*The Beauty of the End* surprised me. Set in an alternate timeline where humanity faces a looming reproductive crisis, the story focuses on twin sisters Charlie and Maggie as they grow up in a world full of uncertainty—one where individual freedoms are increasingly restricted, and the survival of the species takes precedence over personal autonomy. After a scientific discovery reveals that extinction is encoded in our DNA—with only a few generations left—society scrambles for solutions, and the girls are drawn into a government-run reproductive program designed to encourage fertility and hunt for genetic mutations that might delay the end.

What makes this perspective so interesting is that while the twins don't fully grasp what they’re sacrificing—their choices, freedoms, and futures—the reader does. That dissonance creates a tension that’s more thought-provoking than lecturing.

The novel explores complex themes reproductive ethics, eugenics, women’s autonomy, utilitarianism, and the conflict between individual agency and duty to society. It handles these topics sensibly and importantly quite factually with respect to science. The inclusion of the Marshall Islands was a great touch—both a compelling narrative choice and one that makes scientific and historical sense.

As society deteriorates, the novel becomes a sharp cautionary tale. Desperation breeds unethical practices and moral compromises. At one point, Charlie says: *“The species needs a future more than it needs morality,”* which pushes forward one of the key questions of the story (and many other sci fi works): does the continuation of the species justify abandoning moral frameworks? Are some actions inherently wrong—even if they ensure survival?

All of this made the book powerful for me. However, I did struggle with the ending. It felt abrupt, and Charlie’s motivations became erratic and inconsistent. I wasn’t sure if this was meant to reflect personal growth or unresolved grief. I also kept expecting Maggie to return—her story was left so open-ended. I would have loved more focus on her character, rather than the love triangle subplot.

Overall, I appreciated being challenged to imagine myself in the twins’ position. I learned about the tragic legacy of the Marshall Islands, and I loved that the story kept me guessing. It’s a thoughtful take on a reproductive dystopia. I’m very much looking forward to Lauren’s next book.

Thank you to Little A and NetGalley for providing this ARC for my honest review.

What would society do if it knew for sure that the days of humanity were numbered? What boundaries would people cross to survive – or just to have children? Lauren Stienstra's dystopian novel explores these questions as it follows the fate of a pair of twins – Charlie and Maggie Tannehill – in a slowly dying world.

The premise of the novel is both brilliant and chilling: an accidental scientific discovery reveals that every living thing has an endpoint encoded in its DNA – and in the case of humanity, that's only four generations away. This ‘Limit’ (as the book calls it) is not only a biological threat, but also a cultural, social, and moral challenge.

As Charlie and Maggie grow up, they join a government-run programme that offers cash rewards to encourage reproduction and the exploration of potential genetic mutations. As Maggie sinks deeper into the consequences of her own ambitions, Charlie tries to maintain his integrity and moral compass – with varying degrees of success. Their relationship and the consequences of their choices unfold beautifully throughout the story, raising fascinating questions about individual responsibility, love, and the limits of self-sacrifice.

The book is particularly powerful in the way it portrays ethical and moral dilemmas: what happens when humanity reaches its ‘reproductive limit’ and faces actual extinction? Lauren Stienstra skilfully alludes to contemporary social issues – reproductive rights, medical ethics ‘unprecedented times’ – without drawing specific parallels with the recent pandemic or climate crisis. This helps to keep the book thought-provoking without losing the kind of abstraction that the reader expects from speculative fiction.

That said, I felt the story could have brought out a little more of the global social consequences of the ‘Limit’. Although there were small glimpses – such as when girls are warned not to be alone in the streets, or the story of Aunt Frankie's friend – I missed the picture of global chaos that I think would inevitably follow such an exploration. I imagined people concocting conspiracy theories that would lead to riots, or trying to take scientists hostage, or countries threatening nuclear war – because it is this kind of crisis that really tests our society and brings out the darker side of human nature.

!!! WARNING – the following paragraph contains spoilers !!!

