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The Beauty of the End

Debbie Howells (Goodreads Author)

3.60 · Rating details · 905 ratings · 264 reviews

From the acclaimed author of The Bones of You comes a haunting and heartbreaking new psychological thriller about a man thrust into the middle of a murder investigation, forced to confront the secrets of his ex-lover's past.

"I was fourteen when I fell in love with a goddess. . ."

So begins the testimony of Noah Calaway, an ex-lawyer with a sideline in armchair criminal psy ...more

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ebook, 320 pages

Published July 26th 2016 by Kensington

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May 03, 2016 Shelby *trains flying monkeys* rated it did not like it · review of another edition

Shelves: read-2016, lifetime-movie-knockoff, boring-as-hell, netgalley

Noah Calaway first sees the "goddess" of his dreams when he is in high school.

His parents recently 'moved on up' in the world and he is the new kid at a ritzy school. In she walks. April. The goddess.
She doesn't really know he exists. But he makes that change. He must get her attention. April misses lots of school and is sorta spacey when she is there, but stupid Noah doesn't realize or honestly even seem to care. He just must have her.

This may go sorta SPOILERY so be warned:
Noah is al ...more

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Jan 13, 2016 Chelsea Humphrey rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: netgalley

I received my digital copy on Netgalley via wish granted from Kensington in exchange for a fair and honest review- many thanks!

I have heard of Debbie Howells previous work but have not personally read any previous to this one. The Beauty of the End impressed me wildly! Ms. Howells clearly is talented in constructing a complex tale with an interweaving timeline of the past and present, with only 1 narrator. The summary does a good job describing the plot overall but, to not raise any spoilers, I ...more

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Apr 20, 2017 Laura rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: first-reads, crime-mystery-thriller

This is my first by Debbie Howells, though I've been seeing her books pop up on my newsfeed for the last couple of years. I figured I'd start with the last one to come out.

The story follows Noah, an ex-lawyer, as he is drawn back into the life of his ex-love April who left him at the altar sixteen years prior. A call from an old friend informs him of April being accused of murder and then trying to kill herself. Noah truly believes April couldn't have murdered anyone. So much so that he travels ...more

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Apr 05, 2017 Sue rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: psychological-thriller, net-galley, kindle-paperwhite, suspense-thriller-mystery, fiction

THE BEAUTY Of The End, a psychological mystery is the second novel I have read by author Debbie Howells, after having loved “The Bones of You”. I was so happy to be granted my wish to read THE BEAUTY OF THE END.

The story is about a man placed into the middle of a murder investigation, forced to come to terms with the secrets of his ex-lover's past. This is a novel of first love, of lies, secrets and betrayal.

"I was fourteen when I fell in love with a goddess. . ."

Noah Calaway, an ex-lawyer li ...more

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Jan 13, 2016 Magdalena aka A Bookaholic Swede rated it it was ok

Shelves: read-2016

I read the first chapter of this book a couple of months ago and found it interesting; Noah Calaway gets a call from an old friend that he hasn't heard from in a long time. Apparently Noah's old girlfriend April has killed a man and then tried to kill herself. He believes that she is innocent and travels to where she lives to find out the truth.

I can say that the idea of the book sounded interesting, unfortunately, the idea did not live up to my expectations. I felt that I got a bit of a wrong s I read the first chapter of this book a couple of months ago and found it interesting; Noah Calaway gets a call from an old friend that he hasn't heard from in a long time. Apparently Noah's old girlfriend April has killed a man and then tried to kill herself. He believes that she is innocent and travels to where she lives to find out the truth.

I can say that the idea of the book sounded interesting, unfortunately, the idea did not live up to my expectations. I felt that I got a bit of a wrong start with the book, the different timelines, we have the present one and the one where Noah was a teenager. And, suddenly Ella showed up in the story. Bear in mind, I started to read this book without reading the blurb, so I was a bit confused about it and that is totally my fault. That's the problem with ebook, you don't have a backside to read and if you don't look up the book can things like this happens. Anyway, I read the blurb and that cleared things up.

Still, the story just didn't thrill me, it never felt suspenseful in any way and the twists never gave me a wow feeling. The story never got my pulse racing. Well, it did when I was annoyed with stuff, like when police officer Ryder started to suspect Noah. And, I got the feeling that they did it right from the start, despite the fact that Noah hadn't seen April for fifteen years, and he has had no contact with her if you don't count the calls she made to him the murder day that he never got and there is absolutely no evidence at the murder scene to tie him to it. That bothered me, I mean if they had found his fingerprint or blood on the scene would I have bought the fact that they suspected him, but now some far-fetched motive that he felt the need for revenge and kill someone fifteen years later? Come one!

