This Is Not the End

by Chandler Baker

I wonder if for the rest of my life, I’ll be haunted by beautiful days.

On one cloudless, radiant summer afternoon, Lake Devereaux lost everything. The car crash claimed the lives of her best friend and boyfriend, the people who had become her family after her own fell apart. But she doesn’t have to lose them both.

The development of resurrection technology has changed the world. Under the new laws regulating the process, each person gets one resurrection to be used or forfeited on their eighteenth birthday. Mere weeks away from turning eighteen, Lake faces an impossible choice.

Envisioning life without one of the people she loves most is shattering enough, but Lake carries an additional burden: years ago, under family pressure, Lake secretly—and illegally—promised her resurrection to someone who isn’t even dead yet.

The search for answers about her future draws Lake more deeply into the secrets of her past until she begins to question everything about those closest to her. Betrayals and hurts both new and old threaten to eclipse the memories she once cherished.

Then Lake meets a boy unlike anyone she’s encountered before, who unflinchingly embraces the darkest parts of her life . . . and who believes that all resurrections are wrong.

Which path is the right one? And how can Lake start to heal when she can't move on?

Genres: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance, Science Fiction, Fiction, Fantasy, Audiobook

384 pages, Hardcover

First published August 8, 2017

Reviews

[✦BookishlyRichie✦ · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 STARS!!!

(WARNING: Minor Spoilers Ahead!)

The GOOD: I've read plenty of YA and I've read plenty of bad YA and luckily this was one of the good ones. The story line was original, thrilling, and made my heart ache in parts. I really enjoyed that the book went from present to past and fleshed out the characters a lot better, especially Lake's quadriplegic brother Matt, who she has a broken relationship with. There's a scavenger hunt that happens in this and though that's not wholly original, it was something thrilling in this intense story about a girl having to choose between resurrecting her boyfriend or best friend. There's this giant twist that caught me off guard and I really loved that, I was hopping around on my reading chair going "OH CRAP, OH CRAP!!". This is a perfect summer read, especially if you love mysteries and intense reads.

The BAD: This would've been an easy 5 star book for me if it weren't for the romance in this book. Now, it's not THAT bad for a romantic story line but it wasn't needed at all, AT ALL. The boy whom the main character meets at a therapy session could've just been a friend, and it's so easy to do that. Two days after boyfriend dies, Lake meets Ringo, a boy with a birthmark covering half of his face. Almost an hour after meeting him, she's not sure why she's clinging to him if she's JUST met him. Reading this I was like STOP. DON'T. PLEASE. DON'T. NO. Because the romance was unnecessary. This girl's boyfriend who she loves more than anything has JUST DIED and now here comes this new boy who Lake can't stop thinking of. There's nothing wrong with her meeting Ringo, but having it blossom into a full on romance in a single MONTH didn't make sense. Ringo could've just been a new friend that helped her figure everything out and that would've been so perfect. But sadly it didn't go that way and that's super disappointing. I still very much enjoyed the book, but that romance though. No.

- Richard

[Mlpmom (Book Reviewer) · Rating 3 out of 5]

This Is Not The End is one of those books that from the very first page, from the very beginning, the prologue, jumps out at you and grabs your attention. The kind that urges you to keep on reading, keep turning those pages because you need to know the before just as much as you need to know the after of the events that took place. The start and maybe even the end, of it all.

It is so hard to describe this book without giving something away so I will try to keep this short and to the point. This book was fun. It was different and it was full of things I didn't see coming. Twists that were unexpected. Some added to the story and others, I think didn't but were there more for the sake of added mystery ad drama but nonetheless still worked.

The whole concept of the story, resurrection was something you don't see very often and that more than anything else, made me want to read this story. And while it did focus on that, I felt that it could have gone so much further with the story if a bit more was explained and compounded but otherwise this was a very engaging story and something different from the norm, especially for this genre that is full of the generic.

*ARC was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.*

[Christy · Rating 3 out of 5]

The summary of this book sounded so intriguing to me so I couldn't wait to pick it up and while this was a fast read, I was left feeling unsatisfied at the end.

[Valery Tikappa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lake vive in un mondo in cui, a 18 anni, puoi scegliere se resuscitare qualcuno.
Lake ha quasi 18 anni quando il suo ragazzo Will e la sua migliore amica Penny muoiono in un incidente.
Lake potrebbe scegliere di riportare in vita uno dei due... o mantenere la promessa fatta al fratello Matt, paralizzato da un misterioso incidente, e aiutarlo a morire per poi riportarlo in vita sano.

Ultimamente non vado d'accordo con gli YA ma Questa non è la fine mia ha sorpresa.
Non pensavo potesse piacermi così tanto e invece l'ho amato.

Buona parte del merito va al fatto che non ci si focalizza su stupide diatribe adolescenziali, non ci sono drammi inutili nè segreti sconvenienti.
O meglio sì, c'è un po' di tutto quanto, ma risulta incredibilmente quotidiano.
Per il resto il libro è molto più maturo di quanto possa sembrare a primo acchito ed è questo ad avermelo fatto amare.

Sono entrata a gamba tesa nella storia con emozioni ben definite e nette verso i personaggi, soprattutto verso Matt (che diciamolo, non vuole piacere a niente e nessuno) ma poi, a fine lettura, ne sono uscita totalmente rivoltata. Le mie emozioni e percezioni sono cambiate, i sentimenti verso i personaggi anche.
è una di quelle rare volte in cui la protagonista, Lake, non mi ha irritata. Anzi, sono entrata in empatia con lei! Di contro, gli adulti mi hanno MOLTO irritata, nessuno escluso.

