Reviews with content warning for Addiction - Tell Me an Ending

Reviews tagging 'Addiction'

Tell Me an Ending by Jo Harkin

9 reviews

clairebau's review against another edition

dark mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

This was very conceptually similar to Silvera's More Happy Than Not, which I of course love. This was done just as well. Exploring the idea of a memory erasure procedure through the perspectives of many people feels obvious now. It did a lot to build out the world and the implications of something like this. I was equally invested in every perspective, which never happens.

Ending was a little disappointing. Just a little. The book felt like it was building to something larger than it did. Noor spent the duration of the story investigating a mystery with a payoff that was just... eh. Yeah, the point is that each character is morally gray and that multiple instances of so-called wrongdoing were enacted by different entities, but the reveals didn't pack the punch I wish they would have! I would also have loved more wrap-up to Finn and Mirande's story.

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exhumedprince's review

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challenging emotional hopeful reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

3.0

Eternal Sunshine is one of my favorite movies, so of course this book seemed like it would be right up my alley. There were a lot of things I liked about it, but some of Noor's actions and attitudes, especially towards the end, aggravated me so much, I can't look past it.

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maxrmel's review against another edition

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emotional reflective medium-paced

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

3.75

I wish that the author had focused on a few strong characters rather than many okay ones. Finns storyline was not needed in my opinion. I understood why he was there but it was meh.

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emily_amick's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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sarah984's review against another edition

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emotional reflective sad slow-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

3.0

I was so excited for this book because the memory removal concept holds so much potential, but almost nothing in this book worked for me. The most interesting chapters were Noor's because they explored what working in the clinic was actually like. Most of the characters were disagreeable in uninteresting ways and every time there was suspense it was resolved in the most boring way possible. The ending dragged on way longer than it needed to.

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nicoleisalwaysreading's review against another edition

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emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

3.5

I could see this one being a fabulous HBO miniseries 👀

I really liked the slow development and revealing of facts like a mystery novel. The different characters and bits of the story we received in each of their sections immediately hooked me. For some reason, some of their memory reveals felt anti-climatic, but I think the theme that different people process memories/moments/events differently and they can have a catastrophic impact on individuals' lives and seem unimportant to others was nuanced and layered.

Character writing was complex and nuanced, and I especially liked seeing how Louise fully crystallized with different perspectives falling into place. I also liked the tiny overlaps as each of the characters encounter one another in different ways.

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nataliebootlah's review

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challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

3.5

If you could erase a bad memory, would you?

Nepenthe, a tech company, has unlocked the science of erasing memories and has opened it to the public. Patients have two options: they can knowingly erase a memory or they can erase a memory as well as the knowledge of doing so.

After running into legal trouble, Nepenthe is forced to alert former patients that they’ve unknowingly had a memory removed and give them the option to restore it. We follow Finn, Mei, William, and Oscar as they receive the grappling news as well as Noor, a psychologist that works there.

Tell Me An Ending does a good job of questioning life, love, morality, mental health, and trauma. The rippling effects of the situation are powerful throughout and begs you to figure out what happens next.

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rebekahg876's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious reflective tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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boocwurm's review against another edition

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emotional mysterious medium-paced

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

4.0

What if you once had a painful memory removed? And what if you were offered the chance to get it back? Tell Me an Ending follows four characters grappling with the question of what to remember—and what they hoped to forget forever.

Hello speculative fiction goodness! Tell Me an Ending was a gripping, thought-provoking, sad and page-turning read from start to finish. Noor, the introductory character, works at a memory removal clinic, Nepenthe. When Nepenthe lands in hot water regarding failed procedures, Noor discovers that not everything at Nepenthe is what it seems. Mei, Finn, William and Oscar each struggle with their own circumstances regarding their memories, each with their own tragic or happy endings.

I really appreciated how to-the-point the opening scenes were in establishing what Nepenthe is, what they do and what the major conflict is. Not all dystopian/spec fiction books do this well, but this one certainly did—no confusion to be found.

Each of the main characters were distinct and interesting, with their own unique voices and conflicts. The POVs throughout the book change at great points to kept the reader guessing. The timelines differ a little, so it was confusing at times to place events in the correct order. However, by the end, you can clearly see all the stories connecting. I really enjoyed how everything got tied together by the ending. I grieved for some characters, celebrated others, and contemplated how some could possibly move forward.

In some instances, I was expecting worse “reveals” and was surprised that not everything was as severe as I anticipated. However, this actually worked in the book’s favor, highlighting how deeply a singular event could affect someone and how someone could or could not move on.

I found the story to be cohesive and satisfying overall. It’s a very intriguing story that kept me thinking long after I turned the final page.

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