And, the secrets April kept from Noah. Yes, I can understand that she would have a hard time reveal everything to him back when they were together. But, Noah was so incredibly naive that I wanted to hit him over the head so many times during my reading to get him to see the real April. He worshiped her since he was a child and he just couldn't see the true April and that meant that she never dared tell him the truth about herself and everything that she had been through. I mean his best friend Will and April's best friend Bea knew the truth, but Noah just saw a flawless goddess.

One the plus side, it was easy to read the book. I read most of the book during on sitting. The story was interesting enough to want me to finish the book and get the truth and the last part of the book worked better for me than the first 2/3.

I've seen a lot of reviews of Goodreads that give the book high rating so the book works for some. I guess I'm the odd one out in this case...

I want to thank the publisher for providing me with a free copy through NetGalley for an honest review. ...more

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Apr 30, 2016 Diane S ☔ rated it liked it · review of another edition

2.5 A quick read but just meh for me. Seriously I could poke holes in the believability of this one a mile long, but I won't. Just not seem to be buying these thrillers lately and this one and the back and forth timeline made me dizzy. Not my cup of tea, shall we say and leave it at that. ...more

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Jan 23, 2016 Julie rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: e-book, klovers, netgalley, psychological-thriller, kensington

The Beauty of the End by Debbie Howells is a 2016 Kensington publication. I was provided a copy of this book by the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This story is simply spellbinding, mesmerizing, and had me hooked right from the start.

When Noah Calaway gets a phone call from an old ‘friend’, letting him know his long lost love has been accused of murder and is in the hospital after a suicide attempt, Noah, a former attorney turned author, is conflicted in regards to t The Beauty of the End by Debbie Howells is a 2016 Kensington publication. I was provided a copy of this book by the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This story is simply spellbinding, mesmerizing, and had me hooked right from the start.

When Noah Calaway gets a phone call from an old ‘friend’, letting him know his long lost love has been accused of murder and is in the hospital after a suicide attempt, Noah, a former attorney turned author, is conflicted in regards to taking on April’s criminal case, should she ever make it to trial.

But, with his feelings, which bordered on unhealthy obsession, for April going all the way back to his childhood, it’s a pull he simply can’t resist. This decision will dislodge so many poignant memories and pull the wool from Noah’s eyes about who April really is, and has been all along. But, is she really guilty of murder?

Before becoming a freelance reviewer, I was pretty easy to please, and could relate to the sleep deprived, so riveted by a book they couldn’t bear to put it down, and I completely understood when someone said they never wanted a book to end. Now, I’m a lot more jaded and usually have no problem switching off the lamp in the middle of a good book, and it’s become extremely rare for me to run across a book I wish were longer. But, for reasons I can’t exactly explain, this book so captured by attention I found myself wanting to slow down in order to make it last, but was unable to stop myself from reading as fast as I could.

I have to say I am thrilled to see the psychological thriller sub-genre becoming so popular again. (Although, I do wish publishers would back off of describing every one of them as the next "Gone Girl")

I’ve always loved this type of mystery because it rarely relies upon car chases or explosions, but instead pulls the reader into a web of suspense with intelligence and cleverness, that holds me stock still, from beginning to end. I love a good mind game and this book certainly gave my brain and emotions a nice workout.

The old saying about love being blind is a theme I kept coming back to while reading this book, because poor Noah was so instantly smitten with April, he couldn’t see her as anything but his goddess. But, April wasn’t the only thing Noah has turned a blind eye to over the years, as he is about to learn the hard way.

Noah tells the story from his first person perspective, giving us a little insight into his own personal demons, his slow realizations that his mind has blocked out or simply rewritten events, that are now revealing themselves to be much different than he remembers them. As Noah begins to delve into April’s life leading up to the murder she’s accused of, his long buried memories float to the surface and he begins to connect the dots he never did before.

I loved the pacing of this story, which is fast, but even, and fleshed out. The atmosphere is edgy and thick with foreboding, and suspense, filling me with dread, as Noah begins to unearth one diabolical manipulation after another, and dark, gut wrenching revelations that leave him feeling sick, repulsed, shocked, and sad, but also determined to clear April’s name and see justice done.