In definitiva è un libro fatto davvero bene, nella trama, nello stile e nelle riflessioni; anche la piccola dose di mistero presente è stuzzicante.
è uno di quegli young adult che vale la pena leggere sia che rientri nel vostro genere che no!

[K Todd Ramer · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is an honest review of an e-book arc I received from NetGalley.

*THIS WILL CONTAIN PLOT SPOILERS*

Before I break into my reader/writer analysis, I just want to say that I have alot of feels in regards to this novel, and most are NOT positive. I almost DNF'd it a dozen times, PARTICULARLY at chapter 29 (you know why, author). As for a TOTAL overall star review, this earned 2 stars. For the following reasons:

~As a reader, I want to review in as polite a way as possible, so I apologize if I come off snarky, mean-spirited or abrupt, but I also want to be as HONEST as I possible can. I will list the reasons for a LESS THAN 1 STAR below with explanation:

1: I can't directly define every single aspect as to why I found this to be entirely ableist, but as someone who IS disabled, I was infuriated with the perception of her disabled brother. Even though I know the intention of the author was not to portray this, NO DISABLED PERSON BLAMES ABLED PEOPLE FOR BEING ABLED. It's a gross theme and it needs to stop. Especially in YA. Regardless of the plot point being made, this is EXACTLY how her brother came across and it was, in my opinion, very offensive.

2: The main character was not only wholly unrelateable, I actually found myself disliking her quite a bit very early on. The nearly obsessive characteristics over WILL and PENNY before they even died came across as borderline disturbing. THEN the turn drops, they die and now she's even more obsessive. Yes, losing people sucks, it's "balls" to quote he book, but I really feel like the author took it to a level that really pushed me out of the novel.

3: Will and Penny are 2 dimensional. Like, there's not even a further explanation for this. The author gave us nothing of them (besides dream boy and hippy chic) until the last handful of chapters to lead us to believe they even had emotions besides unadulterated glee 24 hours a day. Which I find mind blowing when compared to my next critique...

4: This couldn't have been any more predictable if she had just published the 1,000 word synopsis. You chose to hide elements about her brother, Will, Penny and her parents til the very last chapters (which should have been led into from chapter 2, not 29), but you couldn't have made it anymore clear by chapter 3 that SHE was resurrected. You know, that thing that we needed to reveal at the end to sell the story? By the time we got to her figuring it out, I was sitting here thinking "Damn, this character is dense".

5: Another sensitivity issue. Ringo's birthmark. Most of the references to it in a negative light I fully understood as being narratively necessary, but there was some times, when it was being addressed, it felt unnecessary, mean and out of place. Again, a discomfort in a YA novel that nearly threw me out of it completely. I've had to say this in so many reviews this year. USE SENSITIVITY READERS. More than one if necessary. Even if you live with it yourself, sometimes what's normal in your experience is upsetting to others. Your CPs and Betas should be catching this.

6: I hate this phrase, but the "bipolar" snaps from her parents, from Ringo (once) and ESPECIALLY from her brother gave me whiplash. Every 6 chapters, someone became someone else. I couldn't keep up with moods because they kept changing for... reasons?

7: The treating her like shit for 5 years by her brother and parents still, after finishing the novel, doesn't make ANY SENSE. He didn't want her to feel guilty for her being the cause of his life altering disability, so her parents ignored her and he literally treated her like she was the plague for 5 years of her life? And then just throw in the FAKE death party (maybe? I don't know. That letter could have been written before he died and it was just there to ease her options. We don't know because the author never brought him back to the story)? Only to have him flip and become super cool disabled brother, all of a sudden?

8: And after everything we're forced to go through on this journey, with the trope of the Surfer Girl's Lost Summer combined with the P.S. I LOVE YOU post mortem scavenger hunt theme and the quasi light scifi "resurrection" tech that's never explained other than there are rules and it makes you pretty. None of it fit. It was like I was reading 6 different novels mashed together.

9: All the side characters felt like they were wedged in 2D stereotypes in a world that no one actually lives lifes in. We've got a pothead, a hacker, a hippy, a broken pretty boy, a good guy chauvinist, a cultist, coffee slinger, and "the other guy she falls in love with"... I would like to see what was on her rough draft that didn't make it in.

10: This will be my last critique in this section. There was SO MUCH EMPHASIS on how much she loved Will (at age 17) that it got ALMOST too descriptive and obsessive. To the point that I felt like the author had never even heard of the Bechdel Test. And then, almost two weeks to the day after he dies in story world, she is now in love with Ringo. The absolute love of her life dies and it's a traumatic, emotional event that makes her decide at one point she'll bring him back to life... and then, two weeks later, she decides not to save him or Penny and is content loving the back up boy.

Let that last concept sink in: SHE COULD HAVE GIVEN AT LEAST ONE OF HER BEST FRIENDS THEIR LIVES BACK WITH A FUTURE OF THEIR OWN CHOOSING AND DECIDED TO SIT ON A CLIFF WITH HER NEW BOYFRIEND AND LET THEM ROT INSTEAD, primarily because she knew that Will and Penny would have ended up together anyway. Whew. That's petty at level 9000.

