Six graduate students enter a study of the psychology of lying to assist Joe Lyons with a project. Scarlett is a single mother and appears as the peacemaker of the group. Robert, a senior assistant on the project, is highly disciplined, earning the nickname of "teacher's pet". Tattooed Britt is impulsive and prefers keeping things to himself. Bad boy Chris is reckless and has a past connection to Britt. Beautiful Elizabeth is secretive and cunning and generally disliked because of her affair with Joe. New team member, Veronica, is a lawyer who assists with legal advice and apparently has had a conflict with one of the group in the past. Each graduate has dark secrets, and a past they prefer to keep buried. When a brutal murder is discovered, each one of them is suspect, but how do you figure out which one among a group who are masters in the art of lying?

THIS IS HOW THINGS END is a well-written, intelligent murder mystery with a sea of red herrings all who are liars, all with dark secrets. To unmask a killer, detectives will have to unravel a web of lies and dig into each character's past. This is an eerie, page burning mystery, a dark academia style story, that challenges readers to figure out whodunnit. While I managed to do so shortly before the reveal, it in no way impacted how much I enjoyed trying to solve this puzzle of a mystery. Highly recommended to fans of dark academia books and murder mysteries.

Unfortunately I was unable to download this book before the archive date, so I'm not able to leave a review. I look forward to reading and reviewing books by this author in the future.

Very engaging thriller, I couldn't put it down!

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for this review copy

3.5 ⭐️

This is a decent psychological whodunnit. I did enjoy the idea that everyone is a liar so it keeps you guessing the entire time.

I did guess correctly but the journey was fun. I will say some parts felt rushed and others dragged so the pacing was a bit odd. Otherwise I enjoyed this as a palette cleanser and quick read

This was really interesting and really entertaining to read. The synopsis hooked me and I enjoyed it the whole way through. I loved the complex and shady characters that had me constantly questioning everything. Would recommend!

This is How We End Things is a thriller about college five graduate students who are investigating the psychology behind lying. However, soon one of the students is found dead and everyone is trapped on campus due to a winter storm. Will these essentially professional liars be able to figure out what happened?
I loved this dark academia and psychology so this book definitely delivered.

A slow burn psychological thriller about deceptions and lies. The setting is atmospheric during a snowstorm and the close group of friends are grad students of psychology. So intelligent enough to pull of those aforementioned lies.

Such an interesting premise with a few twists and turns that kept me on my toes.

Chelsea Stephens does a good job of bringing the right vibe and voicing so many characters.

If you are looking for a slow burn dark academia novel, you need to check this one out.

Thanks to Sourcebooks and NetGalley for my review copy - it sadly took me a while to get around to reading and reviewing this book. This Is How We End Things is a psychological thriller that centers around a group of psychology graduate students studying the science of lying. Their experiments are a bit unorthodox. One of the students is murdered on campus, and the other students as well as a recent study subject are the main suspects. Which means it’s likely a “lying” expert is the culprit… With mounting tension and plenty of red herrings and twists, the book kept my attention and I was surprised by the ending, although there were a few too many characters that were similar enough for me to confuse them.

'This is How We End Things' is a psychological thriller that follows a class group of graduate students studying the psychology of lying. After an experiment causes the death of one of their own, the group begins to unravel.

The overall conceit and setting are interesting here, but ultimately it just didn't hit for me. This book is often compared to M.L. Rio's 'If We Were Villains'; however it's missing the Shakespearean intricacy and complex character dynamics that makes 'Villains' so special. It's difficult to become invested in any of the characters here, and ultimately I just lost interest. They didn't feel like real people but shallow archetypes.

While the descriptions and setting were solid, the actual character dialogue was severely lacking and felt almost cheesy.

While the premise is strong and compelling at first, ultimately this book suffers from a lack of execution.

"This Is How We End Things" by R.J. Jacobs is a chilling and suspenseful psychological thriller that will leave readers questioning everything they thought they knew. The story follows a couple who embark on a road trip that takes a dark and twisted turn, leading to a series of shocking revelations and betrayals. Jacobs masterfully builds tension and suspense throughout the novel, keeping readers on the edge of their seats until the explosive and unexpected conclusion. With its complex characters and gripping plot twists, "This Is How We End Things" is a thrilling read that will stay with you long after you've turned the final page.

R.J. Jacobs' "This is How We End Things" is a riveting and atmospheric psychological thriller that will keep readers on the edge of their seats from start to finish. With its compelling characters, intricate plot, and chilling atmosphere, this novel delivers a rollercoaster ride of suspense and intrigue that will leave you breathless.

The story follows the lives of three interconnected characters whose paths become increasingly entangled as dark secrets from their pasts come to light. As they grapple with the consequences of their actions, they find themselves drawn deeper into a web of lies, betrayal, and obsession that threatens to destroy everything they hold dear.