I don’t know if I could say I liked the characters, even Noah. But, I did feel empathy for him at times, while at other times, I marveled at his gullibility and his ability to so completely deceive himself, as well as his blind trust in April, Will and their extended group of friends. All the characters here, are flawed, some more than others, and I’m not sure how I felt about the extreme measures taken to expose some heinous crimes, which left me feeling angry, sad, a little confused by the actions,or in some cases, lack of response, from some people. The villain here is one of the most sinister I’ve encountered in a long while, which left me wondering if whatever judgment is passed, would ever be enough.

Still, at the end of the day, I was left with a sense of peace knowing that an ugly truth was exposed, and those whose lives were affected most, are now free from the damaged and dangerous atmosphere that has haunted them for far too long.
...more

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Jul 26, 2017 Chloe rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: net-galley

This is my first book by Debbie Howells and it blew me away. This is a great psychological suspense novel that I finished in one day.

Noah Calaway is an ex-lawyer turned writing who gets a disturbing phone call from his estranged school friend Will that his ex-fiancée Alice Moon has been accused of a brutal murder and is in coma after trying to kill herself. Noah decides to defend Alice as he cannot believe that she is capable of such an heinous crime even though her betrayal still hurts him. Mea ...more

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Jul 24, 2016 Larry H rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: netgalley

"I was fourteen when I fell in love with a goddess. Goddesses have that effect, even on teenagers such as I was. Being plump or uncool has no bearing on the ability to fall in love—and my fate was sealed."

Noah Calaway remembers the minute he laid eyes on April Moon. (Even her name intoxicated him.) Even though she barely acknowledged his existence, and he had little if any hope of ever catching her eye, he knew he wanted April. She was mysterious, beautiful, quirky—and even rumored to be a bit o "I was fourteen when I fell in love with a goddess. Goddesses have that effect, even on teenagers such as I was. Being plump or uncool has no bearing on the ability to fall in love—and my fate was sealed."

Noah Calaway remembers the minute he laid eyes on April Moon. (Even her name intoxicated him.) Even though she barely acknowledged his existence, and he had little if any hope of ever catching her eye, he knew he wanted April. She was mysterious, beautiful, quirky—and even rumored to be a bit of a witch, as she and two of her friends would meet on top of a hill and allegedly cast spells and do other magic. April was everything that studious Noah dreamed of.

Years pass, and April has moved in and out of Noah's life a number of times, in each instance affecting him tremendously. One time they were even engaged to be married when she canceled the wedding the day before it was to happen, leaving him with barely any explanation. Even though it has been some time since the two had been in touch, he is utterly shocked to receive a call from his former best friend Will, who tells Noah that April is accused of murdering a man, and following the incident took a drug overdose and now is in a comatose state from which she isn't expected to recover. While Noah remembers April was a very troubled young woman (and that trouble continued into adulthood), he is unable to reconcile the accusations leveled against April with the woman he knew.

A former lawyer who became a writer specializing in criminal psychology, Noah travels to the town where April lived, ostensibly to find out more information about what happened. He thinks he may represent April should criminal charges be filed against her, but more than anything, he wants to see this woman who meant so much to him, wants to understand all of the things she kept hidden from him. Yet the more he uncovers, he realizes that there are far more complicated—and apparently dangerous—issues at play here, which may have harmed April, and may even have followed her throughout her life.

The Beauty of the End juxtaposes Noah's investigation into what might have happened to April with the story of their relationship through the years, and all of the many instances in which April loved him yet pushed him away. The story isn't told in a linear fashion, so at times it was difficult to figure out at which point in time the story was occurring (despite the dates at the top of those chapters), but the story of their relationship was really compelling.

I definitely liked the story of Noah and April more than the mystery elements of the book. While there were a few more twists and turns than I expected (when I thought I figured out what happened—and I called part of it very quickly—I was frustrated, so I was glad to see Debbie Howells had a few more tricks up her sleeve), I felt that was more routine than the rest of the book.

As I've said before, I tend to be a little cynical when I read mysteries, so I would think those who don't read a lot of them will enjoy this even more than I did. I think Howells did a great job setting the story and ratcheting up the suspense, and although a few of the characters didn't transcend stereotypes, several characters were really fascinating, including April, of course. This is as much a lament on lost love as it is a mystery, so it has some depth to it.

NetGalley and Kensington provided me an advance copy of the book in exchange for an unbiased review. Thanks for making this available!

