Reviews tagging 'Sexual content'

I'm Thinking of Ending Things by Iain Reid

29 reviews

crows_in_a_trenchcoat's review against another edition

dark mysterious slow-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? N/A

2.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide and Death

Moderate: Child death

Minor: Sexual content

princess_marie's review against another edition

challenging dark tense slow-paced

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

2.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide

Moderate: Animal death and Blood

Minor: Death of parent and Sexual content

autumnwhite's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious tense medium-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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic relationship, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Death, Sexual content, Self harm, Murder, Cursing, Alcohol, Violence, Suicide, and Mental illness

literatureleaf's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-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? Yes

4.5

Age: 15+

 

Reading time: 3 days

 

Difficulty level: 1.5/5

 

Rating: 4.5/5

 

 

I’m Thinking of Ending Things by Iain Reid follows our nameless protagonist and her boyfriend Jake as they embark on a road trip to have dinner with Jake’s parents. Plagued by thoughts of ending the relationship, she spends the car ride mulling over how it got to this point, and wondering if this is how it was always meant to be.

 

Meeting his family does not quell her hesitations, and the journey back home begins in a very similar manner to the trip there. However, after an unplanned stop at the local high school Jake attended as a teenager, things begin to go downhill in a way that neither the characters themselves nor the reader could have predicted.

 

A genuine literary thriller, I’m Thinking of Ending Things intricately weaves suspense and in-depth, authentic character study together in a way that has never been done before. Without holding anything back, Reid puts a new spin on the concept of a plot twist and utilizes it in a way that can be described as nothing short of poetic.

 

Atmosphere reigns supreme in this novel. Built up slowly and steadily, through scarce but vivid depictions of a desolate, snowy setting brimming with despair, and an unfiltered look at the flitting, unfettered thoughts and observations of the main protagonist, consistent, permeating feelings of dread and unease slowly creep up as the plot advances.

 

Written in a deceptively simple, choppy manner, I’m Thinking of Ending Things will sneak up and grab you in a chokehold when you’re least expecting it. As the tale unfolds, and little glimpses of something that is deeply wrong just beneath the surface of what appears to be a straightforward, even somewhat boring, trip between a couple on the brink of a breakup emerge, the reader is left deeply unsettled, wondering what it is that they are missing.

 

Flaws are few and far between, but so much of the story takes place within the protagonist’s mind, that at times it can be a bit stifling. Inner monologues fill much of the story, only broken up intermittently with the stark, vivid imagery mentioned earlier, and although they are incredibly well written, feeling stuck in the narrator’s head is not an uncommon feeling.

 

Invoking feelings of longing, despair, unease, and grief for the characters, I’m Thinking of Ending Things reads and feels like a beautiful punch to the gut that will leave you simultaneously longing for more and begging for it to be over. A devastatingly believable account of a life filled with pain, loneliness, and resentment, I’m Thinking of Ending Things will live on in the minds of those who have read it for months after the final page is read and the book itself is closed.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Self harm, Suicide, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Animal death, Blood, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

Moderate: Gore, Stalking, Violence, and Body horror

Minor: Cursing, Death of parent, Sexual content, and Alcohol

splatteredbastard's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense slow-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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Death of parent, Death, Cursing, Injury/Injury detail, Emotional abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Suicide, Suicide attempt, Toxic relationship, and Panic attacks/disorders

Moderate: Sexual content

wends_nblw's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

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

2.75

Mini Disclaimer : I am both reading and reviewing this while under the influence of marijuana so maybe take my review with a grain of salt?

                                                                                             ----

Hrmmmmnghhhh.... I'm disappointed.

Once again, I've read a highly recommended book that unfortunately didn't live up to expectations. However, I will pat myself on the back for semi-guessing the twist about 3/4 into the book.

i initially thought jake was the fake one, not lucy

I didn't find the writing style to be quite appealing. I've seen others complain about the choppiness, but I found that to be the only thing appealing about it. Towards the end, it really lost me though. I feel like the twist could've been written better, but maybe it was intended to be that way. 

Otherwise, I didn't find the story to be all that interesting, nor all that unsettling. But if you enjoy piecing a challenging mystery together and being utterly confused on where to place each piece, I'd say to give this book a try. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide

Moderate: Stalking and Animal death

Minor: Sexual content

peachani's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious slow-paced

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

2.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness

Moderate: Death, Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, and Stalking

Minor: Alcohol and Sexual content

archer_w27's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious tense

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

3.75

no thank you. i can't. i won't.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Self harm, Blood, Stalking, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Murder, Death, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Sexual content

brookebatesratesbooks's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Cursing

Minor: Sexual content

alexisgarcia's review against another edition

dark mysterious reflective tense fast-paced

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

4.0

i have never read any other book like this so far. the concept was fascinating and i thought it was executed well for the most part. the only issue was i wish the ending was explained a little bit better. i did have to do some research to understand the ending which i did not think i should have to do. maybe i just missed something though. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Mental illness, Suicide, Stalking, Suicidal thoughts, Body horror, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Sexual content