Laura and her boyfriend Dave go on a romantic getaway to the Bahamas. At their resort, everyone is a couple, except for one person. Laura befriends her because she is curious why she is alone. When they go on a hike, Diana vanishes. Laura feels compelled to report her missing, even as she knows nothing about her. Now she is a suspect and can't leave the island.

This is a good suspense book that holds your interest.

A big buildup of nothing

I thought this book was going to be awesome
We have a couple who are lawyers that go on vacation together
Laura meets Diana
Diana disappears
Dave, her boyfriend, seems to be hiding something
There's even a weird dude in a truck and perhaps 2 men that could have harmed Diana
But no, nothing nada 😒
I get the moral at the end of this book, but it totally didn't match the plot

Pink sandy beaches of the Bahamas and a captivating synopsis had me wanting to dive in.

I enjoyed this book. I did find that the synopsis over shared some details and found the story to be more character driven, then mystery suspense based on the summary.

This Canadian author did a great job illustrating a beautiful setting, I found I connected with the characters quickly.

Solid 3 ⭐️ for me! Thank you NetGalley & Blackstone publishing for the ARC!

I really struggled to get through this one and almost DNFd. I went into it as it was described a thriller and I found it more literary fiction and did not keep my attention. Thank you netgalley for the advanced copy.

Laura's newish boyfriend invites her on a romantic getaway to the remote island of Eleuthera in the Bahamas. There, Laura befriends the woman, Diana, and as they spend time together, Laura finds herself telling Diana secrets she’s never shared with anyone.

When Diana disappears, Laura finds herself in the middle of the investigation.

This book had promise but quickly moved from a mystery/thriller to just an odd story about the past. I found the characters unlikeable and the book too long.

This is a wonderful beach read! It is far more wholesome than my usual thriller. I wanted the best for Laura and I also want to be on a beach.

The book follows Laura and Dave, two lawyers who are traveling to the Bahamas for a vacation. I went into this thinking it was a thriller, but unfortunately there was really no mystery or thrill. Still a very enjoyable read.
Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to review this book.

Laura gets whisked away to a vacation island at the Pink Sands resort. Her boyfriend, Dave seems to be much more used to the luxury style compared to Laura.

She notices one woman, Diana, who appears to be there alone. She befriends her and finds herself making quick friends, so quick that she spills secrets that no one else knows. When in paradise, right ? Well Diana goes missing and Laura is rethinking everything she assumed to be true, how careless to share so much with someone she barely even knew.

Laura becomes obsessed with learning more about Diana’s past, both to see if she can help secure her safety but also justify to herself that she didn’t just trust her most desperate secrets to someone who shouldn’t have been trusted.

To me this is a mystery but with low thriller / psychological suspense elements. This was more low stakes mystery/ women’s fiction. This is short and sweet, would be a great beach read for the summer time !

Thank you to NetGalley and Blackstone publishing for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book started off fairly strong, but wound up being a skim read for me. I liked setting and found the overall tone interesting. It just didn't really click with me enough to fully hold my attention. It's heavier on the character side of things than the plot, which can be a plus for me sometimes but didn't really work this time, unfortunately. It is a quick read though and there was definitely a lot of promise there, so I can see how other readers might have a more enjoyable experience than I did.

I read an ARC of this book from NetGalley. All comments are my own.

Laura seemed to have it all. As a rising star at a prestigious New York City law firm, she owned her apartment, was dating a fellow lawyer at the firm, and enjoyed being included in girls' nights out with her colleagues. She appeared to be living the dream, checking all the boxes for success and social acceptance.

But everything changed during what was supposed to be a romantic escape to a luxurious couples' resort in the Bahamas. A chance meeting with Diana, a mysterious and enigmatic guest at the resort, set Laura on a path of self-doubt and introspection, forcing her to confront deeply buried traumas from past friendships. Diana’s influence acted as both a mirror and a catalyst, pushing Laura to question everything she thought she wanted and needed—her career, her relationships, and the persona she had carefully constructed to fit society’s expectations.

By crossing paths with Diana, Laura was forced to reevaluate the life she had built and let go of the preconceived notions that dictated her sense of worth and success. In the end, Laura discovered that true freedom came from honesty—being true to herself and shedding the societal pressures to conform. Letting go of who she was "supposed" to be allowed her to embrace who she truly was, free from the weight of expectations.

Sandra Chwialkowska’s The Ends of Things is a thought-provoking exploration of identity, self-discovery, and the power of letting go with some mystery and suspense entwinned. It’s a story that resonates with anyone who has ever questioned the path they’re on and wondered if there’s more to life than chasing someone else’s idea of success.

