"I see it in you now. You’ve got some real crazy in you."

Secrets, lies, and betrayal abound in The End of Getting Lost. Duncan and Gina, a young married couple, are spending their belated honeymoon in Europe, where Gina is recovering from a traumatic accident that resulted in partial memory loss. She cannot recall the past year of their lives… and Duncan wants to keep it that way.

"She’d resolved to spend her life with this man… Only now, in their dark room, he seemed all shadows, hidden. How much of the truth was he concealing? For how long? Was this Duncan who lay before her the man she believed him to be?"

Soon, it becomes clear that friends, family members, and people from their past have been trying to track the couple down. The police are involved, and Duncan is running out of excuses and places to hide. Duncan is clearly keeping secrets, but is it possible that Gina has a few secrets of her own?

"You’re determined to see Gina as some innocent being, when that’s the last thing she is."

I definitely got some light You vibes from this one - a controlling guy, manipulating outcomes in his relationship without his partner’s knowledge, “all done out of love for you.” The End of Getting Lost is described as “an elegant exploration of love and marriage,” but I’m not convinced that love and ownership are the same thing, and Duncan was clearly treating Gina like a possession he owned and could selfishly hoard, not like a person he truly loved or would allow to flourish.

"See what he’d been willing to go through, what knots he’d twisted himself into to keep that one going? My God, you really do love me, he knew Gina would think. Not all women might feel that way, but Gina of the grand gesture, Gina who considered her father’s obsessive devotion the hallmark of true love, didn’t she crave precisely this sort of madness?"

My favorite thing about The End of Getting Lost was the captivating setting. Robin Kirman’s world-building is effortless and expansive, setting readers on a tour of Europe within the pages. From Berlin to Prague to Rome, I felt like an armchair jetsetter as I read, enamored with the Czech castles and Tuscan countrysides. The characters’ careers in fine arts (dance, composition, painting) infused the book with so much culture that only enhanced those worldly, influential vibes.

"The piece Duncan composed was full of menace and chaos but then, when transposed to a new key, slowed and sweetened, became intensely romantic. A love song with the threat nestled inside."

Fans of Sally Hepworth, who prefer their domestic thrillers to be heavy on the character development, with a heaping side of relational drama, will appreciate Kirman’s strong emphasis on characterization and relationship backstories. The suspense/tension elements are minimal, and the relationship dynamic is the focus for most of the novel. We get to see the relationship between Duncan and Gina grow, from the time they met until now, and the dual-perspective narration sheds light on their experiences through both sets of eyes.

"How wrong we always are, after all, when we believe we know the minds of those we love."

Overall, it was a very fast-paced read, and the setting kept me hooked even when the plot itself got a little murky. A solid 4-star read!

——

A huge thank you to Robin Kirman, Simon & Schuster, and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Gina and Duncan appear to be the ideal couple, both professionals in the art field (dancer and composer). But are they really? Secret after secret unfolds as Gina slowly regains her memory after an accident which caused her to have amnesia. The story takes us back to their earlier lives and happenings, and we have to wonder how it will end. Will they still be together? Will Gina discover a former lover? Are there things Duncan is hiding from her?

I had the patience to wait for these answers and I believe you will, too.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the chance to read and review it.

I'm not sure what it was about The End of Getting Lost but I felt I was getting lost in the book. It may be the writing style of the author but I couldn't connect. I love the concept of famed dancer Gina hitting her head and losing her memory. Duncan the husband who learns he needs to change his ways. Concept of love and loss with mystery thrown in.

I'd give this book 3.5/5 stars. Enjoyable but my biggest issue is the pace of the story, when it felt slow I had a hard time motivating myself to finish. I felt character development was great, especially the husband Duncan but oddly I enjoyed reading the wife, Gina's, perspective better even though I did not care for her overall storyline-does it make sense...no, is it how I still feel? Yes, lol. I think the label of mystery/thriller and the word "suspenseful" in the description made me expect a more fast paced story so I think if I'd managed my expectations better, I'd have enjoyed it more. I'd tell you to expect more of a slow burn psychological story.

The End of Getting Lost is a psychological thriller that follows Gina and Hunter on their delayed honeymoon through Europe. Gina has an accident and ends up with a head injury, losing her memory, so Hunter whisks her away to a hospital in Switzerland to recuperate and from there they move around Europe, visiting meaningful tourist sites. As Gina's memory starts to return, we wonder what Hunter is up to and what secrets he's keeping from his wife, especially when we discover that they were actually in the process of divorcing. This is a well paced thriller that keeps your attention with a surprise twist at the end that is very satisfying!

Thank you to the author, Simon Schuster and NetGalley for an ARC of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. (via Netgalley)

I think it was a combination of the writing style and the characters being pretty unlikeable but I struggled to get into this one.

I found this to be a rather oddly written book in that the author wrote with a detached style. I felt as if I were looking from the outside at the two m Ain characters, Gina and Duncan. We are misled the first third of the book thinking Duncan is up to no good as Gina suffers from memory lapses due to an accident. The truth is slowly revealed as Gina and Duncan travel through Europe. I found it too slow paced and removed for me.

The book jumped around in time, Gina and Duncan were both manipulative and hard to like. Kept waiting for the book to get better but I found that I just didn’t care about either of the characters. Wanted to like the book but was glad to reach the end.