See all of my reviews at http://itseithersadnessoreuphoria.blo.... ...more

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Nov 29, 2015 Jan rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: netgalley, mystery

3.75 stars

At times I really loved this, and at others I wanted to toss it out the window...

I think this book has a bit of an identity crisis, not quite knowing if it should labeled a thriller, a chick-lit story, or none of the above.

My take? I would stamp this as a low key mystery trying hard to be a thriller, but not quite making it.

I still found this whole chaotic mess intriguing though. While I agree with others that it was hard to like any of the characters, I found that their flaws were wh ...more

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Jan 14, 2016 Sue rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: net-galley

This authors other book The Bones of You was one of my all time favorites so when I was contacted to see if I would like to read her latest novel I certainly didn't hesitate one iota.

Just like her other book kept me up all night, so did this one. I blame this author for dark bags under my eyes.

The plot, the twist, the misguided routes I went down was endless, but worth my travel.
She writes with such beguile that I cannot fault her penmanship.

Noah....
April is a murder??

NO NO NO

So he goes down th ...more

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Jul 16, 2016 Sue rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: read-2016, mystery, net-galley, britain

Noah Calaway opens this story with: "I was fourteen when I fell in love with a goddess..." That teen-aged event has colored virtually every moment of his life since and is the driving force of the psychological mystery that is The Beauty of the End. One day he receives a phone call drawing him back into the life of that "goddess," long lost to him, and into a murder mystery and the land of distant memory where not everything is as we think we remember it. April, the woman he has always loved, is ...more

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Nov 29, 2015 Jan rated it really liked it

Shelves: netgalley

I received an invitation to read the first chapters of 2 new books being released in 2016, in exchange for a short review.

The first is from author Simona Ahrnstedt, titled All In. This is my first encounter with Ahrnstedt 's work, and while a chapter is hardly enough time to feel connected to a story, I can say this book has started out with a bang! With a lead male sharing traits reminiscent of Christian Grey and the lead female sounding like Lucky Santangelo, (from the Jackie Collins series) t ...more

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Jul 12, 2018 Melissa (Mel’s Bookshelf) rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: netgalley, thriller

Unfortunately although it showed a lot of promise, I was a bit underwhelmed by this one.

Noah receives a phone call from old friend Will, informing him that Noah's ex fiance April is in hospital, in a coma, and is under suspicion of killing a man and then attempting suicide. Unable to believe his ex lover could do anything like what she is accused of, Noah makes the trip to his old home town. Secrets begin to surface and he begins to realise he never really knew April like he thought he did.

The s ...more

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Aug 02, 2016 Cheri rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: arc, 2016, netgalley, psychological-thriller

3.75 Stars

Thrillers are not really my genre, so this may appeal to others more than it did to me,

The main characters never seem as though they are fully developed characters, or people. As a result, for me, I never felt fully involved in the story. It was a quick and easy read, enjoyable, the story managed to keep my attention, and the writing was good.

Noah is a writer, formerly a lawyer. He left his law firm after getting a client off, only to have all doubt removed that the man was guilty. N ...more

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Dec 22, 2015 Meredith ( on Semi-Hiatus until February) rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: netgalley

Slowly building mystery in which all is not what it seems.

When former attorney, Noah Calaway, receives news that his first love, April Moon, is accused of murder and has od'd he rushes to her defense. The narrative, told primarily from Noah's POV, alternates between the 1980's when he first meets April, the 1990's when their relationship develops, and 2016.

Noah is completely blinded by love. However, holes begin to appear in his story and the reader will come to question his reliability. The m ...more

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Apr 30, 2016 Bam cooks the books ;-) rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2016-reading-challenge, 2016-netgalley, mystery

Noah Calaway has left his law career behind four years ago to hide away in a secluded English cottage he has inherited from his aunt, ostensibly to write novels. He receives an unexpected phone call from Will Farrington, an old school friend, letting him know that April Moon, Noah's former fiancee, is in hospital after a drug overdose and may be accused of murdering her abusive step-father if she survives. Will Noah come and act as her lawyer?

Noah is torn. It was love at first sight for him whe Noah Calaway has left his law career behind four years ago to hide away in a secluded English cottage he has inherited from his aunt, ostensibly to write novels. He receives an unexpected phone call from Will Farrington, an old school friend, letting him know that April Moon, Noah's former fiancee, is in hospital after a drug overdose and may be accused of murdering her abusive step-father if she survives. Will Noah come and act as her lawyer?

