Charlie was five when she knew she didn’t want to have children.

How daunting it had been for Charlie when at the age of eight it was broadcasted that
humanity hangs on a balance. Babies were hard to conceive, the human extinction is near
and the only way to forestall such tragedy is to encourage compatible women to have children.

The Limit it was called, a scientific discovery that reveals the number of
generations a species can
bring forth before they exist no more. And the Limit for humanity was discovered
to go into an extinct in about four generations.

To ensure hope and the survival of humanity the government embarks on a
project named the Mendelia to manage the human reproduction in the United States.

For children to have a better chance at beating the Limit they are to provide council
and help parents in the decision making providing two choices, make many children
as possible or postpone childbearing to extend their generation. Mainly after you
are screened with a high chance of potentially breaking the limit, men
and women are either advise to donate their eggs / sperm in exchange of a
seizable income or advised to havemany children with another
high compatible men/ women for the same reward.

Charlie and her sister Maggie screened 5* ( meaning they have a potential expand to a fifth
generation) when they were children. Ten years later, when the government encouraged
Young Women and Men who displays high intelligence
to join the Mendelia
with requirement of donating their ovaries and
the Men are obligated to
quarterly sperm donations, in return for a regular income and permanent
position in the program at the end of their training, This became a blessing for Charlie.

It was a way out of their town and she has no ambition to save the
world, she prefers an ordinary life but quickly she realises she could not achieved such
with a vivacious, tenacious and passionate sister like hers. They have always been
together, Maggie has always been her safety blanket. She wasn’t going to leave her sister now.

But as far as plans goes Charlie is left to make the most important decisions of
all when Maggie makes unfathomable sacrifices in the name of improving the
odds of humanity, what is she willing to sacrifice?

A stimulating and intimidating world with scientific discoveries woven into the plot. I enjoyed they way the world was not solely about the science and hapless doom that had covered the world but the author imbued snippets of mundane life.

The heat of a tropical island and how life is lived there, the taste of French toast that is made sweeter by family and a drink shared by sisters with a bond so strong that nothing could break it. A silly Christmas carols between strangers at back of the truck like the world wasn’t prophesied to end.

From Charlie’s Narrative about her twin Sister Maggie, I knew she was daring and audacious with unchecked ability and lack of taking responsibility for her actions the complete opposite to Charlie’s character but I never imagine the wings of her ambitions would fly her far and high. It was unbelievably stupid for Maggie and Nolan to do what they did. Love makes fools of us I guess but Maggie not taking responsibility for her actions, again was another notch on her belt. I was aghast by her actions she quiet plumed head first and there was nothing left of her.

But it was not hate that festered in me, I only felt pity for her. I figured out the second plot twist but I was quite still shocked by Charlie’s actions but at the end I thought, good for her.

Thank you so much Netgalley for a copy of this ARC for an honest review.

Stienstra's novel is captivating, enthralling, and mesmerizing. I loved the difficult ethical questions it explored, and especially loved how the story maintained each characters morally ambiguity. The characters were written beautifully, and the bonds/relationships between them made for a heartbreaking narrative. This book will make you questions things that you have always held close to you as absolute truths. If you are a reader that is into well-written speculative fiction, moral quandaries, and familial drama, this is the novel for you.

Thank you to NetGalley for the free arc of this!

This book was a very mixed bag for me. The first 60-70% of the book had excellent pacing and at times I thought I might even give this 4 stars, but I think the climax and resolution really lagged. I couldn't quite grasp why a novel with this sort of topic would wrap up in the way that it did, it didn't feel like a just resolution to the themes that had been set up at all.

One big set-back of this novel was the tendency to tell instead of show, for example in Chapter 1 when Charlie discusses her feelings regarding being adopted: "Deep down, I wasn't sure what I'd done to deserve abandonment, and I wasn't sure why I'd been chosen either. This left me incredibly confused about my purpose in my family, and the easiest way to avoid any heartache was to refuse to think about it at all." This is the sort of conflicting emotion that gives a good story tension and heart, but I think showing us that Charlie felt this way would be way more successful than simply telling us.

Another big set-back for me was that I don't think I'm in ethical agreement with the main-character. A very noticeable element of how Charlie (view spoiler) The book clearly invites these topics but seems unconfident in how to explore them...

Thank you to NetGalley and to Little A publishing for an advanced copy of this book.

This has to be one of the most unique books I’ve read this year. It’s the concept that drew me in (abeit I found the cover quite lovely as well). Unfortunately, this book had quite some flaws, in my opinion, as well.

