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All This Could End

by Steph Bowe (Goodreads Author)

3.73 of 5 stars 3.73 · rating details · 55 ratings · 18 reviews

What’s the craziest thing your mum has asked you to do?

Nina doesn’t have a conventional family. Her family robs banks—even she and her twelve-year-old brother Tom are in on the act now. Sophia, Nina’s mother, keeps chasing the thrill: ‘Anyway, their money’s insured!’ she says.

After yet another move and another new school, Nina is fed up and wants things to change. This t...more

Paperback, 256 pages

Published February 27th 2013 by Text Publishing

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Aussie YA Releases 2013

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Jun 15, 2013 Melanie rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: arc, aussie, books-i-own, contemporary, oh-so-meh, romance, young-adult, take-your-instant-love-and-get-lost, could-have-been-so-much-better

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***3.5 stars***
This book was given to me by Text Publishing. No bribes, money of other treats were given for compensation. Thank you Text Publishing!
All This Could End was a fantastic contemporary novel by Steph Bowe who was just a teenager when she wrote this book. Her first novel, Girl Saves Boy was written at the age of 14, that is just one year older than me! This promising piece of art captured me at the first page.

My thoughts of what the ratings were...more

5 likes · like · see review

Jun 16, 2013 Jacinta Butterworth rated it 3 of 5 stars

I’m a big fan of Steph Bowe’s blog Hey! Teenager of the Year (www.stephbowe.com), which is about all things YA, and have been looking forward to the release of All This Could End since I read her debut novel in 2010.

Steph Bowe has a talent for creating charming and original characters with a lot of heart. In All This Could End Nina, a seventeen-year-old who is struggling to come to terms with her bank-robbing family, moves to a new town where she develops feelings for Spencer, one of her classma...more I’m a big fan of Steph Bowe’s blog Hey! Teenager of the Year (www.stephbowe.com), which is about all things YA, and have been looking forward to the release of All This Could End since I read her debut novel in 2010.

Steph Bowe has a talent for creating charming and original characters with a lot of heart. In All This Could End Nina, a seventeen-year-old who is struggling to come to terms with her bank-robbing family, moves to a new town where she develops feelings for Spencer, one of her classmates. Spencer is shy but smart — his love of strange words like Vergangenheitsbewältigung (a German word that means coming to terms with the past) is quite endearing — and Nina soon decides she’s finally met a friend she wants to keep.

In All This Could End Steph Bowe expertly conveys how it feels to be a teenager — I especially loved Spencer’s description of the summer holidays. He says, “Everyone hangs out over the summer holidays but you’re not really friends when you get back to school. It’s like a different world. Whatever happens in the summer is nobody’s real life, even though it’s what everybody lives for.”

Despite the many strengths of the book, there were times I found it frustrating. I loved Nina and Spencer’s first kiss, but the development of their relationship from that point on was skimmed over. I didn’t feel like I was given the chance to become invested in their relationship, which was a little disappointing because this is a character-driven book and the romance between Nina and Spencer is central to the plot.

As I was reading I found myself constantly questioning the execution of the premise. There was just something unbelievable about the way Nina’s family of professional bank robbers committed their crimes and justified their actions. Steph Bowe’s descriptions of how Nina’s family robbed banks and why they chose to do it never felt ‘real’, which was a shame because this made it difficult for me to relate to Nina’s thought process at times.

The dialogue was also a little uneven. There were moments when I felt Steph Bowe perfectly captured the way teenagers speak and interact, and other times when the dialogue felt so forced I was pulled out of the scene completely. Spencer’s light-hearted comments during the climatic robbery scene struck me as particularly off.

