I felt the promotional material was a bit misleading. The novel is billed as a psychological thriller. It is that, but also a murder/mystery which is not my favorite genre. Having said that, I found the book to be a compelling read with layer upon layer of secrets and intrigue.

The setting is a prestigious university in North Carolina, the campus virtually deserted due to a scheduled break. Five graduate students, under the leadership of a radical (even reckless) psychology professor, have been conducting experiments with students to determine what motivates individuals to lie. When two people are brutally murdered within twenty-four hours, the chief of Campus Security and a detective on the local police force must solve the cases under the duress of a major winter storm. Of course, all the remaining members of the group are considered persons of interest/suspects.

Clearly labelled chapters revealed the perspectives of these characters – each so unique I had little difficulty keeping the characters straight through the transitions. There are plenty of twists and turns in the storyline as it becomes apparent that the group not only studies deception, but some are masters of deceit as well. This is a fast paced novel with an abundance of suspense that kept me engaged until I came to the satisfying ending.

My thanks to the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for the privilege of reviewing this book. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

This review is being posted immediately to my GoodReads account and will be posted on Amazon upon publication.

This story takes place in a college setting and there are quite a few characters, Professor Lyons, all of the 5 research students, and Detective Larson. Throughout the book there are perspectives from all of them which helps add to the suspense and mystery. Every time I thought I had this figured out, another secret came to light and I found that I was wrong. I liked the different perspectives, some were longer than others but all of them added to the story.

At the beginning, reading the prologue, I was a little confused. It starts with a psychological interview, which I wasn’t quite following. As I read further into the book it started to make sense why he started the book in that manner. One negative that I found in this book was the very LONG chapters. I’m a fan of short chapters so the long chapters in this book made it a little harder to keep my focus at times. The breaks in perspective helped break up the chapters which was nice.

The last couple chapters in the book had lots of suspense and I was racing to finish to find out what would happen. My favorite line of the book also happens to be the title, “This is how we end things.”

Overall, I really enjoyed the mystery and suspense. Thanks so much to NetGalley for the ARC!

Something about this just didn't hit for me. The storyline was good and I enjoyed the characters. I think it was the writing style that was just meh for me.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this arc in exchange for an honest review!

Gorgeously written with an engrossing mystery and a captivating cast of characters. If you're looking for a dark and twisted macadamia themed thriller this is it. Ticked all the boxes. Highly recommend Thank You to Source books and NetGalley for my Arc

Professor Joe Lyons, along with five graduate students, are exploring the psychology of liars. During their studies a body is discovered and only those well-versed in how to weasel their way out of interrogation, and exploit their studies for their own personal gains, are the potential suspects.

This cover and synopsis suggested the contents were to feature a darkly academic thriller but this wasn't quite what was delivered. Whilst the actual bones of the story were endlessly interesting and the murder mystery an intriguing one to solve, I anticipated the focus to remain more on the studies of the students and the psychology skills that were being taught there. I thought we would learn more about just what these were and how they were utilised, rather than on past secrets all were hiding. The focus directly on the studies only occurred in the initial section. Whilst all that followed was expertly laid out and well-placed, it just wasn't what I had come into this novel to explore, hence my lower rating than anticipated.

After hearing so much about this book I was just dying to get my hands on a copy and I’m so happy I was given the chance to review it!
I really enjoyed this book! It was one of those hard to put down I need to know how this ends books. The writing style took me a bit to get used to but once I did I was flying through it.
There was some really cringy moments and I loved that!
The ending choice was.. interesting. But that’s the whole point of a book right?

Highly captivating read.

I think the premise of this book was great and I was really interested in the mystery and figuring out how this all came to be. However, I couldn’t get past the writing. While the author did a great job at description and setting a scene the dialogue was cheesy at best and ludicrous at worst. The characters felt like they came straight out of a 50s mystery show leading the audience to the exact questions they wanted to ask but in a not-so-subtle, wink and nudge sort of way. The way the author wrapped up the book came completely out of left field in a way that seemed like it was to be a “gotcha” than a well-thought out mystery with clues along the way. It felt like the twists were added just for twists’ sake. The last pages of the book are characters’ telling us exactly how the crime happened. It was just a badly executed thriller that felt like it needed more time being developed.

This author reminds me a lot of Alex North - cerebral, spooky, twisty. The writing was compelling, but certain elements were too predictable. The convenient snowstorm was a bit too deux ex machina for my liking (docked a star for that) and the characters flat. Certain storylines didn't seem to resolve. However, if you like a murder mystery with a psychological twist, you'll likely enjoy this one! Worth a read, even if it wasn't my favorite.

This ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Absolutely incredible read! Loved every minute of this psychological mind twisting book.
The prologue made me not want to put this book down.
Thank you Netgalley, author and publisher for this absolutely fantastic read!

This book was very enjoyable. It is written from multiple perspectives, and I was glad to get so many different characters. I thought that the premise was very interesting. I took an intro psychology class in college, and this bright me back to those days. I think it'll always be an engaging topic- why do people make the choices they make? In the case of this book- why do people lie? There were many twists and turns that I did not see coming. This was my first book from this author, and I would read others in the future.
Thanks to Netgalley for the book to review.

This Dark academia murder mystery is a masterpiece. I was obsessed and completely hooked from the beginning and I couldn't put it down!!
I just reviewed This is How We End Things by R.J. Jacobs. #NetGalley
[NetGalley URL]

While this one didn't spark for me, I will say it was solidly plotted and dispensed revelations at a pleasant rate. The reveal came a touch sooner than I would have wanted, but that just meant I got a tense kind of chase scene, so I think that's a fair trade.

I'll be in the minority here and say I wasn't too crazy about this one. I never really connected with any of the characters and slowly lost interest thr further along I got. Figuring out who the culprit was was easy enough although that wasn't what deterred me from this story. The police investigation and the officer's gullibility was just a little too out there for me. Overall this wasn't terrible but it also wasn't great. Three Stars.

Thank you Netgalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for this ARC.

4 stars
Dark academia and isolation…yes please. This is an edge of your seat kind of thriller. I read this over the course of 24 hours. Lots of tension, and mystery. I hope to see a lot more from this author in the future.

If the inconveniences of life didn't get in my way, I could have easily read This Is How We End Things in one sitting. Each time I picked up the book, I was immediately transported into the tension-filled, blustery world of Dorrance University, where deception reigns among the grad students in a psych study. When one of the students is found dead in the psychology building, secrets are uncovered, fingers are pointed, and everyone is a suspect.

This book had me constantly second-guessing myself. Just when I deemed a character innocent, we learned another juicy secret of theirs that had me questioning everything.

The dark academia vibes are a ton of fun, too. Forest, North Carolina is the quintessential college town, and I loved getting a taste of the students' lives in the psychology world. After all, a study about the science of lying? The idea alone was enough to hook me.

While the atmosphere and concept were the first pieces to capture my attention, the layered, complex characters (amongst about a thousand other things, honestly) kept me turning the pages. It initially felt like a lot of names to get familiarized with, but they were written in such a way that made them distinct and easy to follow. Plus, we gradually learned new information about each one that made them all intriguing - and suspicious.

Bottom line, don't miss out on this book. It's fast-paced, darkly atmospheric, and it'll stump the inner detective in you. I promise you'll find yourself glued to it as soon as you pick it up.

Thank you to NetGalley, R.J. Jacobs & Sourcebooks Landmark for an arc of This is How We End Things in exchange for an honest review. This review is wholly my own & may not be reproduced.

Riley Sager meets If We Were Villains – YES, PLEASE!!!!!!!

Another great campus set thriller. Five graduate students are studying the science behind the acts of lying, but the process isn’t making anyone anymore honest. Now it seems that they all have something to hide.

A test goes wrong and one of the students is found dead. With being trapped on campus during a snowstorm, they know the killer is still among them. Now to find out – who is lying and who is telling the truth – a question that MUST be answered before more bodies start turning up.

The wait for this one will be a while as it does not publish until September 12, 2023, but I promise you it is worth it so just go ahead and put it on your wishlist now!

Very atmospheric and suspenseful! As the reader, I never knew who to trust and the twists and turns were fabulous and left me reeling at the end! Will you be able to guess the outcome yourself? Maybe, but it’s not likely. I LOVE thrillers that I can’t predict from the first couple of chapters. If you love thrillers and especially dark academia, this one is for you. I was able to finish it in one sitting over the weekend and found myself reading faster and faster the closer I got to the end. You won’t see the ending coming!!

DEFINITELY grab a copy of this one when it releases.

4.5/5 Stars

This is a very intricate dark academia, something I love reading about.

When deaths plague a college, an investigation ensues. It all starts with a group of grad students studying the psychology of lying. When on of them turns up dead, the group starts to unravel.

One thing about thriller books where a main focus is the study of psychology, you know you’re going to get some truly interesting content. I find it fascinating. Especially in This is How We End Things because their study is based so strongly around lying… and everyone is keeping secrets.

