3.5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️ rounded up. I love it when books allow me to self-reflect - to see myself differently at the end. This book was like a mirror for me, probing at the tiniest of insecurities.

Laura's mom has always told her, "The world is for married couples, not single people." Dating just doesn't seem to work out for Laura. When David finally asks her out in the middle of the law firm, Laura can't believe it. After two months of dating, he asks her to take a trip with him to Eleuthera, in the Bahamas, and Laura is ecstatic. When they get to their luxury resort, Laura discovers an unusual woman named Diana who has traveled by herself. Intrigued by Diana's bold confidence and nonchalant air, they become acquaintances and decide to hike together while David meets with a client. When Diana goes missing on the hike, Laura becomes a person of interest as she tries to find out what actually happened to her hiking partner.

I found this book to be uniquely dissonant. On one hand, the plot, conflict, relationships, and ending carried at an unexpectedly monotone pace. On the other hand, I think that this is what I DID enjoy about the book. There was mystery, high stakes, and wonder. There were no thrills. The protagonist, Laura, had a complete character arc, but no other characters did. Though the book felt much ado about nothing, I found that to be somewhat refreshing. Since completion, I have been thinking quite a bit about the storyline, along with it's ending. I am still not sure how the title fits, but that could just be me.

Thank you Netgalley, Sandra Chwialkowska, and Blackstone Publishing for this eARC in exchange for my honest review

Catty. Complicated. Tropical. Wouldn’t repeat

This was an interesting book. I went into it blind and didn’t really know what to expect.
This is a story about female friendship more then anything. It’s has suspense elements l, but I wouldn’t categorize it as thriller or suspense. Maybe mystery.
All in all I enjoyed this book. Also, the cover is so perfect. Love.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my gifted free ecopy.

This book was only okay for me. It did start off strong, but I got a little bored about half way through. The ending was not my favorite and left me very confused. I will be reading more of the authors books in the future.

It seemed like a vacation in paradise

Laura Phillips is in a new relationship with Dave, a fellow lawyer. When he suggests taking a vacation together at a resort in the Caribbean Laura is excited...as a single woman she hadn't felt comfortable in taking trips alone, but thinks that this might be the start of a new aspect to her life. The resort is beautiful, both exotic and luxurious, and it also seems very much tailored to couples. Laura notices that there is one solo traveller, a woman named Diana, and becomes curious about her. As they meet and spend time together, Laura finds herself sharing things about herself which she normally keeps private. When Diana suddenly disappears, Laura is both concerned for her new friend's safety and also realizes that she herself could be under suspicion. As she starts to obsess about Diana....who was she really? What happened to her?...she also does some soul searching of her own.
With beautiful writing, an exotic location, and an interesting premise, The Ends of Things started out to be an excellent thriller. By the time I had finished the book, however, I no longer looked at it as a thriller but as more of a women's fiction book with some suspenseful elements. The main protagonist Laura is thoroughly developed, although I have to admit I found her somewhat annoying (a circumstance that generally detracts from my liking of a book). In reading other reviews written about this novel, I find that I am not alone in either of those observations. I can't say whether I would have had a different opinion of the book if I hadn't gone into it assuming that it was a suspenseful thriller; many have suggested that readers approach this as a blank slate rather than as a thriller, and I would agree with that advice. It was an enjoyable read overall, just not what I thought that it was going to be, hence my rating. Readers of authors like Katherine Wood, Vi Keeland and Sara Ochs might want to give this a try. My thanks to NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing for allowing me early access to this debut novel.

I really liked the ending, but started off a bit slow for me. I was already not liking Dave before they ever left for vacation. He pretty much came across as an a$$hole from the beginning. And I honestly didn't understand the reasoning as to why her firm needed to be called before authorities. That made no sense to me. Since I can't give half stars here, I had to give it 4, otherwise I'd have given ut 3.5 stars. It's definitely not a terrible read, just some things that just didn't make sense with me.

Ugh, this is hard for me to review. The premise was good, I enjoyed the plot. But the main character rubbed me the wrong way. She was obsessive and infuriating. Because of her, is why I gave this 3 stars instead of 3.5 or 4. I would go into this blind as the synopsis can give away some big parts of the plot.

The Ends of Things by Sandra Chwialkowska is a suspenseful thriller set in the Bahamas, where Laura Phillips's romantic getaway takes a dark turn after befriending a mysterious traveler, Diana, who later disappears. This book had a captivating start and engaging writing but the story's momentum fades in the latter half, leading to a less satisfying conclusion. While this wasn't the book for me, the initial intrigue and exotic setting make it an enticing pick for thriller enthusiasts.

I was not a fan of this one, unfortunately. I found the main character rather annoying. I also couldn’t believe how often she mentioned sunscreen.

The cover of this one drew me in right Off the bat. 5 stars there. This story definitely had me locked in I I love "locked room"thrillers. I put this book in that category because they are all on an island. I Will say this book had great suspense moments that definitely drew me in as a reader. The ending seemed rushed and not very when thought out. That is why I only gave this one a 3.5 stars.

