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maddie7217's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
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? Yes
2.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Suicide, and Suicidal thoughts
Moderate: Blood
Minor: Death of parent
sargasso_c's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
This is the only novel ever that I have finished, and then reread from page one. Definitely worth the read and I look forward to reading more works by this author.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Death, Mental illness, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis
Moderate: Grief, Blood, Death of parent, Self harm, Injury/Injury detail, and Violence
vikkisgrotto's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide
Moderate: Animal death
micasreads's review against another edition
2.0
Jake and his girlfriend are on their way to visit his parents. Along the way, his girlfriend is debating ending their relationship. When they finally arrive at his parent house, dinner is awkward and she is ready to go the moment she gets there. Once they leave they stop by a Dairy Queen and after picking up frozen lemonades, they stop at a remote school to discard the cups. From there, his girlfriend is stalked by a man in rubber boots who seems to know everything about her.
WTH did I just read? This book was odd to put it lightly. There was so much philosophical babble that it annoyed me. It made it appear that the author wanted to show off all he knew. The main character Jake was tedious and annoying as was his girlfriend. To better grasp this novel's point, I had to watch a YouTube video that explained it. I consider myself intelligent, but it seems I was not smart enough for this book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts and Suicide
angrynerd's review against another edition
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
1.0
Labeled as a novel, I would put this work more in the ‘novella’ category. The plot compels readers to tackle it quickly and an avid reader with a stretch of time on their hands could finish this in a sitting or two. However, if it weren’t for it’s shorter length I may have abandoned it before the end. The writing style is very staccato and at the start I was unsure if I was being led by an unreliable narrator or if the author didn’t properly narrate from woman's perspective. The answer was yes to both and in the end it actually worked, but I wasn’t left with the feeling it was done purposefully. Women are not a monolith, but it never felt natural. The author does well constantly supplying a feeling of unease. The second to last chapter contains four pages of a single question asked over and over. However, there are several plot devices, at least one of which I considered important, that are just never explained. I thought reaching the end would give me the ‘Aha!’ that explained the things I was annoyed about or at the very least make them less annoying, but in the end it just wasn’t what the reviews promised.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Gore, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Blood, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Self harm, and Suicidal thoughts
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.
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
salmaanmc's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
A change of pace from conventional thrillers, ‘I’m Thinking of Ending Things’ does a phenomenal job of keeping you hooked from the start in all of its strange and uncanny ways. If you want a great story that is easy to pick up, this is the book for you.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, and Mental illness
curlydanreads's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
I have very mixed feelings about this book. I really enjoyed how creepy and unsettling it was. The tension build up was great, but wish there was more to the ending. A lot of details that appeared in the book that seemed really spooky/interesting/important ended up being red herrings for example: The basement, Dairy Queen, photos
Content Warnings
Moderate: Suicide and Suicidal thoughts
hannahyorkey's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
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? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts
angryveg's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-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
4.0
The ending left me feeling weird and wanting to reread immediately and go back to certain pages. Definitely leaves you feeling like you need to reflect
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, and Blood