
Member Reviews

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for this ARC!
I love a good 'crawling' horror novel. I don't know how to better explain it, but essentially the kind of horror novel that you can smell in the mildew and moss in the corners of dark places, the kind that sends a delicious shiver through your bones. This book delivers on that feeling tenfold, and I loved the sense of general unease that it provided throughout.
Aoileann lives a sheltered life, and, to be quite frank with you, it's the kind of life that doesn't much allow for managing the ebbs and flows of discovering that you're maybe a bit different to everyone else, and in more than one way. The twists in this story and the undercurrent of menace throughout, even when discussing the most innocent of things, is prevalent. The claustrophobia of the island setting lends much to the tone as well, and reminds me of 'Eynhallow' by Tim McGregor.
Her daily tasks in caring for her mother wear her down, and, when Rachel and her infant come to the island, they represent a change that is both welcome and dangerous. The book takes it from there, and weaves a lovely, twisted little web, full of dread and misery. While the writing style can be somewhat jarring at times, there's definitely success in creating the kind of atmosphere that White is aiming for. The book as a whole is wonderful, although I did wish it were sometimes a little more explicit about the action and less so on the descriptions.

OKAY this was crazy, awful, insaneee aka.. I loved it!
There are some pretty big trigger warnings on this if you are anywhere in the realm of postpartum. I don’t want to give specifics and it will give away plot but proceed with caution as I found it tough at some points!
Lately I’m rare to give a 5 star rating as I haven’t felt anything was very unique lately. This was exactly my perfect type of horror book though. I love the main character narration and her character was so well done. I loved the setting. I just loved how unsettling everything was the whole book!
I was most shocked that this author has mostly just written rom coms!? The switch up is insane!!

If you want to get an idea of this book's vibe, just read this quote:
"That’s what a baby is, I’ve come to see now. It is the mother’s whole soul extracted, freed from her body and out of her control. It is her entire existence absorbed by this chunk of meat, a jumble of tiny bones and flickering organs. That’s what a baby is. A little device with which to torment its mother. A bite of the meat-baby tears at the mother. Dash the little thing against the rocks, throw it away, and the mother ends."
Great writing 😃 potentially relatable thoughts about family and motherhood ☺️ words that instill so much shock and disgust you actually gasp out loud 😟
I'm a big fan of gothic stories. It's a tricky genre that requires such a specific energy in the writing that few authors get it right imo, and this one didn't disappoint me. Each chapter adds its touch of creepiness, each sentence feels wrong yet you can't stop reading. Just calling the mother "the bed-thing" was enough to get my attention 🧐
I will not spoil anything, I'll just say the events escalate little by little until it all unravels for an interesting finale. It left me a bit waiting but I think that's just because it was advertised as horror as well as gothic, but in the end it was more one than the other.
I had never read a gothic / horror story set in Ireland before but it fits the narrative so well. The author's personal story which she shares at the beginning added another layer behind everything that goes on with the mom and the narrator's thoughts.
Overall a perfect Halloween read! 🎃

The author does post a warning that this story is dark and disturbing and she does not lie! The picture she paints of the island with its people who don't welcome strangers (who are too weak to survive) and live a very hard life so that the reader can clearly picture it. Aoileann has lived there her entire life, hated and feared by everyone for what happened to her mother that to them, twisted Aoileann into something wrong. So it is understandable why she is the way she is. It is definitely not a healthy environment, in the house with her grandmother and the bed thing.
While I will say it was not a comfortable read, I did find it fascinating in a disturbing way and I had to finish it to find out why Aoileann is stuck and how her mother ended up the way she was and how and if Aoileann will be able to finally escape the island. Very raw and visceral and dark but well written.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book to read and review.

A chilling tale of isolation — set in a remote island town, a young girl and her grandmother are burdened with the task of caring for “the thing”. This unidentifiable being is bedridden and seemingly haunting the life of Aoileann, “the thing’s” daughter. As the story progresses, it becomes clear that both mother and daughter face the horror of being isolated. They themselves are islands, isolated from the town/their community, their own family, each other, and themselves. Whether due to the alienation of motherhood, struggles with mental health, or a deep loneliness, both Aoileann and her mother seem to be suffering from a lack of human connection and feeling vastly misunderstood by those around them.
The author shares in the beginning of the book about the true horror of watching her father become a “vegetable”. This experience informs and inspires aspects of the story that follows. Personally, I have shared in this sort of experience, watching someone I love become trapped inside their own body. Even without knowing this about the author prior to reading her work, the way she writes so honestly and viscerally about the character termed “the thing” would be evidence enough. The true horror of being unable to control what happens to your body & watching as someone is reduced to the state of a decaying body is one of the most harrowing things I will ever experience or read about. I had such an emotional reaction to this book, feeling the need to both set it aside and read it feverishly until the end. Ultimately, I felt that this aspect of the novel was handled really well and made for such a unique, realistic horror.
Although I thought this novel was really well written and gripping, I did have a few qualms with it. Nearing the end, I felt that the dialogue began to feel too stiff and unrealistic, causing me to feel pulled out of the story. Lastly, I felt that the ending was too abrupt and convenient for my taste, though I know some people like a neat ending. Because there were so many ambiguities in the rest of the novel, I wished that the ending would have left a little bit up to the imagination or kept readers wondering. Overall, a really solid horror story that will stick with me for a very long time.
Thank you to NetGalley and Erewhon Books for the advanced readers copy!