Noah is torn. It was love at first sight for him when he was a naive fourteen-year-old and saw April on his first day at a new school; he thought she was a goddess with her beautiful long red hair. But Noah has been the victim of lots of heartache at her hands over the years--does he really want to see her again after all this time and perhaps subject himself to more? And is he still a good enough lawyer to be of help to her if she needs it?

Putting his doubts aside, Noah arrives at the hospital and learns that April is in a coma. He starts digging into her current life to see if he can find clues that will prove her innocence. But he finds he must also confront the mysteries of their shared past and try to understand what really happened. Here the author utilizes flashbacks to peel back the layers one by one. Noah finds he has misunderstood so many things, that he was clueless and only saw what he wanted to see. And he now recognizes he has an enemy, a master manipulator, who might be setting him up to look guilty of the murder himself.

A separate side story which ends most chapters is told by Ella, a young girl who is seeing a therapist and has a big secret she can't decide whether to share. At first, the reader wonders who this is and what she brings to the story but eventually it all begins to become clear and the secret will have life-changing consequences.

I thought this was an absorbing mystery, told at a nice pace, with interesting, flawed characters. The twisted truth is a bit heart-wrenching when it is finally revealed in the last chapters but makes for a satisfying conclusion. I recommend adding this to your summer reading list!

Thank you to the publisher, author and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advanced readers copy. ...more

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Feb 22, 2016 Bill Kupersmith rated it it was ok · review of another edition

There are things that seem to work better in some literary genres than in others, & revisiting a past relationship that didn’t work out seems to be one of them. Great in romantic fictions such as Jane Austen’s Persuasion or Jojo Moyes’s The Last Letter from Your Lover. But in crime fiction, I’ve been disappointed: Peter Swanson’s The Girl with a Clock for a Heart, Mark Edwards’ Because She Loves Me, & David Bell’s Somebody I Used to Know, all tanked. Perhaps it’s that the bereft lover has to pla There are things that seem to work better in some literary genres than in others, & revisiting a past relationship that didn’t work out seems to be one of them. Great in romantic fictions such as Jane Austen’s Persuasion or Jojo Moyes’s The Last Letter from Your Lover. But in crime fiction, I’ve been disappointed: Peter Swanson’s The Girl with a Clock for a Heart, Mark Edwards’ Because She Loves Me, & David Bell’s Somebody I Used to Know, all tanked. Perhaps it’s that the bereft lover has to play such an unappealing role, passively waiting for the beloved’s return steadfastly but without hope. (Granted, Captain Wentworth was anything but passive facing a French - or American - frigate captain, but as a wooer of Anne he hangs back till the very end.)

In The Beauty of the End Debbie Howells could give the narrator Noah Callaway a personal soundtrack: ‘Have You Heard about the Lonesome Loser?’ His parents (& the author) graced him with an awfully wet name for a hero (even he jokes bitterly about it) & it fits him - one of those unfortunates who go through life with his own little raincloud over his head. (His surname is also redolent of ‘callow’.) He allows himself to be repeatedly jerked around by April, the the object of his obsession, by Will, his BestFrenemy, & by Detective Sergeant Ryder (@ one point the author forgets his rank & promotes him to Detective Inspector tho’ he subsequently reverts). Noah even allows himself to be bullied by his landlady @ the BnB, even tho’ he is supposed to be both a lawyer & a moderately successful crime-fiction writer. (We are told that he abandoned practice @ the criminal defence bar stricken by remorse when a client he successfully defended proceeded to reoffend. Surely even the most junior defence barrister - not to mention detective story writer - knows that 9/10 of the defendants actually did it - the reason for defence is to make the Crown prove it.) You would think a trained barrister, not to mention crime fiction writer, would know how to stand up to an overbearing cop, not to mention a landlady.

Not only did April’s giving Noah the el dumpo nearly @ the altar break his heart; it also ruined the storybook wedding he was planning: he was ‘imagining a country house wedding with April in a beautiful dress & all our friends crowded around us. “We should check out some venues,” [he] told her. “Places get booked up.”’ Had I not requested this book from NetGalley, it would have hit the DNF pile here. The groom makes the wedding plans? Most us guys’ notion of wedding planning is going online @ Expedia to book two tickets to Vegas!