One of the novel's greatest strengths is Jacobs' masterful storytelling. From the haunting opening scenes to the heart-pounding climax, Jacobs expertly crafts a narrative that keeps readers guessing until the very end. The pacing is relentless, with twists and turns that will leave you reeling as the truth is slowly revealed.

The characters in "This is How We End Things" are richly drawn and complex, each with their own motivations and flaws. Jacobs does an excellent job of delving into their psyches, exploring the depths of their fears, desires, and insecurities. As the story unfolds, you'll find yourself rooting for some characters while despising others, creating a sense of emotional investment that makes the stakes feel all the more real.

In addition to its compelling characters and twisty plot, "This is How We End Things" also explores deeper themes of guilt, redemption, and the nature of truth. Through the eyes of his characters, Jacobs examines the lengths people will go to protect themselves and the ones they love, as well as the consequences of denying the past.

Overall, "This is How We End Things" is a must-read for fans of psychological thrillers. R.J. Jacobs has crafted a gripping and thought-provoking novel that will keep you guessing until the very end. Prepare to be swept away by this dark and haunting tale of love, betrayal, and redemption.

This book was only an okay one for me. It was a great setting and I liked the story but the characters weren’t great. They didn’t feel authentic.the writing was good though and I will check out this authors books in the future.

I enjoyed this spin on the locked campus murder mystery, but more than that I enjoyed the discussions on the ethics of psychological studies. I feel like it’s not a topic covered much in books and I was surprised, and excited, to see some of that play out here. I didn’t particularly like any of the characters - or their ethics for that matter - but the relationship dynamics within and resulting from the main experimental study were the stars of the show for me.

Nope not for me. I thought this was going to be good but after about 100 pages I had to DNF. It was way to slow

As a thriller, This Is How We End Things, is pretty forgettable. A shadow falls over a team of Psychology grad students after one of their peers is murdered. They are working on a research project focused on deception and quickly start to assess and accuse each other after the crime occurs. The only likable characters were Alana and Patrick, the detective and officer tasked with solving the case. I would give Jacobs’ writing another try as I liked his writing, but would not go out of my way to recommend this title to others

Really good mystery/suspense book! A group of psychology graduate students are studying the science of lying, when one of them ends up stabbed to death on campus, late at night, when all of the rest of them were present but each in their own office. A huge snowstorm is coming in which will close the town and the roads for a few days, so the clock is counting down for the local detective to solve the mystery before the blizzard. A good who-dun-it! I loved the premise of the group studying the behavior of lying. They are all 'experts' in lying, so who is telling the truth?

The dark academia theme sucked me in and then the first chapter really hooked me! I loved the snowy campus vibes of this one. This thriller was fast-paced and kept me engaged. There was twisty turns I wasn't expecting. I didn't care for the characters; they were very unlikable and could have used more development. Overall, a pretty intriguing thriller if dark academia is your thing!

Thank you, NetGalley, and Sourcebooks, for a copy of this in return for my honest review.

What does it mean to lie? The mystery behind the human mind it completely fascinating. This physiological murder mystery has your second guessing your own thoughts on the subject of lying.

When the study of lying becomes the foundation of a murder and all of the members of the study are suspect and each has a secret they don’t won’t share.

Ok R.J. Jacobs, I see you! 👀 I really enjoyed his last book, but I have to say that This Is How We End Things absolutely blew me away! I loved everything about this novel from the multiple viewpoints to the local detective Alana Larson, to the way this read like both a crazy thriller and detective fiction. Due to the multiple viewpoints, I found it critical to pay attention at all times, and I definitely had to give this one my full attention, so I didn't miss anything. I would just keep that in mind, especially if you plan on listening to the audio. Even though this is a mystery/thriller, the psychology aspect was pretty fascinating to me as well, and the fact that the author is a psychologist was apparent to me while reading this.

The audiobook has a sole narrator, but what a narrator she was. Chelsea Stephens did an amazing job, and I was grateful considering how many POVs she had to manage. At times she even seemed like more than one narrator, and it made my listening experience extremely enjoyable. I loved the twists in This Is How We End Things and once we get towards the climax everything moves full tilt to the end. I would love to see Larson come up in future novels, and although he probably won’t do it, I would gladly take a series with her as the lead. The various viewpoints kept tension high throughout and I loved the way viewpoints would end on mini cliffhangers which made me want to keep going until I was finished. Brutal murders and dark academia make this a thriller to remember, and I highly recommend it!

This is How We End Things is a briskly paced, well written murder mystery set in the halls of dark academia. I picked it up because it is written by a fellow psychologist and is centered around a psychology professor and his six graduate research students, all with hidden secrets and questionable ethics. I raced through the pages in two binge sessions and would give it 4* except that I found all of the characters unlikable.

I received a drc from the publisher via NetGalley.