4 (24:28):
And you know, often it's like you look at stories
or you hear stories, and a lot of it's rooted
in generational trauma. It's how they grew up and how
they grew up and how they grew up. And that's
why with this, you know, it ends with us. It
ends we're breaking the pattern, we're breaking the cycle. And
you know, when that cycle is broken, only from there
can there be like true healing.
Speaker 1 (24:46):
And you know, moving on.
Speaker 4 (24:48):
But for people, you know, you wonder how certain people
are a certain way, and it's like they are probably
a product of their upbringing and they were not taught
to regulate their emotions or you know, how to express
themselves and in a way that wasn't destructive in hitting
that's what they kind of did. And it's like then,
it's like you people can change, but you really have
(25:09):
to work on yourself. Like no, no, none of us are perfect.
We all have flaws. But it's like until you go
and get the help and understand what's triggering you and
how to break those triggers, it's a lot of work
to put into yourself, and sometimes people don't want to
do that. They just are stuck in their ways. This
is how it's going to be. But then you choose
the life you choose and you might just end up alone.
Speaker 3 (25:27):
So yeah, even when you are presented with what life
could be in a really good form, like Ryle was,
you just can't help yourself or you don't have it
in you to think that you deserve a little bit
of goodness even though you've gone the wrong route. You know,
(25:48):
before he got to that point, he just I guess
didn't think that he deserved what could be. Yeah, so
just decided to stay in that lane.
Speaker 2 (25:59):
And I liked how Colleen wrote.
Speaker 6 (26:00):
You know, obviously it was Lily's parents that that was
sort of the focus of how she thinks about relationships.
And then she ends up having an abusive relationship herself.
And then we have this beautiful relationship between Kyle's sorry,
Ryle's sister Alissa and her husband Marshall, who I.
Speaker 2 (26:20):
Love both of them.
Speaker 6 (26:21):
I just you know, Alyssa comes out with some of
the best one liners. I don't have any at the
top of my mind right now, but she is an
absolute gem and she ends up becoming Lily's best friend.
And I thought she was absolutely delightful this character.
Speaker 3 (26:36):
Yeah yeah, And I like a ride or die like girlfriend.
Speaker 4 (26:39):
Yes, And and you know what I loved about her
too is sometimes there are people that will always take
your siblings side or your blood side because they will
not look past it.
Speaker 1 (26:50):
But you know, for so many moments.
Speaker 4 (26:52):
She was like, I get it as his sister, I'm
saying this, but as your best friend.
Speaker 2 (26:58):
You gotta leave.
Speaker 4 (26:59):
And that's what was beautiful about it is she was
willing to, you know, not be like, well, if you're
not with my brother, then you're not with me.
Speaker 1 (27:05):
It ends here. It was like no, like, I'm We're
still going to be in each other's lives. We're going
to raise our beautiful daughters together and be besties.
Speaker 4 (27:14):
Their friendship was really beautiful, and I love that she
just worked for fun because she had people for everything
in her lavish life. And at the end when she's like,
I just want to make love to my rich husband,
I was like, yeah, it must be nice and the
people she's got people for everything.
Speaker 6 (27:31):
So yeah, yeah, So I loved you know, their relationship,
and that relationship was actually a really positive relationship, and
I just okay, So one funny part the Onesies.
Speaker 1 (27:43):
Yeah, so there's a.
Speaker 6 (27:45):
Part where we meet at the very beginning, we meet
Marshall and and that's Alyssa's husband, and he's at a
Boston bar and wearing a onesie because when the Bruins
are playing, they get.
Speaker 2 (27:55):
Free beer at this bar, and ky Ryle ends up
in a onesie.
Speaker 6 (28:01):
They all end up in onesies and go to a bar,
which is a pretty light scene, and I thought, this
is hysterical.
Speaker 2 (28:06):
I can just see these people in onesies drinking beer
in Boston. I want to do that, I know.
