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

Reviews tagging 'Violence'

I'm Thinking of Ending Things by Iain Reid

33 reviews

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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lunarliberty's review against another edition

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dark sad slow-paced

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

3.0

Mid at best, but definitely chilly. Listening to this book at 1am in a dark bedroom, is downright spooky. But Reid throws away the ending and leaves you empty. The ending is confusing and I did not understand until researching it. There is critic for the dialogue, it is not dynamic and feels more like characters exchanging monologues. This choice makes sense in the end, but it is difficult to get through.
I read this book twice. Not for its merit, but because it is so forgettable, I did not realize until I updated my read list.

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elisha002's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional mysterious 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? It's complicated

3.0

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elysests's review

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challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense slow-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? It's complicated

3.0

So, so weird! Really interesting and atmospheric, but painfully slow at times. This book swerves from a tense and drawn own suspense novel to a devastatingly drawn out psychological horror ending. Even as a person who loves suspense/thrillers, and psychological storylines, I wish the author would have cinched together more of the (very cool) threads. Love the symbolism though, and the characters feel fresh. More specifics below the spoiler tag.

I really felt like the ending was unsatisfying— there are so many details I’m left confused by. I get that Jake was the janitor the whole time, and he was imagining what could have happened with a girl to care about him, but what was the man outside the window waving when she was a little girl? What about the scratches in the basement? What was the deal with the video in the janitor’s room, and the freaky notes? I feel like I barely understand what the caller signifies, and what their message means. This book is haunting, and definitely tense, but I wish the ending could have relieved some of the tension instead of just letting out the air. :/

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moxiereads's review

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dark tense medium-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? It's complicated

1.5

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gabigarcia's review

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dark emotional mysterious 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? Yes

4.5

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pchamblee's review

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challenging dark mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.75

This is the first audiobook I’ve tried and made it all the way through, so I have to give major credit to Candace Thaxton and the rest of the narration team for pulling it off so well. Considering the psychological suspense factor, I’ll forever be curious what it would have been like to experience it the first time in print (possibly would have been even more mind-boggling)—but, I thoroughly enjoyed the delivery of the narration.

This is a very eerie and disturbing story. It’s obvious early on that there’s mystery involved and there will be a twist at the end, but I don’t think any reader can be fully prepared for what comes (despite all the hints woven in). Even though I typically go for comfort fiction with happily ever afters, I love a good psychological thriller story and this book does it really well. It’s unique in the way it balances a meandering intellectual commentary with a thoroughly terrifying cautionary tale.

I’ve heard the Netflix film adaptation isn’t 100% true to the book and many fans say it doesn’t do it justice, but once I get a chance I’m gonna watch it out of curiously and just because I liked this story so much.

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