You, as the reader, don’t know who to trust or where to turn, and it was riveting. I enjoyed the detectives and the snowed in route the author took. So much can happen when you’re isolated.

This was a really enjoyable read.

If the inconveniences of life didn’t get in my way, I could have easily read This Is How We End Things in one sitting. Each time I picked up the book, I was immediately transported into the tension-filled, blustery world of Dorrance University, where deception reigns among the grad students in a psych study. When one of the students is found dead in the psychology building, secrets are uncovered, fingers are pointed, and everyone is a suspect.

I've admittedly become a bit of a thriller snob over the years, and I've gotten to the point where I feel like I've seen it all. However, this book had me constantly second-guessing myself. Just when I deemed a character innocent, we learned another juicy secret of theirs that had me questioning everything.

The dark academia vibes are a ton of fun, too. Forest, North Carolina is the quintessential college town, and I loved getting a taste of the students' lives in the psychology world. After all, a study about the science of lying? The idea alone was enough to hook me.

While the atmosphere and concept were the first pieces to capture my attention, the layered, complex characters (amongst about a thousand other things, honestly) kept me turning the pages. It initially felt like a lot of names to get familiarized with, but they were written in such a way that made them distinct and easy to follow. Plus, we gradually learned new information about each one that made them all intriguing - and suspicious.

Bottom line, don't miss out on this book. It's fast-paced, darkly atmospheric, and it'll stump the inner detective in you. I promise you'll find yourself glued to it as soon as you pick it up.

A dark academia thriller in the psychology department! A snow storm turns the college into a death trap as one by one, the members of a group are targeted.

Professor Joe Lyons and his graduate students have no problem with their morally questionable experiments.
They are studying the science of lying and either liars were attracted to this project or the studying of the activity has enhanced their abilities - all of them are very strong liars.

When an experiment goes wrong and the student becomes violent, police are called in and everyone needs to be questioned. The problem is that the witnesses are slowly dying before the police can find the killer! If you like dark academia, love psychology or just want a thriller on a college campus, This Is How We End Things is For You!
#Sourcebooks #ThisIsHowWeEndThings #RJJacobs

If only you knew the lengths I went to, to receive this book early...

All I can say is that it was worth every minute I pined over it.

This Is How We End Things, was one of my most sought after books for this year. I am a HUGE fan of R.J. Jacobs, not just of his work (that speaks for itself) but him as a person. R.J Jacobs is hands down one of the most creative thriller authors I have every come across. I am not sure if its his knowledge and background in psychology but all of his books literally come to life on the pages in front of you. The characters are drawn so vividly that you believe they are real people. Having read ALL of his backlog and thoroughly enjoyed every one of them, I just HAD to have this one.

Luckily, the book fairies were on my side this time.

What the heck did I just read?

This book is hands down one of the best thrillers I have ever read. The details, research and countless hours that went into crafting this novel, shows. I received this book just in time for the weekend . I cleared my plans, I got cozy and then I got started.

The depths of psych this book will bring to every reader is going to completely consume them. You will think of this book long after you conclude and you will be questioning everything you once thought you knew. I am a huge fan of dark academia which is the reason why I really wanted this book but I didn't have a clue at everything this book actually held.

The twist in this book will have your jaw on the floor. To say it was done in a way that I have never seen before, is an understatement.

This is a showstopper and needs to be on EVERYONES pre-order list.

I would like to thank R.J Jacobs, Sourcebooks Landmark, and Netgalley for trusting me to read this sure to be bestseller, in exchange for an honest review.

Five Stars

Teaser :

Riley Sager meets If We Were Villains in a compelling new psychological thriller by RJ Jacobs, following a tight-knit group of graduate students studying the psychology of lying. When one of them is discovered dead after an experiment, everything the group thought they knew about deception crumbles...

Campus is empty, a winter storm is blowing in, and someone is lurking in the shadows, waiting for their chance to kill again.

Forest, North Carolina. Under the instruction of enigmatic Professor Joe Lyons, five graduate students are studying the tedious science behind the acts of lying. But discovering the secrets of deception isn't making any of the student's more honest though. Instead, it's making it easier for them to guard their own secrets – and they all have something to hide.

When a test goes awry and one of them is found dead, the students find themselves trapped by a snowstorm on an abandoned campus with a local detective on the case. As harbored secrets begin to break the surface, the graduates must find out who's lying, who isn't, and who may have been capable of committing murder. It turns out deception is even more dangerous than they thought…

A foreboding new dark academia thriller of deception and suspense, This is How it Ends follows the unraveling of a close group of students as they contend with what it means to lie, and be lied to.