This Is Where It Ends

by Marieke Nijkamp

• ISBN10: 0606394796
• ISBN13: 9780606394796
• Publish Date: 1 December 2016 (first published 5 January 2016)
• Publish Status: Out of Print
• Out of Print: 6 April 2021
• Imprint: Turtleback Books
• Edition: Bound for Schools & Libraries ed.
• Format: Hardcover (Library Binding)
• Pages: 285
• Language: English

Reviews

[leahrosereads]

This book attempted a pretty hard subject matter, and honestly I wish it had handled it more effectively. Unfortunately, the POVs didn't feel different from each other, so I had to keep checking whose head I was in and in general, the characters felt pretty one dimensional. I'm sure there are other books that deal with school shootings in a much more realistic and profound way.

[Joni Reads]

I had a hard time connecting with the characters in this book. I've read a lot of contemporary YA that deals with heavy topics and this was a bit of a let down. I feel like I was dropped in the middle of a story and was just expected to catch on. There were little bits between the chapters with tweets being exchanged and a blog post type thing and I had no idea who the people were. Eventually I figured it out but not until the end of the book so for the whole 3/4 of the book I was confused. It didn't add to the story as I'm sure was intended, instead it just made me confused.

It was written in four different points of view over the course of nearly an hour. Each person has some connection to the shooter. Whereas I expected it to be kinda of rushed and really emotional it just wasn't. I found myself skimming the pages and really working hard on getting through.

I'm not swearing off of this author but this particular book just wasn't my cup of tea.

[Kelly]

In Opportunity Alabama a rifle echoes throughout the auditorium, the silhouette of Tyler Browne is a solitary figure amidst the anarchy. Firearms legislation is a precarious discussion within the United States, in the aftermath of domestic terrorism and This Is Where It Ends explores similar themes.

Tyler and Autumn Browne lost their mother to road trauma, their grieving father a physically abusive alcoholic. Autumn intends to emulate her mother, an acclaimed dancer. Defying her father, Autumn aspires to attend Juilliard, escaping Opportunity and leaving Tyler behind. Tyler is volatile, despising Autumn's relationship with Sylvia and accusing Sylvia of manipulation, both present within the auditorium.

AND I KNOW THE AUDITORIUM MAY BE BIG ENOUGH TO HOLD A THOUSAND STUDENTS, BUT IT'S TOO SMALL TO HIDE JUST ONE.

The reticulated narratives were captivating, illustrating the experiences of Autumn and Slyvia within the auditorium, Tyler's former girlfriend and athlete Claire and Sylvia's brother Tomás. Claire's younger sibling is inside the auditorium. As a child, Matt was diagnosed with lupus, an autoimmune disease which now requires a walking aid. Tomás and Fareed are incredibly courageous. Outside of the auditorium, the young men call emergency services while the onslaught continues behind the barricaded entrances.

TOGETHER WE COULD BE SO STRONG, BUT THE GUN HAS MADE US INDIVIDUALS.

Firearms statistics are disquieting in the United States, caucasian domestic terrorists often portrayed as misunderstood or mentally unwell. Tyler Browne felt one dimensional. The narrative theorises possible motives based on Autumn, Sylvia, Claire and Tomás with no singular reasoning behind why Tyler had chosen to seek revenge other than feeling abandoned. Tyler's character is without a perspective, which I partially appreciated as the narrative of This Is Where It Ends centralises the story of survivors and lives lost to firearm violence but disappointed the physiological aspects weren't explored.

Autumn, Sylvia, Tomás and Claire are indistinctive and share similar emotional responses. Anxious although resolute to become the heroic saviour. Fareed is an interesting character who may have offered a differing perspective and the Spanish exclamations a little cliché.

Although monochromatic, This Is Where It Ends is a confronting narrative and a compelling read.

[Pigpen.Reads]

Once I started this book, I could not put it down until I was done.

It definitely hits your emotions.

[Stephanie]

This book made me angry. I'm going to borrow something from a review, which is a pretty freakin' apt description of this sensationalized, one-dimensional novel: "I think this might be a classic case of an author who tries to write a story that's bigger than their ability to tell and trying to incorporate too much without any rhyme or reason to it." This book uses diversity for 'the sake of', without thoughtful, meaningful consideration for the characters as well as uses the events of a school shooting in the most caricature-type way. It feels insulting, and dare I say it? Offensive.

Please read the review below, since the reviewer explains every one of the issues with great detail in a far better way than I could at this current moment. It's completely worth a minute of your time on how a New York Times best-selling book fails on what it should have done and was meant to do.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1290726605?book_show_action=false&from_review_page=1

[Bianca]

Of all the people who died here today, did anyone really know anyone else? What they feared? What they wished for? Who they wanted to be?

