“It didn’t matter how many times they told us they missed Mom, how things wouldn’t be the same without her. They were telling us that like we didn’t already know. But what they didn’t care to mention was how things had changed long before she died. And no one came then. So why come now?”

Charlotte and Maddi’s mother died six months ago, and their father is already sleeping with her assistant, Amber. The girls are suspicious of the circumstances surrounding their mother’s death, and the more he acts like she never existed, the more they wonder whether he and Amber had something to do with it. People’s hearts don’t just stop. It seems like Amber is determined to take everything from them, but nobody is prepared for what happens when the secrets finally come out. I received a free e-ARC through NetGalley from the publishers at Random House/Delacorte Press. Trigger warnings: parent death, suicide, mild gore, drug use, mental illness, depression, infidelity, grief.

I had higher hopes for this, but while it’s at times an interesting character study, there aren’t a lot of thrills to be had until the end. Most of the novel hinges on the family’s secrets. Some of them are appropriately twisty, and some of them are fairly typical high school problems, but all the reveals come rapid-fire at the end. It nicely ramps up the tension there, but it also means that the rest of the book is fairly lackluster, plot-wise. There’s a lot of time spent wondering what’s happening and not much spent on things actually happening.

I enjoyed Charlotte and Maddi’s sister relationship, and their loyalty and care for each other make it easily the strongest relationship in the book. A close second is probably the sisters’ relationship with their mother. Even though she’s not on the page, the flashbacks to her last months kept me guessing about how she really died. I’ll admit that I had a lot of trouble distinguishing Charlotte and Maddi though. They’re close in age, and while Maddi is the more responsible older sister, their inner monologues are practically the same. I kept forgetting whose chapter I was in.

If you’re the kind of reader who needs all questions answered, this is a good book for you, since everything wraps up pretty neatly by the end. I was interested in the conclusion and guessed some things, while others were a surprise, but I’m not sure how satisfying it is overall. I understand the reasoning for the ending, but there’s a kind of wishy-washiness to the final twist that takes some of the punch out of it. I enjoyed it well enough, but it’s a bit forgettable overall.

I review regularly at brightbeautifulthings.tumblr.com.

A thank you to Netgalley for sharing the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

As a fan of teen lit who has failed to read much of it lately (so many books, so little time) that I'd thought I'd give it a go. I was intrigued by the premise and thought that it might make a good gift book for my thriller loving niece. It was fine, but not something I'd bother purchasing. Stories been done, and while it might be as fine as some others, it wasn't enough of a standout to leave a lasting impression.

This was an interesting read. Definitely different than the usual. It had me at the edge of my seat.

#bookreview It Will End Like This by Kyra Leigh

☺️ the good ☺️
- It is an interesting twist on the Lizzie Borden murders.
- An interesting look at mental health and how much other people can further affect a person’s mental illness.

🤨 the bad 😒
- It’s fairly obvious what actually happened to their mom from the beginning, but both girls are kind of losing it.
- Not my kind of book, I guess. I didn’t really enjoy it at all.
- Stephen is truly an asshole.

😍 the beautiful 😍
- That ending.


rating: ⭐️⭐️1/2
my face while reading: 🤨😒🤨🧐😟

Thanks to the publisher and @netgalley for the eARC of this book.

Unfortunately this one did not do it for me. I love the cover so I was hoping for something amazing, but I shouldn't have judged the book simply from that.

It felt like a teenager or someone with a very limited vocabulary had written it (maybe that was the point, who knows, but it just didn't do it for me. Apologies if that is the case). The plot was all over the place and it was predictable.

Some parts/sentences kept repeating (heart doesn't just stop etc) and I know it was meant to build tension, but it didn't work that way for me.

All in all, not the best read. Shame.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. Two sisters, Charlotte and Maddie are dealing with the death of their mother and the fairly quickly moving on of their father with their mothers assistant. The book goes back and forth from each girls perspective as they deal with trauma, anger and grief in their own ways. This book feels inspired by the Lizzie Borden case and has some good twists and turns. It is a fairly quick read and enjoyable, although somewhat dark.

After what happened to their mother they think that their mom’s heart won’t stop that easily. They think there’s more of it and they both discovering what really happened.

