TW - suicide.

Multiple best-selling author Scott Atwood is at his wit's end, thanks to an extended case of writer's block. He heads to the train station, to find inspiration for his overdue book or to end it all. The outcome? A plot so full of twists and turns it might as well be a mobius strip!

Plot and pacing are the biggest strengths of this thriller. While the main characters are complex and well-developed, I found none of them relatable. And the more I read, the more I disliked Scott Atwood.

The unexpected ending made me go back and read the first few chapters again. Could I have figured it out if I'd read more closely? Nope. Kudos to Rob Kaufman for coming up with such a unique storyline.

I knew this this was going to be an amazing read!

Thank you NetGalley, Publisher and Author for this advanced ebook!

This dark and fast paced book I couldn't have enjoyed a book more and than I did this one!
The writing was surprisingly done so well, it had me hooked from the start.
I loved the characters and story-line and I was guessing right up until the end. Full of wonderful brilliant characters.
Looking for a book that will have wanting more.... Read this one!

Every hit a brick wall? Been terrorised by a blank page? Would you consider manipulating your friends and neighbours for inspiration? How far would you go? This book is for you. Unfortunately, I'm not an aspiring writer and I struggled to finish it as I didn't like any of the characters. I found them to be one dimensional and a bit vile. I might have liked it better if the story focused on one character and incident rather than everyone and everything going on in the neighbourhood in such a short time frame.

I received acopy of this book through NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

This book has a really good premise. And its a quick read, not just in length but the pacing is good too. My only criticism would be, it feels like this was originally a screenplay that was converted for a book. The characters are doing things and saying things, but there is not much in the way of three dimensional motivations and characterization. I haven't decided how I feel about the ending, a part of me likes it a lot and another part of me doesn't. It does fit, though.

I think this would make a good movie.

Loved this!! Great plot: famous author has writer's block and is on a deadline with nothing written, how far will he go to get his creative juices flowing?!? Can he really create turmoil in other's life just to come up with a story?!? This was a quick read with a twisty ending!

The Perfect Ending - Rob Kaufman
🌟🌟🌟🌟
TW: Suicide

This one goes in the What The Fiction? Pile… it was awesome and twisted and unique. A unique thriller!!! They are so hard to come by nowadays! It will actually keep you guessing, not just tell you it will and then send a standard formula your way.
Scott Atwood is a famous writer, feverishly stuck in an eight month writers drought. With his agent breathing down his neck he has to find a new story NOW or find a spectacular way to go out on a high. He takes himself to the train station as a sort of literary ultimatum; write the next best seller or jump in front of a train.
And it occurs to him that there are stories all around him, they just need a little tweak here, a little shove there and suddenly; he’s stumbled onto the idea of messing him with his neighbours in order to create a story.
Unlikeable protagonists aren’t my thing and I hated this guy from the get go. But the story! The story is just fantastic. Twisted, dark and ultimately a real puzzler. It sort of put me in mind of Stephen King’s Secret Window. I loved it; I finished it in half a day; I’m looking for a hard copy to add to my bookish collection.
Thanks so much to @netgalley and @robkaufman for my electronic copy of the Perfect Ending. Absolutely brilliant stuff.

Intriguing Premise…
Writers block? The end of a career? What would be the perfect ending? Inspiration strikes when you least expect, often with far reaching consequences. Cleverly compiled suspense with an intriguing premise at its heart - but just what is fiction here, what is reality and just how blurred are those lines?

I really liked The Perfect Ending. It grabbed me from page one and kept me going until the end. It's a dark and compelling book. I have worked with authors before and can see how not being able to meet a deadline or come up with a good plot can affect their psyche. The book was a good read.

Fantastic! Dark and fast paced, this book has all the ingredients of a great movie…. Reminiscent of some early Stephen King concepts (and what a compliment that is) the author brings together a compelling plot with a fascinating main character. It’s well written, does not try to be more than it is and I really hope there is more to come from this author.

To say that reading this book became addictive is a huge understatement. I would stupidly pick the book up only intending to read a couple of chapters to fill in the odd half hour but I would become so wrapped up in the story that I would still be sat there well over an hour and several chapters later. Loved the twists never saw it coming!