This book follows adopted twin sisters Charlie and Maggie, who’se lives were just irrevocably upended. In this speculative fiction, science has just discovered an extinction date encoded in to every living creature’s DNA. And while some creatures were years away from dying out, humanity only had approximately four generations left. As adults, Charlie and Maggie choose to enlist as “Mandels” - an organization of scientists determined to somehow beat humanity’s ticking clock. While Charlie chose to do this because she could not picture herself becoming a mother, Maggie’s ambition leads her in a more ethically questionable direction.

First of all, I want to applaud Lauren Stienstra’s choice to draw attention to something that is little talked about, certainly not something I was aware of, and that is unethical adoption practices at the expense of immigrants. It’s touched on a little in the book but after reading the author’s intent, I wish more focus was put on it. I also appreciate Stienstra’s education and experience through the more scientific aspects of the book. It leant to believability, which I liked.

While the story was definitely interesting, there were several issues that kept me from rating it higher. I did not enjoy Maggie as a character and in a lot of ways, I found what she did irredeemable (that was not my main issue). What I enjoyed even less, was her sister’s unwavering clinginess and adoration for her. Despite the fact that her sister used her over and over again, Charlie constantly strived to make excuses right her sister’s wrongs - something I found rather grating throughout the course of this novel. I think the pacing also felt a little disjointed and the story flowed a little awkwardly at times.

Overall, I think this was a really unique and imaginative concept but the characters and strange pacing made it difficult to enjoy at times. However, if you're a fan of books that explore speculative scientific concepts, and somewhat apocalyptic themes, I think you should check this one out!

Rating 3.5/4 (rounding up)
This book releases on April 8th 2025.
Review will be posted to my website on March 3rd, 2025 (close to release date). The URL is below but will not work until the post is published.

Amazing debut! I don’t normally read this type of book but something about the synopsis grabbed my attention. I’m so glad it did! It was hard to put this book down. The story hooks you early and has both great plot and character development throughout. While this is a work of fiction, I love that the author chose this medium to help bring awareness to the illegal adoption/trafficking of Marshallese children within the US.

WOW I loved this book. I really enjoyed the sisterly bond between Maggie and Charlie, I loved the sort of slow decent into madness from Maggie, and the heartbreaking but incredibly touching ending. I alternate between a 4.5 and 5 🌟 simply because it did feel wordy at times and i guessed that Charlie would have a baby by the end within the first chapter.

This isn’t a book I would typically have selected but omg I’m so glad I did. Thanks NetGalley!

Adopted identical twins Maggie and Charlie could not be more different. Maggie is bold, assertive, and loves people. Charlie is timid and shy. Before they reach their teen years, the girls experience three traumas: they learn that their adoption was illegal and that they were, basically stolen from their biological parents, the boy they both love moves away, and The Limit becomes the dominant reality of their world.
The Limit refers to a scientific discovery that determines how many generations a species will achieve before it becomes extinct. This is bad enough when it refers to animals, but The Limit of the human race turns out to be roughly four generations. Fewer babies will be born and, eventually, people will cease to exist. Panic ensues as the lack of a future results in suicides, crime, and the destruction of too many families.
To combat The Limit, a government organization called the Mendelia (after Gregor Mendel) takes over the management of human reproduction in the United States. Their goal is to control breeding so that people either postpone childbearing to extend their generations or have as many children as possible in hopes that some of those children will have a better chance at survival. All children are screened to determine their genetic level. Young people like Maggie and Charlie, who test out as *5 (having the potential for five generations) and display high intelligence, are encouraged to join the Mendelia. This requires girls to donate their ovaries so that women who test low will have the chance to be implanted with fetilized eggs.. Male Mendels are required to provide quarterly sperm donations for the same purpose. In return, both men and women are guaranteed advanced education, permanent employment as fertilization specialists and a steady income.
While I'm not sure about the science behind this book, I was sufficiently enthralled to be willing to suspend my disbelief. Charlie is an engaging narrator and her descriptions of other characters (Maggie, Nolan, Theo, the twins' loving adoptive parents, and others) brought them to life for me. Unlike too many overly cerebral science fiction stories, The Beauty of the End doesn't ignore the physical side of life. I could almost taste the cookies and French toast, feel the tropical heat and winter cold of the various settings, and visualize the condition of the Mendelic patients.. I did figure out the final plot twist before the end, but it wasn't important enough to spoil my enjoyment of the story.

