Where I am was a dark disturbing book about obsession. I could not put this down, I ate this book up. I loved it, the isolation was so dark. This might not be for everyone, but I was hooked.

Very enjoyable, page turner. Well written, with an unsettling atmosphere and world building. Main character wasn't the most likeable, but it worked.

Wow! The writing of this book is so uniquely eerie and disturbing. At times, it was actually hard to continue because of how disturbed I was; I assume that’s exactly what the author wanted with this book. My only criticism would be that the ending felt less eventful than it ought to be.

This book has some beautiful imagery, and I am a sucker for a main character that gives us such bad behavior.

Where I End

Let me begin by saying: all of the hype you’ve heard around this novel is completely valid and spot on. Every positive review and comment are dead serious.

It’s taken me so long to put together a coherent review because I was left REELING (in the best way). Phew. Where I End is no joke. It’s disturbing, shocking, “endearing”, confusing and hard to read in some places. I forced myself to continue though, because I had to know what was going to happen at the end.

For quite a large portion of the beginning of the book I was wondering what the heck was happening. How are these characters connected? What’s happened to our main character? The woman she’s caring for? So many questions! Buuuut you start getting those answers and wish you had remained blissfully unaware (if you’re me).

Where I End is fast paced and gives you absolutely no room to breathe and collect yourself. I felt like the ending was abrupt because I AM GREEDY and I wanted to keep reading. I wanted more. However, the book as a whole is absolute perfection. I understand the reasoning for the ending but did shave off half a star because I did want some more answers/to have a better idea of what would happen next. Maybe a teeny, tiny epilogue?

Where I End is out now! Do yourself a favour and snag a copy, hunker down with a blanket and some snacks, because you’re not going to want to leave your couch.

Huge thank you to @netgalley and @kensingtonbooks for making this eARC available to me in exchange for an honest review.

4.5 ⭐️

Ho boy, lots of positive reviews here so I'm clearly in the minority but the level this book goes to dehumanize a disabled character is too far for me. Caretaking is hard work and can often feel exhausting and gross. But I think there's a way to portray that that isn't this extreme. It really went to the next level to make this person's body and condition sound horrific which was so so so dehumanizing.

I ended up liking this more than I expected to when I first started reading. The writing style takes some getting used to. From the very beginning I felt uncomfortable and that feeling didn’t let up in the least for the entirety of the book. I can’t think of any other book that has made me quite this uncomfy before. There were parts that made me literally squirm. However, I felt like the ending didn’t quite meet my expectations. I’m not sure what but it was lacking in something…

TW: Body horror, torture

Well. This is one of those books that makes you ask “what did I just read??” when you put it down but in a good way. And honestly, I can’t answer that question. It’s not traditional horror, but it’s certainly horrific with a literary fiction feel. The setting and atmosphere were described and utilized strongly and added much to this bleak work, bringing the story to life.

Part of what this work examines is the idea of being trapped with your mother but never having felt your mother’s love. It also looks at the resentment and ill-will that can grow when someone is unwillingly forced into the role of being a caregiver. Another theme was motherhood/caregiving and how women are often expected to find joy in all moments of it despite how defeating it can sometimes be. These things are brutally included in this work in a stark and aggressive way. This work relies heavily on body horror, which is not something I enjoy as I’m quite squeamish. I didn’t realize just how heavily it would lean into it when I started reading, and I was too drawn in to stop so I just skimmed most of the gruesome details.

DO NOT read if you don’t have the stomach for body horror, torture, and otherwise very dark reads. DO read this if you’re looking for a twisted, non-traditional gothic horror and you enjoy gross things. Also, I don’t recommend trying to read this on your lunch breaks or while eating at all. My thanks to NetGalley and Kensington/Erewhon Books for allowing me to read this work. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Erewhon Books for providing me with an eARC of Where I End in exchange for my honest review!

This compels me with the isolating atmosphere that it stretches out over the tale, that it uses to seclude us off the coast of Ireland with Aoileann while she undergoes her arc. It's grimly riveting to be confined in her lonely sphere as she gets me to sympathize with her initially, but then as the plot progresses, we learn more and more facets of her character that end up being quite unnerving. It's an interesting way to explore these toxic feelings—a whirlpool of resentment, spite, and heartbreak towards loved ones who you perceive to be burdens resting upon your shoulders. These feelings are painfully real, but what would happen if they swirled around within someone who can be pushed far enough to turn those feelings into awful actions? This is what we navigate throughout a book that traps me in a cage of eeriness for much of the time and leaves me with chills thanks to the ending.

Overall, I'm officially rating Where I End four out of five stars, and now I'm looking forward to more of Sophie White's work.

I never know what to share in summaries with books this short, but I will say if you like books that have weird premises and carry a sense of dread throughout it's entirety, this will probably be a hit for you.

Dark and disturbing. Just the way I like it! Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for the free eARC in exchange for my honest opinions.

4.5 stars

What a strange little treat this was. From page one there is a sense of dread and mystery surrounding this island. If you like your books bleak and unnerving...please....please check this one out!