As the story unfolds the improbabilities multiply. April has apparently ODed & is in the ICU & Noah believes that one of the doctors is sneaking in & altering her medications to kill her - this doctor supposedly being a distinguished paediatric surgeon & having the nurses so in awe of him that they don’t question anything he does, even tho’ he is not April’s attending physician or qualified to be assigned to such a unit. There is no chance @ all of anything like that happening in any real ICU, where the nursing staff closely supervise & administer all medications - that’s why it’s an ICU. Not only do the nurses constantly monitor the pt’s medications & condition, but they review them daily as a team. There’s no way a consultant in another speciality - such as paediatric surgery - could simply walk in & start administering something other than what the pt’s proper doctor ordered.

We are also supposed to believe that April practised as a grief therapist for bereaved mothers of newborns, tho’ we are not told how she acquired her qualifications, but after so many other unlikelihoods, why complain? Finally Noah uncovers the very much expected villain and the villain’s very much improbable plot. Oh, & there’s also another occasional narrator who talks in italics & we finally find out what she’s doing in the story. At the end, Noah finds a new role: it’s not as a wedding planner.

In future I’ll not request advanced review copies of NetGalley except when I’ve already read & liked books by that author. But tho’ I am grateful to NetGalley & to Kensington Books for this ARC, I thought the only thing beautiful about the end of this book was actually reaching the end. ...more

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Jul 06, 2016 Dorie - Cats&Books :) rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: mystery-thriller, netgalley

This is definitely the best thriller that I have read in many, many months. Finally a true psychological thriller with mind bending secrets and a villain who is a true sociopath, someone with no moral compass and complete disregard for others. I was looking for a definition of a narcissistic sociopath and it sounded just like Will. I’m quoting just a few lines from the website “healthyplace.com” that I thought were very eye opening: You can skip them if you’re not interested.

A narcissistic socio
This is definitely the best thriller that I have read in many, many months. Finally a true psychological thriller with mind bending secrets and a villain who is a true sociopath, someone with no moral compass and complete disregard for others. I was looking for a definition of a narcissistic sociopath and it sounded just like Will. I’m quoting just a few lines from the website “healthyplace.com” that I thought were very eye opening: You can skip them if you’re not interested.

A narcissistic sociopath has “A driven quest for power. If a narcissistic sociopath cares about anything other than himself, it is destructive power and control over people.

Behaviors that seek love and admiration.. A narcissistic sociopath sees love and admiration as power tools to manipulate and dominate

No apologies, no guilt, no remorse under any circumstance. A sociopathic narcissist believes that she/he is a gift to the world who makes it richer and more colorful.

Wholly self-serving. The needs and wants of others are insignificant and undeserving of consideration.”

The novel is written in first person narrative by Noah Calaway. Initially Noah gets a call from an old “friend” letting him know that his long lost love is in the hospital, in critical condition and is accused of murder. Trained as a lawyer, Noah had been leading a quiet life writing books and is moderately successful. He had left the law firm he was with after an incident that Noah feels guilty about.

As soon as Noah is in town he starts to delve into the mystery of who killed who and why. His feelings for April are still almost obsessive and it clouds his ability, at first, to untangle what is going on. He still believe that his old friends, including Will, are being honest with him in describing April and what has gone on.

Noah is determined to clear April’s name and is able to get to April’s home before the police do and undercover some incriminating evidence of one of his friends. A diabolical plan involving which babies are chosen for life saving operations and how they are chosen. He also gets to know April as the adult that she became and her work as a counselor with grieving mothers.

In addition to Noah’s story we are drawn to Ella who is writing a separate narrative about her life, her unhappiness and a truth that she has just unearthed. It isn’t until the last one third of the book that we see the connection of her story to Noah.

I think the plotting and writing was brilliant and the pacing was quick. It is an emotional rollercoaster of a ride that had me thinking about my first love and how it felt to be that young and infatuated with someone. A must read with great secrets and the rush of a thriller.

I received an ARC of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
...more

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Feb 18, 2016 Carole (Carole's Random Life in Books) rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: reviewed, net-galley, 2016, mystery

This review can also be found at Carole's Random Life.

I have so many mixed feelings about this book. I remember that I really wanted to see how things would work out for the characters. So much so that I had a hard time putting it down. The whole time I was reading, I was also thinking about how nothing in the story really rang true to me. In the end, it was rather disappointing.

I read this book several weeks before I actually had a chance to sit down and write my review. I hate to say it but I This review can also be found at Carole's Random Life.

I have so many mixed feelings about this book. I remember that I really wanted to see how things would work out for the characters. So much so that I had a hard time putting it down. The whole time I was reading, I was also thinking about how nothing in the story really rang true to me. In the end, it was rather disappointing.

