This was an enjoyable twisty read. It reads a bit like an academic secret society murder i investigation but the police procedural takes over about 25% in. It was slower to start and then kicked into gear after the second murder. I loved the multiple POVs.

I genuinely wasn’t sure how the twists were going to turn out, even though I had some theories throughout the book. I love the idea of secret societies - so when this psych group of phd students and teachers are running a secret experiment I knew this would be a fun read. I almost wanted a little bit more time spent on the basis of the experiment itself, but as I kept reading I realized that wasn’t really a big part of the plot.

The door definitely seems open for a second book. I will absolutely read more by this author.

Dark academia thrillers are my jam, especially when they're set in graduate school. Mix in a questionable psychological study, a mysterious string of murders, and a blizzard that completely shuts down this quiet college town, and it's a recipe for disaster. Each of the students have a secret and they're all going to shake out during this snowstorm. I didn't particularly like any of the characters and most of the secrets weren't devastating, which kind of took a bit of suspense out of the story. The chapters are long but the PoV shifts keep you engaged.

Did I predict the killer? Yes. But I still enjoyed the book overall and that says something.

*Thank you to Sourcebooks Landmark and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review*

The book opens with a group of psychology students conducting an experiment on dishonesty. They want to accomplish groundbreaking work, and take on an ‘ends justify the means’ mindset.

When one of the group is found dead, doubt and suspicion begin to grow among them.

The book moved slowly for me at first. The parts of the detective interviewing the students could have gone faster, though I did enjoy the character of detective Larson quite a bit. Definitely a badass who gets things done.

It amped up when the characters became aware of the large snow storm headed their way, and the group gathered in the building of the crime scene. Very atmospheric and one of my favourite locked room mystery tropes.

I enjoyed the parts where the main characters were grouped together the most. Seeing them interact with each other was the strongest part of the book for me.

A great choice for people who enjoy locked room mysteries, dark academia, and psychological thrillers.

Thank you to NetGalley for my advanced reader copy.

4.5 stars rounded up.

Whewww this was a fun ride! The unique premise of the storyline and the group of PhD students we follow had me hooked from the first chapter. I had a thought about who may have “done it”, alas I was Right however the HOW and WHY were so twisty and unpredictable it made up for it. The perfect book for late fall into winter. Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Who did it? One of Professor Joe Lyons' students is dead and he, alongside Detective Larson, has a tough job figuring out who did it. And they are snowed in. Jacobs puts a new spin on the academic murder novel- the students were studying the psychology of lying and they're all experts. Or are they? You, like me, might figure this out before Lyons does but there's good atmospherics, interesting information about lying and perfectly detestable characters to keep you turning the pages. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. A good read- and no spoilers from me.

2.5 stars

I had a really hard time with this story. It was really difficult for me to get into. The prologue was interesting, but after that it all went a little flat for me. It felt all little surface level for me. I didn't like any of the characters and didn't feel much of anything at all. The writing was very blah and mechanical. There were too many point of views to keep track of and no real character development.

Thank you to Sourcebooks Landmark and NetGalley for the advanced readers copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

The meat of most murder mysteries is how a cast of suspects all lie. It can be small omissions or larger fictions and, either related to the case, or completely unconnected, and it’s the detective’s job to figure it out. This book is very hard to figure out because it involves a whole team of professional liars. A group of Psychology students that have studied and perfected the art of deception is involved in a murder. The detective in charge is new to the area and moved here to get away from violent crime, so she’s in above her head. Her ally is an older campus cop near retirement, so she has to face these liars to figure out who murdered one of the team. The strength of this book relies on its characters, two of them are unlikable but, once you learn their background, it’s understandable that they behave the way they do. The rest, I was rooting for them all so I didn’t want one of them (or possibly more) to be guilty. The plot is well crafted and easy to follow, and told focusing on each of the characters and what they see. The baddie may have been a little obvious, but it was still fun to figure out why and how the deed was done. The final part is very suspenseful. Enjoyable.
I chose to read this book and all opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased. Thank you, #NetGalley/#Sourcebooks Landmark!