Gina and Duncan are very much in love and perfect for each other. At least they think so, but their friends and families, not so much. They are on their European honeymoon, in a time before cell phones and social media made everyone accessible all the time. Gina winds up with a head injury that leaves a gaping hole in her memory. Duncan is wonderful, explaining things to her so she doesn't feel quite so lost. Odd though, he doesn't want her to call or write to her friends and family. Does he have something to hide or did she do something unforgivable that she doesn't remember?
Told in the past and the present from both of their perspectives, we learn how their relationship began and the challenges they faced. As secrets are revealed, it became apparent that both of them had things to hide, but does that make one of them a calculating villain?
Trying to figure out what was going on had me switching my guess after almost every chapter. Just as I was getting close to the end, I made my final prediction, and I was wrong. This book kept me up late and it was worth the lost sleep. It was so hard to put down with so many twists and turns and I just had to know who was telling the truth.
How have I not heard of this author before? I plead some type of head injury when my TBR pile fell on top of me yet again. 4.5 stars.

Gina and Duncan have a relationship bordering on abusive, then Gina is in an accident, suffers some memory loss and that's when Duncan decides he can improve their marriage going forward. I liked that we get a peek into the past of these two and their relationship and the fact that the book took place in 1996 where we didn't have cell phones, social media and the internet was new, it gave the plot a certain edge. I enjoyed getting the point of view from both Gina and Duncan, the writing was immersive and plot was refreshingly new. I was able to read this book in a single sitting and I loved the suspenseful atmosphere and I loved the setting of the different European cities.

"The End of Getting Lost" was not a book that I was able to lose myself in. I found both Duncan and Gina to be manipulative and unlikeable.

I was continually waiting for the other shoe to drop, and when it finally did--it was a bit anticlimactic.

I wanted to love this book, but it came up missing something for me.

However, I DID love parts of this book. The writing style was beautiful. The glimpses into the past of our main characters were great, as well. It was interesting to see how each character was raised and how that influenced their personalities and character traits. There was even a twist at the end that I didn’t expect which is always a great thing for me. But, I still wanted more. There were bits that were so lackluster that I wanted to skip right over them. Parts of it seemed super unimportant to me. I also had a hard time liking the characters in this book. I tried to love Gina and Duncan, but I just couldn’t. :(

Am I happy I read the book? Sure. Would I read it again? Probably not.

The End of Getting Lost: 3 ⭐️

I received a complimentary copy of this book "The End of Getting Lost" and all opinions expressed are my own. I had a hard time connecting with the characters on this one. I feel I wasn't invested in this story at all.

I liked this much more than I thought I would. I very much had to turn my brain off, because thinking about any of the logistics of this for too long would make me crazy, but it's extremely well-written and Gina & Duncan are VERY compelling. I struggled with the ending, but an end of a novel won't please everyone, so this wasn't a huge deal. I would 100% recommend this to anyone even a LITTLE interested in the plot, because it's really quite good.

This is the story of Gina and Duncan. Gina suffers and accident causing memory loss, she can't remember the last year of her life. Their relationship is struggling at the time and Duncan feels this is the opportunity to make things right.

Are they meant to be together, when their upbringing was so different? Or are they more alike that we know?

Gina and Duncan are from two different worlds, but are they more alike than we understand?

The novel is well written and follow their path, a path not without problems.

The book is set in 1996, before easy accessible communication was available. It’s the story of Gina and Duncan, and the manipulation and untruths that go on between them and the people around them. I wouldn’t categorize this as a mystery, rather a chase, with secrets hidden and uncovered.

For me, all the back and forth, combined with lies and deceptions, made the end saccharine and unbelievable.

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC.

This book is the first book in a long while that I looked forward to reading each day and actively stole minutes throughout my day to try to get a few more pages read. The suspense built in reading the different versions of perspectives was captivating. Duncan and Gina made for perfect role playing characters.

This was one crazy book. I loved how it was unique with a story I really hadn't read before. I love how the crazy twists kept coming, and every time I thought I knew what would happen next, I was oh so wrong.

It had a strange, detached writing style that somehow reminded me of The Talented Mr Ripley.. This style and the actions of the characters made it hard to like them. That being said, it was interesting enough and crazy enough that I didn't care that I didn't like them.

The method of having the couple alternate sides of the story so that you got the whole picture was the perfect wat to tell this story..

I want to thank the author, the publisher and #netgalley for the ARC which did not impact my review.

The End of Getting Lost really reminds me of thrillers of the past. This book hits on every note and I was intrigued at every turn. The plot of the book is original as well. Authors tend to keep regurgitating the same concepts over and over again but that was not the case here. How far will you go for love? Thats the central theme of the book. The ending of the book was a genuine surprise!

I am an avid reader, never not in the midst of reading a book, and so it is always wonderful to find a novel like “The End of Getting Lost” with its very unique storyline and an ending that took me completely by surprise.

Basically this is a story of a young man who is trying to recapture/win back the love of his life. The character development, which gives the reader great insight into both main characters, Duncan and Gina, is outstanding. I felt the author was able to more than capture your attention with a story that just keeps you, almost on the edge of your seat, trying to figure out how Duncan will be able to continue his ruse. At the end of the day, I have to say this is one great book. (I was given this book from NetGalley for my honest opinion, but I would have gladly purchased it—it is that good.)