Overall, All This Could End was an enjoyable sophomore novel, but I much preferred Steph Bowe’s debut Girl Saves Boy. With that said, I can’t wait to see what she writes next because she brings something unique and fiercely smart to contemporary Australian YA. Steph Bowe is definitely one to watch.(less)

4 likes · like · see review

Mar 03, 2013 Mandee rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2013-release, aussie, contemporary-fiction, realistic-fiction, text-publishing, ya-lit, february-2013-release, aww2013, aussieya2013, review-on-the-blog

All This Could End is Aussie author, Steph Bowe’s, sophomore novel. Set on the north-east coast of Australia, the story revolves around sixteen year old Nina Pretty and seventeen year old Spencer Jack. Nina, her parents, and her younger brother, Tom, have moved house again, in the wake of their last bank robbery. Nina starts at a local private school, Evandale College, and it’s there she meets new friends Bridie and Spencer. Spencer’s biggest fear in life is that people will finally discover tha...more All This Could End is Aussie author, Steph Bowe’s, sophomore novel. Set on the north-east coast of Australia, the story revolves around sixteen year old Nina Pretty and seventeen year old Spencer Jack. Nina, her parents, and her younger brother, Tom, have moved house again, in the wake of their last bank robbery. Nina starts at a local private school, Evandale College, and it’s there she meets new friends Bridie and Spencer. Spencer’s biggest fear in life is that people will finally discover that he was born without a pinkie toe and the fact that his family is slowly falling apart. Both Nina and Spencer think themselves awkward, but they're actually really similar and a perfect match.

I've been so excited to read All This Could End by Steph Bowe, it’s no secret that I LOVE Australian contemporary YA. I’ve also been keen to see what Steph would come up with after Girl Saves Boy and I have to say I think All This Could End is streets ahead.

I felt for Nina so much. Her mother, Sophia, led a life of crime with her father when she was a little girl so it’s no surprise that once she was married to Paul and had kids, the couple would turn to robbing banks. They choose small banks and conduct very carefully planned robberies. Once Nina reached twelve years of age, Sophia told her it was time to help them and since then Nina has continued participating in her parents’ capers. Nina is lonely and just wants a more normal life. She wants to be able to stay in one place and not have to leave behind houses, friends, and memories. The one thing that keeps her sane is joining the local library of whichever suburb they move to, and immersing herself in books that allow her to forget her messy life. She’s a collector of random facts, they also act as a distraction for her.

Spencer was so endearing, he always feels awkward and his only friend is Bridie. Despite being quite a wordsmith he feels as though he never knows what to say to other people, until he meets Nina. When they spend time together, each of them find they’re able to talk openly and honestly, both revealing secrets and fears. They bother consider themselves awkward and weird so it was nice to see them strike up a bond and enjoy each other’s company.

From the very beginning I kept asking myself what sort of parents would force their children to rob banks? But, it really didn't seem that implausible, and Nina’s parents came across as realistic, particularly Sophia who was so loud and opinionated. She has plenty of reasons to justify why they live the lives they lead, Nina has heard them all a dozen times before, and all she wants to do is turn eighteen and walk away.

The book begins in December with Nina and her family robbing a bank and Nina discovers she is holding a gun to Spencer’s head. The story then skips back to April, when they first met, and it was intriguing to follow their story and find out how they get to the situation in the bank. I found the resolution surprising, I didn't see it coming at all, and I thought the ending was well done, it wasn't forced or too happily-ever-after.

I often find it hard to justify why I love contemporary YA, usually it’s just an emotional connection to the characters and their stories and that’s what I felt with this book. I found myself thinking about the characters even when I wasn't reading and long after I finished the book.

All This Could End is a fantastic story about love, life, and learning it's ok to want more out for yourself. All fans of YA contemp should read this book!

Thank you to the amazing people at Text Publishing for my review copy.(less)

9 likes · like · see review

Mar 15, 2013 Alicia Anderson rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: reviewed

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I decided to read this book because the blurb looked really interesting and the prologue hooked me in. This comes under the category of my choice. I loved this book because the family drama is not something most kids go through so it's something different; I mean, how many families rob banks together under the peer pressure of the parent? Nina has had enough because she hates the look of terror on the faces of the customers, hates being scared of the cops showing up on their doorstep and hates t...more

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Mar 23, 2013 Rochelle rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: aussie-author, aww-challenge-2013, aussie-ya

This is the second book by Steph Bowe that I have read, that just so happens to be her second book, and I can honestly say I am seriously impressed by her writing. This book was told from alternating POVs, Nina’s and Spencer’s, and I just loved Spencer. Bowe just has this way of capturing the male lead’s voice that is utterly captivating. When reading her books I find myself unable to put them down and have this compulsive need to keep reading, to see what’s going to happen.