an absolutely gnarly and nasty gem of a book!
thanks to netgalley and erewhon books for the arc!
it's hard to review this book because i fully recommend everyone go in blind. it was such a masterclass in dread, in body horror, in mommy issues. the disturbing irish island was such a great setting and our lonely protagonist Aoileann was the perfect tour guide (even as people spit at her as she passes).
if you enjoyed motherthing, then I think this book would be right up your alley.

4.25 stars!!
Wow oh wow!! Sophie!! This was bloody incredible. The writing was fantastic and the storyline made me cry. This is so much more than just a horror book.
It’s absolutely devastating and horrific. This story gets ahold of you and it doesn’t let go till you’ve read every single page.
Apparently, this author writes rom-coms?! This is her first horror book and I’m like?? Holy s. Girl you need to write more horror!!!
Please everyone go and read this book! You won’t be disappointed but you might be disturbed.
Thank you to Netgalley for my arc copy!

It's good to have books like The Laws of the Skies (Courtois/Mullins), Maeve Fly (Reede) and now Where I End to remind me of the horrific and grotesque corners of horror whenever I get too comfortable. This book made me wish I could take out my brain and run it through a car wash, in the best way. An unflinching (to put it mildly) exploration of the toll of caretaking and terrible parenting.

It took along time for the story to start coming together. I was mid 30% in before I felt anything really started happening. There was a ton of description in this book which made feel a little clunky and slow paced. I was getting more unsettled vibes versus horror. I was left confused and wanting more explanation of the circumstances surrounding the mother inside of the other details about taking care of her.
Thank you to Netgally for providing this ARC.

At 18, Aoileann has never left the island where she was born off the coast of mainland Ireland. She’s hardly allowed to leave her house. By day, her job is to take care of her vegetative mother, duties she shares with her paternal grandmother, while her father lives elsewhere. No one will tell Aoileann what happened to her mother to cause this and over the years she has grown resentful of her duties and her mother, or as she refers to her, “the bed thing”. At the same time, the inhabitants of the island where she lives have shunned her, refusing to interact with the family and being outright hostile when they do meet. So, when Aoileann stumbles across a newcomer to the island, Rachel who has taken an artist residency and brought along her newborn baby, she becomes obsessed and goes to great, often disturbing, lengths to worm her way into Rachel’s life as she’s finally able to develop a relationship outside of her family unit.
Where I End does such an amazing job of developing a sinister and unnerving atmosphere. From the first chapter, this book is so unsettling even when describing mundane interactions and actions and it is some of the best and most immersive horror writing I’ve ever come across. The island and the house where Aoileann lives feel alive through the writing. The book explores themes of mental illness, colonialism, dysfunctional families, as well as repression and isolation, and ultimately love and desire. The mother-daughter relationship is the heart of the book even as the mother is essentially unable to communicate with her daughter and the daughter is left in the dark, as is the reader, on the circumstances of her condition for most of the book. Aoileann’s longing for the mother-daughter relationship she feels she was unfairly denied is often a driving force in her need for connection with Rachel and her resentment towards her mother and grandmother as she escalates in her actions. And despite her behaviour, it is impossible as the reader to not also hope for her success, that she’s able to escape the island she feels trapped on and that she can develop a meaningful connection and experience the love that has been withheld from her. I could not put this book down or bring myself to look away.

As I sit here to write this review, I am struck by the fact that I… don’t really know what to say.
This book was beautiful. This book was haunting, strange and more than I could have ever hoped for it to be. It is one of those rare books where I literally have no complaints to speak of, where I can only praise the author for her writing, her story and her characters.
The main character was just a tragic yet resilient girl who I spent the entire book feeling incredibly sorry for and hoping so much for her to get her happy ending. Every turn of the page was me going, ‘Please let this work out for her. Please let her find some happiness.’ She was relatable, she was disturbing, she was one of the most beautifully written main characters I have seen in a while.
I won’t spoil the end of everything, but I will say again that I have absolutely nothing negative to say about this book. This is a book that is going to sit with me for a very long time and is going to make it difficult to pick up another book, because I’m constantly going to be comparing it to this one.
I cannot wait to get my hands on the physical copy of this and add it to my collection. Thank you so, so, so very much for letting me read this beautiful work of art.

