Admittedly this one took me a while to read, but I didn't dislike it. The way the characters' lives tied together was very interesting and I really liked how it unraveled in the end! The stakes were high and the study setting added to the mystery and suspense in a cool way! Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

The Locked-Room Intrigue: The book masterfully exploits the claustrophobic atmosphere of a snowbound campus, transforming it into a crucible for psychological manipulation and hidden motives. With nowhere to escape, the students become both prisoners and suspects, forced to confront their own vulnerabilities and the dark secrets they harbor. This locked-room setting creates a constant sense of tension, keeping the reader guessing until the very last page.

Unraveling the Web of Lies: The true strength of "This is How We End Things" lies in its exploration of deception. As students who specialize in the art of the lie, their narratives become unreliable, twisting and turning with each revelation. This constant questioning of truth and manipulation keeps the reader actively engaged, piecing together the puzzle alongside the detective on the case.

Beyond the Shadows: The novel ventures beyond the confines of a typical murder mystery, delving into the complex dynamics of power, ambition, and the corrosive nature of hidden truths. The students, each with their own demons and agendas, become more than just suspects; they are flawed individuals grappling with the ethical implications of their studies and the consequences of their actions.

A Glimpse into the Abyss: While the novel's strengths lie in its suspenseful plot and nuanced character development, it's not without its potential drawbacks. The exploration of dark themes and morally ambiguous characters might not resonate with all readers. Additionally, the pacing can feel slow at times, as the focus shifts from action to introspection.

A Verdict of Suspense: Despite its minor shortcomings, "This is How We End Things" is a gripping and thought-provoking read. It's a novel that will keep you guessing until the final twist, leaving you pondering the blurred lines between truth and deception long after the last page is turned. If you're up for a chilling exploration of the human psyche and the dark secrets that lie beneath the surface, then this is a book you won't want to miss.

Thank you to Sourcebooks Landmark and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book!!

Synopsis: at a North Carolina university, a group of grad students are studying the science of lying. Ironically, they all have something to hide. A part of their study goes sideways and one of the students is found dead. They are trapped on an essentially campus in a snowstorm, with no one but each other and a local detective. The students try to find out who is lying, who is trustworthy, and who might've committed murder.

Review: a very "dark academia" vibey winter thriller, this book is twisty and compelling with its limited cast of characters and suspects. I liked the university backdrop and the focus on psychology (not too sciencey). I honestly didn't figure out the twists and resolution until the author very clearly wanted readers to. There are red herrings and misdirects aplenty, and I won't give away too much more since it's a whodunnit at its core. Worth the read!

The book kicks off with a gripping first chapter, a real page-turner. The unique premise grabbed my attention, but I wish there was more exploration of the tests (I'm still a bit confused about those) and a deeper dive into the human psyche, which felt more like a plot device.

Getting to know the characters was a plus, but unfortunately, half of them were forgettable and could have used more development. Take Veronica, for example – what was her purpose? We hear too much from the least interesting person, Scarlett, and not enough from everyone else.

In the end, while I enjoyed the book, I felt mildly unsatisfied with how it all played out. It's a solid and entertaining thriller but doesn't stand out as the most remarkable.

3 stars!

I was very excited about this because 1) academic setting, 2) graduate students!!, and 3) locked room. I thought the atmosphere with the snowstorm was SO GOOD and the writing overall was fun. However, I did not like any of the characters (which is not a requirement) but also the mystery did not do it for me. It was very easy for me to figure out who the murderer was, and the ending came so fast I felt almost a whiplash.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

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.

An absolutely incredible dark academia thriller! If you are looking for a spooky mystery this winter, you have to read this one, especially when snowed under! Atmospheric and suspenseful!

Unfortunately, this book and I were a bad match.

Every single one of the characters was unlikable and one-dimensional. I just didn't care what happened to any of them.

Too much detail on irrelevant matters, and not enough on the important stuff (like the psych experiment).

The plot took a predictable path, filled with lots of drama. The dialogue was sometimes odd, sometimes cheesy.

Then we have a wrap-up ending, where the characters discuss the case, explaining (to us, by way of each other) all the details that led to the murder and either didn't make it into the story or readers might have missed as clues.

Many readers have loved this one. While I was not one of them, you might be.

*Thanks to Soucebooks Landmark and NetGalley for the free eARC.*

The characters were boring and I was not able to connect with any of them. There was some intrigue and mystery at the beginning but not enough for me to keep reading.

This Is How We End Things by R.J. Jacobs is a compelling murder mystery/thriller that reminds me of a true crime podcast - such as Southern Fried True Crime. I enjoyed the uncommon setting at a highly regarded research university in North Carolina. I knew there was dark academia but have only seen high school-aged academia stories, so this was refreshing. There are no wasted words, everything is relevant to the mystery and it was hard to put down! If murder mystery/domestic thrillers are your thing, this book will not disappoint.