Confession: I was not...more This is the second book by Steph Bowe that I have read, that just so happens to be her second book, and I can honestly say I am seriously impressed by her writing. This book was told from alternating POVs, Nina’s and Spencer’s, and I just loved Spencer. Bowe just has this way of capturing the male lead’s voice that is utterly captivating. When reading her books I find myself unable to put them down and have this compulsive need to keep reading, to see what’s going to happen.

Confession: I was not completely sold on this synopsis. I mean, robbing banks? Didn’t sound like a story I would like, but I adored Girl Saves Boy so I put this on my to-read list but it wasn’t a high priority. Then Text publishing had the chance to win it on twitter and I won (Thanks so much Text Publishing) and I am so glad I did because I really enjoyed this book and now I have complete faith in Steph Bowe in giving me a story I will love and be sucked in and not want to stop reading. And I can’t stress enough how great she is at writing boys.

I found Nina to be relatable and I think many readers will too, not because we know what’s it’s like to be in a family of criminals, but because Nina was suck in a family she didn’t like and was counting down the days until she was eighteen and therefore free and could escape, and that is something a lot of teens can relate too.

Spence was adorable and awkward and found it hard to talk to people, and what he and his family has to go through is heart breaking and had me on the verge of tears.

I was worried about the ending. I had no idea how she was going to do this without it being incredibly unrealistic, but she pulls it off, and it’s only flaw was it felt like it was cut too short and I wanted more, more, more.
This book had plenty of Nina, and plenty of Spence, but not a lot of Nina and Spence together, which I would of loved. I wanted this book to be twice the size. But that was the only flaw for me, otherwise brilliant.

All This Could End was sweet, sad, and sometimes funny. I highly recommend it to those who love YA contemporary.(less)

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Feb 25, 2013 ALPHAreader rated it 4 of 5 stars

Some parents help their kids with math homework. Most have spouted parental proverbs like “Mind your Ps and Qs” or “Respect your elders.”

This is not the way of the Pretty family.

For Nina and her little brother Tom, homework is pickpocketing for big bucks. Motherly maxims include “Trust no one” and “Scout the place.”

Because the Pretty family are bank-robbers. Old-school, hold-em-up style bank-robbers. Nina is, unwillingly, following in her mother’s footsteps and has been robbing since she was tw...more

5 likes · like · see review

Feb 18, 2013 Rebecca Berto rated it 4 of 5 stars

Recommended to Rebecca by: ARC

3.5 STARS

young love

All This Could End is perfect for readers who love literary fiction and wit/humour. Young author, Steph Bowe writes beautifully, making you paint a picture of issues and character interaction.

I was interested in finding out more about Nina from a few pages in. It’s surprising to see how deep and true her conscience is considering she was wholly grown up to believe holding up banks without loaded guns was okay because a) the money was insured, and b) no one could die from being shot if t...more

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Mar 30, 2013 Annette rated it 3 of 5 stars

All this could end needs to be admired because it has been written by such a young author. The story is a mix of very good writing, but is also disjointed in many ways. The characters lack depth, though the plot is quite creative, though a touch unbelievable. Nina and Spencer develop a friendship after they meet at school. Their families suffocate them both, however they manage to come out the other end, feeling chuffed as they challenge their fears and accomplish some sort of reason and meaning...more

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Mar 03, 2013 Nomes rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2013, aussie-ya, crushing-on-the-writing, i-own, love-the-premise, rainy-day-comfort-reads

Some fact-ish stuff:
All This could end is narrated by both Nina and Spencer, in alternating POVs.
There is a love story.
And bank robbery's. With guns and stuff.
And intriguing family secrets, and sad family secrets, and secret secrets as well.
It's about families and friendships and wanting and hoping and dreaming and growing up. And everythign complicated in between.

Steph Bowe's second novel is an absolute breath of fresh air. Despite the original and delicious premise (a family of bank robbers...more

12 likes · like · see review

Apr 24, 2013 cait rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: young-adult

In a sentence? Fabulously entertaining and well characterized, but with a lingering unsatisfying flavour because of the ending. (I worked really hard on that sentence. Don’t forget to appreciate it.)