Speaker 4 (28:13):
Yeah, And it was funny because it's like, don't you
guys have money to like not have to.
Speaker 1 (28:17):
Worry about free beer, Like you can pay for the beer.
Speaker 4 (28:20):
But it was just the experience, right and ye the game, Yeah,
and those were beautiful, the moments they had with the
four of them having dinners together and all that.
Speaker 1 (28:27):
That was beautiful.
Speaker 4 (28:28):
But then again it comes down to will this be
a great co parenting situation and will he turn around?
And that's why it's neat that there kind of is
a second part to this with it starts with us,
and that I think is follows the journey of her
with Atlas now and navigating the co parenting. You know,
(28:49):
there was that moment where he came in and he's like,
I have to tell you something. I have to tell
you something. I was like, oh my god, did he
do something to Atlas? Like I panicked. I just worried,
you know, when he said and she was like, I
don't know what he's trying to tell me here, and
I was like, oh no, he do what did he do?
Speaker 1 (29:01):
And it was just like.
Speaker 4 (29:02):
That's when he went into his truths about the childhood stuff.
But yeah, so this world with Atlas is going to
be this this new world now that he doesn't have Cassie,
the main up girlfriend.
Speaker 2 (29:14):
Yeah, Atlas and his piercing blue eyes.
Speaker 4 (29:18):
So I you know, this is obviously turning into a
movie that comes out with Blake Lively as Lily. I
watched the trailer today and yeah, it was Atlas. These
characters are so well written. So it was yeah, Blake
Lively as Lily, Justin Baldoni as Ryle Kincaid, and Brendan
Sklennar Scleenar is Atlas Corrigan and he was in The
(29:41):
Big Ugly nineteen twenty three, so that's what Atlas was in.
The one who plays Ryle has been in Jane the
Virgin five feet apart.
Speaker 1 (29:50):
Yeah, yeah, Sweet Light of the Sac and Cody. Yeah,
so that's what he is.
Speaker 4 (29:54):
So yeah, when I was watching the trailer, I wasn't
that attracted to the Ryle in the film.
Speaker 1 (30:01):
I mean, he had a great body and he looked
good in the scrubs.
Speaker 4 (30:03):
But when I saw Atlas and the casting for Atlas,
I was like, Okay, I'm a little more team autless
for for this one.
Speaker 6 (30:09):
Okay, good, I need I need that list to be
like in my head, he just got sweeater.
Speaker 4 (30:15):
But I know, yeah, like the passion with with Ryle
and the love story there is so amazing.
Speaker 1 (30:22):
They have those magical moments.
Speaker 4 (30:23):
But it's like so sweet and innocent and pure with
Atlas and you know, like they always say you should
marry your best friend, and they had that best friend foundation.
It wasn't based on just a passion and like you're
that connection that it was deep.
Speaker 1 (30:38):
So yeah, the movie is.
Speaker 4 (30:39):
Coming out August eleventh. Really looking forward to catching that,
and I really think we should add It Starts with
Us to the list because then we will get a
little bit more on the the Atlas and uh Lily
relationship romance.
Speaker 3 (30:53):
Yeah, but we've got to yeah, got to do that.
Speaker 4 (30:57):
But I'm so glad we read this because, like Tanya said,
I saw it everywhere and I was like, I don't
think it's going to be something I'm into. Is this
just like a cheesy, sappy romance like that all everyone's
getting into.
Speaker 1 (31:08):
But it was not. It was really good.
Speaker 3 (31:10):
It was I think it will be an eye opener
for a lot of people who might think about reading it,
and we of course recommend that you do.
Speaker 1 (31:17):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (31:18):
So thanks again for listening to our Relaxing Reads podcast
and we will be back again with you soon.
Speaker 1 (31:24):
Have a great day.
Speaker 2 (31:25):
Thank you for kicking back and relaxing with us. We
hope you'll join us again on Relaxing Reads.