A plot based in North Carolina, with a group of Ph.D. students doing their research in psychology (specifically around the act of lying). But when everything is closed in winter and the researchers have their heads buried in their work, a killer lurks in the shadows. With a murder on the premises, the whole group is rattled and surely it's one of them behind the heinous crime.

The story gave me chills (both theoretically and practically). The winter setting, snowfall, back-to-back murders, and a research topic with questionable methodologies and some dark experiments are some prominent reasons behind these chills.

Also, the narrators of all the characters were appointed perfectly, especially the female mother part (you could hear the love in her voice). It was not really a quick read but I was able to consume the whole story in just 3 days. I wouldn't claim this title as a page-turner, but it surely keeps you hooked up. No matter how many breaks you take, you will always find yourself gravitating back to the book.


Thank you @netgalley @rjjacobs75 @highbridgeaudio for the thrilling audiobook.

Genre: #thriller #academicmystery
Rating: 4/5 ⭐️


#ThisisHowWeEndThings #NetGalley

I enjoyed this author’s previous work so I was really excited to receive this awesome book mail. With fall right around the corner, I’ve been in the mood for an academic thriller and this fit the bill. The action starts off relatively quickly and I found all the psychology tidbits about psychopaths fascinating. I also liked the way the psychologist’s session notes were presented in between chapters. The ending did feel like it was wrapped up a bit too quickly, but otherwise, this was a solid psychological thriller. If you’re a fan of dark academia, I think you’ll enjoy this one!

Thank you NetGalley, HighBridge Audio and R.J.Jacobs for this eArc in exchange for a review.

Wow! What an addictive story of the art of deception! Throughout, we follow the story of five graduate students... who all have something to hide. With multiple POV's you get everyone's side of the story, and find out their deepest secrets.

When things take a deathly turn, we find out who is willing to do anything it takes to survive in this dark academia thriller. Through the fast pasted story, the twist and turns will captivate you and compell you to read on. Loved it!!

R.J.Jacobs has a very clever way of orchestrating subtle clues, that keep you guessing right till the end!!

📖Dark Academia
📖 Multiple POV
📖 Who done it?

I really struggled to get into this one. I listened to the audiobook and really struggled to follow along with all of the characters. It was hard to keep so many people straight. I didn’t feel like I really connected with any of the characters or what was going on within the story line.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

This book had so many different perspectives that it was difficult to keep up with all the characters at times. Overall it was an interesting thriller and I would never have guessed who done it.

I wanted to like this one. I was absolutely in the mood for a dark academia-based psychological thriller, but that wasn’t what this was. Despite the marketing, the dark academia background, the thriller elements, and the psychological basis of this book were whisps on the wind of a fairly bland mystery. While I did like two of the characters, overall the vibe was a series of NPCs wandering about waiting for something exciting to happen. This book is about murders surrounding the psychology department at a university. It plays out pretty formulaically. It just didn’t grip me even a little. The ending felt like a twist that deflated the little interest I had in the book overall.

The longer I sit on this book, the less I like it. Also, the name drop of the title was so weak. I wish I liked it, I really do.

Thank you to NetGalley, R.J. Jacobs & HighBridge Audio for an audio arc of This is How We End Things in exchange for an honest review. This review is wholly my own & may not be reproduced (except quotations).

“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 students 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 . . .”

This was a solid 4-Star book. It had an interesting concept perfect for a suspense/thriller. The story had me going all over the place with who I thought the killer was and I as genuinely shocked with who it ended up being, so kudos for stumping me! I usually have it figured out pretty quickly.

The story was fast-paced and kept my attention the entire time. I would highly recommend this story for any book-lover, especially of this genre.

This was an audiobook that I did not want to stop listening to. At first, I thought it would be boring and not my taste, but I was so wrong. This book had my full attention the entire time. I did not see what was coming. I love "whodunnit" books, and this was for sure one that kept twisting and turning until the very end. I also enjoyed hearing the character development of some of the characters, such as Britt and Chris. A great listen/read!

This is how we end things was a classic thriller with a great twist that I didn’t see coming. I loved how unreliable all of the characters were which made it hard to guess who was the murderer. I listened to this as an audiobook and I really enjoyed it!

Thank you to @netgalley for the alc in exchange for an honest review!

Fantastic narration!

I really enjoyed the mystery, dark academia vibes, and psychology of this story. Mixing a crazy murder scheme with a deep dive into peoples minds and motivations made for an addicting read, which I binged in a days time!