I read this book several weeks before I actually had a chance to sit down and write my review. I hate to say it but I remembered very little of the book at first. It was really that forgettable. After reading over the summary and checking my notes, I did recall the story but I am still amazed that I was able to completely wipe the plot from my mind in just a few days.

I didn't really care for any of the characters in the story which is a pretty big problem for me. In most cases, I really need to like at least one character in a book in order to connect with the story. I didn't understand Noah. It didn't make sense to me how he was able to always think so highly of April. Nobody is as perfect as he felt April was. April was probably the closest to be likable but we never got to hear her voice and she also made little sense to me. I wasn't even sure who Ella was or why I should care about her portions of the book.

I thought the plot was incredibly far fetched. The story jumped back and forth in time which took away from the flow of the story at times. There were also random sections of the book that came from Ella's point of view that did not appear to be linked to the main plot in way. I just really had a hard time believing that otherwise intelligent individuals could be as clueless as everyone seemed to be in this story.

On a more positive note, I found the book to be easy to read. I found that sections of the book were rather exciting and I did want to see how everything would work out. I was hoping for a big finish based on the title but felt that the ending fell flat. It was a book that I had no trouble getting through but I found myself thinking about all of the problems in the story more than the actual mystery.

I can't recommend this book to others. I think that there are too many great options out there for anyone looking for a great mystery thriller. This was the first book by Debbie Howells that I have read and I would be willing to give her work another try in the future.

I received a copy of this book from Kensington Books via NetGalley for the purpose of providing an honest review.

Initial Thoughts
I am not really sure what I think right now. It had some problems but I found it hard to put down. ...more

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Jun 01, 2016 Liz Barnsley rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: books-for-my-soul, top-psychological-thriller, bloody-marvellous

I LOVED this one.

Somebody said Debbie Howells paints with words and in the case of The Beauty of the End she definitely did that – it was intense and gorgeous and whilst on the surface it is a psychological thriller with a mystery element and all that jazz the underneath of it is something very different. The story of a life. And a death. And all the stuff inbetween. About how memory rewrites history and truth can rewrite memory. There is a haunting sense of loss running throughout the narrative ...more

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Jul 18, 2016 Dannii Elle rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: mysterious-miasmas, thriven-thrillers, adult-books-read

I received this book in exchange for an honest review on NetGalley. Thank you to the author, Debbie Howells, and the publisher, Kensington, for this opportunity.

There are so many interwoven layers in this fast-paced thriller that it was impossible not to get lost in this story of love, loss and revenge. The narrative alternated between time periods and perspectives to ultimately provide the reader with the full story from multiple angles. The story intrigued me and the writing was sublime. My on ...more

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Nov 29, 2015 Sandy *The world could end while I was reading and I would never notice* rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 4-star, publisher-arc

I have read a first chapter sample only of this book which is due to be published in July of 2016.

After only one chapter, Debbie Howells has reeled me in. I was enamoured by her first book, The Bones of You, and The Beauty of The End would seem to be every bit as absorbing and intriguing. Her writing flows seamlessly, her ideas are intriguing.

Noah Calway, ex-lawyer, armchair criminal psychologist, is living an aimless existence in an inherited cottage deep in the English countryside. He is haun ...more

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Jun 28, 2016 abby rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction, netgalley, mystery-thriller

I wanted to like this book, if for no other reason than male narrators in psychological thrillers are like unicorns. But this just didn't work for me. The plot itself is good, but the execution left much to be desired. This book skips around a lot on the timeline-- it's 2016, then 1989, then 1998, then 2016, then 1994. I had to flip back through the pages continually to keep details straight, until I became too annoyed and stopped. The constant time warps also interrupted the pacing and flow of ...more

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Oct 20, 2016 Diana | Book of Secrets rated it it was ok · review of another edition

It took me 10 days to read this book, and some of that was skimming. I was really drawn to the premise, but just could not get into it! Slow moving, lacked suspense. There were a couple of twists that piqued my interest, but overall I can't say I liked it. Noah was so naive - was he really a lawyer? Never understood the obsession with his goddess, April. I enjoyed Debbie Howells' previous novel, The Bones of You, but unfortunately this one didn't work for me. It happens!

