As Colleen Hoover’s 2016 bestselling romantic novel It Ends with Us nears its release on the big screen, people are interested to see how the adaptation’s two leads, Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni, perform as the leading love interests, Lilly Bloom (Blake Lively) and Ryle Kincaid (Justin Baldoni). The book follows their budding romance, which faces a challenge after Bloom’s first love, Atlas.

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Unfortunately for the eager viewers, the release date hasn’t been confirmed as of now — late 2023 or early 2024 are looking most likely — many fans of the book have taken this opportunity to revisit the story as well as try and assess how the actors will portray two beloved characters.

Of all the comparisons being made, a wide age gap between the actors and characters they are set out to play has become a noteworthy talking point. This brings us to address the titular question of what the characters’ ages in the books are.

In the book, it is mentioned that Ryle Kincaid, to be played by Baldoni, is seven years older than his love interest, Lilly Bloom, which makes him 30 to Bloom’s 23.

Baldoni, who is both directing and starring in the film, is 39 in real life and will be playing a younger character alongside a 35-year-old Lively, who is finding herself challenged with playing a college graduate in her early twenties.

Besides the age differences, the film will be following the plot of the book, which revolves around Kincaid and Bloom’s romantic encounter and how the pair subsequently navigates various difficulties and obstructions in their way.