Reviews tagging 'Mental illness'

I'm Thinking of Ending Things by Iain Reid

213 reviews

pchamblee's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? N/A
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

This is the first audiobook I’ve tried and made it all the way through, so I have to give major credit to Candace Thaxton and the rest of the narration team for pulling it off so well. Considering the psychological suspense factor, I’ll forever be curious what it would have been like to experience it the first time in print (possibly would have been even more mind-boggling)—but, I thoroughly enjoyed the delivery of the narration.

This is a very eerie and disturbing story. It’s obvious early on that there’s mystery involved and there will be a twist at the end, but I don’t think any reader can be fully prepared for what comes (despite all the hints woven in). Even though I typically go for comfort fiction with happily ever afters, I love a good psychological thriller story and this book does it really well. It’s unique in the way it balances a meandering intellectual commentary with a thoroughly terrifying cautionary tale.

I’ve heard the Netflix film adaptation isn’t 100% true to the book and many fans say it doesn’t do it justice, but once I get a chance I’m gonna watch it out of curiously and just because I liked this story so much.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Self harm, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Death, Violence, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide

Moderate: Blood, Death, Mental illness, and Self harm

Minor: Alcohol, Medical content, Violence, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, and Death of parent

mary_stormageddon's review against another edition

dark mysterious reflective fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

Just wish the reveal of the twist, which I saw coming, wasn't so casual. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Mental illness, Suicide, Animal death, and Confinement

jacklynp's review against another edition

dark mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Mental illness, Death, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

drpeeper's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Stalking, Blood, Suicide, and Mental illness

Minor: Injury/Injury detail and Grief

alliefresh's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

A quote from the book that almost brought me to tears:

What if the maggots continue to feed and feed and feed and continue to be felt.

A detailed yet small book, filled with philosophical questions left without an answer. 

A horror of the human mind.

A book of small, yet seemingly large, human anecdotes that are tied into a bow at the end. Wrapping it up perfectly for a sinister ending.

I highly recommend this and it's film. A film that takes the book and twists it into a kafkesque existential dream. It may be different, but it's core is the same. Only the decorations are different.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Suicide attempt, Suicide, and Suicidal thoughts

Moderate: Blood

maggie_gaca's review against another edition

mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness

clumsyknees's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide

Moderate: Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Animal death, Mental illness, and Stalking

hauntedantiqueshop's review against another edition

dark mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

1.0

I’m actually not sure we all read the same book. Y’all liked that lame ass ending? 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Stalking, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Suicide, and Mental illness

Moderate: Injury/Injury detail and Medical content

Minor: Animal death and Death of parent

kaleegannon's review against another edition

3.5

genuinely frightening!! very atmospheric, unsettling. enjoyed the dialogue in the first half a lot, too. minus points for the ending but really enjoyed the ride up until then.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Self harm, Mental illness, Animal death, Suicidal thoughts, Death, Suicide attempt, Injury/Injury detail, and Suicide

Moderate: Stalking and Gaslighting

Minor: Blood and Ableism

suicide:

character dies by suicide in last couple pages. act described in detail. suicidal thoughts leading up to act also described in detail.

animal death:

character sees multiple dead animals on a farm. another character describes in detail euthanizing sick farm animals.

maggie_falk's review against another edition

dark reflective tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

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Content Warnings

Minor: Mental illness