I wasn't sure what to expect when I started this book: it is written in first person and a series of unmailed letters. A young woman is found drowned in a small isolated community. Her best friend who had left for school is compelled to go back to search for answers on how and why her friend died.

The back story of mental health, understanding and acceptance is more interesting than what finally happens and is almost as tragic. It is a good, if painful , mirror into how tough it is to handle and live with this kind of illness which seems to be fall less acceptable in society than physical illness.

How both women are treated- once you leave the door is closed behind you, and if you stay you are at the mercy of those around you, even if they don't understand, or want to. How people can get squeezed into boxes set up by others seems almost inevitable without support and advocacy.

Written with heart and compassion, this book gives a little different window into situations that occur right around us every day that may creep under the wire of understanding sometimes.

The best part of this book, for me, was the setting. I truly hope there are not many towns like Lost Creek around. The town and the people in it gave this book a pretty creepy vibe. I believe this is a likeable book for a lot of people, everyone can find something to bond with in this book and feel satisfactory at the end.

Pros
Friendship: The friendship is woven around every fiber of this book. There are way too many YA books where insta loves makes two good friends lovers, or where insta love makes two good friends hate each other. I love how friendship is the core for this book and that that's what the focus is on.
Life lessons: There is a great deal to learn from this book. I loved how Kyra looks at the world and questions everything around her. This book contains friendship, loss, doubts, heartbreak, fear, mental illness and the way a small town can break a person. All subjects that this author is not afraid to use in her book and make sure you learn something from it.
Portraying Mental Illness: Mental Health is something that's very hard to grab, for me personally. I've written this before; It's so hard to understand and even harder to watch and not be able to do something about it. I felt like I could understand Corey, while she had to watch Kyra crumble and crawl back up. This book is not trying to give you an explanation or a way to deal with mental healt, it just shows how raw it can be and how helpless you can feel while you fiercely love this person.
Creepy vibe: There were some creepy vibes going on. At some point I decided not to read this in my new house, alone, while it was dark...

Cons
No tension: While the book was creepy, there never was a lot of tension for me. The book lingers on a bit, has a tensive little part at the end, but not much before that scene. While you do question what happened and there is a lot of Mystery, it lacked a bit of tension.
Not very believable: I found the way Kyra's parents react to her death very unbelievable, as well as the way Kyra died and what happened to her before that. The characters and the feelings in this book were so real, while the plot was a bit unbelievable. So sad..

Overall
I have to be honest here, I did not like This Is Where It Ends that much. I felt that Marieke Nijkamp did not give me enough answers at the end of the book, while the characters and relationships were the best part of the book. I was so happy to see I was chosen to review the book via Netgalley because I did not feel that Marieke Nijkamp is a bad author. I feel that she gave me a satisfactory feeling and the end of the book and was able to write another book with great characters and a lot of feelings and life lessons. So while I try not to compare books, I do have to tell you that I like Before I Let Go better than her first book!

The good: there was a very spooky vibe that I enjoyed, and the writing was lovely. The bad: I did find some parts very repetitive, and there could have been more character development, Overall, I liked this book; it kept me hooked, and I finished it quickly. I think it'll be quite popular.

"Before I Let Go" was a pretty unique piece of YA fiction- I'm not sure how to categorize it, maybe as a psychological thriller. We follow Corey from the time she found out her BFF, Kyra, has died over the course of her short trip to Lost Creek, Alaska, the place she used to know as home. Corey left town several months ago to attend a boarding school, when her mother moved away. She was really sad to leave Kyra behind, but they promised to stay in touch and wait for each other- and they were almost there. This is why Corey is shocked to hear that Kyra's death is considered suicidal (it is believed she looked for a crack in the ice and drowned).

The story is told in pieces- we have the present events, events from the past few years of Kyra/Corey together, and letters which Kyra had written but not sent to Corey (plus some stylistic writing as if a screenplay). Together, it makes for an incredibly engaging story. We get to put together the pieces of Kyra and Corey separately and together through their friendship. There is a big disconnect between the town Corey left and the one she returns to. The whole story is shrouded in mystery and grief- and it had the feel of a thriller at times. The town and the people in it had a very surreal feel, almost like Stepford, where you know there has to be more to the story and it's really creepy and you're dying to figure out why. This book ended up being a quick read for me, primarily for that reason- I absolutely had to figure out what happened to Kyra and what would happen to Corey.

