Thank you to Sandra Chwialkowska, Blackstone Publishing, and NetGalley for an arc of this novel in exchange for my honest opinion which publishes 1/14/2025.

When Diana unexpectedly disappears, Laura suddenly realizes how little she knows about this mysterious woman. The police suspect Diana may be in danger, and soon Laura herself becomes embroiled in the investigation. Her worries swiftly turn into obsession: Who is Diana? Where did she go? Is she dead? Murdered? As Laura races to find out what happened—and prove her own innocence—she quickly realizes that nothing in this sun-soaked paradise is what it seems, and it’s impossible to know who she can trust. What started out as a dream getaway is turning into a terrifying nightmare......

This book's description says "thrilling suspense" and I am quite the fan of thrillers, but this was anything but thrilling or suspenseful. I never read reviews before starting a new book, so that it doesn't cloud my judgement, so I went in completely blind. I thought I was going into a thrilling suspense, but it did not go in the direction as described. It had potential and was a good read, until it was not. There was a completely unexpected genre shift and I didn't find the characters, especially Lauren, to have any redeeming qualities. Lauren is whiny and narcissistic and has no real depth. Her emotional state is immature at best from her thought processes to how she views both herself and those around her as very surface level. One thing is for certain, the book did live up to its title, because I was absolutely considering a DNF half way and was thankful when it was over. Here's to "the end of" this book.

I really wanted to like this book- it has all the makings- catchy writing, literary skill, and a mysterious plot. I found myself staying up late to read just one more chapter, and I was drawn to the storyline. However, the main character, Lauren, was absolutely insufferable. She seemed entirely stuck in high school, from her thought processes, to grudges, to how she viewed herself and those around her. When she yells at her new friend, Diana, is the first moment in the novel that I furrowed my eyebrows in confusion. I think I understand what Chwialkowska was attempting to do with unravelling Lauren's persona of a 'good girl', 'shy girl', 'insecure girl', but it lacked any real substance. There was no depth to who Lauren really was and instead the focus was on her looks, popularlity, and rule following. Her relationship with Dave was confusing at best, but made little sense. No wonder she is always considering the ends of things, because she doesn't ever go beyond the surface; despite stating that she is vulnerable and ends up hurt all of the time. There was a bit of symbolism in the end of the novel, and while it was anticlimactic in ways, it really solidifies Lauren's skewed view of the world with her glass half empty look on life. The book was well written-but the characters made it unenjoyable for me. Thank you to #NetGalley and #BlackstonePublishing for the ARC.

The Ends of Things has all the makings of a twisty thriller, especially being set on a remote Bahamian island at an exclusive resort.

The first half of the book sets us up for the mystery nicely. Laura clearly has some issues from her past, but now she’s met Dave and they’re taking a dream vacation, so nothing can be wrong, right?
Everything starts to unravel when Laura notices a woman who seems to have traveled alone to the resort and becomes fascinated by her, and Laura happens to be the last person who saw her before she disappears from a hike.
Things began taking a strange turn here, for me. Without giving too much away, this book really just did not go in the direction it was described as. Things were great until they were not and then the book was abruptly over. I feel like if you go into this not expecting a dramatic and crazy thriller it might be more enjoyable.

Overall it wasn’t a bad book, especially for a debut novel. I did enjoy reading it despite the main character being pretty off putting. I would have preferred more of the thriller aspect I was anticipating.

Thank you so much to the author and Blackstone Publishing for providing me this ARC via NetGalley.
Publication date 1/14/25

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

Overall, I really enjoyed this read! The writing style was really digestible and I found a lot of the characters interesting. I stayed captivated by the story until about 80% in, when I became sooo confused by the “plot twist”. I was waiting for the rug to get pulled out from under me, and something crazy to happen, and it just never did. It felt like the story dragged on and unimportant things were emphasized after the initial “plot twist”, when the story could’ve just ended around 70%-80%. Once again, it was still a fun read, just had something missing for me.

Review of The Ends of Things by Sandra Chwialkowska

3 Stars

The Ends of Things starts strong, with an intriguing premise and a lush, atmospheric setting in Eleuthera. When Laura’s mysterious new friend disappears, the story promises suspense and secrets, but the pacing falters mid-way, and the twists fail to deliver. Laura’s obsession with a long-lost friendship feels repetitive, and the rushed, unsatisfying ending leaves more questions than answers. While the setup is compelling, the execution falls short, making this a decent but underwhelming debut thriller. Thank you netgalley for my earc in exchange for my honest review.