I did a combo of audio and print, both of which were great but seeing how audio is my favorite way to multitask I’ll wholeheartedly recommend that a little more than the digital.

Thank you RB Media for the alc and Sourcebooks Landmark for the arc via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

When it ranks as one of the highest anticipated books and a must-read book for 2023...I'm in!!! Then you add a dark academia thriller in a locked room mystery, you can bet this one will be on everyone's radar. Never mind the YA label for those of you that do not like them, you will forget when you start this psychological thriller. Set in North Carolina in Dorrance Uni, all the students have gone home except for a select few working in graduate studies with Professor Joe Lyons about the science of lying.
Their studies is put to test when one of them is murdered then another....They all have something to hide. When Det. Alana Larson is locked on campus with them, the police procedural is face paced and well plotted. The characters are strategically placed and well-developed with a lot of deception when they all appear as experts on the subject of lying. With multiple POVs, you are chilled by their deceptive behavior and will have no idea who to turn to for the truth.
It is tense and eerie...nothing more creepy than an empty campus or classroom. Shadows are lurking in every corner..beware.
I was able to get the audio which is a double enhancement of the suspense. The narrator Chelsea Stephens does an excellent job keeping the book fully charged for a high stakes whodunnit. No need to study for this course...they are all high achievers.
Thank you NetGalley, Sourcebooks and Landmark Audio for this ARC in exchange for my honest review! Great job by this author!

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

Billed as a psychological thriller focused on a group of graduate students, I would describe this more as a slow burn psychologial police procedural/thriller-lite. The action didn't really pick up for me until the last 20%, but that's not to say I didn't enjoy the rest of the story. The premise held a lot of potential, and I liked the alternating points of view as well as the cast of characters. I would have liked more focus on the academic piece of the story though, as it could have helped to bring some more substance to the actual mystery vs the police procedure. Ultimately it was a fine story but not quite was I was expecting.

The narrator did a nice job.

Thank you to #NetGalley and SOURCEBOOKS Landmark for a free copy of This is How We End Things by R. J. Jacobs. All opinions are my own.

A fun campus thriller with excellent pacing that will keep you guessing until the story’s dramatic conclusion.

I’m surprised to see this book repeatedly compared to The Maidens, mostly because it’s an infinitely better book. While the pacing and tone is similar, this is far smarter and a far better mystery.

It’s not really Dark Academia, but the psychological study being conducted by the story’s central group of graduate students does hinge on an intriguing and semi academic premise. The book lacks the atmosphere and setting that are requisite for true Dark Academia, but it’s a solid campus thriller with an enthralling plot that mostly adds up in the end.

The villain is a bit predictable if you think through the general formula for these types of books, but the solve ties together well with the early parts of the story, and the characters are interesting and well drawn.

Thanks NetGalley for the chance to review this ARC of this audiobook. I personally had a really hard time getting into the story. I made it to 50% before I got bored and uninterested in finishing it. I hope others enjoy it. It just wasn’t for me.

This is How We End Things is an average campus thriller with a phenomenal twist. The story has the typical setup of a tight-knit group of eccentric students with dark pasts who are thrown into chaos when one of them turns up dead. Based on the premise I see why this book was likened to If We Were Villains, however, This is How We End Things fails to deliver the dark academia vibes and enticingly complex interpersonal dynamics that make If We Were Villains stand out from the crowd. I would suggest readers go in expecting something more along the lines of In My Dreams I Hold a Knife.

The thriller is told from a range of POVs, however, two perspectives eventually dominate the story: one of the grad students, Scarlett, and the lead detective, Alana Larson. I was a bit disappointed that the police officers took up so much of the story. Instead of building complex interpersonal relationships between the grad students, Larson methodically reveals each characters "deep dark secret."

There was a lot of wasted potential with the psychology focus and the study of deception. The grad students are set up to be "masters of deception" but that never really goes anywhere. Maybe its because I was a psychology major, but I would have liked to see more psychology beyond references to Milgram and the Stanford Prison "Experiment."

Though I was only vaguely interested for most of the story, I was really hooked by the plot twist. It was such an unexpected direction and yet it connected nicely with a few earlier moments in the book. I do think it could have been woven throughout the story a bit more. But after that twist I couldn't stop listening.

I flew through this audiobook because I simply could not wait to see how everything turned out. There was so much to love about it - - the academic setting, double murder in a college town that rarely sees serious crime, epic snowstorm and several characters that each appeared guilty at some point during the book. It’s always fun for me to figure out the significance of a title and this one was incredible! If you enjoy books that keep you guessing this is one you won’t want to miss.