*Throws hands in air, shakes head and stares at screen with WTF eyes*

~And... Now to review this as a writer. This is what got the novel up to 2 stars as for the writing, this was a definite 3 star review:

1: The world building was well above average. I felt like, despite not wanting to be there, I was walking right along side Lake. Each environment was well crafted, using just enough description to define it, but leaving enough out to let my mind take control. So very well done. I really wanted a coffee at that coffee shop whose name I can't remember.

2: This novel lost stars on character development. Honestly, I could not have been anymore disconnected from an ensemble of characters as I was with this. I genuinely could not relate to Lake, in any way. And I'm throwing that back to the Surfer Girl's Lost Summer trope again. This is novel #3 THIS YEAR with this trope. Yes, this one had a slightly different approach, but it's still the same story. Every 10 years we get a flood of these in films and books.

3: Horribly mislabeled and misbranded under SCIENCE FICTION/FANTASY. I think people are beginning to misunderstand (or misuse) the dimension that is "SCIENCE FICTION/FANTASY". Vaguely throwing out that people can be brought back to life is FICTION. When you don't explain in a scientific sense, than it stays as just FICTION. This was "YA Contemporary General Fiction w/ LIGHT SF/F elements". There, I fixed it for you. If we need another example of this, please see Stephenie Meyer's "THE HOST".

4: The structure/threading of story arc was backwards. I mentioned this under my "reader" remarks. You make it blatantly obvious what the story's twist is about 25 chapters too soon, but then don't give us any of the elements about her parents, her brother, her friends until the last handful of chapters. If she had discovered the things about her friends developing feelings for each other in a more "feathered in" sense from earlier on, it would have felt more natural for her to be ok with it at the end. It read like this: Here's a bombshell 6 chapters before the end, Lake's upset, ok, now she's fine with it. It felt shoehorned. And there was no saving the brother or the parents though. Too much of their place in the novel and background in the story made absolutely no sense. I did not like them, like, at all.

5: I did, however, love Ringo. He had just enough touch of complicated in his character development to make him someone we could all know in real life. The way the author describes his movements, his tones, his obsession with the Beatles. ALL of that was perfection in words. I'll repeat that. RINGO'S CHARACTER WAS PERFECTION IN WORDS. Yes, his character flip flopped 3/4 of the way in once, but that particular "bipolar" incident got swept out under the events of the scene. BUT, he literally felt like the "other option" by the end, and he just seemed "ok" with it. Another trope that throws me out of books.

6: I will say it. The teenage vices, mostly thumbs up from me. The alcohol and drug use, plus the story of virginity loss/underage sex I felt were EXACTLY handled the way they should be in YA... All EXCEPT for the obvious use of DRINKING AND DRIVING, let alone her being UNDERAGE DOING IT. What are we thinking here? It's ok because she almost got t-boned but didn't so teens won't pick anything up reading about that?

Going to close this down, even though I have SO MUCH MORE I could say about this novel. My closing remarks are this:

It left me uneasy that she was fine NOT saving a friend.
It bothered me she swapped out dead boyfriend 2 weeks after death.
It profoundly upset me the way the brother was portrayed, in every way.
It made no sense that her family treated her so badly for 5 years.

When I received this arc, I was super excited as the premise had me sold. A YA Contemporary Scifi! How could I not want to read this. Imagine my sadness when I discovered it had about as much scifi content in it as an episode of The OC.

I'm sorry I couldn't have given this a better (good) review.

K.

[milana waller · Rating 1 out of 5]

You're right. This is not the end. Except it is. The end of me, that is. Because I need multiple resurrections after the abomination that I just suffered through.

I was concerned that after the masterpieces of both Evelyn Hugo and Addie Larue, I may be a little critical of a book that is decent to good and not great. But this book just obliterated my already negative expectations. I can handle bad, but I cannot handle tormenting, worthless monstrosities. As a lover of the environment, this book is a waste of resources. I am astonished that I paid money to support not only the slaughtering of trees but the miserable experience of reading this novel. Let's look at some excerpts, shall we?

Ah, to begin. The first passage that set off the absurdity alerts in my brain was this:
"I resist the urge to roll my eyes at someone on my first day, and then, out of nowhere, I suddenly have this giant pang of longing for Family Feud nights with Matt and my mom and dad and for the giant bowls of popcorn that accompanied them and for the times when my brother and I chucked pieces of popcorn into each other's mouths because, like, it'd be one thing if I was going home to that."

Emphasis on the "like". Wtf is the point of it? Why? Is Baker pathetically trying to appeal to imitate current-day teenage dialect? Honestly, the answer to that question is more than irrelevant. Normalized incorrect grammar has no place in narration. Under any circumstances. Especially circumstances in which the writing is already at a lower standard than I would expect from an illiterate dead fly on my windowsill.

To speak on the dead characters. They were never alive. I mean this in the sense that they were so flat and underdeveloped that their fictional mothers should've just sold their fictional eggs on the fictional black market and made some fictional bank because, I am TELLING YOU, these characters were undercooked, bland, and basically every other word Gordon Ramsey would use to condemn the bloody hell out of a subpar plate of food. Luckily, I am here to go Gordon-Ramsey "ITS RARWRWRWRWRW" on this book. And I will be featuring it only on Kitchen Nightmares because it for sure does not make the cut for any of the actual competitive shows.

Let us continue working through some more horrendous pieces of text.
"Ever since I hit puberty, guys have been into me. I don't think that's cocky of me to think, either. I'm not one of those gorgeous girls who doesn't know how pretty she is. I know exactly how pretty I am, but it's just another fact about me, lie being right-handed or a decent surfer or above average on a skateboard."