So, as other reviewers have mentioned, this book has an unexpected genre shift. Some people are into it and some people aren’t. I’m personally in the favorable camp! About halfway through this book, I was ready to give it a scathing review about an annoying main character who is kind of whiny and narcissistic and then at the very end, she gets called out on her shortcomings and she experiences some growth, so there was that. But yeah, when you read it, you think you’re reading a thriller/suspense novel, and then suddenly you’re reading a story about female friendships. This book did touch on some topics of feminism which I appreciated, and overall gave off a women’s lit vibe by the end. Overall, I found it to be kind of inspiring about not making assumptions, the power of living your most authentic life, and to keep life in perspective. It was a weird ride but by the end, I actually enjoyed it. I think it takes a good author to make you think a book is one thing and then flip it on its head!

The cover and name caught my name and that is why I requested to read. However, the book is a slow train wreck that you can't look away from. I thought the pacing was super slow and it was hard to get through. I would not recommend. I wish I could have liked this more, I normally love vacation thrillers.

Cover was super attractive and definitely caught my eyes. Lots of detail, but felt like in slow motion. Thrilling and suspenseful, but felt a little bummed with how it ended. Slow burn, with a sparkless ending.

The Ends of Things by Sandra Chwialkowska is touted by the publisher as a thrilling suspense but it is neither. It starts off well and with promise but just doesn't deliver. A disappointing read for me. It happens!

My thanks to Blackstone Publishing for allowing me to access a DRC of the novel via NetGalley. Publication is 1/14/25. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own and are freely given.

Thanks NetGalley for the ARC of The Ends of Things by Sandra Chwialkowska

This was a great book, I loved reading it, I loved Laura as a character and the self reflection she did so frequently throughout the novel. I'm sure so many women can relate to much of what she is and has gone through.

I love the description of places and emotions, the setting and characters are grear, the author uses great adjectives and adverbs to describe everything. It is an easy book to read and I found myself not wanting to put it down.

I enjoyed how Laura reflects on aspects of herself and her life throughout the book, how her decisions today are similar to decisions she has made in her past. I really enjoyed following her journey in this novel, the decisions she made and I liked the ending
I would definitely read more books by this author.

🏝️ T R O P I C A L T H U R S D A Y review 🏝️ featuring “The End of Things” by Sandra Chwialkowska!

BOOK REVIEW: 🖤🖤🖤.5/5

Laura Phillips has always played it safe in life and has dreamed about travelling the world … but refuses to go solo. After only 2 months of dating, Laura is surprised by her new boyfriend Dave suggesting that they go to the Bahamas for 3 days.

They arrive at the Pink Sands Resort on a remote island called Eleuthera and are blown away by its beauty and how romantic it is. The resort is buzzing with lovey dovey couples … except for one solo woman who sticks out like a sore thumb in a lover’s paradise.

Laura becomes obsessed with this solo woman and why she would come to a resort like this alone. Eventually she befriends Diana and finds herself confiding in this stranger about her past. But then Diana disappears while the two of them are out on a hike to a tourist look out spot! Laura was the last person to see Diana and she feels responsible for finding her and proving her own innocence!

Thank you kindly to @sandrachw @blackstonepublishing @netgalley for my advanced digital copy in exchange for my honest review! This book releases on January 14, 2025!

While I enjoyed this book, this was not a thriller as I was under the impression that it was. This is more of a woman's fiction with a dash of mystery as she is learning to find herself whilst searching for her new friend. This spoke of suspense on the back cover and I genuinely didn't feel that suspense. However, if one goes into this book not looking for a thriller, I think they will enjoy it.