Charlotte and Maddi’s dad was an asshole. After their mother died he didn’t even felt sad and now, he’s engaged with Amber their mother’s assistant. Their dad has been with Amber from the beginning. His been cheating even though his wife was pregnant. And for Amber she acts like as if she’s the mother. She used their mother’s bedroom, used their mother’s favorite necklace and even the wedding ring. She doesn’t care what the siblings feel.

I like Maddie, because no matter what happened to them she always stick to Charlotte’s side. She always keep her temper inside her so Charlotte can come down. I love how strong she is, how she manage all the chaos that’s going on in their family.

Finally after reading a lot of crime books this is the first time I discovered what really happened to their mother. But…… there is one thing that I still didn’t guess because that twist makes me shock. I know she won’t do it, but she did. Overall, I love this book so much. I love reading crime or thriller books. So if you have any recommendations just make a comment.

It Will End Like This - but you wont know how until the last page. Lost of twists in this one. Just when you think you have it figured out - new information will be revealed.

Sisters Maddi & Charlotte lost their mom 6 months ago, Dad is now moving on with mom’s (very young) personal assistant, Amber. The sisters believe that Mom was murdered, by Dad or Amber or both
Story is told by the two sisters in alternating chapters. Toward the end of the book there are untitled chapters, with a character’s thoughts, but you don't know whose thoughts they are until the very last page of this suspenseful book.

LOVED IT.

Content warnings: mental illness, depression, grief, drug use, murder, lots of blood, Language

2.5/5 stars for me. This is a modern fictional take on the Lizzie Borden murders. This book started out so good I was instantly hooked but at about the halfway mark it started going downhill. I found this book to be so repetitive and then the ending wasn’t anything super shocking to me and it’s what I expected the entire book. I do think if I was a teenager and reading this book I would have loved it though and totally gotten sucked into the twists. Being an adult it just didn’t grip me like I would have liked. I also couldn’t tell the difference between the two narrators and half the time I had to go back to check who’s perspective it was because they felt the same to me. Overall enjoyed the concept and enjoyed the storyline I just wanted a little more from the execution.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for sending me this copy to read and review.

Charlotte and Maddi are teenage sisters who are grieving the death of their mother. Their father is moving on with his life and is in a relationship with their mom’s personal assistant. The girls begin to suspect something was amiss with their mom’s death. They don’t like the way their story is going and want to be the ones who determine how it ends.

This story is told in the alternating voices of Charlotte and Maddi. You learn about each sister and how they were before their mother’s death and how they changed after. The emotions the girls express are intense and you can feel them spiraling out of control. Seeing things only through the eyes of Charlotte and Maddi makes it difficult to connect with the other characters in the book. I feel like more could have been done with plot twists had the other characters been more developed.

This book was part thriller, part horror, and part a story about a dysfunctional family. I found it to be fairly predictable, although I can see how teen readers could get caught up in some of the twists. Overall, I thought it was a solid read.

Thank you to #NetGalley for an ARC of #ItWillEndLikeThis by #KyraLeigh in exchange for an honest review.

This was a hard one to read. The change of narrators, all unreliable, didn’t seem to have a rhyme or reason. I knew that this novel had a loose tie to Lizzie Borden and her family. The novel just didn’t explore that deeply enough. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to be an early reader in exchange for my review.

Thank you so much Netgalley, Random House's Children and Delacorte Press, for the chance to read and review this book in exchange of an honest review.

Charlotte lost her mother six months ago, but she believes there's more to the story and the only person who believes her is Maddi, her sister. People's hearts doen't just stop and they are convinced there are more questions for them to move on. Unlike their father, who is already moving on with their mother's personal assistant. They are sure the woman is ready to take everything for herself...and maybe get rid of them too in the process. Unwilling to give up, the girls are forced to decide between being the obiedient daughters their father wants them to be or following their rage and discover the truth. They will do anything in their power to get their lives back.

I loved reading I will end like this! This thriller is brilliant, interesting and so well written, showing how, in real life, usually endings are not alway as happily ever after. It's a contemporary take on the Lizzie Borden story, that I've personally always loved, a story about grief, rage and pain and how to face them. Charlotte and Maddi are fantastic characters, smart, stubborn and I love how they face the situation, moving through their grief and deciding to act and get their own lives back. I was fascinated by the story and its development, I've found the characters really relatable and well written and I loved how everything pieces together in the ending.