Dear GOD, Lake, please realize that there are many facts you forgot to mention about yourself. For one, you are INCESSANTLY ANNOYING AND IMPOSSIBLE TO RELATE TO. Secondly, no one cares that you are pretty because you are braindead. Lastly, your ability to correlate your thoughts, words, and actions is more than just lackluster, it's nonexistent. Please never pick up a pencil and try to write ever again.

Some more random things that bothered me:
"taken up residence behind my eyeballs"
This book had one of the most AWKWARD writing styles I have yet to see.

Oh, and can we talk about how Penny was cradling a dying bird and Lake bashed its head with her probably fungus-infested feet in to kill it? I get she was putting it out of its misery, but that is just disturbing, messy, and gruesome for no reason when the bird was clearly seconds away from natural death. And then Penny thanked her???? Yea, that was about as hard to believe as half the stuff I hear on the news.

Also, there is a scene where Lake's mother lays out her clothes for her. She is almost 18. Grow up :/

OH, and the way that the quadriplegic brother was a complete and absolute meanie even though he NEEDED HIS SISTER TO BE ABLE TO RESURRECT AND WALK AGAIN. This was not the character being portrayed as stupid or even bitter. He did not have a personality. Baker just wanted everyone to make no sense whatsoever. Basically, she wants you to treat someone that has the power to give you literal life as if they are that one celebrity you hate for no reason. Except celebrities cannot bring you back to life so you can make fun of them without NOT GETTING A FREE REVIVAL OF LIFE. Hey, I know I need you to get out of this wheelchair I'm stuck in, but did I mention I think you're a pretty-privileged, incompetent, worthless human being? No? Well, let me continue to remind you every single day. You know, jussssst to make sure you still bring me back from the LITERAL DEAD.

"Like: What would life be like if Matt hadn't gotten himself broken?"

OMG GUYS I HAVE GOTTEN MYSELF BROKEN OUCHY PLS HELP. Shut up, even if it's the keyboard or pencil that is doing the shutting up because what in the deep dark depths of Satan's lair is this?? Why is the "like" there? Gotten. Himself. Broken. The way I actually have an answer to this obscene and horribly worded question. The answer is that if Matt hadn't 'gotten himself broken', I would be living a better life. Even though Matt literally only exists in this book, the mere imagination of every single character in this book was enough to worsen my life. This book made me get myself broken.

So, as we conclude this review, the moral of the story is that if you want to not get yourself broken, avoid this random assortment of pointless sentences and prolonged dialogue between hideous characters, please just avoid this book. The entire thing is simply laughable. My purpose as a reviewer is to shield you from such nonsense, and this is a book that deserves a large warning sign plastered across the cover to deter anyone from accidentally stepping foot near it and its kindergarten-level plot, writing, and characters.

WAIT THERE'S ONE TAKEAWAY FROM THIS. Never submit the first draft. It could turn out like this.

JK I do that all the time and my writing could never be this bad LMAOAOAOOA. There are no takeaways except this review that I will cackle at.

[Schokigirl · Rating 4 out of 5]

German Review: 4,5 Stars


Anmerkung: Ich habe das Buch als Rezensionsexemplar vom Verlag bekommen. Danke dafür.

Info: Dies ist ein Contemporary Buch. Es hat zwar diesen einen SiFi/Fantasy Aspekt in Form des Wiederbelebens von toten Menschen. Aber ansonsten ist nichts anders als zu unserer aktuellen Zeit. Nur als Info für die, die sich nicht sicher waren :)

Meinung:
Ich bin immer wieder begeistert, wenn ich sehe, dass ein Jugendbuch heraus kommt, das sich mit Moral & Ethik beschäftigt. Dieses Thema finde ich sehr wichtig & dass jungen Menschen dann näher gelegt wird darüber nachzudenken halte ich für fördernd & notwendig. Und dieses Buch hat dies wunderbar hinbekommen.
Die bedrückende Stimmung ist definitiv bei mir angekommen. Lakes Familienleben ist sowieso schon sehr angespannt, aber dann gerät sie in den Unfall & ihre beiden besten Freunde sterben. Sie hat zum Glück die Möglichkeit an ihrem Geburtstag in 23 Tagen Leben zu schenken. Leider aber nur einer Person. Nun muss sie sich entscheiden. Zu allem Überfluss kommt der Druck von allen Seiten, sich ja für die richtige Person zu entscheiden & es kommen sogar Geheimnisse ihrer Freunde ans Tageslicht. Niemanden mehr zu haben an den sie sich mit all dem wenden kann ist das schlimmste. Diese ganzen Emotionen hat die Autorin wunderbar in eine intensive Geschichte verpackt, die einen über die Moral hinter all dem nachdenken lässt. Und gegen Ende wurde sogar noch ein Twist eingebaut, den ich gar nicht hab kommen sehen, da ich nicht dachte, dass die Autorin da noch eins drauf setzen würde. Aber letztendlich war das eine interessante Entwicklung.
Am Ende entscheidet Lake sich zwar, aber es bleibt offen wie der Leser dies finden kann. Das hat mir gefallen. Es wird einem keine Meinung aufgedrückt, sondern man wird angeregt eine eigene Meinung zu bilden. Wen sollte Lake wiederbeleben? Was ist das richtige? Darf man überhaupt Gott spielen?