Yet the biggest disappointment for me was not this, but the character development of Charlie. The first half of the story shows Charlie trying to find her own identity by stepping out of Maggie's shadow – and the thread of her never wanting to be a mother herself was particularly strong for me. It's a credible and important message: not all women want to be mothers, and that's perfectly fine. That's why it was particularly painful to see her end up having a child – not out of inner conviction, but because Maggie's choices forced her to. Instead of going her own way, I felt that Charlie was taking Maggie's place and carrying out what her sister had started. For me, this was not a triumph of character development, but rather of self-abandonment. It may have been the author's intention in making this decision to outline a possible healing arc for Charlie – a healing of the wounds from the loss of her parents and the trauma of adoption – but this thread was not sufficiently explored in the book.

Overall, "The Beauty of the End" is a thought-provoking, sensitive, and often painful read. Although I was left with questions and a sense of incompleteness about certain issues, it was a story that stayed with me for a long time. Not just because of the dystopian world, but because it touched on subjects that are rarely discussed honestly – and because it ultimately asks: what does it mean to remain human when humanity itself is coming to an end?

I have given myself lots of time to think about my impressions of the book, and I still can't decide how I feel about it.

I am not entirely sure to which extent I should feel offended by scientists playing god in this book, not to mention the parts of the book that basically included eugenics. I am also Ukrainian, and I am a bit on the fence as to how the Ukrainian family was portrayed, to put it mildly.

All in all, the idea was definitely interesting. I don't think I ever read anything like it. However, I seem to have missed the message the book is trying to send. On one hand, I liked how ambiguous and controversial the ideas were because it definitely makes you think. On the other hand, I am not sure what the author is trying to say exactly.

This is a reflective, lyrical story about grief, resilience, and the small moments that carry us through. It reads like a quiet meditation on love and loss, with beautifully crafted prose.

This book was a little disappointing for me. I didn't really connect with what was happening or the characters. The writing was difficult to get into for most of the book and ended up reading juvenile in a not good way. Overall, it definitely could have had another 1-2 drafts to solidify the concept, characters and writing and I feel like I would have loved it a lot more.

This book dives into some big, thought-provoking issues around reproduction, ethics, and what it means to protect the future of humanity. Following Charlie and Maggie as they face impossible choices kept me engaged throughout. It’s a story that makes you think about the costs of survival and the sacrifices people make. I enjoyed it overall, even if it wasn’t perfect for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this early copy.

Two sisters stories, told in alternating timelines focusing on relationships and reproductive issues in a dystopian world though compelling at times, just didn't feel consistent to me. With such an interesting premise, humans having an expiration date in four more generations, and so many topics that were touched on but not explored fully was a slight let down. I feel like you can see it's a debut novel at about the 40% mark.

I did love the opposite personalities of the twins Maggie & Charlie, but it didn't hide the fact that one was annoying and one was boring.

Great premise, not great execution. It starts off well and the plot had me hooked. There is so much potential and so much to think about, but it didn’t go in the direction I was hoping. I did WANT to know the ending, and would recommend this just for the thought provoking predicament that society and the twins face. It would make a good book club book!

set in a world where humans only have a set number of generations to live, we follow a set of twins as they navigate through this melancholic and desperate landscape. i believe that 'the beauty of the end' had a lot of potential, as it presents a unique scene, yet one digestible enough that readers can believe it to be true and be immersed further in the story. with the current state of my country today (america), the book's themes of autonomy and humanity definitely hit harder than I expected. i found it very interesting how Sienstra eased us into this world and the contemporary of it, especially with the how she handled the government's role and ambiguous ethics during this crisis.

with this being said, i left the book feeling unsatisfied and slightly disappointed. the ending felt rushed and i would've appreciated a bit more build up to the main plot twist, despite it being satisfactory plot twist however. the narrator, charlie, could've been so interesting to witness, yet her voice was dull and any attempts to change this were lackluster and unfulfilling. we follow the character from childhood to adulthood, and more character development or a change in voice would've benefited the story. i was much more interested in maggie and her questionable ethics, however these two felt surface level and left a lot to be explored. i would definitely recommend this book for those who want to explore narratives of questionable science and situations where humanity and morals are challenged (not by external factors specifically) .

