A dark academia murder mystery that explores the psychology of deception, and will keep readers guessing at every turn.

I was immediately sucked in as the story opens with a fascinating psych interview, and I couldn’t tear my eyes away from the pages! I was anticipating the following chapters to be as captivating, but was slightly underwhelmed by the rest of the writing, though I was still compelled enough to go on.

Chapters alternate between 7+ characters POV, although it’s all still written in 3rd person, which isn’t my favorite. While I was compelled by the mystery here, I never found myself feeling connecting with or deeply caring about any of the characters.

Definitely felt the If We Were Villains vibes. This is sure to keep readers suspicious of everyone and guessing till the end!

Murder strikes a group of grad students, and they all have something to hide….

At a prestigious North Carolina university a team of graduate students are working on a research project in psychology under Joe Lyons, a professor prominent in the field and known for taking risks in his endeavors. There is Scarlett, a single mom; Robert, Joe’s de facto assistant; Elizabeth, beautiful and who may or not be involved in an affair with the recently divorced Joe; Britt, rough edged, pierced and tattooed; Chris, a former star athlete from a privileged background; and brand new to the group, Veronica, whose background is in the field of law. Joe, it seems, is concerned that the current study, which delves into dishonesty and involves deceiving the participants, may need refinement. On Veronica’s first day with the group, the student participant Tom reacts negatively to the situation and becomes increasingly agitated, particularly towards Elizabeth. When verbal upset starts becoming physical, Chris knocks Tom out. Local and campus police are called and things settle down, but Veronica expresses clear concerns with how the study is being run, and Joe decides to put the project on hold. This angers several of the grad students, whose academic goals are closely tied to the project being completed by the year’s end. It’s a rough day, all in all….but when one of the grad students is discovered dead the next day in Joe’s office, clearly the victim of a violent murder, it is only the beginning of their troubles. And that won’t be the only murder to rock the campus. Detective Alana Larson joins forces with Campus Police Officer Patrick King to find the killer before he….or she…kills again. Evidence indicates that it must be one of the grad students, but which one? And why?

As is true of many mysteries set in academia, the reader soon discovers that there is more to the highly intelligent suspects than what they project. This group of students in particular have been well trained in the art of deception, which makes it quite difficult for the investigators to know who is telling the truth, who is withholding information from them, and who is flat out lying. The secrets that each are trying to hide are eventually uncovered, but the police and the reader have quite an assortment of suspects to sift through. As an avid mystery reader of several decades (and consequently a highly suspicious one), I did get an inkling midway through the book as to who the killer was, and while my suspicions proved correct on that score, I had the motive all wrong. R. J. Jacobs has written an entertaining whodunnit with an interesting premise. Readers of Carol Goodman, Peter Swanson and J. T. Ellison would likely find this an appealing read, as would fans of Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None and other conundrums set within a fixed group of people. Thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for sharing the advanced reader’s copy with me.

I liked This is How We End Things by R.J. Jacobs. It's a foreboding new dark academia thriller of deception and suspense. The book follows the unraveling of a close group of students as they contend with what it means to lie and be lied to.

One thing that got in the way of enjoying this book more is the numerous typos. I know this is a draft/advance copy, but there were so many typos, wrong word choices, and mixing up characters' names that it was distracting. This is How We End Things definitely needs an extensive edit. For example, the two main characters were already in the car speeding down the highway, then the next sentence tells the reader the characters are climbing in the car. These types of typos are jarring and took me out of the story and action because I had to go back and re-read sections to make sure I understood what was happening.

The twist at the end is great and what saved the book. The characters were developed well, and the dialogue and scenes were good.

#NetGalley @sbkslandmark

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.
As this one started off I was kind of bored. But it quickly pulled me in. Great book. Took me a while to figure out what was going on but I did have my guesses as to who was the guilty person at the end and I was right. However the reason I did not figure out. This one will keep you wondering till almost the end.
Starts of so so but totally worth sticking it out.

I felt the promotional material was a bit misleading. The novel is billed as a psychological thriller. It is that, but also a murder/mystery which is not my favorite genre. Having said that, I found the book to be a compelling read with layer upon layer of secrets and intrigue.

