Reviews with content warning for Mental illness - I'm Thinking of Ending Things

Reviews tagging 'Mental illness'

I'm Thinking of Ending Things by Iain Reid

246 reviews

kaicantcopeland's review

challenging dark emotional lighthearted reflective tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
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

Incredible book. I’ve never felt such a physical and emotional reaction to a novel. Iain does an amazing job of putting you right into the story with the characters, perfectly building tension in a way where you question yourself while reading it. I’ve never read anything like it before. This is a masterpiece!

Content Warnings

minamouse's review against another edition

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challenging 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? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I’ve seen a few reviews stating that they knew exactly where this novel was going, and I just have one question for those people...UMMM HOW!?!?!

I genuinely did not understand what was going on until the last 10 pages of the book, but I enjoyed every second of it! I loved how uncomfortable and overwhelmed this story made me feel. I was looking for something that would really grab me by the throat and throw me through a window. Something that would make me scratch my head unironically. This book succeeded.

I’d be lying if I said I thought this book was perfect, it’s not.

Like most psychological thrillers with horror elements the story can/is confusing. And while I personally enjoy thrillers that don’t spell everything out for me, I can see how some readers may have a hard time getting through this book.

There are three separate distinct voices in this book. You have the POV of the main female, but there are also moments where she will go on these long stream of consciousness rants (because after a while that’s what they start to feel like) about her life in which she is guaranteed to mention her doubts about her romantic relationship. And then we have the occasional page or two that appears to be a discussion between two people about the death/possible murder of an unnamed man.

I reveal at the end of the book triggered an audible gasp from me.

I literally had to put the book down for 5 mins to process this information. THAT’S WHY THE BROTHER WAS NEVER BROUGHT UP! THAT’S WHY THE KITCHEN WAS EMPTY! THAT’S WHY EVERYTHING FELT FIMILAR TO THE FEMALE LEAD! IT WAS JAKE THE WHOLE TIME!

Andddddd this is when the bad taste kicked in. Why must the story of a deeply insecure man use a woman’s POV? I get that she is an expression of his perceived failings, but the more I consider the context in which she is used the more annoyed I become.

It’s still a great book! It’s still a story worth exploring, and I will probably recommend it to my friends, but

I’m getting a little tired of women being used as a foil for insecure men <insert gif of sighing woman eating pizza alone in a diner at 11 PM>.

4 out of 5 ⭐

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iamsamhyde's review against another edition

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dark tense slow-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

3.75

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chickelope's review

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challenging dark mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

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

4.0

Content Warnings

huntingforagoodread's review

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.0

What did I just read? I went into this book thinking it was going to be suicidal, then changed my mind and I’m like “okay, she’s going to break up with her boyfriend”. But the entire premise was confusing as all get out.
Why don’t we learn her name throughout the book? Who is the mysterious Caller? Why does Jake leave her in the car? Does Jake unalive himself at the end or WTH is going on?
I will be watching the Netflix adaptation just so I can hopefully get a better understanding of what I just read.

UPDATE: I watched the Netflix adaptation and I think I have a better understanding of what’s happening in this entire book and I’m updating my rating to a 4 star. I think this is a book that might need multiple rereads for the reader to really understand what is going on.
One- I think the woman in the novel isn’t real. I think she’s a figment of Jake’s imagination, which is why toward the end of the book the narrator (who has been the woman up until now) starts to refer to themselves as “we” instead of “I”. There’s commentary mixed in every few chapters that seem to be following the death of someone.. and I think it was Jake. It’s hard to explain without reading it yourself, and the movie may or may not help you but I think the authors ultimate goal was to showcase depression and loneliness, especially as we age and grow to have regrets about what our lives could have been like.

Please note, this is not a light hearted, easy read. It can be very triggering and as someone with depression myself, it was a very tense read. Please be cautious going into the book and/or the movie and remember that your mental health matters.

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ksanderss's review against another edition

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dark mysterious fast-paced

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

2.5

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polenink's review

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adventurous challenging dark mysterious slow-paced

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

3.25

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syaluo's review

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dark mysterious medium-paced

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

3.0

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selendrea's review

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dark mysterious reflective sad 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? Yes

4.5

I've always felt that a good book makes you want to read it twice. Sometimes to re-experience the plot, sometimes because you love the characters. I wanted to re-read this book because I had to rethink everything I thought I knew, about what I originally took at face value. For me, a good book sometimes requires extra time to process. I had to chew on this book a bit, like the sheep and their cud. As someone in a very close relationship, I appreciated the questions it posed about love, truly knowing one another, being alone, and vulnerability. I think this waxing poetic won't be for everyone, but I personally enjoyed how it was woven into the plot. In fact, I finished this book in one day because it had me hooked from the beginning and it was a relatively easy read.

While I liked the ending, I didn't necessarily care for how the book got there. The final portion felt a bit like it dragged, and I found myself just wanting to know how it all ended rather than feeling suspense. However, that is my only critique. If you enjoy mind-bending plots, philosophical questions, and a quiet sense of dread, give this book a go. When you finish the last page, be sure to re-read the first.

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caseystar's review

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dark reflective slow-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? It's complicated

4.0

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