The Beauty of the End is a tender, melancholic exploration of grief, memory, and the quiet unraveling of identity in the aftermath of loss. Lauren Stienstra’s prose is lyrical and introspective, inviting you into the inner world of a narrator who is trying to make sense of what remains after everything has changed. This isn’t a story driven by action or plot—it’s driven by reflection, emotional nuance, and the ache of remembering.

The novel gently asks what it means to carry someone inside you after they’re gone, and whether love is ever really finished—or just transformed into something quieter, something we live with. There’s a poetic rhythm to the writing, the kind that makes you pause and reread lines not for clarity, but because they’re beautiful in their rawness.

What stands out most is how the book lingers in the aftermath—the space between acceptance and denial, where memory reshapes truth and grief becomes a mirror. It’s not always an easy read, but it’s an honest one. For those who crave emotional depth, subtle storytelling, and the kind of book that feels like a conversation with your past self, The Beauty of the End is a deeply rewarding experience.

Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to finish this book as it didn’t quite work for me. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review it.

I really loved this book. Seeing the gradual decay of the world was quite a surprise, showing how everything relies upon the other lives that so often are ignored. I had never thought about how life could drastically change in a matter of seconds.

“Somehow, once again, my life changed irreparably another month later. So dramatically, in fact, it made surrendering my ovaries for bait-and-switch employment on a distant island in the South Pacific seem quaint.”

TW: death, miscarriage

Holy moly, I love a standalone dystopian sci-fi, but merge it together with a reflection on female health and reproduction rights? I’m sold. Similar to the hayflick limit which found that human cells have a limit of times they can divide, incapable of infinite division, the story follows the extinction of cicadas who “simply expired according to a preordained genetic schedule”, which was quickly looming for humanity.

Sci-fi as a genre often pushes the reader to contemplate the unthinkable, and this book is no different. With the future of humanity at risk, there are several key themes underpinning the story, including the ethical implications of having control others reproduction schedules and partners, as well as the impact of capitalism on the human body. All young women are offered two paths before they turn 18 - either have as many children as possible (with the hope of improving the childs fertility ’number’) in return for government benefits, or sacrifice your ovaries to the ‘cause’ in return for a guaranteed job and pension. In an environment where the end is nigh for everyone and both job security and financial freedom is almost non-existent, the opportunity to purchase both through the very permanent sale of body parts is thought-provoking.

“The dead don’t have feelings. You do. I. do. And if you don’t feel good about what you did, then I never will.”

Similarly, with an understanding that the fertility ’number’ of a normal human can’t be changed for the individual, but through potentially mutating genes before reproducing for others raises the question - how far are we willing to go as humanity to persevere the future at the risk of the present? In the words of the protagonist, it is “tragic that the people of today had to suffer for the babes of tomorrow - but necessary.”

“I realised then that her actual manner of death didn’t matter. He’d chosen to believe in a version of her death that vindicate his emotions.”

The book could go further in exploring these questions, but does a great job at introducing them through a very likeable and conflicted protagonist. Ultimately, the book leaves the reader with a lot to think about - always a winner for me.

Dnf around 50%

idk I was excited to read it but it never fully hooked me, idk if that's due to the plot or just me not being in the mood. I admit the trope of characters that are set on not having kids to suddenly wanting kids just annoys me but all pregnancy plots annoy me anyway so it's definitely a me thing, idk maybe I'll give it another try someday.

Thank you Net Galley and Little A for the arc!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing this eARC.

The Beauty of the End follows twins Charlie and Maggie in a sort of alternate history where scientists discover that every creature -- including humans -- have a date of extinction encoded into their DNA.

There was a lot that I thought was really strong about this book, most especially its funky ending and its overall premise. The entire opening, where we get to experience the discovery of the limit through a vanished cicada brood, had me absolutely hooked, and I was looking forward to the way the book would explore the implications of this limit on humans. What I didn't expect, and what I really struggled with pretty much up until the end, was that our two girls would become scientists whose involvement in the social crisis of the discovery of the limit is one where they surrender any potential they have of experiencing it in the name of finding a cure. I thought at least one of them might go the route of trying to do her duty to the species or something, but instead that was explored very little, and exclusively through characters we only briefly met. I found myself wanting to know more of what this world was like outside of their labs and offices, and I wanted the book to dig far more than it did into the experience of being a woman in this society. At the time I read the book, I didn't know about Lauren Stienstra's involvement in public health, specifically during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic response, and that certainly informs a lot of the trajectory of this book. I don't think that knowing this ahead of time would have made me feel too differently about the sequence of events, but it would have set me up with better expectations.