The pace of this book is absolutely perfect, and the descriptions of Kyra really brought her to life. Corey was less well-developed, despite being the primary character. It was a really interesting format, where although being told from Corey's point-of-view, the character we get to know best and understand the most is Kyra. I also thought the depiction of bipolar disorder in this book was well done- it goes through examples of both her highs and her lows, plus some of her coping mechanisms and thoughts about the disease. It felt pretty genuine. The rest of the story felt more surreal, and considering that Kyra loved stories and fables, it almost felt like the book was it's own story (maybe enhanced in the retelling). I'm not saying that as a bad thing- it gave the overall tone an interesting quality that made it all a bit more of a mystery.

Overall, I think this was a really intriguing and unique story along the lines of a psychological thriller. Please note that I received an ARC from the publisher through netgalley. All opinions are my own.

Before I Let Go tells the story of Corey, who is returning home to Lost Creek following the death of her best friend, Kyra. Initially, the story seemed quite promising: Corey believes that the town failed Kyra and that there is something more than meets the eye. Kyra had previously been a bit of an outcast, but before her death, she had been embraced by the townspeople and they had encouraged her focus on painting various scenes that foretell events in Lost Creek. As the story unfolded, though, the promise seemed to evaporate. I found this book overly repetitive and I had to push through to the end. Despite this, there were some interesting devices used to break up the story, including flashbacks, letters, and scenes including script and set-up.

Corey and Kyra we're best friends since the day they were born 17 years ago. When Corey leaves Alaska to attend college, they make a promise to each other, a promise to wait. Days before Corey is to fly back to Alaska, Kyra is found dead, and Corey doesn't believe it's an accident.
The writing is not good and it just does not keep your attention. I was very disappointed with this book.

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

Summary: Corey visits her old home, Lost Creek, after her best friend Kyra drowns. However, not everything is as it appears on small-town Lost Creek.

This book had such great potential but it fell massively short, though I didn't care for "This is Where It Ends," so I shouldn't even be surprised.

Yes, I was hooked and intrigued since the beginning but it just NEVER got good. The story felt too repetitive and it was just...weird. Like another user said, Nijkamp shot out of the gates, rather than building the suspense, and, so, it felt like it never went anywhere.

I didn't understand the various chapters that were written like scripts. What, exactly, did that add to the story? Nothing or maybe I missed something.

I'm also confused about the genre and unclear as to whether this was meant to include magical realism or if it was just straight up realistic fiction with some weird factor mixed in.

I don't know but this one wasn't good and finding it was so laborious!

There's some interesting mystery and good suspense written into the story. I enjoy how the book plays with time - flashbacks to Corey and Kyra's time together. I appreciated the set up and the first half of the story, but the second half lost me.

Possible spoilers by reference to story:
It was odd to me how the whole town took on this hypnotized quality and this blind faith around their oracle. There are these moments of the supernatural that are never explained/resolved - the song that Corey keeps hearing, the whispers/voices, the flowers strewn everywhere, the seeming presence. Since the point of the story seemed to be that OTHERS gave Kyra these special gifts - that she wasn't really supernatural or a seer - I don't understand why there's still so much mysticism woven through the story. The whole thing makes me feel a little dumb, because I don't get it.

Before I Let Go is not for the kind hearted, it is one of the best book I have ever read that broke me in pieces I didn't think I could recover! The emotion is raw so raw you can see right thru it! A MUST READ BOOK!

I feel like this novel started off with a lot of potential. However, the story went in a completely different direction than expected - or hoped - while at the same time it didn't really go anywhere at all.

I really liked the story's setting: a small town somewhere in Alaska, far off the rest of the world. A protagonist who left this home and is now returning to it as an outsider. And finally, a girl with mental illness who never seemed to fit in and tragically committed suicide. This really sounded like an interesting novel featuring diverse characters and so-called "taboo topics" and I couldn't wait to find out where this would go.
Unfortunately, all these interesting things got lost among the way. While I found some parts of the story irritating (e.g. the mixing up of genres - YA, then thriller-ish, then YA again) others just didn't seem to be logical at all (e.g. Kyra's parents' behaviour). The same goes for the flashbacks: I couldn't recognize any coherence there, it was more as if Corey was constantly repeating herself. By the end of the book, I was just plainly annoyed by it: the characters, their behaviour, the repetitive writing style, how the storyline seemed illogical. Towards the end, I was hoping that certain events would cause a certain reaction by the protagonist. But when that didn't happen, I finally lost patience and really stopped hoping for the story to make a sensible turn.

If I had to put my finger on the main aspect that causes me not to recommend this book, I would say it's because even though the initial idea that started off this novel sounded good, it really didn't go somewhere from its starting point. Which is a real shame considering how interesting this seemed.

I absolutely fell in love with this book. I have anxiety and depression myself and I feel like Corey and Kyra have an amazing relationship. I think that Corey could've been Kyra's saving grace had she made it home in time.

