Reviews with content warning for Violence - This Is Where It Ends

Reviews tagging 'Violence'

This Is Where It Ends by Marieke Nijkamp

131 reviews

br3anna_'s review against another edition

tense slow-paced

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

2.0

Something I do like is how the characters connect in some way and somehow. For example, Slyv is Autumn's girlfriend and hates Tyler because of being a former victim of his as well as Tomás' sister. Tomás is Slyv's brother and hates Tyler. Claire is Tyler's ex-girlfriend and knows Tomás and Fareed for not liking Tyler. Autumn is Tyler's sister and Slyv's girlfriend.

The book makes your head work. It makes you use your brain without screaming at you who the characters are every five minutes.
Yes, it mentions it sometimes like Adam's They Both Die at The End.

It has the time system that they both die at the end did.
It has different povs.
I like that sort of thing.

Tomás' va in audible has a better Tyler voice than I have ever heard from both of the va's.
Claire's va in audible has a good "news cast lady" voice.

I enjoyed the author hiding certain things. "Sylv and Tomás being brother and sister," but it wasn't mentioned until we got to them meeting in the auditorium. Because they haven't talked.
"Sylv and Autumn being girlfriends" wasn't mentioned until page 22 because it was hidden.

Makes me wonder if that was intentional.

Cons :

Is this book realistic? No. Not at all.
It's almost a joke as to what the author believes is what a school shooting is.

A question that commonly occurs and occurs to me is how Tyler - the shooter of the book - would be able to do this with *one* person. Which is himself.

I read a review of where Tyler is a cartoon-ish villain. And honestly, I agree.
Bro is twirling his little evil mustache/j

A quote ; page 59,

"Be so kind as to lock this door, NOW if you please."

Something he talks about in the book is not being seen and wanting to make people see him. Although I have that problem being a high school student, it's bullshit for the author to think that something so small would be something so big.

I question people's ages and people's races in this book. Perhaps it's because it isn't mentioned as much in the first eight chapters?

I read a review where they felt as though there is no personality between the characters.
And I agree with that as well.
The book feels as though it focuses on the school shooting itself. Which isn't necessarily a bad thing. But if you want to feel something towards the character. I feel there should be more personality there.

I find myself questioning who the tweets are. For example, JEyck32 and KeviiinDR.

Those who don't know. Kevin is one of the first people Tyler shot. And Jay had a crush on him that skipped school.
I was confused about how they were related to the people in the school.
And I assume Mei is the daughter of Mr Jameson?

Maybe I'll go back and annotate the book some more to figure it out.
Or maybe it'll have a chart of how everyone is connected at the end.
Like They Both Die At The End
(So I looked, and it does not have a chart explaining who's who.)

I apologize for continuing to quote that book. Not only is that the book I finished completely without dnfing it. But it also often reminds me of that.

Content Warnings

doctorslycat's review against another edition

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dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

Wonderfully written and a heartbreaking novel. Had me on the edge the entire time, I couldn’t put it down. It’s been a bit since I read it, and if I could read it again for the first time, I would. It does touch on some heavy themes, most of which are pretty self-explanatory, but it does a great job telling them. I recommend this book to anyone looking for a more darker story and are prepared for some angst and grieving with the characters. Though it’s a relatively short time span covered in the book, the writing makes it seem like it takes longer - but in a good way. Love it, and would read it again for the first time if I could!

Content Warnings

nisanre's review

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challenging dark sad fast-paced

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

3.0

This book was compelling and it kept me riveted until the very end and the four narrators had powerful narratives.

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tnemelce's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

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julienicole1106's review

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challenging dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

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

4.0

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butcherlibrary's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

2.75

Content Warnings

chameleon4444's review against another edition

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emotional sad tense medium-paced

Strong character development? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.5

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blessednacho's review against another edition

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dark emotional sad tense slow-paced

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

4.0

This book is excellent. It captures the fear and uncertainty of a school shooting. The characters are believable and interesting. I thought it was really interesting that the book took place over the course of about an hour. However, some of the violence felt meaningless. I get that that's part of the senselessness of school shootings, but sometimes it felt that characters were making choices that were going to get themselves killed with little to no positive impact on the situation.