A thrilling suspense noted as the author's debut!! This short read made me want to go to a beach in the Bahamas.
Laura, a lawyer in the same practice as her boyfriend, Dave. After 6 weeks of dating, they take a romantic trip to a remote island, Eleuthera in the Bahamas. What should be paradise, turns into a nightmare. Everything appears off-kilter in the beginning with Laura's social awkwardness with zero confidence and her relationship with Dave. They are both unsure of each other.
Diana, a woman of mystery is on the beach alone and Laura becomes obsessed with her. One thing leads to another that by chance they run into each other one night when neither can sleep. Laura shares all her secrets about one of her past friends, Chloe and their toxic relationship that no longer exists.
When Diana disappears on one of the trails with Laura, she becomes a suspect. I was so unsure about some of the choices Laura would make and her evasiveness to the truth.
While the cold temps are outside, it felt good to bask in the sun in this fiction.
Thank you NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing for this ARC in exchange for my review!

This was a good book. Its about a woman trying to find her place in life and missing her friendship with an old friend. Lots of twists and turns.

Thank you Netgalley for an ARC of this debut novel. When I read the synopsis of this one, it seemed like a mystery/thriller but if you go into it expecting that, you’ll be disappointed. The B plot of the novel, centering on a decades old broken friendship, reads more like a YA novel.

This book follow Laura & Dave as they go on vacation in the Bahamas. They are not likable either separately or as a couple. Laura becomes intrigued with a female solo traveler who then goes missing. The book is relatively slow paced with little payoff at the end.

Thank you to Blackstone Publishing, Sandra Chwialkowska, and NetGalley for an ARC of this book!

This book started out strong. Laura and Dave are 2 lawyers who have recently started dating. They decide to go to a tropical island for a 3 day vacation. They meet a mysterious woman. This had the makings of a thriller, but it never evolved. At times the plot seemed to drag and it got repetitive in places. I got tired of hearing Laura continuously talk about her childhood friend Chloe. This made the plot seem slow overall.
This did not feel like a thriller to me. It seemed more like a contemporary fiction read by the end.
Overall, I did enjoy the book and the writing, it just was not the thriller I was expecting.

I thought the synopsis of the book was interesting and I think it could have been good? I saw reviews coming in that weren’t great but gave it a try anyway. I really struggled with Laura. She supposedly is a smart lawyer but man she makes some really dumb decisions. It drove me nuts. The relationship with her coworker seemed odd and I wondered why they were even together. The way she befriended Diana was very strange, how she got so invested with someone she didn’t know at all. I kept reading by skimming only because I wanted to see if the ending was good but it was so not. I was like, that’s it?

In the synopsis, this book is referred to as "thrilling suspense" which is totally misleading in my opinion. Don't get me wrong, I really liked the story but it's more about friendship and introspection than anything else. Laura is very realistically portrayed and I loved her as a character. There is a bit of a mystery involved and mild suspense but more of a character study than anything else. I liked the ending and would definitely read another book by Sandra Chwialkowska, a fellow Canadian. I looked the location up on the internet and it looks every bit as beautiful as it sounds, especially the Glass Window Bridge and the pink sands.

Quite a few times Laura refers to herself as the "good girl" and that's funny because my next Netgalley read is a book called "Good Girl" by Aria Aber.

Thank you to Blackstone Publishing via Netgalley for approving my request to read this novel. All opinions expressed are my own.
Publication Date: January 14, 2025

I liked the book overall. The characters were interesting. It started off strong, with a mysterious woman on a remote island, and had all the makings of a twisty thriller - but about halfway through, the pace slowed down, I felt like the writing was repetitive, and the plot got a bit stagnant. I was a little confused by the 'plot twist' and I was waiting for something crazy to happen but it didn't. It was a fun read and I enjoyed it.


Thank you Netgalley and Blackstone Publishing for the advance copy.

The Ends of Things
4⭐️

Fabulous writing! Every scene, character, and emotion clearly played out in my mind as I read, making me feel fully immersed in the book’s world. This was a psychological suspense told from the POV of Laura. Laura is a 30-something lawyer living in New York City. Her life is orderly, routine, and predictable. A new romantic relationship leads to a spontaneous island vacation. Laura is still getting used to being part of a couple and allowing herself to believe is this is the life she deserves. She finds herself heading thoughts constantly being distracted by a woman at the resort completely alone. This isn’t a twisty or thrilling read, but it’s a deep emotional ride that will resonate with anyone who has experienced shaky self-confidence, Good Girl Syndrome, or the complexities of romantic and friendship relationships.

Thank you to NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing for this ARC in exchange for my honest review. This review will be shared on NetGalley and Goodreads.

Pub Date Jan 14 2025

This one grabbed my attention from the get go and somewhere halfway through it became odd. I was hoping for more to come out of the mystery, suspense etc and it turned to a coming of age story of sorts. Meh..

The cover and title of this book immediately grabbed my attention, so I dove in without any expectations. At first, though, I was a little lost. The story seemed to wander without a clear direction, and I found myself slogging through a lot of background details that left me more confused than engaged. The narrative structure didn’t help—shifting between third-party perspectives and frequent jumps into memories had me constantly second-guessing what was happening in the present versus what was a flashback. It felt like my brain was playing catch-up the whole time.

Things finally picked up around page 170, but by the time I reached the ending, it came in with such a rush that it felt rushed and underwhelming. After so much buildup, I was expecting a bit more of a payoff.

Okay so this was a book I chose as a palate cleanser between fantasy because sometimes you need something new.
This book was surprising, it's an almost thriller. Overall this book kept my attention but I just had a hard time trying to put myself into the main character's POV. She was so anxious and made some odd decisions. Nevertheless I stayed until the end. Their were unexpected turns. I should have caught on to the Greek references.
Thank you NetGalley and Blackstone publishing for the ARC in exchange for an honest review