Disclosure: I received a ...more

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Mar 09, 2016 Carrie rated it really liked it

Shelves: netgalley

Noah Calaway didn't quite know what to think when he gets a troubling phone call concerning his ex, April. April had always been the one that got away for Noah and now she lies in a coma, the victim of an apparent overdose. But not only is April in the hospital but she's suspected of killing a man before trying to take her own life.

Noah can't believe that April would have anything to do with murder so Noah decides that even though he gave up practicing law he needs to do whatever he can to try Noah Calaway didn't quite know what to think when he gets a troubling phone call concerning his ex, April. April had always been the one that got away for Noah and now she lies in a coma, the victim of an apparent overdose. But not only is April in the hospital but she's suspected of killing a man before trying to take her own life.

Noah can't believe that April would have anything to do with murder so Noah decides that even though he gave up practicing law he needs to do whatever he can to try to clear her name even if that means taking the case himself. While Noah searches for evidence to clear April a teenager named Ella begins to sift through the secrets of her own painful family history and just may be able to shed light on what happened.

When I saw that Debbie Howells had another book out I just knew that I had to read it. I absolutely loved The Bones of You when I read it last year so I was quite looking forward to this one. The Beauty of the End is told by alternating back and forth between what is going on in the current and flashing back to the relationship between Noah and April over the years with their rocky on again off again past.

With this book I found that for me it got off to a rather slow start building up the characters and letting the reader know how their relationship had formed and what had happened. I did enjoy the depth given to them in the end but I was dying to get to finding out what had happened in the present but it took a lot of build up to get that story line going.

Once the books started to flow for me I did find that I completely became engaged in the story just as I had suspected I would. Once the layers of the story started coming together it turns into an intense, twisty ride that will keep one guessing to the ending.

Overall, a slow starter for me but definitely went out with a bang when finished uncovering the lies and secrets through all the twists and turns.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

For more reviews please visit https://carriesbookreviews.wordpress....

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Jun 23, 2016 Petra rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: mystery, uk, netgalley

Noah, a lawyer-turned-writer, is contacted by a former school friend, Will, who informs him that April, a girl they've known since their school days and whom Noah has been obsessed with ever since is the suspect in a murder case but is herself in a critical condition in hospital.

It took me a little while to get into this, but as it progressed, it got better and better.
It is mainly told from Noah's first-person perspective, which switches between 1989, the 1990s and the present time, and is int ...more

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Apr 29, 2016 Carolyn rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: netgalley, relationships, psychological-suspense

This is a complex, multilayered thriller, moving back and forth in time to piece together a mystery that started many years before.

Noah Calaway, the narrator of this novel, has left his career as a lawyer to live in the country and write crime novels. In his youth he was once in love with a beautiful woman, April Moon, but she had secrets she wouldn't share with him and in the end she ran away from the relationship. Noah has never really recovered and still holds a torch for the beautiful April. ...more

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Dec 22, 2016 Bookread2day rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

It is beyond me how this fantastic author Debbie Howells is a florist. Debbie Howells can most certainly make a huge career being a crime writer with no problem. The Bones of You her first crime novel is a page turner and The Beauty of the End is utterly unputdownable. Every word, every sentence, every chapter and character grabbed my full attention. I was hooked from the first page right up until the very last word. About The Beauty of the End. Noah got A levels reading law and was going to mar ...more

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Apr 30, 2016 Karen R rated it really liked it · review of another edition

“I was fourteen when I fell in love with a goddess.”

What a good story. Ex-lawyer Noah Calaway’s estranged friend Will calls him out of the blue to let him know that Noah’s ex-fiance April has been accused of a brutal murder and lies in a coma, having attempted to kill herself. Noah’s old emotions are reignited; the betrayals of Will and the woman Noah planned to spend the rest of his life with bubble up to the surface. His reawakened feelings draw him into the murder investigation, appointing hi ...more

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About Debbie Howells

Debbie Howells

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Debbie self-published three commercial women's fiction novels before writing The Bones of You, her first psychological thriller.
Three more have followed, the most recent of which is Her Sister's Lie. Follow her on Instagram @_debbiehowells. ...more

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“I’ve wondered since if you can ever truly read a face. It’s too easy to see what you so desperately want to see, even if it isn’t there. I knew that.” — 3 likes

“Suddenly your whole life is like a car crash, no brakes, gaining momentum, piling up behind you. Your mistakes, missed opportunities, all the time you’ve wasted, a twisted, rusting heap of scrap metal that can’t be salvaged. Overwhelming you. Crushing you.” — 1 likes

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