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3.18 AVERAGE
3.18 AVERAGE
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This book was a slow burn for me. It took me a while to get into it and at times I was confused about what was going on. So this is about twin sisters and one gets into a car accident and loses her memory. The sister then tells her memories about herself but the memories are not real, they are made up. The plot was good and I like how it came together in the end. I like that you find out why her sister made up those memories. There was a moment when I was going to abandon it and not finish, but I’m glad I did.
Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to read this ARC.
Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to read this ARC.
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I really really really wanted to love this book! However, it just didn’t click for me. It started off promising but then got lost along the way in the middle and I found myself questioning the point of this story, where is this going, what am I reading? The very end of the book is why I have rated it 3 stars. The last 10% was the most action filled and intriguing part of the book.
Now, know this is just my opinion, my personal taste. It just didn’t click for me unfortunately.
Read the synopsis and if this sounds like something you’d enjoy reading, definitely go for it. Everyone has different tastes. 🫶
Now, know this is just my opinion, my personal taste. It just didn’t click for me unfortunately.
Read the synopsis and if this sounds like something you’d enjoy reading, definitely go for it. Everyone has different tastes. 🫶
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Memory loss is an incredibly traumatic event. Trust me, I know. In the summer of 2017 I had a seizure, and from that point until the fall of 2018 I have maybe one or two memories because I was diagnosed as having a type of epilepsy caused by traumatic brain injury. We don’t even know what the traumatic brain injury was because I can’t remember. I have a specific type of PTSD that’s tied directly to the trauma of having over a year of time lost. To this day, my memory is splotchy at best.
So I can deeply identify with Kat, the twin who loses her memory in a car accident at the beginning of this book. When you lose your memory, you become completely dependent on those around you to fill in the blanks. Then you have to hope that those around you are honest and ethical enough to tell you the objective truth and not mislead you.
Can you imagine that level of trust? (Yeah, I have a lot of trust issues).
Luckily, Kat knows one solid thing once she wakes up: her mirror twin, Jude. Jude is where she ends and begins, like a Mobius strip. They twist and flow into one another. They may be separate beings, but they share that mystical twin link, and Jude is determined to care for Kat and help her slowly but surely remember all she has lost.
The thing is, Kat lives up to her name, for she is curious and things just don’t quite add up.
The things I liked the most about this book were the prose and the psychological terrors that lie behind trusting someone else to fill in your memories. It doesn’t matter how good someone’s intentions are–memories intrinsically belong to the individual, and unless you spend 24/7/365.25 with a person you can’t begin to provide them with anything close to a reliable recitation. Even if you try, you should be truthful, even if the truth is painful.
The prose is compelling and propulsive, engaging in its vigor and imagery. If this wasn’t so clearly a thriller novel I would classify it as literary fiction. Kahler has a lovely way with words, painting vivid pictures and thrilling scenes throughout the book.
The book is truly great, but it’s a little too long, in my opinion. I feel like it could have been trimmed in a few places in each act and made for a much tighter novel, but I don’t truly believe the story suffers overmuch for it. I definitely recommend it.
I was provided a copy of this title by NetGalley and the author. All thoughts, opinions, views, and ideas expressed herein are mine and mine alone. Thank you.
slow-paced
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
I received Where a you End as an ALC through NetGalley and I couldn’t wait to read/listen to it! The beginning had me captivated and I was invested in Kat’s story, so captivated in fact that I chose this book as my Aardvark book box… but then somewhere in the middle the pacing felt like it came to a halt and as I was trying to push through, I found myself zoning out from time to time. I thought the narrator was fine but something about it didn’t quite get me to the five stars I really wanted it to be. Maybe the story to narrating didn’t translate how it should have but unfortunately it ultimately fell a bit flat for me. Now, I still found this story to be enjoyable and definitely unique! The beginning and end were great, I just got lost somewhere in the middle. I will definitely be checking out any other books Abbott Kahler puts out, and I’m curious to see other people’s thoughts on this one. Where You End comes out 1/16/24!
Thank you so much NetGalley, & Macmillan Audio for my advanced copy and the chance to review it honestly.
Happy reading!
Thank you so much NetGalley, & Macmillan Audio for my advanced copy and the chance to review it honestly.
Happy reading!
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
As far as thrillers go, this one was much more suspenseful than it was thrilling. Also, it absolutely should come with trigger warnings for pedophilia, emotional and physical child abuse, and murder and more…
The audiobook narration was fine but the actual writing was very slow, with the Kat essentially stumbling around in the dark to understand her life until the last 25% or so. The thread of the twins only difference being Jude’s queerness felt heavy handed at best.
Once things picked up, the writing got a bit better, but overall I found this to have too many threads to follow, while also somehow being a bit boring until shortly before the end.
The audiobook narration was fine but the actual writing was very slow, with the Kat essentially stumbling around in the dark to understand her life until the last 25% or so. The thread of the twins only difference being Jude’s queerness felt heavy handed at best.
Once things picked up, the writing got a bit better, but overall I found this to have too many threads to follow, while also somehow being a bit boring until shortly before the end.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Murder, Gaslighting, Sexual harassment