Let me begin by saying that I love nothing more than a thriller/mystery with an academic setting - and this one completely scratched that itch in the best way. I was in a terrible slump and my reading pace had really slowed down until I picked this one up.

Though a little predictable, I loved the characters and I loved the way the author forces the reader to maintain skepticism around the relationships and the characters as individual players. Each player in this story, both major and minor, could've done it and it really has the reader guessing until the final hour. I felt like I was a member of this research group as I learned more and more about the past and the guilt of each other characters - an excellent book that I'm going to keep recommending to fellow academic thriller lovers!

This was a solid psychological thriller with an academic setting. I appreciated the psychological research detail and the topic of deception was a clever plot point.
While the ending wrapped things up a little too nicely, I did enjoy the story and would read more from this author.

This was a fun, fast read that had a fun twist. I really enjoyed the way psychology was incorporated into this thriller...it made it both interesting and engaging. The character development was a bit lacking but really, you don't need it to get into the story. A good one when you're in the mood for a wintery fast-read.

This is How We End Things, R. J. Jacobs

Out now!

Dark academia & thriller perfection!!

As a practicing psychologist and thriller lover, Jacobs has crafted a whip-smart locked room mystery set within the constructs of a grad student research project.

Blurring moral and ethical lines, Dr Lyons and 5 top grad students embark on a research study about deception. All of whom are masters at manipulation and trained at the art of deception.

The science of lying becomes a key component in the forensic investigations after 2 of the 6 wind up dead. Who killed whom? When? Why? It’s a race to find the “tell” before the next fatality.

Secrets and deception are at the crux of this tension filled unputtdownable thriller!

I know one thing for sure - I’ll be on the look out for more dark academia stories from R. J. Jacobs !!

Thank you to Sourcebooks Landmark and NetGalley for the digital copy to read and review.

Ⓑⓞⓞⓚ Ⓡⓔⓥⓘⓔⓦ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐

𝕋𝕙𝕚𝕤 𝕚𝕤 ℍ𝕠𝕨 𝕎𝕖 𝔼𝕟𝕕 𝕋𝕙𝕚𝕟𝕘𝕤
𝗥.𝗝. 𝗝𝗮𝗰𝗼𝗯𝘀
Thriller
336 pages

Sʜᴏᴿᴛ Sʏɴᴏᴘsɪs

A group of grad students are working on a rather intense project with a well-known professor when all hell breaks loose.

Mʸ Tᴴᴼᵁᴳᴴᵀs

In This is How We End Things, the grad students are taught to be deceptive. That is what the police officer is told before she talks to this oddball group. Their research relies on it.

Each character has their quirks, making it a rather interesting group to figure out. Some are downright unlikeable, making it hard to sort out who the real evil one is. That is what made this story pop for me.

The author takes you on a fast ride as the story plays out. Right at the juiciest part, a monster storm hits, adding to the suspense. If you live for thrillers, this one is top-notch.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for providing this ebook for me to read and review.

👀Check out my book blog for more reviews! Latishaslowkeylife.com

Ok friends -I'm officially a fan of R.J. Jacobs!

This is How We End Things is an intense psychological thriller that had me hooked from the start

It has a dark academia vibe mixed with a locked room mystery (hello snow storm on campus!). The story centers around a group of grad students studying the science of lying. One of them gets murdered, and suddenly everyone's a suspect. All of the students are trained in the art of deception so you never know who is telling the truth and who is hiding some major secrets. Deception on another level! Even so, I was very happy that my amateur sleuthing self figured it out.

If you're into tense, dark academia stories, give this one a go. It's a total winner!

Thank you to Sourcebooks Landmark and NetGalley for the complimentary copy to read and review.

I really struggled with this book and the main reason is that I really struggled to like any of the characters or relate to them. It made it difficult to stay engaged in the book. I was excited based on the synopsis but the actual execution of the story fell flat. This is my first book by this author and I'm not sure, based on my experience with this book, if I would read their other works.

This was hard for me to get into… I just didn’t connect with the characters. But the plot itself was intriguing. Students studying lying need to figure out who killed one of them before it’s too late. Snowstorm +murder=suspense. Thank you NetGalley for the advance digital copy

I really enjoyed RJ Jacobs "This is How We End Things". Thank you to Net Galley for the advance copy, even if I read it after publication. As someone who worked on graduate research projects, I really appreciated the story told from a controversial research study on emotions, status, and lying. RJ Jacobs, who is a clinical psychologist, incorporates many psychological concepts into the story and features elements of research design, analysis, and IRB processes, although I am wondering how this study would have ever received IRB's blessing. Nevertheless, Jacobs' storytelling pushes the narrative forward, and I couldn't put the book down. This was an interesting mystery, leaving me making hypotheses (and null hypotheses) to determine the outcome. Really enjoyable whether you have been a part of research projects or not.

A great read - the author did a great job of creating suspense and descriptions that made the story come alive in my mind. Although I figured out what was going on before the reveal, it was still a great read and would be a great on screen!