This is a very intricate dark academia, something I love reading about.

When deaths plague a college, an investigation ensues. It all starts with a group of grad students studying the psychology of lying. When on of them turns up dead, the group starts to unravel.

One thing about thriller books where a main focus is the study of psychology, you know you’re going to get some truly interesting content. I find it fascinating. Especially in This is How We End Things because their study is based so strongly around lying… and everyone is keeping secrets.

You, as the reader, don’t know who to trust or where to turn, and it was riveting. I enjoyed the detectives and the snowed in route the author took. So much can happen when you’re isolated.

This was a really enjoyable read.

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.

I've admittedly become a bit of a thriller snob over the years, and I've gotten to the point where I feel like I've seen it all. However, 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.

A dark academia thriller in the psychology department! A snow storm turns the college into a death trap as one by one, the members of a group are targeted.

Professor Joe Lyons and his graduate students have no problem with their morally questionable experiments.
They are studying the science of lying and either liars were attracted to this project or the studying of the activity has enhanced their abilities - all of them are very strong liars.

When an experiment goes wrong and the student becomes violent, police are called in and everyone needs to be questioned. The problem is that the witnesses are slowly dying before the police can find the killer! If you like dark academia, love psychology or just want a thriller on a college campus, This Is How We End Things is For You!
#Sourcebooks #ThisIsHowWeEndThings #RJJacobs

If only you knew the lengths I went to, to receive this book early...

All I can say is that it was worth every minute I pined over it.

This Is How We End Things, was one of my most sought after books for this year. I am a HUGE fan of R.J. Jacobs, not just of his work (that speaks for itself) but him as a person. R.J Jacobs is hands down one of the most creative thriller authors I have every come across. I am not sure if its his knowledge and background in psychology but all of his books literally come to life on the pages in front of you. The characters are drawn so vividly that you believe they are real people. Having read ALL of his backlog and thoroughly enjoyed every one of them, I just HAD to have this one.

Luckily, the book fairies were on my side this time.

What the heck did I just read?

This book is hands down one of the best thrillers I have ever read. The details, research and countless hours that went into crafting this novel, shows. I received this book just in time for the weekend . I cleared my plans, I got cozy and then I got started.

The depths of psych this book will bring to every reader is going to completely consume them. You will think of this book long after you conclude and you will be questioning everything you once thought you knew. I am a huge fan of dark academia which is the reason why I really wanted this book but I didn't have a clue at everything this book actually held.

The twist in this book will have your jaw on the floor. To say it was done in a way that I have never seen before, is an understatement.

This is a showstopper and needs to be on EVERYONES pre-order list.

I would like to thank R.J Jacobs, Sourcebooks Landmark, and Netgalley for trusting me to read this sure to be bestseller, in exchange for an honest review.

Five Stars

Teaser :

Riley Sager meets If We Were Villains in a compelling new psychological thriller by RJ Jacobs, following a tight-knit group of graduate students studying the psychology of lying. When one of them is discovered dead after an experiment, everything the group thought they knew about deception crumbles...

Campus is empty, a winter storm is blowing in, and someone is lurking in the shadows, waiting for their chance to kill again.

Forest, North Carolina. Under the instruction of enigmatic Professor Joe Lyons, five graduate students are studying the tedious science behind the acts of lying. But discovering the secrets of deception isn't making any of the student's more honest though. Instead, it's making it easier for them to guard their own secrets – and they all have something to hide.

When a test goes awry and one of them is found dead, the students find themselves trapped by a snowstorm on an abandoned campus with a local detective on the case. As harbored secrets begin to break the surface, the graduates must find out who's lying, who isn't, and who may have been capable of committing murder. It turns out deception is even more dangerous than they thought…

A foreboding new dark academia thriller of deception and suspense, This is How it Ends follows the unraveling of a close group of students as they contend with what it means to lie, and be lied to.

Wow! I read this book in 2 days! Fast moving and gripping, it kept me guessing until the end. I loved the atmospheric elements, spring snow storm in a college town, and the character development was excellent. R.J. Jacobs was a new author for me but I will definitely seek out more of their work. Thank you to the publisher for allowing me to review this advanced copy!

R.J. Jacobs' latest thriller has everything lovers of dark academia crave--a charismatic psychology professor, a questionably ethical experiment, and a group of students who can't stop lying. Right from its chilling opening, Jacobs ratchets up the tension and deftly reveals the secrets and true identities of everyone involved on the way to a page-turning climax. This Is How We End Things is a great read.

I loved the premise of this book, but I struggled to connect with the writing. It came off a bit stiff, which made it hard for me to get invested in the characters. While unfortunately this went in my DNF pile, hopefully it'll be a better fit for other readers.

Dark Academia studying sociopathology- what could possibly go wrong? Luckily for the reader, a whole heck of a lot. Even when I wanted to smack these kids I kept turning pages, so this book did what it had to do.

Heart pounding thriller that left me on the edge of my seat. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this one. Definitely one of the best books this year.