If you know me, you know I love when rich families lie, steal and murder each other (in books you creep) That is my jam. But you may not also know I have a back up Jam to my peanut butter ( The blackberry jam as opposed to the tried and true Strawberry Preserves...now I want a PB and J) So I also LOVE some academic people killing each other. I don't know why, but it is just juicy. Maybe because I have taught at the high school level and university level, I did one semester at a middle school and it is a miracle that a person survives 1 day of that--wow middle schoolers! (Shout out to Ted!)
Okay on to the review.....So this is my back up Jam. Academic Murder. Yum!

The plot line was very intriguing: a somewhat ethically boarder line research study is taking place on a NC university (I loved the shoutouts to Duke, UNC and NC State) and 2 of the lead researchers are murdered.
I really enjoyed how the drama unfolded on the page. The various POV's allowed for complete mystery and action to happen. The last 10% of the book I was literally on the edge of my seat. It was very clever and a fun twist. I enjoyed how Jacobs not only was fair in who he revealed to be the "bad guy/girl" but the actual capture of the bad guy/girl had my heart thumping.
I am curious about the last little bit of the book...Jacobs leaves the door open to some questions for sure.
This was my first novel by RJ Jacobs, and I am excited to see what others books he has written, because if his other books are similar to this in anyway, I am all in!

This book would be a perfect fall read for you. It definatly has some fall vibes (even though it takes place in NC during Spring Break--note I think this book was suppose to be set on Wake Forest Campus--we are not getting a snow storm in March FYI).

Thank you Netgalley for this Advanced Copy Read of this Novel. I was not influenced or paid in exchange for this honest review.

This is such a captivating psychological thriller. Loved the premise and setting on a campus in North Carolina. A professor and a few graduate students are conducting a study regarding the aspect of lying. Each of the characters seem to have their own secrets and reason they could be the murder. The story unfolds nicely and you start to narrow down the suspects. The audio version of this book was fantastic- it is narrated by Chelsea Stephens. She covered all the various point of views well. It was very easy to follow and I found myself very engaged into the story. Many thanks to HighBridge Audio and NetGalley for the digital review copy of this novel. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

When picking up This Is How We End Things, I had a strong memory of watching Urban Legend. Remember that university scene? They're all discussing horror and urban legends themselves and Joshua Jackson pops a packet of Pop Rocks in his mouth and swallows down a swig of Pepsi, following it up with his pantomimed death.

With the university/academia setting in this book and the experiments on lying and its impacts on people, I expected a similar vibe. There's a ton of super-interesting academic experiments gone awry - the Stanford Prison Experiment was another. So, yeah, immaculate vibes.

I'm not sure that this book really delivered on the promises of the description, unfortunately. What I thought was going to be a cool exploration of lying and how it can be used for both good and evil turned into what read like a really confusing police procedural for me. It was so coded that way I went to check that this was a standalone novel and not the beginning of a series about a police officer.

For me, the lying experiments were the selling point and... barring an early scene that directed your attention at a specific character for a possible culprit of the inevitable murder, there really wasn't anything toothsome to that part of the plot.

From then on, we're introduced to a variety of characters who, frankly, I found indiscernible from each other for the most part. I had to flip back when our victim was discovered because in the next chapter (oh yes, too may alternating POVs here) that character was suddenly alive, it felt like. But no - that's just how each perspective read.

Was it a good time? Sure. It wasn't bad. This was fine, but I do think it struggled from a cool cover and plot with contents that didn't exactly deliver.

3.5 stars, rounded up. Decent thriller

I think I especially liked this because I listened to the audiobook. The narrator, Chelsea Stephens, gave the story a chilling, sinister feel and made the characters seem smarter than they probably would have seemed had I read them on the page.

Five graduate students are doing a study on deception. Then one night, one of them is murdered. Then their supervising professor is murdered. The list of suspects is small, and the police detective assigned to the case needs to uncover what is going on before more people die. But the problem with people who are studying lies is that you never know who is telling the truth.

Overall, this is a fast paced, decently well-plotted mystery. The ending does wrap things up a little too quickly, I feel like a bit of a slower reveal would have been nice, but then I probably would have figured it all out a lot sooner. As it was, I did have my suspicions about one person and I was correct. I thought there could have been a number of more intriguing twists due to the deception storyline, my mind went a million different ways, but it was still a decent mystery overall.

If you like books set in academia and enjoy a good whodunnit, this is a great choice. This is the second book I've read by this author and I definitely want to read more in the future.