Valiant Effort in Otherwise Melodramatic Read

The narrators were great considering the sappily melodramatic dialogue and language used by the characters. For me, they were really the only bright spot in the story. I totally understand and admire what the author obviously wanted to do with this story but the whole thing came off too sensationalist, too melodramatic, and too emotionally manipulative with alot of tokenism thrown in for a short at diversity. All these things took away from what could have possibly been a very dark, gritty, and heart wrenching read if only a decent amount of realism and less purple prose was thrown into the narrative of events.

47 people found this helpful

Painful Listen

Don't waste your money, even at the sale price. This was a melodramatic dud at best. The characters are very hard to relate to and the use of their communication via social media added nothing to the story.

I was hoping for a suspenseful and gritty psychological thriller. Instead the author took me through a highly dramatized slew of useless dialogue and poorly written emotional scenes. I hope somebody can take this idea and write something worth the listen/read.

20 people found this helpful

Teenagers Should Love This--

Every now and then I get a hankering for some YA, especially when I see that Nick Podehl is one of the narrators. And you never know, YA, even MG, can be tonic for an adult out of touch with themselves.
This one, "This Is Where It Ends", is good if you want to get in touch with your inner angst-ridden teen. Not so much for adults, really. It's urgent, emotional, fraught with every type of teenager there is. It goes to GREAT lengths to touch on any experience, background a teen can come from. So naturally, you might find yourself rolling your eyes a time or two, if you're an adult.
If you're a teen (and by the way, this is NOT for 11-13 year olds!), more power to you. You'll find yourself within, every emotion you've ever felt, every fear you've ever had.
Masterfully narrated, with Nick Podehl turning in the most compelling character's voice, this is a decent way to spend your time.
Sort of...

24 people found this helpful

I wish I could shoot myself after listening!

I bought this book as the Daily Deal; I like YA and had previously heard good buzz. But after about the first 20 minutes I HATE-LISTENED to it simply so I could write this review. I'm sure Marieke Nijikamp is a nice person. And look, I'm a writer myself, so I don't usually enjoy throwing other writers under the bus. But this books is so sloppy, poorly researched and poorly written, I wonder how it got published. Seriously.

The subject matter is timely and interesting. But that's about the last positive thing I'll have to say. WARNING: MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD.

The book takes place in real time, over the course of an hour, during a school shooting. The story is told from multiple points of view, but not from the shooter's perspective. I will dig into the #1 problem first: the author doesn't seem to know the difference between a SPREE KILLER, A MASS MURDERER and a SERIAL KILLER. While Tyler Browne (the shooter) is technically a mass murderer, he displays both physical signs of a serial killer (torture) and the mental state of a serial killer (enjoys/gets off on killing; it's a power/control thing). Hey, author, research your type of killers!!! In the end (MAJOR SPOILER), Ty went on his shooting spree -- killing 39 people (! -- more on that in one second) -- because his sister is a lesbian. Yup, that's pretty much it. I mean, COME ON! Even in Alabama (where the story is set), it's 2016. No one is depicted as being super gay-hating. WHO CARES?! Frankly, it's rather offensive.

Two of the main characters are the shooter Ty and his sister Autumn, who is one of the narrators. Ty and Autumn's prima ballerina mom died in an auto accident 2 years previous. Since her death, their father (who owns a hardware store) beats Autumn so that she'll give up her own pursuits of a dance career. Autumn's girlfriend Sylvia knows Mr. Browne beats Autumn but doesn't report him. WHAAAA--???? 1) Why is a world famous prima ballerina (it's explained she danced all over the world with famous dance companies) living in Alabama? How did she even meet a hardware store owner? Ridiculous. 2) So, are we to believe that since his wife died in an auto accident (s**t happens, dude), Mr. Browne suddenly becomes a crazy monster abuser?! That's not how it works with parents who abuse their kids! Ridiculous. Research, author, research! Make this REAL, not just convenient for your story!! Finally, what the heck, Sylvia, your girlfriend who you claim you LOVE is being regularly beaten by her father and you don't tell anyone?! Remind me to never date you, sheesh.

As mentioned before, Ty manages to kill 39 people and injure 25 more. The largest mass shooting in the U.S. was recently, in Orlando, with 50 dead. The largest high school shooting, done by a student, was Columbine with 13 dead. Why did the author feel the need to go SO over the top?? It was just grisly for no apparent dramatic or emotional reason.

As other reviewers have noted, the writing is beyond treacly. Everyone is ruminating on how they're feeling as opposed to how they're acting or reacting in this harrowing situation. I didn't connect with anyone. I honestly started to root for various characters to get shot already because then the novel would end faster.

Save your credit and buy another book. ANY other book. It's gotta be better than this one.

6 people found this helpful

You should pass on this one

I know this kind of book is a hard topic to listen to and I was ready for that....but the storyline was the issue. The whole thing was anticlimactic. The characters weren't explained in a way that you could attach yourself to any of them. The actions of each in the end was so unrealistic that I almost didn't finish it. Pass and find a better book.

3 people found this helpful

Good Grief! Pass the Tylenol!

I have never given a 2 star review before. This is a very poorly written book. Here we have a devastating event occurring event which sadly I have to admit has happened far too many time but the back stories are drenched in Peto Bismol. The constant hash tag messages add absolutely nothing as they are written by an adult and should have been written by a teen in order to add pathos and authenticity.

There is more emphasis on 'blood and guts' than there is on the relevance of the tale. If there is supposed to be a message I didn't get it!

3 people found this helpful

Definitely a Unique Listen

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I found myself nervous at times for different characters for different reasons. This isn't the typical YA book. There's some romance in it, but the focus is on the 54 minute time span that makes this such a unique listen. It really made me reflect on how violence and bullying looks in schools in the U.S. today and how there are different ways to cope with it.

10 people found this helpful

Great performance and wonderful characters

Slightly preachy end but overall, a beautifully modern piece set in a high school. I'm glad that I purchased this.

6 people found this helpful

perfect

this book is so raw and powerful. the narrators keep the readers so engaged. this book needs to be made into a movie. I have read and listened to this so many times.

Horrible accents - find Spanish speakers

How hard could it be to find someone who actually speaks Spanish for the Latina character? I am not even 4 chapters into the book and I can't even give the story a chance because of this. Authenticity and representation matter.