I loved this thriller - atmospheric and tense set in the cold bleak Alaskan town of Lost Creek. Corey is trying to uncover why her friend, Kyra has died. She uncovers a town wide 'conspiracy' of silence and has to rethink her concepts of 'home', 'friendships' and 'truth'. Bipolar disorder is dealt with sensitively and makes you question how you see someone suffering in this way - whether or not you really accept them for who they are. The novel also raises the issue of collective responsibility and collective memories - are they truth or myth and what function do they have.

An interesting read.

I think that this author's writing style is not my cup of tea.
Perhaps a case of "it's not you, it's me."

I wasn't sure what to expect with a Dutch writer writing about my unique home state, but Before I Let Go was an emotional, lyrical exploration of community, loss and storytelling.

The story had me hooked right from the start. Nothing like short chapters to propel the reader forward. Unfortunately, the characters did not have much depth which made it hard to care about what was happening to them.

Before I Let Go, the new book by Marieke Nijkamp due out in January 2018 (who also penned the best seller This is Where it Ends which is on my tbr list) was a strange and emotional book. It wasn’t quite a thriller but there was intrigue and danger and maybe a touch of super natural, or maybe just plain crazy, I don’t know, but it really worked well for this you d adult story.

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I usually don’t like when a storyline bounces back and forth between past and present but it was executed well with this book and did not confuse at all as the main character gave us flashes of the past she had with her friend that tied in with the present moment.
One thing I had trouble with was the sheer repetitiveness of Corey’s conversations. Though I am unclear whether or not that was intentional to add to the crazy or just the pressures of making a deadline.

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Summary:

To Corey, Lost Creek Alaska was her home until her mother uprooted her and moved to Winnipeg leaving everything she knew behind including her best friend. With promises to write and plans to visit she gets on a plane and watches as Kyra fades into the distance.

wp-1506135515743.jpgSeven months later and Corey has planned to visit Lost for her holiday break but a mere week before she is to go she gets a call that breaks her heart. Kyra is dead. Corey takes her trip early to say her final goodbye to the friend that was supposed to be waiting for her.

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Things in Lost are almost nothing like they were less than a year ago. The citizens of the town are acting strange and she wonders about the circumstances of her friends death. As she tries to find the answers she desperately needs she quickly finds herself an outsider in the place she used to call home. Lost doesn’t like outsiders and as a result Corey no longer feels safe. Can she find the answers she seeks before she leaves Lost? Or will the secrets of this town take her down like they did Kyra?

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All in all it was a good book. Did I love it? No. But it did make me feel and it was well written, interesting and good. I felt sorry for the main character and heartbroken for her and her bestie. If that ever happened to me and mine I would be forever crushed.

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I would definitely recommend this to my fellow YA readers. My booklings, please, give this book a chance and let it settle in your mind and heart and see how you feel yourself.

I give it a resounding 3.5 stars out of five.

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I received this book from Netgalley for a fair and honest review.

This book was just okay. I didn't find it captivating or entertaining. I actually put it down to read two other books, but eventually finished it just to see if it had any redeeming qualities. If you read the book jacket, then you've basically read the book. The question, "what happened to Kyra," is eventually answered, but only after you've read over and over that she was bipolar and painted when she was manic. Kyra didn't fit in with her small town, the town people were weird, and she died. Basically, that's the story, and you can read all of that within the first few pages. I despise repetition and that's what 80 percent of the book is. I would not recommend this book.

Very lyrical story about a girl who returns to her remote Alaskan hometown to say goodbye to her best friend, who recently committed suicide. Loved the writing in this, but there's a lot that's left unexplained and the story delves into being predictable. Nonetheless, I enjoyed reading this.

The setting of the novel works and it is pretty much a fish out of water narrative as the character finds themselves in a small town of Lost Creek in Alaska. It has an interesting premise but at times the narration feels a bit forced and at times it is a story about nothingness and how it is hard to fit into a small town that is very closed knit. Though at times, it is interesting there are other times where I felt the story didn’t quite accomplish what it was setting out to do.

There is a psychiatric development in the story that doesn’t always ring true. I do have to say that Nijamp does create a mystery story and there is the overall feeling of dread and loss that creeps within the narrative that is very effective. The writing style has it’s own pacing and at times, I do feel that the average reader will need a little patience to work through the novel.

The ending is a bit forced and doesn’t really have the pay off that you would hope would be a satisfying conclusion but it was a bit flat. Overall, it is very well written and feel that there is a definite audience out there for this but it is a book that is not for everyone. If you like a book that is full of atmosphere and an exotic location where you fill in the blanks yourself, then you really can’t do no wrong with this novel.

There's not a lot I can say here except I struggled to get into this book and found the characters to be under developed. I didn't particularly feel the depiction of mental illness was handled very well.