All that said, I don't think wanting far more than a book provided is necessarily a bad thing. The world Stienstra sets up is compelling and intriguing, and the characters were beautifully complicated and nuanced. I'll certainly be picking up more of her writing in the future.

I tried to read this, but I could only get 10% through the version that NetGalley gave me access to.

The writing was very clunky, both at the sentence level ("Don't you worry your precious little head about what's going on in here. Remember what your mother always says: if you wait patiently and quietly, everything will turn out fine.") and structurally: exposition, obvious exposition, plodding exposition.

[a few spoilers follow, though if they occur in the first 30 pages, are they spoilers?]

When news of global infertility of all life gets announced, it happens "...on Friday, the thirteenth of May. The date was, of course, a coincidence. At least that's what they told us." Because, the other explanation is, what? That world governments would intentionally announce catastrophic news on a day that's a superstition for bad luck? It was paragraph after paragraph of things like this that didn't make sense.

If the writing had been gorgeous, I still probably wouldn't have continued. The premise is that scientists discover that all life (or maybe just animal life) has a pre-programmed number of generations remaining until it stops being able to reproduce. Nope. That's not how genes work. Moreover, it is this genetic issue that was actually behind extinctions like those of the dodo and the woolly mammoth. "Geneticists located the cursed gene in every single [species]. Much to the misfortune of life on our planet, these creatures hadn't fallen victim to overhunting or habitat loss or climate change, as previously hypothesized. They'd simply expired according to a preordained genetic schedule."

I couldn't go on. I get that Stienstra wants to get to a world where some kids know they're the final generation. But just start it there. Don't give this weird setup that feels more like Koch Brothers' revisionist history than justification for a speculative novel. I was angry and insulted by the writing AND the plot. Too bad. The cover is lovely.

I hate to give ARCs a low rating, but this took me a month to read because I just hated picking it up. Which was so disappointing because the premise and the first third of the novel were really engaging! I love how it started off feeling very dystopian and from a child's point of view and the creation of a government solution to extintion was interesting, but then it just continued to decline. The scope of what Stienstra was working with felt extremely large and I think that it why a lot of the holes in the plot started to surface. This could have all been fine (not great, but fine) if the ending didn't make me so mad. I hate when the childless woman (who didn't want children in the first place!!!!!!!!!!!!!!) ends up having kids because she feels some higher purpose in doing so. It invalidates women's choices and it felt so tone def for a story about the end of the world idk.

3.25⭐
Thanks to NetGalley, Little A, and the author for the advanced copy!

The Beauty of the End follows twins Charlie and Maggie, adopted into a working-class family after being born to Marshallese parents.

As the world faces human extinction due to genetic decline, the two become involved in a scientific group called the Mendelia, which tries to save humanity through selective breeding.

Maggie is fully committed, but Charlie remains doubtful and conflicted. The story spans about fourteen years, showing how Charlie struggles to balance her love for her sister with her own beliefs and the weight of the world's future.

Though the book explores interesting themes like medical ethics, adoption, and sibling bonds, it doesn't always feel focused. The pacing is uneven, and Charlie's passive nature can be frustrating, especially compared to Maggie’s energy.

The final part of the novel feels off-tone and might be uncomfortable for some readers, especially around themes of birth and trauma. Still, it's a bold debut with big ideas, and the author shows promise for future work.

Thanks to Netgalley and Little A for this ARC in exchange for an honest review! The premise of this story intrigued me and, weeks later, it is still memorable. However, I felt the writing style was more junior than expected and the characters were not very fleshed out. You knew everyone in a surface level manner only but either didn't get any detail or got too much unnecessary detail. The science behind this concept also has to be taken with a grain of salt as it wasn't very believable to me (and I don't know much).
I'd recommend this for fans of YA and as a 'sci-fi' ish palette cleanser between heavier reads.

I was really hoping for something dark, like Handmaids Tale, but I feel like either the author or publisher wanted to hold back.