Die einzigen Kleinigkeiten, die mich etwas davon abgehalten haben diesem Buch 5 Sterne zu geben, waren zum einen die kurze Zeit in der die Geschichte spielt. 23 Tage erscheinen mir etwas zu wenig um so viel durchzumachen & sich dazu noch vernünftig zu entscheiden. Es wäre für mich einfach etwas passender gewesen, wenn sie stattdessen ca 3 Monate hätte. Dann hätte diese große Entwicklung auch etwas realistischer gewirkt bzw einfach nicht so ganz wie im Schnelldurchlauf.
Zum anderen gab es kleine Anleihen an eine neue beginnende Beziehung. Es wird bis zum Schluss nicht ganz klar, ob das was romantisches ist oder nicht, aber ich hab es eher so interpretiert. Und gerade das in den kurzen 23 Tagen, wo ihr Freund gerade erst gestorben ist, war für mich etwas zu früh. Aber wie gesagt, das ist auch anders interpretierbar. Lake hatte aber auch ihre pubertären Ausbrüche, was ich mit meinem fortgeschrittenen Alter oft anstrengend finde, aber es ist auch einfach realistisch & deswegen kann ich mich da eigentlich nicht beschweren.

Fazit: Ich bin wirklich sehr beeindruckt von diesen Buch & vor allem der Autorin. All diese wichtigen & ernsthaften Teile einer solchen moralisch- & ethischfokussierten Geschichte so geschickt miteinander zu verweben ist sicher nicht einfach, aber sie hat das fantastisch hinbekommen. Abgesehen von den zwei kleinen Dingen, die ich mir persönlich etwas anders gewünscht hätte, war es wirklich gut. Daher habe ich 4,5 Sterne vergeben.

[Maurice · Rating 1 out of 5]

I am convinced that the moment I said I never wanted to read a John Green book again the universe decided to push as many books as possible by other authors that read exactly like his into my hands.

This book was trying so hard to be deep and emotional and thought-provoking, but it ended up being nothing but cringe-worthy.

I have to admit I didn’t read the synopsis closely enough before checking this out of the library, so I had thought that Lake’s brother, her boyfriend and her best friend were all dead and she had to choose whom to resurrect. What I had somehow missed was that 1. her brother would come back from the dead not being disabled anymore, and 2. her brother wasn’t even dead yet. So with the book having the magical healing of a disabled person trope I was already very skeptical (although it was more futuristic technology than magic I guess). The fact that the plan actually was to kill the brother/ let him commit suicide first just made it a million times worse. In general the way the main character thought about her brother’s disability made me uncomfortable, she would say things like that he was the “king of disabled people” because he couldn’t move any of his body parts at all anymore. I think the book maybe tried to challenge that later, but I don’t think it ever actually made that clear enough.

A lot of the time the book seemed to want to go into a certain direction, make a certain point or bring up some kind of discussion, but then it seemed to stop before it actually got there, went in a totally different direction, and let the themes that I thought it was about to bring up fade into the background again. That led to the execution of the book feeling quite lazy, and as if it wasn’t sure what it wanted to say. After finishing it I still have no clue what the point of the story was supposed to be.

It didn’t help that Lake was the most annoying character ever. She seemed to be so unaware of everything, quite self-absorbed and treated everyone else like shit. And there weren’t even any likable side characters to make up for how much I hated her, they were all either bland, or annoying as well. And then there was this forced attempt of adding some more diversity by making Ringo have a friend group that included queer people and people of color, but those friends didn’t really end up playing a role in the story, and it just made it even more obvious to the reader how few diversity we actually had in the main cast of characters of the story. And don’t even get me started on the romance, because it truly does not deserve to even be called a romance. It was extremely forced and unnecessary.

The writing felt very awkward and forced, and there were so many lines that would throw me completely out of the story, simply because of how weird the formulations were. It felt like the book desperately tried to be intelligent and witty, but all the things it said seemed to be such cliches. The characters would have all these deep and philosophical conversations, but if you really looked at them they weren’t deep at all. Due to the way they talked no one in this book sounded like a real person to me. A lot of the things people did also seemed very unrealistic, and as if the characters were only made to act this way so the story could somehow work out. Although I still don’t think it worked out at all, even with all of these conveniences in the characters’ behavior.

I think this book was trying to discuss some moral questions about whether humans should be able to resurrect dead people if it were scientifically possibly, and how you could possibly choose whom to resurrect, and maybe the consequences if such a technology existed, but it barely even scraped the surface of any of these themes. It’s not even that I thought the discussion wasn’t well handled, it’s that it wasn’t even there.

So in the end I am just very confused as to what this book was trying to do, and I kind of regret every minute I wasted reading this, because neither did I have a good time, nor did I get anything at all out of this story.

[Meaghan · Rating 2 out of 5]

First off, I would like to thank the publisher and author for providing me this ARC to review. Please note that the version I read was an advanced copy, and certain events/language may be changed in the published edition.

Stars (Out of 10): 4/10 Stars

Overall Thoughts: I had high hopes for this book, really high hopes. A book about resurrection and a difficult choice? There are tons of way to draw excellent meaning and philosophical ponderings from that. I hoped for a book that would make me think, make me feel, but it almost felt like this book took the easy way out for the plot. (I’ll explain why down in spoilers.)

The Good: Ohhhh boy what a twist guys. What a twist! Also, Lake stood up for herself. I loved that. But alas, a gasp-inducing twist and a usually great main character cannot raise this book past two stars when it is riddled with annoying cliches and stinging disappointment.