This book has everything I love, a female lead thriller set in a beautiful luxury location. However, sadly I cannot agree at its a thriller. I was really enjoying the book as we join Laura on this beautiful holiday and I really connected with her and around 3/4 through I thought it was starting to really up and excitement, I didn't know how it would end, which I love but unfortunately the final was so very disappointing. It almost made me feel like what was the point in the first place?
I will give 3 stars for taking the reader to this stunning location and setting the scene but the plot fell short sadly.
Thank you #NetGalley for the advanced copy

3.5⭐️

thank you to netgalley and blackstone publishing for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

the cover of the book is what drew me in, made me think of the movie OLD by m. night shyamalan. i picked this up when i was hitting a slump because i knew a thriller/mystery would pull me right out. i devoured the first half of the book wanting to know what happened but once i reached the end i was left feeling a little let down. this read more women’s fiction with a side of mystery. the story centered more around laura and a friendship with an old friend, and less about the mystery. overall fast paced and a quick read.

recommend? maybe.

Being honest, I was going to rate this 2.5/3 until I got to the end. Overall I'd say it's a solid 3* novel.

Chwialkowska's writing changes around the 3/4 mark to be emotional, poignant, and somewhat haunting. Unfortunately, a lower rating than I'd like to give for two reasons. 1) the middle of the book is a serious lull, thriller or not. 2) Chiwialkowska has been done a disservice by the marketing of the novel. Most folks (myself included) expect to get into a twisted thriller, but are given a comment on coming of age into adulthood, life's monotony and expectations on us, and misunderstandings and how communication shapes us.

Good bones, and I look forward to seeing Chwialkowska's writing in the future.

Let me start off by saying all in all I did LOVE this book. I’ll admit going into it I thought it would be more psychological thriller, but that’s on me. This is definitely more of a feel good book with some twists. Not feel good as in it’s all happy and fun, but as in it all works out in the end. The feminist in me loves what this book stands for, and feel that we as woman should take a note from that. Even though it was a 3 star for me, I still highly recommend it as by the end of the book I had a whole new outlook on what I want in life.

Thank you, NetGalley, for providing a copy of The End of Things in exchange for my honest review.

First of all, the cover completely stole my heart.

The story began slowly but became more engaging as it progressed.
However, the ending didn’t quite meet my expectations, leaving me somewhat unsure about my feelings.

⭐️⭐️⭐️

I thought this debut novel sounded interesting. It started off with a strong female protagonist -- Laura, a hard-working NYC attorney known as the "contract queen" at her firm. She and her boyfriend of two weeks, Dave -- also a lawyer at the same firm -- are jetting off to the Bahamian island of Eleuthera for a few days of relaxation and fun. They check in at the plush Pink Sands resort, where all the guests are couples, except one woman, who appears to be enjoying her solitude. Yet Laura cannot fathom why anyone would come to a couple's resort by herself. It gets to the point where she is spending more time worrying about this woman, Diana, than having quality time with Dave. Laura eventually meets Diana, who isn't forthcoming about her life or her reasons for being at the resort, but Laura tells Diana everything about herself, especially her long-ago best friend Chloe and the break-up of their friendship, which Laura still hasn't gotten over.

Okay, so this book is touted as a suspense, and that part happens when Diana disappears while on a hike with Laura. Laura freaks out with worry, and we learn that Laura is one of those people who always expect the worst to happen in any situation, doesn't trust most people, and can't let go of past mistakes or things that she feels were done wrong to her. Laura wants to go to the police, but Dave tries to dissuade her, because apparently another woman disappeared several years prior in the same dangerous area (the hike was along steep cliffs with no guardrails).

There is quite a bit going on, and I don't want to give away too much, but it kept my interest. I only gave it three stars, because there is way too much time spent on Laura's history with Chloe and others in her past, and the "mystery" part just isn't as well-developed as it could have been. My biggest thought after finishing the book was "Laura obviously needed therapy and lots of it." It just brought down the story because her character was so wrapped up in dread and insecurity.

Thanks to NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing for the e-ARC and the opportunity to review this book.

For some reason I thought this would be more of a crime driven story than a domestic suspense, women's fiction. With that said the story started out strong and I got invested in the plot fairly quickly. I kept waiting for something big to happen but it was more of a quite, thought provoking ending than a big reveal.

I still liked it, so if you go into it expecting to think rather than racing to the end to find some big surprise twist, in my opinion, you'd enjoy it.

The cover of this book is what enticed me to request a copy of it so hands down to those behind that creative effort.

I think this book started off really great but sadly, I grew tired of the MC quite early on due to her insecurity and all of the emotional baggage that she carried. She gets taken to a beautiful paradise by her significant other and befriends a woman who appears to have gone missing. I was left feeling really confused by the end of the book.