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emptzuu's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional reflective tense medium-paced

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

2.0

Dutch author Marieke Nijkamp's novel, This Is Where It Ends, attempts to confront a weighty issue but falls short due to its Hollywood-esque approach and superficial exploration. Despite Nijkamp's extensive research efforts, her lack of direct experience with school shootings hampers the authenticity of her portrayal. Rather than delving into technical details, the narrative focuses on the emotional and psychological impact on the characters, which unfortunately overshadows any meaningful insights into the subject matter.

Realism takes a backseat as the story presents a scenario where all characters are conveniently confined to the same space with an active shooter. This portrayal diverges from real-life shootings, characterized by chaos and confusion with individuals scattered throughout the environment. Learned strategies like "run, hide, fight" vanish as the characters comply with the shooter's demands without attempting to defend themselves. In the face of a life-threatening situation, they somehow have time for romance and obsessing over non-essential matters, instead of focusing on surviving.

The 54-minute duration of the shooting brings to mind the Uvalde school shooting in 2022, where police were faulted for treating the situation as a "barricaded subject" rather than an active shooting. Police response typically prioritizes urgency to stop shooters and protect lives.

Tyler's underlying message is clear: "I carry profound hurt—I'll react explosively and project it onto you." The narrative deliberately sidelines his perspective to underscore the impact of his actions. Through flashbacks, we witness Tyler's upbringing in an environment where violence is normalized, both at home and school. The novel exposes systemic failures in addressing bullying and violence, allowing Tyler's behavior to escalate unchecked. Tyler emerges as a complex character grappling with universal feelings of insecurity and alienation, yet also as a deeply entitled individual lacking empathy for others.

However, the author missed an opportunity to delve deeper into the characters' experiences during the shooting by relying too heavily on flashbacks for emotional exploration. With 288 pages and four different points of view, there isn't enough space to fully develop the characters. Claire's perspective, especially, feels disconnected from the central event as she is outside of the shooting. Along with multiple perspectives, this book seems trendy in a superficial manner. While having characters of diverse backgrounds could enrich the narrative, it feels meaningless and opportunistic in this context.

The epilogue's portrayal of survivors' reactions feels tone-deaf, lacking the necessary depth of grief and devastation. Their swift return to the site of the shooting and the overly hopeful tone undermine the seriousness of their experiences.

One might read this book solely for its emotional aspect. It prompts reflection on the multitude of lives shattered, families torn apart, and the many loved ones and friends who will never see another day. Alternatively, it could lead one to contemplate the shortcomings of some authors in handling serious topics. This novel serves as a cautionary example of what not to do when addressing traumatizing subjects.

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lorraine19's review against another edition

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dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

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

1.0

I was expecting a chaotic, gritty, realistic view of school shooting. I was thoroughly disappointed. Instead, this reads like an overly scripted Hollywood movie. There's so many long dialogues and every character just had to have some dramatic heroic moment even if it made no sense. The type of characters didn't really match the setting.

I don't like telling spoilers in reviews but I feel like I need to provide examples of scenes to express how unrealistic it was written....

(SPOILERS) The shooter comes in and an auditorium of a hundred students just goes completely silent. When the doors open, not a single person panics or makes a run for it. Everything is controlled and there is little chaos. Police officers find students a couple blocks from the school and BRING THEM BACK. Like what?! (SPOILERS)

Reading the author's note, they state they grew up in a different country and we're unfamiliar with school shootings. They wrote the book in order to "learn about it". Clearly they should've done more research. Insulting to anyone that's been in proximity to violence like this and does not provide a realistic or fair view of school shootings at all.

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