The setting is a prestigious university in North Carolina, the campus virtually deserted due to a scheduled break. Five graduate students, under the leadership of a radical (even reckless) psychology professor, have been conducting experiments with students to determine what motivates individuals to lie. When two people are brutally murdered within twenty-four hours, the chief of Campus Security and a detective on the local police force must solve the cases under the duress of a major winter storm. Of course, all the remaining members of the group are considered persons of interest/suspects.

Clearly labelled chapters revealed the perspectives of these characters – each so unique I had little difficulty keeping the characters straight through the transitions. There are plenty of twists and turns in the storyline as it becomes apparent that the group not only studies deception, but some are masters of deceit as well. This is a fast paced novel with an abundance of suspense that kept me engaged until I came to the satisfying ending.

My thanks to the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for the privilege of reviewing this book. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

This review is being posted immediately to my GoodReads account and will be posted on Amazon upon publication.

This story takes place in a college setting and there are quite a few characters, Professor Lyons, all of the 5 research students, and Detective Larson. Throughout the book there are perspectives from all of them which helps add to the suspense and mystery. Every time I thought I had this figured out, another secret came to light and I found that I was wrong. I liked the different perspectives, some were longer than others but all of them added to the story.

At the beginning, reading the prologue, I was a little confused. It starts with a psychological interview, which I wasn’t quite following. As I read further into the book it started to make sense why he started the book in that manner. One negative that I found in this book was the very LONG chapters. I’m a fan of short chapters so the long chapters in this book made it a little harder to keep my focus at times. The breaks in perspective helped break up the chapters which was nice.

The last couple chapters in the book had lots of suspense and I was racing to finish to find out what would happen. My favorite line of the book also happens to be the title, “This is how we end things.”

Overall, I really enjoyed the mystery and suspense. Thanks so much to NetGalley for the ARC!

Something about this just didn't hit for me. The storyline was good and I enjoyed the characters. I think it was the writing style that was just meh for me.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this arc in exchange for an honest review!

Gorgeously written with an engrossing mystery and a captivating cast of characters. If you're looking for a dark and twisted macadamia themed thriller this is it. Ticked all the boxes. Highly recommend Thank You to Source books and NetGalley for my Arc

Professor Joe Lyons, along with five graduate students, are exploring the psychology of liars. During their studies a body is discovered and only those well-versed in how to weasel their way out of interrogation, and exploit their studies for their own personal gains, are the potential suspects.

This cover and synopsis suggested the contents were to feature a darkly academic thriller but this wasn't quite what was delivered. Whilst the actual bones of the story were endlessly interesting and the murder mystery an intriguing one to solve, I anticipated the focus to remain more on the studies of the students and the psychology skills that were being taught there. I thought we would learn more about just what these were and how they were utilised, rather than on past secrets all were hiding. The focus directly on the studies only occurred in the initial section. Whilst all that followed was expertly laid out and well-placed, it just wasn't what I had come into this novel to explore, hence my lower rating than anticipated.

After hearing so much about this book I was just dying to get my hands on a copy and I’m so happy I was given the chance to review it!
I really enjoyed this book! It was one of those hard to put down I need to know how this ends books. The writing style took me a bit to get used to but once I did I was flying through it.
There was some really cringy moments and I loved that!
The ending choice was.. interesting. But that’s the whole point of a book right?

Highly captivating read.

I think the premise of this book was great and I was really interested in the mystery and figuring out how this all came to be. However, I couldn’t get past the writing. While the author did a great job at description and setting a scene the dialogue was cheesy at best and ludicrous at worst. The characters felt like they came straight out of a 50s mystery show leading the audience to the exact questions they wanted to ask but in a not-so-subtle, wink and nudge sort of way. The way the author wrapped up the book came completely out of left field in a way that seemed like it was to be a “gotcha” than a well-thought out mystery with clues along the way. It felt like the twists were added just for twists’ sake. The last pages of the book are characters’ telling us exactly how the crime happened. It was just a badly executed thriller that felt like it needed more time being developed.

This author reminds me a lot of Alex North - cerebral, spooky, twisty. The writing was compelling, but certain elements were too predictable. The convenient snowstorm was a bit too deux ex machina for my liking (docked a star for that) and the characters flat. Certain storylines didn't seem to resolve. However, if you like a murder mystery with a psychological twist, you'll likely enjoy this one! Worth a read, even if it wasn't my favorite.

This ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Absolutely incredible read! Loved every minute of this psychological mind twisting book.
The prologue made me not want to put this book down.
Thank you Netgalley, author and publisher for this absolutely fantastic read!

This book was very enjoyable. It is written from multiple perspectives, and I was glad to get so many different characters. I thought that the premise was very interesting. I took an intro psychology class in college, and this bright me back to those days. I think it'll always be an engaging topic- why do people make the choices they make? In the case of this book- why do people lie? There were many twists and turns that I did not see coming. This was my first book from this author, and I would read others in the future.
Thanks to Netgalley for the book to review.

This Dark academia murder mystery is a masterpiece. I was obsessed and completely hooked from the beginning and I couldn't put it down!!
I just reviewed This is How We End Things by R.J. Jacobs. #NetGalley
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While this one didn't spark for me, I will say it was solidly plotted and dispensed revelations at a pleasant rate. The reveal came a touch sooner than I would have wanted, but that just meant I got a tense kind of chase scene, so I think that's a fair trade.

I'll be in the minority here and say I wasn't too crazy about this one. I never really connected with any of the characters and slowly lost interest thr further along I got. Figuring out who the culprit was was easy enough although that wasn't what deterred me from this story. The police investigation and the officer's gullibility was just a little too out there for me. Overall this wasn't terrible but it also wasn't great. Three Stars.

Thank you Netgalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for this ARC.

4 stars
Dark academia and isolation…yes please. This is an edge of your seat kind of thriller. I read this over the course of 24 hours. Lots of tension, and mystery. I hope to see a lot more from this author in the future.

If the inconveniences of life didn't get in my way, I could have easily read This Is How We End Things in one sitting. Each time I picked up the book, I was immediately transported into the tension-filled, blustery world of Dorrance University, where deception reigns among the grad students in a psych study. When one of the students is found dead in the psychology building, secrets are uncovered, fingers are pointed, and everyone is a suspect.

This book had me constantly second-guessing myself. Just when I deemed a character innocent, we learned another juicy secret of theirs that had me questioning everything.

The dark academia vibes are a ton of fun, too. Forest, North Carolina is the quintessential college town, and I loved getting a taste of the students' lives in the psychology world. After all, a study about the science of lying? The idea alone was enough to hook me.

While the atmosphere and concept were the first pieces to capture my attention, the layered, complex characters (amongst about a thousand other things, honestly) kept me turning the pages. It initially felt like a lot of names to get familiarized with, but they were written in such a way that made them distinct and easy to follow. Plus, we gradually learned new information about each one that made them all intriguing - and suspicious.

Bottom line, don't miss out on this book. It's fast-paced, darkly atmospheric, and it'll stump the inner detective in you. I promise you'll find yourself glued to it as soon as you pick it up.

Thank you to NetGalley, R.J. Jacobs & Sourcebooks Landmark for an arc of This is How We End Things in exchange for an honest review. This review is wholly my own & may not be reproduced.

Riley Sager meets If We Were Villains – YES, PLEASE!!!!!!!

Another great campus set thriller. Five graduate students are studying the science behind the acts of lying, but the process isn’t making anyone anymore honest. Now it seems that they all have something to hide.

A test goes wrong and one of the students is found dead. With being trapped on campus during a snowstorm, they know the killer is still among them. Now to find out – who is lying and who is telling the truth – a question that MUST be answered before more bodies start turning up.

The wait for this one will be a while as it does not publish until September 12, 2023, but I promise you it is worth it so just go ahead and put it on your wishlist now!

Very atmospheric and suspenseful! As the reader, I never knew who to trust and the twists and turns were fabulous and left me reeling at the end! Will you be able to guess the outcome yourself? Maybe, but it’s not likely. I LOVE thrillers that I can’t predict from the first couple of chapters. If you love thrillers and especially dark academia, this one is for you. I was able to finish it in one sitting over the weekend and found myself reading faster and faster the closer I got to the end. You won’t see the ending coming!!

DEFINITELY grab a copy of this one when it releases.

4.5/5 Stars