The Bad: Cliches and disappointments^. Additionally, every adult was bad, and Lake had no one to turn to but new guy Ringo (shocking!) I’m sorry, but the romance was just unnecessary. I loved Ringo as a character, he was great, but the timing of it all was off. Also, while I liked the ending, the beginning and middle were eh, and I found myself reaching for Schwab’s “A Gathering of Shadows” often, kinda wishing I had devoted myself first to that book, rather than this one.

SPOILERS BEGIN HERE

The Plot/The Characters (My ranting got a bit mixed so I’m just combining the categories this time): Why, for a character to move on from a relationship, death, etc., do the people that the main character is leaving behind need to be revealed as being worse than the character thought? Why did Will and Penny need to be secretly the exact opposite of what Lake thought they were? The whole secretly loving/texting each other behind Lake’s back ruined the given perception of them. Will didn’t want to be like his cheating and leaving father… but he chose to continue the relationship with Lake knowing he loved Penny more? (Or, since he doesn’t want to leave, why would he go through with the hidden relationship with Penny? Knowing that’s how his father got in the whole mess.) And Penny the entire time was painted as the perfect saint, a sweet angel, the nicest girl in the world, but then suddenly the truth comes out and she was going around behind Lake’s back the whole time? Yes, Lake wasn’t the best person for necessarily “taking” Will, but wasn’t Will super receptive of it anyways? It just made me feel that there was a shadow over the entire best friendship between the three, and this legendary trio we’re supposed to mourn and feel for was never actually positive and healthy in the first place. This is where I felt the author took the easy path. Rather than making Lake come to a decision that making the best of the hand dealt her on her own accords, and with her still being able to love her friends, it turned the friendship into something darker. I feel too much of Lake’s decision instead stemmed from the fact that even if she brought back one of them, the relationship wouldn’t be the same because she knew the truth now of the true relationship between Penny and Will, and just her probably wouldn’t be enough to make only one of that pair happy when their heart was truly with the one still dead. However, I loved the twist, and did not see it coming at all, although the only thing that really was affected by it was Lake’s perception of her brother, who did a total 180.

Honestly, had the story just been about the ethics of resurrection and in finding peace and happiness in the shitty hand that life had dealt you, I probably would’ve loved it. I would’ve loved the meaning drawn from the story, rather than focusing on a random relationship and the destruction of something that was not golden, but gilded.

The Favorite Character: Ringo, even if I felt his role in the entire novel was irrelevant.

This review can also be found on my blog: https://paragraphsandpages.wordpress....

[Sara (A Gingerly Review) · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars. I didn't know much about this story before I borrowed it from my library. I was pleasantly surprised by what I read. What a fascinating concept for a story! I'm excited to write my review but know that I did really enjoy this story and agree with the ending.

FRTC

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Full review can be found here: https://agingerlyreview.wordpress.com...

This book caught me off guard. I was not ready for it to be as captivating as it was. I borrowed it from my library because it was a “new release” and was surprised not more people are talking about it. Once I started, I was pushing it on everyone.

Short recap: Lake is coming up on her 18th birthday, which should be a joyous occasion but she lives in a time when turning 18 means you can bring someone back from the dead. She has the chance to bring back anyone she wants. The plan has been to bring back her older brother who has been a quadriplegic for years (the family plan has been to end his life before her birthday so he can be brought back healthy and whole). But everything changes when Lake gets into an accident that takes the lives of her best friend and boyfriend. With her 18th birthday just weeks away, who will she choose to bring back?

Lake, the protagonist, was a really good character to read. I connected with her and her struggle. Her emotions came through loud and clear – what was the right choice? Her boyfriend? Her best friend? Her brother? I was not a fan of Lake’s parents at all. They were the ones that made Lake promise at a young age to use her resurrection wish on her brother. Then after the accident they constantly reminded her in the snarkiest and rudest ways possible what her duties and responsibilities were. Even her brother was the biggest and rudest jerk on the face of the planet, and I’m being nice when I use those terms. Read the book and you’ll know he was so much worse. The character that I struggled with understanding was Ringo. Ringo was a boy Lake went to school with at a very young age. He stood out and was memorable to her because he had a huge birthmark across half of his face. They ran into each other at a therapist’s office and struck up a conversation. I like how Ringo was straightforward with Lake but I didn’t like how a relationship/romance started between them, almost like instalove. If nothing else, this story did not need a romance. Plus, it started so soon after her boyfriend passed away so it felt… creepy and wrong.

There is no way I’m going to ruin this story by telling you who she picked, but know the plot was well thought out and stayed on course. There were no hidden topics brushed over or weird outer space aliens thrown in for a plot twist. This was a dang good solid story of a girl struggling to figure out who she wants to bring back from the dead. Even though she had everyone pressuring her, she stayed true to herself.

I found the premise of this story fascinating. The story does not state that it is set in any distant future so maybe it’s just an alternate reality from ours. There was not backstory as to how one was able to resurrect someone but only that it could be done and it could be anyone. The one thing that was stressed was that the person brought back might not be the same. They could not be all there mentally. I was still captivated by the thought someone could be brought back and it made me wonder if I would do that to someone I loved… bring them back from the dead.

I really want people to read this story. It is a quick one yet it will leave you guessing until the end. Please, add to your TBR and read this one. Come back and let me know your thoughts after you do.

[Danielle Hall · Rating 5 out of 5]

(I received an ARC of this book on NetGalley from the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review.)

Yes. Just… yes.

