UK Publishing Date: 5 Jan 2016. 288 Pages.

Marketed as a YA book “This Is Where It Ends” is a powerful debut from Marieke Nijkamp. Set in a high school in the town of Opportunity, Albama, the graduating class are all thinking about where life will take when school ends. Whether that might be at Brown University, or Julliard or even just working in the family business. Going about their school day it soon becomes apparent that everything is not okay and that life is going to change much faster than they were expecting.

The book is fast paced and set in specific post event blocks of time with different characters relaying what they see happening and filling in background on the relationships between the main people in the book. The style is interesting and just makes you want to keep on reading. The grisly tale that unfolds in the high school is very believable and the reactions of the seniors involved feels very real.

It is quite a harrowing account and doesn’t pull any punches when it comes to gritty realism. The saddest part is the bright and enthusiastic teens realising that their hopes and dreams might never be fulfilled as a result of the actions of the gunman. I found it terribly moving and it feels much shorter than its 292 pages – partly due to its punchy style and the use of twitter type messaging to give it added realism.

Thoroughly recommend this book. It is one of the most thought provoking books I’ve read in a long time and I look forward to further books by this talented new author.

If you are quick there is a chance to get a free advance copy on the publisher’s tumblr site – link below. Draw ends on 31st October 2015.

http://thisiswhereitendsbook.tumblr.com/extras

Supplied by Net Galley and the Publisher in exchange for an honest review.

You can get the book here: This Is Where It Ends

Categories: 5 Stars Book Review

Tagged as: Guns High School Young Adult

angelnet69

Prolific reader, enthusiastic theatre and movie-goer and ex-Olivier Awards judge who spent twenty years working in the music industry in London. Sharing my house with a gorgeous cockapoo called Harry who has taken over completely.
I love sharing my favourite books with friends - nearly always spoiler-free as I hate reading a synopsis of the whole book in other reviews.

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