When first starting this book I wasn't sure I was going to be able to get into as the writing style isn't one I usually enjoy. However, I was endlessly intrigued by Aoileann and decided to keep going...
This book is a lot darker and more disturbing than I had any inkling of going into it. Aoileann is a young woman almost 20 who with the help of her Nan has been taking care of her comatose mother for as long as she has been able to. We get a lot on her thoughts on her mother who is often referred to as the thing, and while I can absolutely see why she would have resentments towards her mother and what she has to do to take care of her I didn't love how in-depth the descriptions of her mother's body were. I don't usually mind body horror, although I'm not sure I would really describe this as that. This is just what happens when someone who is in the medical situation her mother is in has to deal with... and its not pretty.

Aoileann starts acting weirder than I guess she already normal is after she meets a young woman on the beach. She becomes obsessed and a lot more is revealed about Aioleann than we could have every guessed, and the story takes an even darker turn.

Looking at other reviews for this book its clear it does have an audience, but I'm not it. From the writing style to the descriptions and just disturbing things Aoileann does I just couldn't get into the story. Although I think it did its job because I think this one is going to be living rent free in my brain for quite awhile.

Really engrossing disturbing Irish gothic horror. I really enjoyed the isolated perspective of the 19-year old Aoileann. Not only living on an isolated and treacherously atmospheric island, but isolated from being ostracised by the islanders and her own family for a supposed curse. For most of her young life, every day has been labouring to caretake for her mother, who is non-responsive and bed-ridden. An act of intimacy so horrific for a child to endure chronically. Without formal education, friends or comfort from her family, this is all she's known.

So as a newcomer reaches the island, her curiosity descends into obsession. New feelings emerge. New thoughts spiral. This changes her and her fate.

There are so many slow, creeping moments of disturbed events and thought patterns. The way the mum moves by herself at night. New scratches of individual letters on the floors that the daughter transcribes. The lore of the island and its desolation. And the immersive darkness of Aoileann's curiosity. She is a creature of trauma and yearning. This might be a difficult read for mothers or those in caretaking roles, but otherwise very captivating. It's a desolate heaviness I can't describe. I definitely look forward to more from this author.

Trigger warnings: self-harm, body horror, rape, child abuse, sexual assault.

Where I End
Sophie White

5 / 5

A fascinatingly original folk horror, Where I End was just incredible.

The writing is blunt. It's sparse, yet rich with provocatively relatable sentiments, and moments that punch you in the gut and make you emphasize ... and really think. The bleak ambiance ... The sadness and the sense of unfamiliarity is what pulls you, like the tides, through this novel. You feel a desperate need for answers to certain questions. And the ending was perfection.

The terror of the novel comes from it's ability to be unapologetically honest about the ways in which mental illness and trauma can manifest.

A very smart, very heavy, dark, and compact horror novel ...
I HIGHLY recommend checking this one out, if its premise intrigues you.

5 / 5

I loved this book and was enthralled with the writing. I loved the character study. Would read more from the author!

Where I End by Sophie White is a haunting exploration of isolation, family curses, and the inescapable pull of dark desires. Set on a desolate island off Ireland’s coast, the story follows Aoileann, a girl trapped in a life of relentless care for her bedridden mother—a woman she calls the “bed-thing.” Her world is limited to the eerie rhythms of this island and the haunting silence of her mother’s tragedy. When Rachel, an artist from the mainland, arrives with her baby, Aoileann’s curiosity awakens, spiraling into a need that’s as unsettling as it is poignant.

Sophie White’s prose captures the chilling beauty of the island setting, making you feel the oppressive weight of isolation. Aoileann’s desperation seeps through every page, and the secrets she uncovers push the story into disturbing, unforgettable places. If you’re drawn to dark, atmospheric reads that probe the boundaries of human nature, this is one you won’t want to miss.

A horror story set on a small Irish Island. It wasn’t an easy read; every page was more horror than the one before, but I was keen to find out what secrets lay hidden.

Aoileann is tasked with helping her grandmother look after Aoileann’s bedridden mother.

Aoileann has had a bad life, she is shunned by the Island inhabitants, and she longs to have a relationship with her mother.

Why was she treated so badly by her family and the other people living on the Island? What secrets will she uncover?

Full of horror and cringe worthy scenes.

Thank you NetGalley and Kensington Publishing for a chance to read this E-Book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

4⭐️

This was a great book for coming into fall and the spooky season. It takes a bit to get into the story telling writing style but overall I really enjoyed it.

I'm really loving books set in Ireland. This setting really played into the gothic darkness of this book. It made it feel more isolating and eerie.

I would recommend this book to others that like unique gothic horror style books. It was unique and different to what I'm used to.

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington books for this advance reader copy. My review is voluntarily my own.

Thanks to NetGalley, publishers and author for an ARC of Where I End.

This is a well written, disturbing story that hooks you at the start, and doesn't let go until the last word.
Not for the faint hearted.