I'm struggling to figure out what I think about this book. Definitely one of the weirdest books I've read in a very long time. I did like the way things resolved in the end because throughout the book I kept thinking that the nameless narrator was so incredibly naive and idiotic, almost like a character in a horror movie. But I think that this book would be better going back to read it again once the ending is known, because it gives construct to the story.

I still didn't love the way it played out, it was too convoluted overall.

5 stars. I get why people would hate this, but I found the ending to be absolutely devastating. Review to come.

Due to being a high school teacher, I have been falling behind on reviews. Here are my initial thoughts.

Interesting concept in this book. I really enjoyed reading most of it and it caught my attention from the first page. The ending was confusing and I had to re-read the last bit a few times. I've discovered I'm still confused by the ending.

This was just an okay read for me. I disliked as many things as I liked and didn't feel strongly enough about the book to really warrant adding an in-depth review to the blog.

I didn't make it through this book, so I can't give it adequate feedback. I was just never "hooked" enough to continue reading past the first few pages. I do appreciate the publisher and NetGalley for providing me the ARC.

This book is spellbinding, even if the reader is never certain where the story is going. It challenges common notions of reality and truth, e.g. one character points out truth happens only once, and how it's recounted from then on is distorted by imperfect memory. I'm not sure I fully understood the ending, but its emotional impact makes me certain I'll read Iain Reid's future work.

Well, I was quite bamboozled by this book and I’ve never been more grateful to other reviewers for explaining it to me. Not sure, even with the necessary second reading, whether I would have managed to work it all out for myself. So now I understand what it’s all about, I can say that it is indeed a very clever and original novel. And until I got to the end first time around, I even enjoyed that initial reading. Up to a point. Up to the end. It all starts quite straightforwardly. Jake and his girlfriend are driving to visit his parents. The couple haven't been together long and already the girlfriend is thinking of ending things. The parents live on an isolated farm and they and the surroundings all seem somewhat unsettling and strange. Then Jake and girlfriend start out for home, in a snowstorm for a bit of added atmosphere, and that’s when it all gets even more unsettling. And where I kind of lost the plot. So on one level it’s an effective psychological thriller, but on the other I question whether it’s not perhaps a bit too clever and convoluted for its own good? Not quite my thing, in any case. I didn’t find it frightening, just mysterious, and if everything I’ve just read is so completely overturned then I can’t help feeling a little too much the author's plaything. So mixed feelings about this admittedly interesting and thought-provoking novel.

Three stars: A buzz book that is nothing like you expect. Prepare for trickery and a twist that will shock you.

I have been thinking about ending things....with Jake that is. The relationship between Jake and his girlfriend has been going along fine, but for whatever reason, Jake’s girlfriend is contemplating breaking up with him. She keeps putting off the break up for one reason or another, especially after the strange prank phone calls start. Then Jake takes his girlfriend on a road trip to the country to meet his parents on their farm. The visit is unsettling, and then things get even worse on the trip home. A stop at a local high school at night during a snow storm turns everything upside down. What is real? How well can you really know someone? Do you dare find out?
What I Liked:
*I don’t even know how to begin to review I Am Thinking of Ending Things without giving away the twists. This is an unsettling psychological thriller that explores the age old question of how well you can truly know someone while uncovering the fragility of the human mind. This book is nothing like you expect, and it will shock you with the finale. If you want to take a chance on a book that will make you think, try this.
*The book utilizes an unreliable narrator, and it adds to the suspense by not giving the narrator a name. The book is told through the eyes of Jake’s girlfriend. The girlfriend is contemplating ending the relationship. She doesn’t have any solid reasons, just a feeling that it isn’t working. Things begin to get weird when she starts getting unsettling prank calls that originate from her own number. Then when she takes a trip to the country to meet Jake’s parents, things are downright strange. I liked that I never had a clear idea of what was going on, and I didn’t know whom I could trust, it added to the suspense.
*Once the book hits its stride, things shift. The trip to meet Jake’s parents is unsettling. There is a sense of wrongness throughout, and then it spirals into madness. I liked the creepy atmosphere, the ratcheting up of the suspense, and the stunning finale.
*Each chapter opens with a snippets of gossip from local residents who are discussing a peculiar suicide. This dialogue is informative and it drops some helpful clues.
*The ending is stunning. Yes, there are some hints to what is going on, but I have to admit, I didn’t completely piece it all together. The book ends with one of those big gotcha moments that will leave you pondering on it for days. This is definitely a thinking book, not for everyone.
And The Not So Much:
*Even though the book is short, it tends to ramble on and on about meaningless things. I grew bored with the rambling.
*I am still not sure what the point of it all was. Each person will have a different take away, as there is not a clear cut finish. This is not a book for everyone. It is a thinking book, and some may walk away thinking it was a clever, cool book, while others will not care or hate it. I am in the middle. I liked that it was unique, and that I had to think about it, but then I hated that I am not sure what the intent of the author was.

I Am Thinking of Ending Things is one of those buzz books that people are either going to love or hate. It is a weird, suspenseful novel that explores the old question of how well can you really know someone, while exposing the fragility of the mind. If you are up for a suspenseful, unsettling thinking book, give this a whirl. I can only tell you it is a mind bender.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own, and I was not compensated for this review.
Posted@Rainy Day Ramblings.

I had such high hopes for this book. It was pushed as a literary thriller/horror and compared to the likes of "Bird Box", etc... This didn't deliver for me. The characters made me cringe and the discussions between the two definitely had me intrigued and thoughtful. I was just hoping for something different. My disappointment in the book was so deep that I couldn't write a review on my blog or Goodreads. I felt too badly that maybe I wasn't in the right frame of mind for it or was expecting something too far off from what it was.