Reviews tagging 'Death of parent'

This Is Where It Ends by Marieke Nijkamp

93 reviews

lorraine19's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

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

1.0

I was expecting a chaotic, gritty, realistic view of school shooting. I was thoroughly disappointed. Instead, this reads like an overly scripted Hollywood movie. There's so many long dialogues and every character just had to have some dramatic heroic moment even if it made no sense. The type of characters didn't really match the setting. 

I don't like telling spoilers in reviews but I feel like I need to provide examples of scenes to express how unrealistic it was written....

(SPOILERS) The shooter comes in and an auditorium of a hundred students just goes completely silent. When the doors open, not a single person panics or makes a run for it. Everything is controlled and there is little chaos. Police officers find students a couple blocks from the school and BRING THEM BACK. Like what?! (SPOILERS)

Reading the author's note, they state they grew up in a different country and we're unfamiliar with school shootings. They wrote the book in order to "learn about it". Clearly they should've done more research. Insulting to anyone that's been in proximity to violence like this and does not provide a realistic or fair view of school shootings at all. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Murder, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Alcoholism, Bullying, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Dementia, Car accident, Death of parent, Toxic friendship, and Sexual harassment

kashrae99's review against another edition

dark emotional sad medium-paced

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

3.75

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Mass/school shootings, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Cursing, Homophobia, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Medical content, Dementia, Death of parent, Lesbophobia, and Alcohol

Minor: Bullying, Chronic illness, Religious bigotry, Car accident, and War

beki_hilda's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

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

4.75

bawled the last quarter of the book. could not catch a full breath till i was finished reading. and the fact that it all happened in less than an hour was so gut wrenching 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Cursing, Gore, Gun violence, Homophobia, Violence, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Death of parent, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Bullying, Sexual assault, Medical trauma, and Car accident

sabrina_michelle11's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

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

3.25

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Homophobia, Rape, Sexual assault, Suicide, Blood, Mass/school shootings, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

sunset052904's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense fast-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

4.25

This book is very relevant today if you live in America, especially if you have kids in school aswell. This book is a fiction novel about almost every American parents nightmare when sending their children to school. The author not only does a great job with such a sensitive subject but they hook you and throw in so much backstory you can easily love some of these characters.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Death, Gun violence, Suicide, Blood, Mass/school shootings, and Murder

Minor: Rape and Death of parent

kenziehath's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense slow-paced

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

2.75

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Gun violence, Blood, and Mass/school shootings

Moderate: Suicide

Minor: Child abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, and Death of parent

ecahill23's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Bullying, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Homophobia, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Medical content, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, and Murder

kanorve's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful sad tense fast-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

4.0

It’s a really hard read. Especially for a mom who worries about these things.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, Death, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Homophobia, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Dementia, Grief, Car accident, Death of parent, and Murder

username330's review against another edition

dark tense fast-paced

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

3.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Confinement, Death, Genocide, Gun violence, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Bullying, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Death of parent

Minor: Infidelity, Toxic relationship, Medical content, Lesbophobia, Gaslighting, and Abandonment

marisabenn's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense 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

4.0

Wow. What a gut wrenching, and all too realistic, story. 

I really liked how the chapters were laid out with the time stamps. The four POVs make this heartbreaking and hopeful. I honestly have few words for this one. It's powerful with so many layers and pieces to be taken away.

It was difficult to keep track of minor characters. I wish the author would have included a list of victims, even if it is fictional. There were so many names either half-remembered or never known that I got lost. 

I also wish there was more about Tyler. We don't know why he wanted to mass murder his classmates, but I guess that's not rare for school shootings. In the end it just felt a little..... forced? I'm not sure, but it was lacking something. 

Definitely need a light rom-com after this heartbreaker. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Death, Gun violence, Homophobia, Suicide, Blood, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Bullying, Dementia, and Death of parent

Minor: Alcoholism, Chronic illness, Cursing, Rape, Sexual assault, and Car accident