I really liked the premises of the book, I'm a big fan of speculative fiction and I thought that The Beauty of The End would be an interesting, thought-provoking novel about body-autonomy, reproductive rights, and coming to terms with existential dread.
I believe this is what the novel was trying to explore, but in my opinion it didn't meet expectations.

The story was too character-heavy, especially considering that the characters had basically no growth or development throughout the novel.
***SPOILER***The main change that happened was that Charlie went from being completely child-averse to thinking that her life finally had meaning because she had a child - which felt forced and underwhelming.***END SPOILER***

The whole speculative aspect of the novel was very fuzzy and under-developed, even though we spend the first 4 chapter just building up to an info-dump that could have been more satisfying as a simple prologue.

The whole book felt drawn out with lots of unnecessary, distracting details that didn't add anything to either the plot or the characters' development. It should have been much shorter in my opinion.

I liked the scientific/clinical aspects of the novel, but they felt almost completely separated from the actual plot and themes of the novel, instead of enhancing them.

What would society do if they knew the human species would go extinct? What would society allow? What lengths would people go to, to have a child? This work of speculative (arguably dystopia) fiction delves into these questions while followings sisters on their life journey.

The story is shocking with many themes and ties to the world today. This is not a light book/read,(see trigger warnings) but one that will sick with you. I couldn’t put it down and it lead to many conversations with people in my life. I enjoyed the pacing, the main characters and themes. There were a few times things felt a bit rushed or eased over (the legal/political parts later in the book), I also didn’t like the use of a prominent political name (even though yes this is a fictional story), it took me out of the story. However I cannot say express how much I enjoyed this books and just devoured it.

I go back and forth between a 4.5 start and 5 star. Since this is not the final edit, and the way this books provokes thought and emotions I’m landing on 5 stars.

Trigger warnings:
Human trafficking
Human rights
Mental health (depression, suicidal ideation)
Murder
Suicide
Medical and reproductive ethics
Racisim
Grief
Death
Infertility
Consent
Sexual abuse
Addiction

What a wild ride! The apocalypse is coming, and it's very, very human. Polar opposite twins Maggie and Charlie embark on an adventure to save the species. I didn't know what to expect from page to page. I was fully tuned in, easily overlooking the various plot holes along the way. For example, I wasn't fully convinced by how humanity reacts to news of the end. And I couldn't figure out how anyone could afford to buy "an exorbitant platter of country-fried steak" and burgers etc. given the rapid decline in the animal population. Finally, I didn't understand why any viable, remarkable set of eggs would be tossed out---ultimately, the more minds on the problem, the better. But this was less sci-fi and more heart.

This provocative novel dives deep into the ethical quagmires of a world on the brink of extinction. With a gripping narrative that explores the moral complexities of reproductive rights and societal duty, it challenges readers to confront tough questions about the future of humanity. The writing vividly portrays Charlie and Maggie’s personal and societal struggles, weaving a compelling story of sacrifice, ambition, and love. The stakes are high, and the characters’ emotional journeys make this a thought-provoking and deeply engaging read. An outstanding exploration of human resilience and ethical dilemmas in the face of an impending crisis.

Lauren Stienstra's "The Beauty of the End" is a literary treasure that effectively combines poetic language with insightful existential analysis. This book enthrals with its thoughtful analysis of life's temporary nature, effectively addressing topics of love, grief, and the pursuit of purpose.
The narrative centres on a main character who is struggling with a fatal diagnosis in a world that is about to change. This personal crises serves as a springboard for a more thorough investigation of interpersonal relationships and the legacy we leave behind. The distinctive qualities of Stienstra's writing are her philosophical observations and vivid images, which inspire readers to consider their own relationships and lives.

The novel's skill at incorporating existential issues into a very relatable and intimate story is among its most captivating features. The book bases its philosophical discussions in the real-life events and emotional journeys of its protagonists. This method not only makes the reader more involved, but it also helps the reader feel a deep emotional connection to the characters' hardships and victories. Though The Beauty of the End shines in its meditative and lyrical manner, there are moments when it leans on sentimentality, which may not be to everyone's taste. The philosophical overtones may occasionally seem overbearing to some, overshadowing the plot's action. However, the novel's main strength is its capacity to arouse empathy and inspire thinking, which makes it a valuable read for anybody who enjoys character-driven, contemplative fiction.

In summary, reading The Beauty of the End is a contemplative and significant experience. It is a wonderful choice for readers who want to delve deeper into the more profound aspects of human existence because of its unique combination of lyrical language and philosophical investigation.