In this near-future society, each person is given the right to bestow one Resurrection on their 18th birthday. This should come as a relief to Lake after her car crash, but here’s the catch: both her best friend and her boyfriend died, meaning that she now has to choose between them. And, making this even more complicated – she promised her Resurrection to her brother long ago.

This book takes a medical advancement (the power to Resurrect someone; thanks, Science!) and shows it for its emotional complexity and societal implications. And yet, the story manages to be about so much more: it’s about family, friendship, loss, and trust.

My favorite aspect of this book was the characterization. So often, secondary and tertiary characters are muted or trope-y, but it’s clear that Baker had a plan for everyone. Will and Penny each have their own hopes and desires, and their own ways of relating to Lake. Lake and her brother, Matt, have a fraught and aching relationship, and her parents even get fleshed-out tension and motivations.

Also, this:

There’s a spot in my chest too deep to reach that aches with a longing so sharp that there are seconds during which I’m not sure I’ll survive. But each time it passes and I know the next stab won’t be lethal.

Yes. This is exactly what grief feels like.

Other parts of this book felt familiar to me, but not in a bad way – more like a favorite pair of jeans.

I won’t say anything else for fear of spoilers (because you NEED to read this book), but I was sobbing by the end. An easy book to recommend to high schoolers and teacher friends.

[Jaime Arkin · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

I’m not sure how you would categorize this novel… it has a very contemporary feel with a dash of sci-fi mixed in. The setting is somewhat vague… you don’t know the exact time period… is it an alternate current world, further in the future… I don’t know, though I’m not entirely sure that’s super important. What is important though is that resurrection technology is now available and there are people on both sides of the fence of the ethics of it.

To regulate this technology, laws have been passed that state each person gets one resurrection on their eighteenth birthday. They either can use it then or forfeit it forever.

Lake Devereaux will be eighteen in just a couple of weeks, and her resurrection choice has been already promised… but then the unthinkable happens, both her best friend Penny and her boyfriend Will are killed in a car accident and Lake is the only survivor. Suddenly she has to decide if she keeps her promise, or reneges and brings back one of the people she loves most in this world.

As the days disappear Lake searches for answers on who she is supposed to pick, and as she digs more and more into her past, she realizes that maybe her life isn’t exactly as it has appeared.
I am slightly torn on my feelings about this book. On one hand, it was incredibly interesting and intriguing. I found myself very interested in what choice ultimately Lake was going to make, but I also felt like the story dragged a bit and the pacing felt a bit off. The story is told in present and past chapters, noted by the number of days before her 18th birthday, and the jumping back and forth made sense, but it also gave me a lot of clues that had me figuring out the ‘hook’ way before I got to the reveal.

Let’s talk characters. Lake is interesting for sure… and I found that I really liked Ringo… but we only get a snippet of Will and Penny when they are alive, and the rest is told in flashbacks from Lake’s perspective and I think I wanted more in the way of the how and the why they were who they were when the accident happens. (sorry that’s so vague, I really am trying not to spoil this!)
And Lake’s brother Matt – lord, I hated him from the beginning, but again, he’s not who he is without reason but I think that really colored my vision of him, so who we see at the end was just so jarring and almost unreal compared to him throughout. Let’s just say his attitude made sense to me when everything is revealed.

Let’s talk romance… there is one, though I felt it was completely unnecessary and somewhat out of place. It almost didn’t make sense to me considering the strong feelings she had for her boyfriend who had just died. It just kind of threw me a bit and I really just wish things had remained platonic… not every book needs to have romance to be successful.

Overall, an interesting read and I really like what Baker did here. I like her style of storytelling and I like the characters she has created so I’ll definitely be looking for more from her in the future. If you like books that deal with ethical dilemmas and the possible issues that arise around them, give this one a try- plus it’s got that twist in the end that you might not see coming!

Thank you to the publisher for an early copy in exchange for my honest thoughts.

[Joséphine (Word Revel) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Initial thoughts: This book was absolutely morbid from the beginning right through to the end but amidst it all, it was extremely thought-provoking. What if we could bring loved ones back to life? What would life be like after a resurrection? I think these questions were artfully explored in This Is Not the End.

At the same time, I enjoyed the way the protagonist worked through the expectations placed upon her, her own conscience, as well as her relationships. I did get a little tired of the to and fro of "Will she? Won't she?" but overall, the plot was well developed and fitting of the story.

[Clarissa Joy · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's more like 3.5 stars, just to be clear.

Okay....where do I start with this book...I mean, I finished it in 4 days so maybe that has something to do with it. Parts of this book, more towards the beginning, were really hard for me to read. They just reminded me of the horrible pain of losing someone in an instant.

I did also predict the ending kinda early on, so that wasn't exactly thrilling. I thought I was really going to like this book, but it didn't end up that way. It was kinda disturbing and messed up in some ways, but I think it did have potential to be really great. It just didn't follow through. The end was really sad though.

I just feel like Lake *SPOILERS* *SPOILERS*
being resurrected was kinda a cop-out. I mean, there were no clues whatsoever that that was what actually happened. And what did it do for the story anyway? Everything happened so fast after that. Also, what the heck happened to Matt? Did Jeremy not push him into the pool?

And what happened between Will and Penny was just.....ugh why?? And I do kinda get what happened between Lake and Ringo, because I've seen it happen in real life, but still. It just didn't feel right at times.
That being said, I do agree with Lake's choice and I do like what the author presented about the effect of resurrections and how we were presented with an unsaintly portrayal of a disabled person. That is rare.