Holy Hell!!! This book is brutal.
Aoileann lives in house on an Irish island with her vegetative bedridden mother and her stern and unloving grandmother. Her father only visits once a month. She has been kept secluded from everyone. She has never attended school. Her days are always the same. Taking care of her mother. The mother she's never really known because she's always been this way since Aoileann can remember. She hardly even thinks of her as her mother. She refers to her as It or Bed Thing. The care is constant and grueling.
The town treats them as outcasts. Whenever they see Aoileann in town they either ignore her, run away from her, or they spit at her. She doesn't understand why she is treated this way. She doesn't understand why her mother is the way she is. Her father and grandmother won't answer her questions or they speak in riddles only to confuse her more.
One day while doing her daily swim she meets a young mother and her baby. Aoileann becomes obsessed with them. Desperate for a new life, any life that isn't her own, her mind begins to break. She has had enough and will go to very dark places to get what she wants.
Eek! This book is not for the feint of heart. The body horror is harrowing. This is one of those books that I enjoyed but feel weird saying I enjoyed it. You know what I mean? And imagine my surprise when I went to see what else this talented author has written only to find .... rom-coms. Say WHAAATTTT? Talk about a 180. This woman has completely flipped the script from fluff to frightening. What an accomplishment. I haven't read her rom-coms but I would like to encourage her to stick with horror. I will consume whatever horrible thing she writes in the future with glee. 4 stars!
Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Books for my complimentary copy.

This book didn't work for me, and it lost me early on. When I read sentences like, "After the freedom of sleep, I am once more confined to my life. The hideous animal squealing is the hoisting of her bed. On the other side of the wall, the ropes falter, agonizing inch by inch along the timber beam just under the ceiling in her room next door. The hinges bawl."
I can't read an entire book written like that. I thank the publisher for sharing it with me. I'm sure someone will appreciate this book; it just wasn't for me.

Do you like to be … unsettled? Do you like thinking to the character - “no, no, no, please don’t … yep … you did. You did that.” Do you love an atmosphere so thick and dreary it nearly chokes you? Are you not afraid to leave your comfort zone?
This book could have been horrifically disgusting, but the great thing about it is the restraint. It has a perfect balance of “rouse your imagination” yet also explains things in detail. Of course, this is entirely a tolerance thing. Some people likely found this book extremely disturbing, and others perhaps tame, but for me, it hit my thresholds exactly. I couldn’t stop reading it just as I also had a sort of lump in my throat the whole time.
What’s fascinating is the main character - she’s shunned by her small island community, abandoned pretty much by her father, and has been forced, since she was a child, to assist her grandmother in caring for her invalid mother. She has no education, no friends, no help. Her grandmother is not kind and they are also extremely poor. She’s had a raw hand dealt to her, so when the only shining light she’s ever seen shows up, no wonder she doesn’t know what to do. Her desire for love, for a parent to take care of her, gets confused with her sexual desire, something she’s never been able to express. The way this is handled is so realistic and understandable. At the same time she does stuff where you’re like “Nooooo,” you also understand she hasn’t been properly socialized into caring for others or herself, and the way this is shown and not told (there is never a hint that she is aware that how she’s acting is not normal) is expertly done. It’s a great deep delve psychologically into what a person whose suffered as she has would think like.
I can’t really talk about the other characters, as one is sort of just a sleep-deprived mother and the other, well, also a mother, but to get into her would be spoilers. But, yeesh. Body horror upon body horror.
The atmosphere and setting are some of my favourites in horror. Desolate island in the sea? Yes, please. Of course, this is not an idyllic setting - far from it - and the little hints that are dropped that make it all the more chilling of a place (mentions of past events, cultural tendencies) serve to broaden it further. The island is almost as much a character as the characters, as a great deal of the plot is tied to the island itself. Is the island causing the problems - is it a cursed place? Or does the desolation just get to people’s heads?
The writing is lovely and evocative and so immersive. A quote, if I may - “The island slices up from the ocean, thrusting skyward like the prow of a sunken ship. At the high end, the island runs out at sheer cliffs. At the low end of the island is a broad sandy beach. The sand is grey, like iron fillings.”
The ending was rather perfect if you enjoy open-ended. Despite the tone of the story and the events, it was also somewhat hopeful. I guess? By the end of it, I was sitting there with my mouth open in disbelief regardless.
Now, if you are at all sensitive to stuff involving children, perhaps avoid this one. That being said, I am sensitive to that stuff, but somehow I could handle it, so maybe give it a chance.
It’s very dark, quite sad, and definitely horrific, but it's also exceptionally written and utterly addictive.
Totally worthy of the award. I loved it.