[elvinagb]

(Source: I received a digital copy of this book for free on a read-to-review basis. Thanks to SOURCEBOOKS Fire and NetGalley.)
Mass shootings seem to be all to common an occurrence in our modern world. I once spent an afternoon with a school shooting survivor and while the student with the gun was the only fatality, the trauma of that day had such a lasting effect on her.
This book tries to tell the story through the eyes of 4 main characters and the social media comments of other student but I wish some time was given to what was going on in the mind of the shooter. You get his reactions and the recollections other characters interactions with him and get some idea of what is going on with him but I would have liked to have had more of what he was thinking.
Some plot points seemed unnecessary and didn't really serve a purpose but overall the story was well told.

[Amber]

This review was originally posted on Books of Amber

I thought I was prepared for This Is Where It Ends, considering I'd been looking forward to reading it for months prior to reading it. Spoiler: I was not prepared in the slightest.

This Is Where It Ends is a truly harrowing story of a fictional school shooting. It follows four students who are caught up in the shooting in different ways. They're all connected to the shooter in some way, and we watch as their entire world starts to fall apart.

I struggled a bit with the four points of view to begin with, as I thought that Sylv and Autumn's voices sounded incredibly similar, and Claire wasn't very standout. Tomás, however, was someone I loved from the beginning. I have a soft spot for cheeky pranksters, okay? But anyway, once I got past the first fifty pages or so, I got to know the characters a bit better and I was able to connect with them more easily. And from then on I was hooked.

Everything about this book was amazing, apart from two minor points. The first thing I would like to point out is the romance. I'm wondering if an editor somewhere along the way made the author throw some romance in to "keep the book YA", because there are two different instances where the romance was either awkward, out of place, or completely ridiculous. I didn't like the romance between Claire and Chris. I didn't think it was necessary at all. And then Tomás worries about impressing his crush in the midst of the shooting. Like... really?! Now is NOT the time.

But I adored the other relationships. Autumn and Sylv stole my heart (they're girls and they're together), and Tomás and Sylv's relationship absolutely broke me. The latter was my favourite part of the book because I have siblings that I would do just about anything for to keep them safe, so I felt a huge connection to Tomás. HEART EYES.

Another thing I really struggled with while reading This Is Where It Ends was the depiction of domestic abuse. I struggle with this at the best of times, but while reading those parts I was pulled out of the story. I can't tell exactly what the reason for that was, but it happened.

Overall, This Is Where It Ends is, like I said in the beginning, a truly harrowing story. I wouldn't call it exciting. I would call it disturbing and upsetting and diverse. Definitely pick this one up if you get the chance, but be prepared for graphic descriptions, and an ending that will damn near break you.

[Linda]

This review was originally posted on (un)Conventional Bookviews
This Is Where It Ends is an intimate account of what happens in a high school in Opportunity when a former student comes back and locks all his friends and teachers in the auditorium before he opens fire.



In the news, school shootings are far too common, and it becomes like a media circus, both while it is happening, and in the aftermath. This Is Where It Ends manages to tell the story of a school shooting from four different students' point of view, three of them on the inside of the school, and one just outside, training for track instead of being at the assembly. The fact that the story is told in these different perspectives, each in first person present tense makes everything that unfolds very immediate, and it was easy to be swept into the action, feel the fear, and hope with all my might that things could somehow turn out OK in the end - even when it was very clear that it wouldn't.

Only two of the four characters sharing the events were inside of the auditorium when they realized they were trapped there.  As soon as the shooter arrives, most of the people in the auditorium recognized him straight away, and even those who thought they knew him well were not exactly relieved. And once he started shooting, not completely at random, the terror increased among students and adults both. What really struck me was that in the midst of all the danger, Autumn came to life, she finally dared to tell Sylvie that she loved her, and that no matter what happened, Sylvie had her heart.

This Is Where It Ends only lasts for 54 minutes in story-time, but the action felt so tense I thought the same as Autumn, this had to take much, much longer. Between the bravery of many, the helplessness of others, I was deeply touched by this inside re-counting of a shooting. While I found the story to be very emotional, I thought it ended rather abruptly, even if the main story had a resolution, I couldn't help but want to know what would happen to the survivors afterwards.



This is Opportunity, Alabama. Sane people don't leave their homes when it's white and frosty outside. We stock up on canned food, drink hot chocolate until we succumb to sugar comas, and pray to be saved from the cold.

Nothing can touch us. Not snow. Not even time.

Far and I both hold our breath. After what feels like forever, the footsteps move on. Whoever it was, they're not out to get us. Not today.

[Jo]

4.5 Stars.

Originally posted on Once Upon a Bookcase.

