The Ends of Things by Sandra Chwialkowska is a suspenseful thriller set in the Bahamas, where Laura Phillips's romantic getaway takes a dark turn after befriending a mysterious traveler, Diana, who later disappears. This book had a captivating start and engaging writing but the story's momentum fades in the latter half, leading to a less satisfying conclusion. While this wasn't the book for me, the initial intrigue and exotic setting make it an enticing pick for thriller enthusiasts.

I was not a fan of this one, unfortunately. I found the main character rather annoying. I also couldn’t believe how often she mentioned sunscreen.

The cover of this one drew me in right Off the bat. 5 stars there. This story definitely had me locked in I I love "locked room"thrillers. I put this book in that category because they are all on an island. I Will say this book had great suspense moments that definitely drew me in as a reader. The ending seemed rushed and not very when thought out. That is why I only gave this one a 3.5 stars.

A thrilling suspense noted as the author's debut!! This short read made me want to go to a beach in the Bahamas.
Laura, a lawyer in the same practice as her boyfriend, Dave. After 6 weeks of dating, they take a romantic trip to a remote island, Eleuthera in the Bahamas. What should be paradise, turns into a nightmare. Everything appears off-kilter in the beginning with Laura's social awkwardness with zero confidence and her relationship with Dave. They are both unsure of each other.
Diana, a woman of mystery is on the beach alone and Laura becomes obsessed with her. One thing leads to another that by chance they run into each other one night when neither can sleep. Laura shares all her secrets about one of her past friends, Chloe and their toxic relationship that no longer exists.
When Diana disappears on one of the trails with Laura, she becomes a suspect. I was so unsure about some of the choices Laura would make and her evasiveness to the truth.
While the cold temps are outside, it felt good to bask in the sun in this fiction.
Thank you NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing for this ARC in exchange for my review!

This was a good book. Its about a woman trying to find her place in life and missing her friendship with an old friend. Lots of twists and turns.

Thank you Netgalley for an ARC of this debut novel. When I read the synopsis of this one, it seemed like a mystery/thriller but if you go into it expecting that, you’ll be disappointed. The B plot of the novel, centering on a decades old broken friendship, reads more like a YA novel.

This book follow Laura & Dave as they go on vacation in the Bahamas. They are not likable either separately or as a couple. Laura becomes intrigued with a female solo traveler who then goes missing. The book is relatively slow paced with little payoff at the end.

Thank you to Blackstone Publishing, Sandra Chwialkowska, and NetGalley for an ARC of this book!

This book started out strong. Laura and Dave are 2 lawyers who have recently started dating. They decide to go to a tropical island for a 3 day vacation. They meet a mysterious woman. This had the makings of a thriller, but it never evolved. At times the plot seemed to drag and it got repetitive in places. I got tired of hearing Laura continuously talk about her childhood friend Chloe. This made the plot seem slow overall.
This did not feel like a thriller to me. It seemed more like a contemporary fiction read by the end.
Overall, I did enjoy the book and the writing, it just was not the thriller I was expecting.

I thought the synopsis of the book was interesting and I think it could have been good? I saw reviews coming in that weren’t great but gave it a try anyway. I really struggled with Laura. She supposedly is a smart lawyer but man she makes some really dumb decisions. It drove me nuts. The relationship with her coworker seemed odd and I wondered why they were even together. The way she befriended Diana was very strange, how she got so invested with someone she didn’t know at all. I kept reading by skimming only because I wanted to see if the ending was good but it was so not. I was like, that’s it?

In the synopsis, this book is referred to as "thrilling suspense" which is totally misleading in my opinion. Don't get me wrong, I really liked the story but it's more about friendship and introspection than anything else. Laura is very realistically portrayed and I loved her as a character. There is a bit of a mystery involved and mild suspense but more of a character study than anything else. I liked the ending and would definitely read another book by Sandra Chwialkowska, a fellow Canadian. I looked the location up on the internet and it looks every bit as beautiful as it sounds, especially the Glass Window Bridge and the pink sands.

Quite a few times Laura refers to herself as the "good girl" and that's funny because my next Netgalley read is a book called "Good Girl" by Aria Aber.

Thank you to Blackstone Publishing via Netgalley for approving my request to read this novel. All opinions expressed are my own.
Publication Date: January 14, 2025

I liked the book overall. The characters were interesting. It started off strong, with a mysterious woman on a remote island, and had all the makings of a twisty thriller - but about halfway through, the pace slowed down, I felt like the writing was repetitive, and the plot got a bit stagnant. I was a little confused by the 'plot twist' and I was waiting for something crazy to happen but it didn't. It was a fun read and I enjoyed it.


Thank you Netgalley and Blackstone Publishing for the advance copy.

The Ends of Things
4⭐️

Fabulous writing! Every scene, character, and emotion clearly played out in my mind as I read, making me feel fully immersed in the book’s world. This was a psychological suspense told from the POV of Laura. Laura is a 30-something lawyer living in New York City. Her life is orderly, routine, and predictable. A new romantic relationship leads to a spontaneous island vacation. Laura is still getting used to being part of a couple and allowing herself to believe is this is the life she deserves. She finds herself heading thoughts constantly being distracted by a woman at the resort completely alone. This isn’t a twisty or thrilling read, but it’s a deep emotional ride that will resonate with anyone who has experienced shaky self-confidence, Good Girl Syndrome, or the complexities of romantic and friendship relationships.