The story itself was good, I thought it had just the right amount of red herrings and twists. My theory on who the murderer was kept changing, but not to the point where it got annoying.

BUT the characters all kind of felt a bit bleh and flat, making it hard to like or connect with them. Any of them could have been slaughtered and I wouldn't have cared. If at least a couple of them had felt more well developed, I think it would have bumped things up from me just liking this book, to really liking this book.

Jacobs offers a dark and twisted closed room mystery in which five PhD candidates in Psychology work on a project about dishonesty and deception for their professor.

During an evening when each of them had been in their Psych department offices working on the project, one of them is savagely murdered. When the students learn of the murder the next day, they are both shocked at the murder and stunned to realize that not only are they suspects, but in all likelihood, the killer is one of them.

As Detective Alana Larson and campus policeman Pat King investigate the murder, backgrounds and relationships come to light. They learn that not only are the PhD. candidates studying deception, they are each highly skilled at it.

With campus abandoned for spring break and an imminent severe snowstorm bearing down on the area, a second murder ups the ante for everyone. Can the murderer be found and stopped before another person dies and before the storm hits?

This is a clever and entertaining read. The story is told from ten or eleven POVs (I lost count!), which I thought would be problematic, but which worked surprisingly well. The story is well paced with surprises that ratchet up the suspense for the reader.

I rate this a 3.5 rounded up to 4 stars. My thanks to Sourcebooks Landmark for permitting me to read a DRC via NetGalley. All opinions stated in this review are my own and are freely given. This paperback edition is scheduled to be released 9/12/23.

Not quite 4⭐️ but a high 3⭐️

In North Carolina, a snow storm is about to hit and a killer is on the loose.

Professor Joe Lyons and his five graduate students are studying the science behind the acts of lying. Coincidentally with this knowledge it makes the students able to hide their secrets that much easier.

When a test goes awry, and someone is dead, will they be able to catch the killer before the uncontrollable storm reaches campus?


I’m going to be honest, seeing that this book had only 11 chapters deterred me. But once I got into it, it was told in multiple POVs which really were a page or two if that. So that was reassuring.

I do wish there was a little more of the story about the program, I was intrigued at that part.

I found some parts with the local detective a little far fetched.

I did guess correctly who the killer was, however it was still a good read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for a DRC. This is How We End Things is available September 12.

eception and lying. That’s what five psychology graduate students and their charismatic professor at () university are well versed in. As a part of their experiment, they deceive others to measure their stress responses. However, when one the five is found dead in the professor’s office, the remaining students are tested themselves when they all become suspects. But how do they prove their innocence while trying to hid their own lies and long buried secrets?

Okay y’all. I LOVED this book. I couldn’t put it down! I pride myself on being able to figure out who the killer is early on in most thrillers, but I honestly did not see this one coming. RJ Jacobs did a wonderful job fleshing out the characters and creating an enticing story. These characters were likeably unlikable and you found yourself suspicious of every one of them. If you love dark academia and thrillers and a ticking clock, this book is for you!

***| received this ARC from Net Galley in exchange for my honest review***

This is a captivating psychological thriller that delves into the complexities of the human mind. Jacobs excels at creating a tense and eerie atmosphere that lingers throughout the book. I loved the university setting placed amongst a snowy backdrop. There is just something about dark academia that is so satisfying to read. This book alternates between many POV (nine that I counted) which sounds like it would be an extremely chaotic way to present a book but, here, it worked very well. The pacing of the novel is well done, with tension building steadily as the story progresses.
What I didn’t particular care for was the study itself that the book revolved around. The details of it seemed a bit confusing or like there wasn’t enough of a background for it. In fact, I didn’t even find it necessary to the execution of the plot and I found myself skimming a lot of the sections where it was brought up.

The alternating narrators helped move the plot forward while keeping the story "fresh". The synopsis was intriguing, but it fell a little short for me; it was slow moving, with secrets that look a long time to be made known. There wasn't enough that had been uncovered that I was able to guess who the killer could have been. As easy and enjoyable as this story was, I wanted more; a faster plot and more back and forth on who the killer could be. This is my second R.J. Jacobs book and both were "good" but not something I'd recommend pushing to the top of your TBR.
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Thank you NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

Shepherd, North Carolina. A group of psychology Ph.D. students are running an experiment about deception that their supervisor hopes will push the boundaries of the practice. All is going well until strange things start happening and one of the students turns up dead.