Where I End is a modern gothic horror about a young woman named Aoileann who becomes obsessed with an artist named Rachel and her baby. As she becomes more and more involved with Rachel, Aoileann’s resentment for her housebound mother grows.
TW: Major warnings for physical abuse, abuse of a disabled person, child abuse, and SA.
I don’t know how to feel about this book. It’s been a while since I’ve read a horror novel that disturbed me this much, mainly because of the sadistic nature of the main character. Living inside her head was not a pleasant experience, but the story was compelling enough to keep me pushing to the end.
I’m conflicted about what to rate this book; anywhere between 2.5 and 3 stars feels right. I loved the atmospheric setting of the island. I really got a sense of how isolated our characters were in this secluded part of the world, and of the evil surrounding them. At the same time, I found some of this novel to be a little over the top as far as gratuitous cruelty goes. I think Aoileann’s rage and psychological turmoil could have come through without all the scenes devoted to torturing her disabled mother/fantasizing about ways of harming Rachel’s baby. That’s just my two cents; maybe I’m not the target audience for this type of story.
2.5 stars rounded up.
Thank you to Kensington Publishing and Netgalley for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

On a secluded Irish island, young Aoileann lives a shunned and cursed live, alone with her grandmother, caring day in and out for her unresponsive mother, which she only names 'the thing'. After encountering a foreign woman with her newborn child, her whole perception shits, ridden with longing and a newfound desire, she starts unravelling what happened to her mother and to herself, stepping on a dark and twisted path herself.
This book truly captured me from the very beginning and held on until the end. That is partly because the writing is absolutely beautiful, haunting and symbolic, but also because the story just draws you in and holds you captive - because you want to know, what happened? To Aoileann, to her mother? The story unfolds very slowly but also with increasing intensity. It is definitely not an easy or light read and you should check some triggers beforehand. We delve deep into the protagonist's mind and witness her cruel thoughts and twisted desires, which are appalling, but also strangely understandable for a creature brought up without any love and affection. A product of her surrounding.
The book is a haunting picture of suffering and tackles topics like abuse, denial and post-partum depression.
I was a bit let down by the final reveal, it was just not satisfying enough for me and some parts were a bit hard to just go along with.
Altogether a great read - 4.25 stars
Thank you so much NetGalley and Kensington Books for the ARC!

where i end is a claustrophobic, twisted novella that masterfully depicts the tragedy of postpartum depression, ostracism, and being trapped in a loveless home - a well deserved winner of the shirley jackson award. a deeply disturbing insight into some of the darkest parts of the human soul, this book was difficult to keep reading but impossible to put down. there were a few scenes that made me physically recoil. the characters and relationships were complex - i found myself feeling pity and disdain for each of them throughout the book. i loved the setting - a strange little coastal town that reeks of quiet malevolence. it was almost another character in itself. i thought the prose was also stunning and insightful, with several standout lines. i will definitely be thinking about this book for a while.
thank you to netgalley and the publishers for giving me access to the e-arc in exchange for a review :)

Profoundly disturbing horror that digs deep under the skin. Almost unbearably cruel and bleak, but also impossible to put away once I started reading. I though, maybe, there would be some moment of grace, but there is none. Unflinching and sharp as flint.

Masterfully grotesque and haunting.
I didn't know what to expect reading this Gothic, atmospheric descent into madness...! I could not put it down (though my insides were screaming to throw it across the room)!
This one will stick with me.
Please read trigger warnings, cause hoo boy this one was a doozy!
Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Books for this advance reader copy.
@kensingtonbooks @erewhonbooks @sophiewhite
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Where I End is a traumatic and wild ride, y'all. I honestly am not even sure where to begin with this one!
Right off the bat, the setting is absolutely haunting. Set on a remote Irish Island, the imagery is bleak, gray, depressing, cold. Immediately, I had zero desire to ever visit this harsh and unforgiving place.
Our MC, Aoileann, is a deeply damaged teenager. She has never left the island, never known anything other than the shadow of the life she is living, helping her grandmother to take care of her mother who she refers to as "the bed-thing". The atmosphere in their home is unsettling and creepy, and the visceral descriptions of the steps taken each day to care for the bed-thing made me shudder, especially because of the lack of compassion or care. As Aoileann decides she wants more and develops and unhealthy obsession with a newcomer, everything starts to unravel.
This book made me uncomfortable beyond words. I had physical reactions to some of the scenes in this book and there were a couple of times I wanted to put it down and walk away from it. And I absolutely LOVE when the written word does that to me. That's what reading is supposed to be about and this one nailed it.
If you love gothic vibes, deep unresolved familial trauma and scenes that will make you squirm, Where I End is definitely for you!