Although it's not the only YA novel about the subject of school shootings, when I first hears about This Is Where It Ends by Marieke Nijkamp, I knew I had to read this particular book. Perhaps it was the cover, maybe the title, or that Nijkamp was writing a book about a terrible subject that has been horrifically prevalent in the US recently for her debut novel. All I know is I was drawn to this book, and I had to read it. And it was absolutely incredible.

It's the first day of a new semester at Opportunity High. Claire is running for track practise with her best mate Chris. Tomás got detention with his best friend Fareed, a reason to be in the Principle's Office to sneak through the student files during assembly. Tomás sister Sylv and her girlfriend Autumn are with the rest of the school in the auditorium listening to Principle Tankerton's speech for the new semester. No-one expects anything different from the day. But when assembly is over, there is a delay in leaving the auditorium. Most people don't know what's going on until they hear the doors are locked. And that's when the shooting begins.

I cannot even begin to tell you how brilliant this book is. It's absolutely terrifying. The specifics of This Is Where It Ends are fictional, but we hear so often about school shootings and massacres in the news, the situation isn't fictional, and as you're reading, this fact is at the forefront of your mind. The absolute terror of being in a school environment, in a place you've gone to to learn, and then not know if you're going to survive the next five minutes, when even the authority figures - the teachers and other school staff - are unable to keep you or themselves safe. Nijkamp paints a very clear, terrible picture, and you can quite easily imagine yourself  as one of those students, trapped in that auditorium.

This Is Where It Ends is told from multiple perspectives, each person with a connection to the shooter, Tyler. Claire is Ty's ex-girlfriend, and her younger brother is in the auditorium. Autumn is Ty's sister. Ty wasn't happy with Autumn and Sylv's relationship, so had been threatening Sylv. Tomás was aware that Ty had been harassing Sylv in someway, which just increased the fighting between the two rivals. We also get text messages, tweets or blog posts at the end of each chapter from other characters those in the auditorium or outside, and it's great getting these brief glimpses, too.

What's brilliant is that Nijkamp manages to make us care about these characters, despite the story only taking place over 54 minutes. Each narrator has a story outside of the school; Autumn and Ty's mother died two years ago. She was a ballet dancer, and died in a car accident due to exhaustion. Autumn wants to follow in her footsteps, but her father has become an alcoholic and turned abusive since his wife's death, and would rather see Autumn dead than dancing. Sylv and Tomás' mother has some form of dementia. Sylv has always wanted to get out of Opportunity, and has the chance with a college acceptance, but with her mother so ill and in need of care, it doesn't look like she'll be able to. Tomás knows something is going on with Sylv; ever since last summer, she's been pushing him and others away, ever since Ty was caught threatening her outside of junior prom. He doesn't know what Ty did, but he changed his sister, and hates him for it. Claire's little brother, Matt, has lupus, and she's very protective of him. Her older sister Tracy is in the army, and Claire is conflicted about following suit. She wants to be just like her sister, but doesn't know if she's up to it.

As the 54 minutes tick by, we discover more about their individual stories, and they all come to a resolution. But we see the courage people can find within themselves when faced with such a horrific situation, the brave acts they will perform. When Claire and Chris hear the shots, Claire is the only one who has the wherewithal to take charge of her track team and coach and give out instructions on the best way to get help - it's her only way of coping with the fact that her little brother is in that auditorium and she can't get to him. Tomás and Fareed make sure the police are alerted, but when they're told to get out the school, they take it on themselves to try and help those trapped in the auditorium. Autumn and Sylv both have their courageous moments, though I won't say more for fear of spoiling the story. But whether the narrators are stuck in the auditorium or not, bravery comes in all shapes and forms, and they all have their incredible moments of strength. I was in complete awe of them all. I seriously don't know if I could do what any of them did, if I was in their position. They were unbelievable. And yes, again, this is just fiction, but there have been those who have shown incredible courage and strength in these situations, and This Is Where It Ends is a fantastic reminder that these wonderful, unbelievable people exist, and they save lives.

This Is Where It Ends is also wonderfully diverse. Tomás and Sylv are Latino, and Sylv and Autumn are queer (no label is ever given). Claire's brother Matt is disabled, Tomás friend Fareed is Afghan Muslim, and there are other secondary characters of other races who make an appearance. This Is Where It Ends shows the melting pot that high school is, with a whole host of diverse characters, united in fear.

I have to say something about the ending; it was so very emotional. It was heartbreaking, it was moving, and it was beautiful. I finished this book crying silently on the bus, left completely wiped out and bereft. I was blown away by the characters, by the story, and by Nijkamp's brilliant storytelling. This Is Where It Ends is an absolutely astounding debut novel, and I will not hesitate to read whatever Nijkamp writes in the future. This is a novel you need to add to your TBR piles right now.

Thank you to Sourcebooks Fire via NetGalley for the eProof.