While this book kept my attention and I needed to know what would happen next, I feel like I know less than I did before I started it?
The ending was confusing and honestly made the whole book make no sense..

This book was not what I expected. Our protagonist spends a lot of her time in her own head and is deeply insecure about everything and does seem to project onto other people a lot. While I love a book that cares about female friendship, this book seemed to do so almost also at the expense of women— in order to see that female friendship is important, the reader has to spend 80% of the book hearing the protagonist disparage single women and talk about how much better you get treated in life when you are in a couple. I felt like I was far more likely to walk out of this book insecure than with the lesson the protagonist finally learned in the end of being independent. Also, I just really hated the ending with Diana. It felt too much. Overall, I just didn’t feel like there were any characters for me to root for because they were all kind of bad people, but we were only supposed to think a few were bad people. But, I didn’t find the protagonist to be a better person than those she was comparing herself to! So, it was hard to care when I just did not like her. Not my cup of tea.

3.5 stars. This was a good, quick ready. I was very engaged in the first half but it died out for me in the second half. And I feel like the ending was a bit of a let-down. That being said, I enjoyed the setting and the pace of this book.

Thank you NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

I really enjoyed reading this book. It was about a couple on a trip, and the woman becomes obsessed with a lone woman that is also at the resort they’re at. The book has a lot of twists and turns with a lot of creepiness mixed in. It was a fast paced to read, and I don’t wanna give anything away, but it was a great twisty book.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for this complimentary ARC in exchange for an honest review!!

The ends of things by Sandra Chwialkowska is a first-class read and I highly recommend it to anyone looking for a fast, easy read with easy-to-like characters, a charmingly unobtrusive setting and a twisty plot and excellent writing.

I really enjoyed Laura as the main character (perhaps there's a little of Laura in most of us) and found myself cheering her on from the beginning. Her desire to explore the world, but not having the courage to go alone felt relatable, so when she jumps at the chance to go on a romantic trip with her new-ish boyfriend (colleague - which must mean trouble, doesn't Laura know the oldest rule?) Dave, I was rooting for Laura. And sure enough, Dave turns out to be a creep. I wasn’t at all keen on him, especially as the story progressed, and honestly, I was pretty disappointed he got away with all his shady behavior without any real consequences. There was definitely a moment where I thought he might’ve even been responsible for Diana’s disappearance. Diana was a single guest at the couples resort that Dave and Laura had come to for a few days of vacation.

Diana and Laura go hiking while Dave does work with the hotel owner/manager. Diana goes missing, there are creepy characters who make excellent suspects, the police are involved, Laura loses her job for contacting the police and initiating bad PR for the hotel which is a client of her and Dave's law firm... Things aren't looking good when Dave flies home without Laura, Luara is 'requested' by the police to stay on the island and seems to have made herself a suspect in Diana's disappearance. Let's leave the plot there in case I reveal too much.

Speaking of Diana, she remains a total enigma to me, but strangely, I’m okay with that. The mystery surrounding her really added to the story’s tension. Even though I was left with questions, her presence (and eventual absence) kept me hooked. Laura’s obsession with uncovering what happened to Diana felt so real and intense, and I loved how the seemingly perfect vacation turned into a nightmare where nothing was as it seemed.

Laura, workaholic with no life, finally meets a guy (same office) who whisks her away for a few romantic days to an exotic island. It sounds like an amorous tale at the outset but then she meets a single woman at this couples resort and becomes obsessed with her; envious of her freedom and the aura she seems to exude. Why is she here alone? She is convinced the woman has a sad backstory and tries to befriend her.
    That's when the book turned more into a self reflection for Laura. She feels she has missed out on so many things in life because of her drive to succeed. Her best friend from high school's betrayal, which she hasn't resolved, follows her everywhere: she misses her and the tight friendship they once had.
    So this mysterious woman has Laura sharing her deepest feelings, much like a therapist in one simple conversation then disappears and Laura is convinced she has met with a terrible fate and obsessed with finding her. 
    Is Laura consumed with her disappearance because she needs this woman, who's astute observations she's made about her life are so accurate, or is she just being a concerned citizen about a missing person.
    There are other issues: boyfriend, work, police  woven throughout to give the story its mystery label but it seemed like Laura finally found out what she wanted to do with her life and it came at a high price

Laura finally feels normal—because she’s in a couple. She’s dazzled when, on a short vacation with her boyfriend of six weeks, she finds a woman all by herself at a couple’s resort. I guess at a couple’s resort being alone might stand out, but it’s clear that Laura would never eat alone back home, either. I genuinely can’t imagine anyone giving a hoot about a person eating alone—people are generally much too wrapped up in themselves to even notice strangers.

