“It Ends with Us” was anticipated to mark BookTok’s entrance into the film industry.

Adapting books into movies isn’t a novel idea, but this particular adaptation showcased a fresh kind of success. It highlighted how readers transformed Colleen Hoover’s 2016 romance novel into a huge sleeper success, encouraging publishers to pay closer attention to what the BookTok community appreciated.

Yet, the mood now seems somber, with some fans expressing regret over the book they helped go viral.

From the outset, the film adaptation of “It Ends with Us” has been surrounded by controversy. Initially, some readers protested against the selection of this book for adaptation, arguing it romanticized domestic abuse. Then came the unflattering pictures of Blake Lively’s unappealing costumes on set. This produced drama overshadowed everything else once it was time for promotional activities, as Lively and Justin Baldoni opted to promote the film independently, while cast members avoided questions about their work with Baldoni.

Now, a sexual harassment allegation has surfaced against Baldoni, and Lively’s legal team claims he launched a “smear campaign” to tarnish her career while hiding his own abusive behavior.

“If this chaotic situation doesn’t convince you that a great book sometimes should just remain a great book, then I don’t know what will,” remarked one fan on TikTok, adding, “It’s so disappointing because the book series was wonderful, and now it’s overshadowed by all this drama.”

‘It Ends with Us’ marked an early success for BookTok romances

“It Ends with Us” is one of several books that gained immense popularity during BookTok’s rise.

The novel boasts nearly two million five-star ratings on Goodreads, with videos showcasing readers crying at the book’s conclusion garnering hundreds of thousands of views. It quickly established itself as a fan favorite on BookTok, alongside titles like “Fourth Wing” by Rebecca Yarros and “A Court of Thorns and Roses” by Sarah J. Maas. All three are frequently highlighted on “As Seen on BookTok” displays in bookstores.

This success even led Hoover to write a sequel, titled “It Starts with Us,” published six years after the original.

However, not all members of the BookTok community were on board with the novel, raising concerns about the accolades it received. Some criticized Hoover for not including trigger warnings, given the heavy themes of domestic violence and abuse present in the story. Others simply found “It Ends with Us” to be embarrassing.

A bumpy journey to the big screen

Overall, the prevailing opinion among readers who propelled “It Ends with Us” into the spotlight was positive – a BookTok success was making its way to theaters, which should have been a cause for celebration.

Nonetheless, there was dissatisfaction regarding Lively, 35 at the time, portraying a 23-year-old character. Then came criticism of the costumes – on-set images showed unconventional, layered outfits that many fans felt did not do justice to the character or Lively herself.

“Did you ever think that maybe the bad looks in the ‘It Ends With Us’ film are because the BOOK itself was bad?” a viral video with over 700,000 likes suggested. “BE SO SERIOUS.”

Hoover later stated on the “Today” show that her main priority was to convey the story, rather than worrying about negative reactions to the costumes.

As the drama escalated, it began with critiques that the film’s promotional material was too cheerful given the heavy subject matter, followed by tensions between Baldoni and the other actors, with Lively and Hoover choosing to promote the film separately from Baldoni.

Despite raking in over $148 million in U.S. ticket sales, many fans felt the film didn’t measure up to the book.

“As a devoted book fan, I’m let down by what was missing in the film,” one video with 20,000 views noted, sharing, “It felt so rushed, but I’d still watch it again.”

Now comes the allegation. Lively’s attorneys claim Baldoni previously disregarded sexual consent, including submitted messages from his PR team stating they could “bury anyone.” Some fans expressed on X that they feel manipulated and weaponized by the negative portrayal of Lively in the aftermath of the film.

This situation has left some fans hesitant about future adaptations of BookTok hits, many of which are currently in development.

“As if ‘It Ends With Us’ wasn’t enough,” one TikTok user expressed. Adding on another video about Anne Hathaway’s casting in “Verity,” a commenter said, “pleeeeease don’t ruin it the way they did ‘It Ends With Us.’”