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A review by jane_carey
This Is Where It Ends by Marieke Nijkamp
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
⭐⭐/⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
HUGE TWs
I'm having a hard time figuring out how exactly to voice my problems with this book so I'll start with a positive? It made me cry, bawl like a baby just because of its nature. It was also pretty diverse which counts for something. That being said I feel like it was written by someone who really wanted to cover an important topic but didn't actually have the ability to do so. I've seen a few other reviewers say it was very "black and white" and I think that's a good way to put it. And I'm not at all looking for any glorification of school shooters but it would have been nice to show how varying victims can be and how events like these still have such a huge impact on everyone. My biggest issue however, was the portrayal of how the characters coped with the shooting and previous traumas. It felt very unrealistic and, for lack of a better term slightly offensive. Off of my distaste for the content I was also disappointed in the writing style. It was written in four different POVs and it may as well have been a book in one perspective with how similar the voice of every character was. Overall I'm very disappointed, this topic is one I want to learn more about and I think I will try to find books that portray it more realistically.
HUGE TWs
I'm having a hard time figuring out how exactly to voice my problems with this book so I'll start with a positive? It made me cry, bawl like a baby just because of its nature. It was also pretty diverse which counts for something. That being said I feel like it was written by someone who really wanted to cover an important topic but didn't actually have the ability to do so. I've seen a few other reviewers say it was very "black and white" and I think that's a good way to put it. And I'm not at all looking for any glorification of school shooters but it would have been nice to show how varying victims can be and how events like these still have such a huge impact on everyone. My biggest issue however, was the portrayal of how the characters coped with the shooting and previous traumas. It felt very unrealistic and, for lack of a better term slightly offensive. Off of my distaste for the content I was also disappointed in the writing style. It was written in four different POVs and it may as well have been a book in one perspective with how similar the voice of every character was. Overall I'm very disappointed, this topic is one I want to learn more about and I think I will try to find books that portray it more realistically.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence and Blood
Moderate: Child abuse, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Death of parent, and Toxic friendship
Minor: Chronic illness