Will start off by saying that the cover really is what drew me in but after reading this short story I realized it reminded me a bit about another read i had read. The story is based on a what is supposed to be a romantic trip between a couple who have been dating for a short 6 weeks. They seem to be a little off and not clicking as couples do. Until a mysteries women shows up and Laura spills all her secrets to this mystery women that shows up at the beach. Then the worst happens and the mystery woman is killed and Laura becomes the first suspect.

Unfortunately, this was not for me and I did DNF this. It didn't really feel like a thriller and it just didn't hold my attention.

Laura Phillips is a perpetually-single attorney until Dave, a new hire at her law firm, enters her orbit. Laura and Dave have only been dating for a few months when they book a romantic trip to the Pink Sands resort in the Bahamas where Laura notices and befriends Diana, who appears to be at the resort alone. What happens when Diana suddenly disappears?

I felt like this book was sort of confused about its own genre. It was part thriller, part literary fiction, part women’s fiction, some of which are genres I really like, but none felt resolved by the end. There were so many red herrings that ultimately ended up not being relevant, which was fine except that it really felt like there was no movement in any direction by the time we reached the end of the book. The protagonist was kind of dumb and thoughtless in a way that made it hard to believe she was this successful, cut-throat contract attorney that we were told she was. By the end of the book, it was clear that the thriller was a misdirection and the book was ultimately about Laura’s growth and lessons she learned. However, the end felt rushed or maybe just cobbled together, and we were not shown her growth but rather told about it. Finally, I never understood why Laura and Dave were dating (Why did she want to date him? Why did he want to date her?) and there were a lot of unrealistic plot points involving the legal field that drove me (as a lawyer) nuts.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I really struggled to get through this one and almost DNFd. I went into it as it was described a thriller and I found it more literary fiction.

Thank you NetGalley, the author and Blackstone Publishing for an early copy in exchange for an honest review.

Just okay. I enjoyed the aspect of friendship and also finding yourself but this was marketed as a thriller/suspense which there was very little of. Okay, enjoyable, but not thrilling

Laura and her boyfriend Dave go on vacation. There she meets a woman, Diana, who is traveling alone. Laura becomes a bit infatuated due to Diana’s confidence and they spend a bit of time together. When Diana seems to go missing, Laura does the decent thing and reports it to the authorities. Through the ordeal, Laura learns more about herself, her boyfriend, her employer, and what she wants out of life. A great read!

Laura always wanted to travel but not by herself. So she finally gets a boyfriend whose name is Dave. They decide to go on vacation to a remote island. Laura becomes fascinated by a lady who is there alone. Then something happens to the lonely lady when they take a hike together. She ends up missing but Laura doesn’t know what happened to her.

This book is billed as a suspense/thriller, however I felt it wasn't overly heavy on suspense and was more like a women's fiction/drama. I enjoyed it nonetheless as an exploration of the main character Laura's journey of self-discovery as she comes to terms with who she is, her childhood and present relationships, career and who she wants to be in the future. I found myself a bit annoyed with her behaviors and reactions surrounding the disappearance of Diana, but felt she was redeemed later on as she found her confidence and asserted who she wanted to be.

Everything about this book seemed so promising...

The Ends of Things by Sandra Chwialkowska has the premise of a woman befriending another woman on a vacation in the Bahamas, but the latter seemingly vanishes without a trace.

My biggest gripe with this book is how it's marketed as a thriller suspense but, without revealing too much, it really isn't. Had I known this, I might've DNF'd it, but I kept reading because I kept expecting something that wouldn't happen.

It is also difficult to sympathize with the FMC. The conflict introduced between her and her boyfriend, as well as the high school "trauma" she repeatedly references, do not feel like enough to justify her erratic behavior. What's concerning is the fact that she is supposed to be a good lawyer, but her actions are so questionable that this detail is hard to believe.

With that being said, if you are in the mood for a more pensive read based on female friendships lost and gained, then this may be the book for you. But if you are expecting a thriller suspense, the anticlimactic plot may leave you frustrated in the end.

Thanks to NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing for this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Ends of Things is available everywhere now.

Well on the positive side it was a super quick read……..not sure that balances out the negative for me.
I do understand Laura’s mindset about traveling/eating alone and the personal growth it takes to move past that. I was very much like her about that many years ago. But other than that and her obsession with Chloe and Diana, it’s hard to relate to her. Dave is an awful person which I’m pretty sure everybody but Laura knew from the beginning. There was really no mystery or thrill. Very much felt like women’s fiction.
I would say 2.5/5 stars for me which I absolutely hate to do.