Colleen Hoover and her genre of literature are not my usual go-to’s when I want to curl up with a cup of hot chocolate with a good book. Normally I go for something more fantastical, so what ostensibly looks like a rom-com or straight-up romance drama would never be on my radar.

But with over two million copies of the book and a major motion picture out in theaters now, there surely is something there. I went to watch the film expecting to be met with the usual tropes of romance films. But while they were all there, from the meet-cute to the requisite Karaoke night, the film is much more than a simple guy-meets-girl. There’s an underlying darkness to it that makes it much more compelling.

Blake Lively plays our lead, Lilly Bloom, a young twenty-something trying to make her way in the world after the death of her father by achieving her dream of opening up a flower shop. As one might expect, she soon finds herself in a meet-cute with an overly handsome neurosurgeon, Ryle, played by Justin Baldoni. The two hit it off and are shown to have a good relationship until Lilly encounters an old flame, Atlas Corrigan, played by George Michael look-alike Brandon Skelnar.

Those who have read the books (Yes, books, because as far as I can tell, the movie covers events from the novel ‘It Starts With Us’ as well) know how the story unfolds, but for those like me going in blind, with no background on the book or author whatsoever, the movie surprises you by slowly peeling away the trappings of a romance movie.

There are many laughs and swooning moments, but the story isn’t built around that. There’s an undercurrent of pain just underneath the surface that comes up now and then and hits you like a brick wall.

While it does tackle very dark themes, it doesn’t drown you in them either. There’s enough levity and hope to keep things going, and based on the squeals and coos from the majority of the female audience, it hits the right buttons.