Thank you to NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing for this ARC in exchange for my honest review. This review will be shared on NetGalley and Goodreads.

Pub Date Jan 14 2025

This one grabbed my attention from the get go and somewhere halfway through it became odd. I was hoping for more to come out of the mystery, suspense etc and it turned to a coming of age story of sorts. Meh..

The cover and title of this book immediately grabbed my attention, so I dove in without any expectations. At first, though, I was a little lost. The story seemed to wander without a clear direction, and I found myself slogging through a lot of background details that left me more confused than engaged. The narrative structure didn’t help—shifting between third-party perspectives and frequent jumps into memories had me constantly second-guessing what was happening in the present versus what was a flashback. It felt like my brain was playing catch-up the whole time.

Things finally picked up around page 170, but by the time I reached the ending, it came in with such a rush that it felt rushed and underwhelming. After so much buildup, I was expecting a bit more of a payoff.

Okay so this was a book I chose as a palate cleanser between fantasy because sometimes you need something new.
This book was surprising, it's an almost thriller. Overall this book kept my attention but I just had a hard time trying to put myself into the main character's POV. She was so anxious and made some odd decisions. Nevertheless I stayed until the end. Their were unexpected turns. I should have caught on to the Greek references.
Thank you NetGalley and Blackstone publishing for the ARC in exchange for an honest review

An enjoyable read, I thought it was going to be more of a thriller/mystery book but felt more woman’s fiction,
I started off really enjoying the book, interesting characters as it went on though I felt it changed from thriller/‘ystedy to woman’s fiction, so I have gave it 3.5 star rating for that reason.

Sandra Chwialkowska’s “The Ends of Things” is her debut novel. Laura Phillips is excited to go on her first trip with her new boyfriend of a couple months, Dave. They head off for a few days to the Pink Sands resort, located on the island of Eleuthera in the Bahamas.

On their first day there while at the beach, Laura looks around and sees couples like her and Dave, with the exception of one woman. The woman, Diana, appears to be vacationing by herself and Laura is intrigued by her. The fascination continues that evening at dinner as she observes the woman’s ease at being by herself and surrounded by couples.

Laura and Diana have their first brief conversation later that first night. The following morning, there are a few more opportunities for Laura and Diana to talk and spend time with each other. Then Diana disappears. After Laura reports Diana missing, she tries to learn more about her and figure out what happened.

The plot does take a turn about two-thirds of the way through and things shift for both Laura and the reader. The first part of the novel was more of a thriller or suspense, but the end was more in the realm of women’s fiction. Regardless of the genre, I found it to be a relatively fast-paced and enjoyable read. The ending was a bit anticlimactic and a little more open-ended than I like, but still realistic.

Overall, I recommend this book. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for my ARC.

Suspenseful, intense, and the perfect beach read. I would recommend to anyone who loves thrillers in captivating settings. Definitely reminded me of Bad Tourists or The White Lotus, in a great way.

Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I would love to be able to read this book as it sounded amazing but my Kindle wouldn't support it. This isn't the author's fault.

Thank you to Blackstone Publishing, and NetGalley for an ARC of this book!

Honestly not sure where to go with this review, I mean what was that?! It was great starting out it had everything it needed to be a great book, It had me hooked from the beginning wanting more. it was a pretty fast read at first... then it just kinda fell off and flopped..

I'll give it a 2.5 rounded up to 3 (maybe!?) I'm so sorry i hate posting bad reviews

This is gonna sound kinda harsh but feels like this is a book someone started writing this on Vacation and didn't quite finish, then got home realized it was still not over and just kinda threw things together at last minute, I don't feel like ending really made much sense, after the festival it just kinda ended and it dragged on from there.. I would preferred her staying there and working at Joe's rather than what we got.

I was def intrigued by the Diana parts, thank god for her because otherwise there would have been nothing else going on in this book, Dave was just boring but he's a man so i guess that's a given.

The last bit was kind of cute when she realized what Diana did but what was with the standoffish bish she ran into at the plane!? I mean she had every right to be mad at her but I guess Diana was just kinda over it at that point having talked to the cops, I just wish there was more thought put into the ending... I feel like it just fell of the cliff she thought her friend went over.

The Ends of Things
By Sandra Chwialkowska

A career-focused woman embarks on a romantic getaway to the Bahamas with her boyfriend. What begins as a relaxing escape turns into a gripping mystery when she befriends a solitary traveler, Diana. Then Diana suddenly vanishes, Laura is thrust into a web of intrigue and suspicion.

As evidence mounts against her, Laura fights to clear her name, losing her career and relationship in the process. Caught in a race against time, she must navigate a world of deception and question the trustworthiness of those around her, including Dave. Will she uncover the truth before it’s too late?

#TheEndsofThings #NetGalley
Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.