A review by bratatouille
I'm Thinking of Ending Things by Iain Reid

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No

2.5

This was thrilling and suspenseful, yet somehow simultaneously so boring. The beginning starts off interesting and odd. An unnamed girl keeps reviving eerie calls from her own number that always leaves the same voicemail. She is on a road trip to meet her boyfriends parents and is thinking of ending things with him. Most of the story takes place in the car and cuts back and forth to different memories of the protagonist’s. The middle of the book truly starts to slog. The twist at the end is compelling! Part of me wants to say that it’s impactful, but I struggle with stories that have twist endings. IMO, a lot of the time the twist doesn’t come as a neat unexpected extra flavor of the plot. Instead, most of the book simply feels like a lead into some grand reveal on the authors part. This book definitely felt like that. Frankly, I’m not entirely sure that the ending makes a ton of sense when tracking back through the rest of the story. I spent the entirety of the book with these two characters and i still somehow have no sense of who they are.  🤷🏻‍♀️ It was an intriguing and short enough read. There’s a movie out somewhere now and I kept hearing about it so I’m glad I read it, but I wouldn’t read it again and have zero interest in the film.