I’m a huge fan of Steph Bowe. Her first book, GIRL SAVES BOY, made me laugh, cry, and cheer on the awesomeness of Australian authors (we seem to be a minority in fantastic YA). I could rave about every character in that book. Strangely enough, I also loved ALL THIS COULD END. But not as much. I’m sti...more In a sentence? Fabulously entertaining and well characterized, but with a lingering unsatisfying flavour because of the ending. (I worked really hard on that sentence. Don’t forget to appreciate it.)

I’m a huge fan of Steph Bowe. Her first book, GIRL SAVES BOY, made me laugh, cry, and cheer on the awesomeness of Australian authors (we seem to be a minority in fantastic YA). I could rave about every character in that book. Strangely enough, I also loved ALL THIS COULD END. But not as much. I’m still pondering the difference, but it could be second-book-blues, or just the lack of visual and sensual description. So much dialogue (which I love, of course), but where were the beats? The details? When they were mentioned (like the Cadbury purple school uniforms) they were perfect. But otherwise, I felt like we just had pages of (well-written) conversation, without anything to break it up.

The characters? I LOVED the characters. Nina was well written, easy to relate to, and fantastic. But my favourite is Spencer. There is a definite shortage of boy-narrators in YA, but Spencer can make up for all of them (I even love his name, which, if you had asked me before I started reading this book, I would have said I hated the name ‘Spencer’. This means a lot). Spencer is awkward and shy. Being an awkward and shy person myself (I fool you internet friends so well), I felt like I understood Spencer. His thoughts, actions, way of thinking? They fit. They worked! I just felt myself smiling into the pages and loving every word of Spencer’s chapters.

The book is has multiple narrators – Nina, the daughter of bank robbers; and Spencer, the awkward, average son of a banker. Connection? It should be tacky and cliché, but it’s not. It’s perfect. The plot is smooth and connect, but not tight. There’s a lot of “life-speculation” in it. Is there a God? Meaning of life? Being an individual? Bride, Spencer’s life long friend, is the wild one who brings all these questions into the flesh, but Spencer is the one who (in his own quiet way) considers them all. Nina does too. I think all the life-questions they asked were legit. This is what teens do: we question things. Life is uncertain! But sometimes, I just felt all the speculation was just thrown in.

The ending? I. Loved. The. Ending. It had the shocker I wanted, and it had the effect on me it needed (see? 4 star review). It was set up perfectly and I didn’t see it coming. Oh, ho, don’t sit there and guess. Go read it.

ALL THIS COULD END is a quick read (270 pages) and I connected with the characters, which (in my opinion) is what takes a book from being good to being FABULOUS. (less)

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Mar 02, 2013 Maree rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: text-publishing, aussie, in-the-bookshelf, cover-love, 2013-read, favourites-2013

L’esprit de l’escalier.

“It’s French for the feeling you get after leaving a conversation, when you think of all the witty things you should have said”.

If only I could say this concept is unfamiliar. Alas, it is not. I also quite frequently think of all the wonderful things I could have said in reviews, assignments and exams etc. I really, really hope Bowe doesn’t feel there was anything which she could have said better in this, because it felt perfect.

There are some books I love because of the...more L’esprit de l’escalier.

“It’s French for the feeling you get after leaving a conversation, when you think of all the witty things you should have said”.

If only I could say this concept is unfamiliar. Alas, it is not. I also quite frequently think of all the wonderful things I could have said in reviews, assignments and exams etc. I really, really hope Bowe doesn’t feel there was anything which she could have said better in this, because it felt perfect.

There are some books I love because of the plot, or the characters, or the writing. And then there are the ones which I respond to on a purely emotional level. There are some authors who have managed to beautifully and perfectly combine all three of these things in such a way that I simply cannot help but love a book from the very first page. In case you hadn’t already guessed, this is how I feel about All This Could End. It is incredibly difficult for me to articulate why exactly I loved this book so much, but there was just something wonderful about it.

Spencer and Nina were wonderful characters and I loved their cute, slightly awkward interactions. As dual narrators they worked incredibly well, both offering complex personalities. I really felt for both of them. They were both trying to cope with difficult families and find their place in the world. I recognised aspects of myself in both of them and this is something which always appeals to me. The emphasis on Spencer and Nina’s families was also something I enjoyed about this novel. Both families were slowly falling apart and I appreciated the way Bowe portrayed how each person was trying to cope with their own grief or come to terms with and justify their actions.