It Will End Like This has an interesting concept from taking inspiration from the Lizzie Borden case and turning into a contemporary story of grief. However, I found that the execution wasn't really something that I enjoyed. I liked the idea of the two different point-of-views from the sisters, but both voices ended up sounding the same and it was hard to really see a difference between the two characters.

IT WILL END LIKE THIS is a contemporary take on the Lizzie Borden murders. It’s a dark, twisted thriller told through two POVs. Charlotte and Maddi are grieving their mom, who mysteriously died six months ago. After their father announces his engagement to their mom’s assistant, the sisters find evidence that suggests their mom had been poisoned. Surrounded by lies, we see just how deeply confused, disturbed, and hurt both girls are—and why one of them might resort to murder.

I loved the idea of this book, but the execution was disappointing. The unreliable narration and jumping timelines made it difficult to follow the story and everything a jumbled mess. I can see why this was down, since it was so confusing for the girls, but it just wasn't for me.

Rating: 2.5 stars

It Will End Like This by Kyra Leigh is based on the true story of Lizzie Borden. Disturbing… Charlotte and Maddie miss their mother who died months ago when her heart supposedly stopped. They hate the young woman their father is now engaged too. They despise their father quite a bit also. The two sisters don't trust anyone and sometimes not even each other. The cover isn’t my favorite and the voices in Charlotte’s mind become repetitive and annoying (which is the point, I’m sure). I found it difficult to care for Charlotte but Maddie felt more relatable. The ending made the reading worthwhile. I appreciate the author’s note which brought sense to it all. I feel like the story drug on with repetition and then the resolution was too quick. Interesting take on a twisted historical event, 3 stars!

DNF at 10%. Really interesting concept, just personally triggering for me so I had to put it down. Curious to see how others like it though!

This is a horror book, I was initially interested on it due the beautiful cover and the design as a whole thing, in addition to the main plot looking very fun, although it is a cliché.
Two main characters, sisters, whose mother died and the father is with another woman shortly after the death, coincidentally a woman from his work and who hates them and wants to take everything they have. Yeah, it's not always my style, but I wanted to take a chance and I think it was worth it. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants a quick read with short chapters and the beginning of it is quite intriguing. I confess that I didn't buy Charlie for most of the book and she was the focus of everything, so it was kind of boring, besides the characters being almost all very hateful. Anyway, I liked the ending and how the pieces fit together in a crooked and weird way.

This one started out super strong with a great atmosphere and some really good tension but it was downhill from there. My main issue with this book was that I just didn't like the main character and I didn't enjoy reading her or her thoughts at all. It is really hard to like a book where one of the main characters is obnoxious. I also hated a few side characters. Overall this book wasn't what I was expecting at all and a letdown.

I received a free digital ARC from Random House Children’s via NetGalley. This is a modern day interpretation of the Lizzie Borden Murders that shows two sisters struggling with the death of their mother and the new engagement with a family friend to their father. Both sisters are massively struggling with their fathers new love interest and looking into how long the affair could have been going on and if their father and mother-in-law to be would have wanted their mom dead.

The sisters are emotionally crippled having lost their mother. They are struggling with school, friendships, family members and uncertain futures. We delve into their mental states as they go through all these changes. I wish the backstory beyond their relationship with their mother was stronger. I also would have liked more secondary character development. Much of the reasons for their broken states felt a bit vague. Overall, it was intriguing - but nothing standout or very memorable. 3.5 stars.

I have always been fascinated with the Lizzie Borden story so I had some high expectations for this book. I fell a little short though. Maddie and Charlotte are dealing the the death of their mother. Their dad moves on pretty quickly with their mom’s assistant. The girls become more paranoid as the story goes on after deciding their mother was murdered but was she really. What is really going on?
The plot wasn’t too bad but it was very difficult to actually like the character and the character development seemed off. I do think that my middle school students would have liked it when paired with a nonfiction book about Lizzie Borden.

Thank you Netgalley for allowing me to read this book.