The police rush to identify the culprit while racing against time and nature, as another person gets murdered and a snowstorm hits the campus. When these students have been trained how to lie, how do they know who is telling the truth? What secrets are they all hiding?

This is How We End Things kept me on the edge of my seat. A great thriller set at a university, and the vibes were immaculate. The book is told from different POVs, and you slowly learn about everyone's background and how they all fit together. Put it on your TBR for fall if you're a fan of the genre.

As someone who works in a social sciences department at an R1, the only thing I was skeptical about was that Joe had time to be chair of the department when running such a time-consuming study.

Reviews to come on @pittelsbookclub on TikTok and IG.

3.5 stars
I was fortunate to be given the opportunity to read this novel as an ARC from NetGalley. This Is How We End Things by R. J. Jacobs is a gripping psychological thriller that keeps readers on the edge of their seats. Jacobs weaves a complex web of suspense, mystery, and intrigue, drawing readers into a world of uncertainty and doubt. The intricate plot twists and turns, leaving readers questioning the motives and actions of the characters. I wouldn’t say it is a must read, but it is an entertaining read that will keep you reading to find out who did it. I actually would like to see another novel with Britt and Chris as the main characters. The relationship between those two was interesting to me, and I liked how they didn’t care who liked them. I also want Larsen to be in that next novel too.

Did Not Finish (DNF) at 14%... this writing style wasn't made for me.. found it jumpy and couldn't get into it

If you like dark-academia and psychological thrillers, you need to read this book!

It's a slow burn whodunit, but when we finally start to realize who the killer is and start to put the pieces together as to the why, it becomes a heart-pounding, suspenseful, unputdownable thriller.

I'm not going to give a lot of synopsis because this is one of those books that you want to go into without knowing much about it. It centers around a group of grad students running some ethically grey experiments on deception. When one of the grad students is found murdered, everyone is under suspicion.

The discussions on the hypothesis of the experiment and preliminary findings are an interesting insight into deception, and definitely set the book up well to leave the reader always questioning.

I had a hard time at the start of the book because I couldn't figure out how the opening related. I became a bit fixated on it because it's not immediately clear. But, eventually, I just let that go and trusted it would be revealed in time and just became immersed in the story.

I absolutely love thrillers, but I have been a bit disappointed in some of the thrillers I've been reading lately. They have been predictable, full of absolutely horrible characters, or have some kind of unrealistic plot line.

This is How we End Things was a very refreshing read. It had all the great elements of a really good thriller, and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

This is How We End Things
by R.J. Jacobs
Pub Date: 12 Sep 2023

"This is How We End Things" is an exciting read about a couple of murders. One is a graduate student in a college science department and the other is the teacher of the department murdered in his home.

The entire book was about trying to figure out which of the 6 graduate students did these murders and why.

The book kept my interest during the entire read from the beginning until the final chapter. I highly recommend it.

Thank you #NetGalley and #Sourcebooks for providing me with a copy of this E-ARC.

The comps really let this book down. I was pulled in by the comparison to If We Were Villains and the premise, but that is so wildly inaccurate, I can't believe it's used as promo. The writing is bland. The characters are bland. It feels like an amateur, unedited book. I only made it 50% in I must admit, before giving up when I had no desire to pick it up again for weeks afterwards.

Academia thrillers always appeal to me. Maybe I should have become a professor of English Lit or History.... but that's all beside the point.

This Is How We End Things by RJ Jacobs is about a group of graduate students in the psychology dept. of a prestigious college. They've been running experiments and one goes off the rails. The police are called and the student is removed from campus. Later than night, all of the students are all in their offices, but by morning, one of them is dead.

There's nothing ground-breaking about the plot. All the characters are unreliable narrators and it's just a race against time to find out the truth of who and why people are getting murdered.

The writing is exciting enough to keep the pages turning and it does the job is a good academic thriller.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review this book.