I loved the structure of the novel, with its ‘slice of life’ segments. For me it was something new and fresh. I was intrigued about what went on in the missing months, but enjoyed seeing the changes in both characters. I felt like these were emphasised by the passing of time; sometimes things stand out more when not seen day by day. The writing was quite concise and flowed well. Although it was heavy with internal dialogue and reflection, I never felt bogged down and found myself constantly torn between needing to find out what happened and wanting to savour every sentence.

All This Could End was a book I responded to on an emotional level; it was a compelling, yet beautifully written novel with characters I completely fell in love with. It’s a story about two people, and their families, slowly falling apart and struggling to find their way. It’s also one of my favourite books of the year. I can’t wait to see what else Bowe has in store for us.

Thank you to Text Publishing for providing a copy of the book for review.

This review and many more can be found at Maree's Musings.(less)

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May 19, 2013 Marj rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: young-adult

The author's second novel, completed when she was just 18, proves what a talented young writer Steph Bowe really is!

The scenario of a bank robber parents enticing their children into crime tips stereotypical relationships on their head, but is not entirely new (Gordon Korman's 'Son of the Mob'). There are a few moments of uneasiness, such as the scene where Nina's mother leaves with her boyfriend, but these are outweighed by far more quirky delightful pieces of writing, making the occasional cl...more

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Feb 17, 2013 Trisha rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: crime, dual-narrators, grief-loss, ozya2013, romance, ya-literature

This worked very well for me. I engaged totally with the two main characters and found the first person present tense effective, giving it immediacy.

Great tension, great interactions between Nina and Spencer and well-rounded secondary characters. There was quirk, humour and the right amount of poignancy and sadness without sentimentality or cliché.

Best of all, the resolution was satisfying and believable. Although more kissing would have made me happier.

2 likes · like · see review

Mar 13, 2013 Tammy rated it 3 of 5 stars

All This Could end is a short novel of family & boundaries. Nina and Spencer both are socially awkward people, who lack self-esteem, but come together and start to build it up in knowing each other. But they both have secrets, big ones. Can their relationship survive this? Or will they crumble?

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Mar 14, 2013 Kirren Wilson rated it 3 of 5 stars

Good read. I like the relationship development between the two main characters, and especially how Nina deals with what she is expected to do until she can make her own decisions.
Not sure what I was expecting at the end.
Recommend this book.

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Apr 17, 2013 Naomi rated it 4 of 5 stars

Excellent book, but kind of disappointing epilogue.

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Jun 06, 2013 Rachel rated it 3 of 5 stars

3.5 stars. I really enjoy Steph's writing style. Little bit annoyed over another abrupt ending though.

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May 25, 2013 Georgia rated it 4 of 5 stars

Really enjoyed this!

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Apr 04, 2013 rocket skye rated it 3 of 5 stars

pretty good book, didn't really like the ending though. it was a happy ending, but not really a happy ending .. the fact that spencer is missing a pinky toe is a turn off .. hahaha the cover is gorgeous though and i liked nina's character. wasn't a big fan of bridie and sophia was just so ignorant, hated her haha. tom was cute, wish he was my brother lol. it was a quick read, not one of my favourites but overall it was pretty good. i prefer girl saves boy more though Lol

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Mar 08, 2013 ✨emmmmmm~percabeth✨ rated it 5 of 5 stars

This. Was. Amazing! I love you Steph!! <3

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Mar 17, 2013 Laura rated it 5 of 5 stars

It was so well-written and the story flowed nicely.
Although I felt Spencer and Nina's relationship was unresolved, but I suppose they'll meet up again after finishing high school.
Also Sophia had good arguments in support of robbing banks, she would've convinced me if I were Nina.

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Apr 20, 2013 Trinity rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2013, contempo-casual, heart-warmer, home-grown-aussie, lets-hear-it-for-the-boys, library-lovin, read-in-2013, young-adult

I really really liked this

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“Sometimes books feel like the only thing that keep her sane. Actually, she knows that they're the only reason she's still even vaguely okay right now. That's what she clings to: reading great books and seeing great films and, for as long as she's immersed in them, being able to forget, if only for a short time, about the reality of her life.” — 4 people liked it

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