Laura is fascinated by the woman who is OK by herself and doesn’t seem to care about what others think. She makes a sort of friendship with the woman, who then disappears, and things get awkward. The main gist I got from this is: don’t trust boyfriends, new friends, or anyone.

NetGalley provided an advance copy of this novel, which RELEASE JANUARY 14, 2024.

This was very disappointing. I get what the author was trying to do but I found myself so bored halfway through that it was quite a struggle pushing through to the end.

The End of Things is about Laura a lawyer in her first job, post graduation. We follow Laura and Phillip as they attend their first vacation, after 6 weeks of dating.

This book was very thrilling and what the heck is going on. Not sure as to what was come of this story. Plot was intriguing enough with the unknowns. Wasn't very invested in this story and characters however I was intrigued with this writing. This story felt very slice of life (while on vacation) and had a remote setting which are things that usually bore me. This story was good and I found it thought provoking.

Thank you to Netgalley and Blackstone Publishing for the ARC copy for my honest review.

This was such a fun book. I wanted a summer themed thriller to finish out the season. This did not disappoint. I loved the character development and the scenery was amazing. I thought the MC was smart and witty and it was a refreshing book to read. I thought anxiety and the mental health representation was done very well.

The book left me with a whirlwind of emotions. None of the characters were particularly likable, yet I found myself empathizing with the female lead's perspective on certain issues, despite her seemingly limited emotional depth. The boyfriend's reaction to the climactic revelation felt disproportionately extreme. And the enigmatic woman? More irksome than intriguing. Anticipating a mystery thriller, I was met with a narrative that veered sharply from expectations. No regrets in reading it, but it's not a story that will linger in my thoughts.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an E-ARC of The End of things. This book just didn't hit the mark for me. I found it boring and confusing. Didn't finish.

I really wanted to love this book. The cover was stunning, and combined with the description was giving me White Lotus vibes. However, it seemed that none of the description really matched what the story unfolded to be. None of the characters were likable, and I found myself waiting to find out what the big twist is, only to realize there really wasn't one. Unfortunately, this book left a lot to be desired, and had the potential to be a great thriller, but ultimately didn't deliver. I did enjoy the descriptions of the vacation spot that the story takes place at; a picture of the Pink Sands Resort became clear in my mind while reading. Overall I'd rate this a 2.5/5. Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this before it hits shelves.

Thank you NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing for an incredible read The Ends of Things. Loved the cover, confused about the title, cried my eyes out on the last page. I was wishy washy about Dave and now I know why. I could totally visualize being at the resort!!! What a great, meaningful book. Everyone needs a Diana in their life, WOW that’s All I can say! Soooo happy Laura found her true self. Such a good book, thank you again,

I have mixed feelings on this book. I didn’t like any of the characters but I could understand why the FMC felt the way she did about some things but she seemed to have the emotional intelligence of a rock. The boyfriend really overreacted at the “big reveal”. The mystery lady was annoying. I thought it was going to be a mystery thriller? But it turned out to be completely different.

Worth reading but nothing special. I felt this book started quite strong but then really dragged in the middle only to end rather abruptly. I was curious enough to keep reading to get answers, but it wasn't a true atmospheric and page turning thriller. Its fine! I don't regret reading it, but I likely wont think about it again now that I'm done

I enjoyed this book by Sandra Chwialkowska. Initially it was the cover that drew me in, yet the actual book was very good. The beginning was definitely hard to pull away from. I enjoyed the middle and the end as well, It’s a bit of a slow burn yet the writing and execution of the story worked for me. I thought the ending was also really good- I didn’t know what to expect, which I always appreciate.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the electronic copy of this book.

3.5. This cover is so good - it drew me right in. Thank you to NetGalley, Blackstone Publishing and Sandra Chwialkowska for allowing me this ARC in exchange for my honest review of this debut novel.

The story begins with Laura and Dave, two lawyers who have recently begun dating, traveling to the Bahamas for a 3 day vacation. The first half of the book is a lot of foreshadowing that something was going to happen but you’re never really sure what or when. Labeled as a “thrilling suspense” I kept waiting for it. Laura is a bit insecure in relationships and wonders how she and Dave ended up together really.

Laura’s childhood ex best friend plays a huge role in this book. After a while I was thinking does a women in her 30’s really still obsess that much about a lost friendship from over a decade ago?

An encounter on the island spurs Laura to act in a way which causes a dominos effect. This is the lackluster thrilling suspense.

I plowed thru this book waiting and wondering … and then it just kind of ended with a hmmm ending. This novel has the great bones to be a suspenseful thriller but took way too long to get there and then just kind of dies at the end.
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A propulsive literary debut, The Ends of Things is a thrilling suspense perfect for fans of The White Lotus and You Shouldn’t Have Come Here by Jeneva Rose.

I wanted to love this book but I can only say I liked it. The ending was too quick and I found it to be repetitive. Bit flat for me.