An interesting observation on the angst of an author with writers block. I hope for the sake of Rob Kaufman’s neighbours that it’s not taken from personal experience.
Not a long book and if you don’t mind an unpleasant lead character an easy read. Good unexpected twist at the end.

If anyone has ever had an issue when writing or even coming up with a business proposal. This book is for you! This book got me in the first chapter. It brings into focus our decisions we make and how they can affect those around us. Even if you may not know someone at all, just know who they are. Decisions have a ripple affect to those who are around our decisions when we make them. Loved this story and I will be getting my hands on his other books to read.

A unique, twisty story that kept my attention for the most part. I found myself wondering when I was about 80% of the way through when it was going to end, but was pleasantly surprised with how it turned out. I liked the premise of the story as it was different from other books out there. Would recommend!

A best-selling, Edgar winning thriller author named Scott has a problem. He has writer’s block and is extremely late delivering his newest book to his publisher. Eventually, Scott decides to kill himself. But he needs to find The Perfect Ending to his life first. It has to be radical enough of a conclusion that people will talk about it long after his funeral.

When his plan to die fails, he comes up with a new plan to get a plot for his book. He will create havoc in his neighbors’ lives. First up, he tells his hot-headed neighbor to go home at the same time the neighbor’s wife is having her weekly lay-in with her side piece. Unfortunately, Scott doesn’t stop there.

I enjoyed this unusual plot! I’ve read several books where the characters come to life. This is the first book I’ve read where real people become characters. The writing style was fluid and compelling. I read the entire book in one sitting. And, of course, it really had The Perfect Ending. 5 stars and a favorite!

Thanks to the author and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for my honest review.

This was a compelling and thoroughly enjoyable read from start to finish with a great storyline, interesting cast of characters and all capped off by skilful writing. It's well worth your time if you appreciate great storytellers.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of The Perfect Ending.

This was a short read but the narrative felt twice as long because Scott Atwood was so unlikable.

I also didn't like the cast of supporting characters, and I wondered why the chapters were flip flopping between perspectives.

The twist at the end was good, though it doesn't make up for how much I disliked Scott and the so-so plot.

A bestselling author facing a deadline that he can't meet decides to do something drastic to create the sort of ending his readers expect and deserve. What if he deliberately messes up his neighbors' lives and used that as material for the book he already should have written? Scott Atwood was a thoroughly unlikeable character and he wasn't interesting enough to keep me curious about what would happen to him. There's a sudden twist at the very end, which in hindsight probably should have been obvious.

Paralyzed by writer’s block, Scott Atwood’s career is over, and so, he’s decided, is his life. He just has to figure out the perfect ending befitting a popular, award-winning thriller-suspense author who always gives his fans a mind-blowing finale. But instead he comes up with a clever and interesting new idea for a book. And the story takes off from there.It is a really wild ride with a lot of twists and turns and crazy stuff happening. This is a really difficult book to describe because it is quite unique in its storytelling. All I can say is read it. You will not be disappointed and you will find yourself, like me, hoping this guy writes a whole bunch more. Thank you NetGalley for the advanced readers copy for review.

This book had me from start to finish. So many twists and turns and such empathy for the main character and his bad luck until he gets an idea for a book that is so twisted and insane. Just wow, I could not put this down! Just when I thought I had this figured out, another twist.

A highly recommended thriller!

Thanks to Netgalley, Rob Kaufman and Independent Book Publisher Association Member's Titles for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Already available: 6/15/21

Best selling author Scott Atwood is facing the end of his career. He hasn’t written a word for months, he’s lied to his long suffering agent about his “progress” on his new novel, his problem drinking has escalated and, finally, his wife has left him. He decides that suicide is his only answer and by throwing himself under the wheels of a train, he’ll get one more publicity buzz. So he prepares. Standing on the edge of the train platform, watching the oncoming train, waiting…but stop! He has an idea and it is genius.

At home, he begins a novel, a novel about his neighborhood which would not be interesting except for some observations he has made about certain neighbors. Can he turn those observations into a thriller? How? And what could go wrong?

That’s all I’m going to say about The Perfect Ending. I could not put it down. It’s suspenseful, exciting and creative. Rob Kaufman has turned a totally unique idea into a must read. 5 stars

Thank you to NetGalley, Independent Book Publishers Association and Rob Kaufman for this ARC.