CONTENT:
This book was pretty clean. A brief recollection of the protagonist losing her virginity. A couple uses of the s word, but what bothered me more was the uses of the Lord's name in vain. Some crude remarks.

[Bianca Damaso · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this! Despite the "bringing people back to life" aspect, the story reads like a contemporary. I suppose it is just a contemporary with advanced scientific discoveries.

We follow Lake, a seventeen year old girl who is in love with her boyfriend and has the best relationship with her best friend. They have an amazing day together until a car accident leaves Lake the only survivor. With her birthday less than a month away, Lake must decide who she wants to use her resurrection on. But how can one choose between their boyfriend and their best friend? And does Lake even have a choice when she's already promised her resurrection to someone who isn't even dead yet??

I loved following Lake and discovering her relationships with the different people in her life. I think her mentality was very well written and I felt very connected to her as a protagonist. Towards the end I was getting emotional and anxious along side of her.

I think this is a different, interesting read that's worth the time. I highly recommend it.

4/5 stars

[Tressa (Wishful Endings) · Rating 4 out of 5]

THIS IS NOT THE END is a story full of emotions, heartbreak, but also hope and reconciliation as one girl tries to decide who to resurrect on her 18th birthday. It's a powerful story, with complex characters, full of friendship, family, and love. Perfect for contemporary young adult readers looking for a unique story of self-discovery.

This story was definitely intense in parts! It tugged on my heart and brought my emotions to the surface. There were a lot of tough issues and choices. Lots of heartache. Lots of friendship and love to balance it all out. I really enjoyed the characters and how there was so much more to them than how they first appear. I figured out the big twist half-way, but not how all of it happened. Seeing Lake and her family have to work through things and mend so much was rough, but also felt real. All their jagged edges and all the broken pieces of Lake's friends' lives were difficult and messy. As it should be. It made the sweet moments, the insights, the way the characters came to grasp with things... that much sweeter and hopeful. The ending then finished things off perfectly.

In the end, was it what I wished for? An enjoyable, bittersweet read that shows the messiness of life and the joy that can be found in living it.

Content: Some swearing (including the f-word), innuendo, some crude references, drinking, drugs, suicide.
Source: I received a complimentary copy from the publisher through Jean Book Nerd Tours, which did not require a positive review nor affect it in any way.

[Being_Sandra · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ein tolles Thema, ein trauriger Beginn, ein einfacher schöner Schreibstil und eine unerwartete und tragische Wendung. Alles was ein gutes Buch braucht, ich habe es sehr gern gelesen.

[Nicole*bookaholic* · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was different. Not sure how I feel about resurrections. Listened to on audio.

[May Mccalmon · Rating 1 out of 5]

SPOILERS: This was the worst book I've read in a long time. You could tell me this was a first draft and I'd believe you. The characters were unbelievable in nearly every action they made. The lack of ability to write a best friend with an original name. She has a best friend named Jenny (who never seriously impacts the plot), then Jenny is replaced by Penny. Penny is constantly chided for her "fear" of global warming and care for endangered animals. Her brother's character is wildly unbelievable. No matter how bitter he may be about his disability the way he treats Lake is wholly unrealistic when she plays such an important roll in his possible recovery. Describing a quadriplegic person as the "king of disabilities" is insensitive, and one of several such descriptions. Naming Ringo after his ring shaped birthmark is another lazy choice, that continues with giving him a convenient love for the Beatles. Ringo's mother's characters along with all of the adults in this novel are unrealistic. Ringo is a decent character that could fit into a John Green novel, but the introduction of his handful of friends at the coffeeshop is a character overload particularly when these people play minimal roles in the story, this could be condensed to two characters. The ending did pick up, and the story is an interesting one, though the way all details were handled destroyed its potential.

I wouldn't recommend this to anyone. Matt's farewell letter was a cop out in order to wrap the story up quickly. After all of his complaining he just leaves? While Lake's decision to resurrect nobody seems like it could be believable, because of Will and Penny's secret connection, but there is no convincing emotional reaction from Lake to make such a reactionary choice. Like many reviews have noted, it is unlikely that she would be able to get over Will so quickly.

Closing Notes:
The parents named one child Matt, and the other Lake?
Lake is clearly a conservative climate change denier
Why was there a character named Peng?
None of the parents acted like reasonable humans, let alone parental figures.

[Simone Bücherwurm · Rating 2 out of 5]

2 bis 2,5⭐
Eigentlich wollte ich das Buch abbrechen, weil es mich schon recht schnell enttäuscht hat. Aber ich war dann doch zu neugierig und wollte wissen, wie es endet. Leider war die Enttäuschung dann NOCH größer. Naja, selber schuld!

[MsArdychan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Please Note: I received an advance reader's copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This did not influence the opinions of my review in any way.

When I started reading This Is Not The End, by Chandler Baker, I really didn't know what to expect. Was this going to be a story of love and loss? About making the most of the life you have? A mystery? A tale of one messed up family? Well, the answer is all of the above. I was blown away by this book. The author took some risks with my emotions as they were tossed around like a load of laundry!

But the overall effect was one of a book that was meaningful, and kept me on the edge of my seat.

What I Liked:
Layered Story:

There is a lot going on in this story. This whole society has been turned upside-down by breakthrough technology that "resurrects" a dead person. Because of how controversial this is, the use of resurrection is strictly controlled. A individual has one opportunity to resurrect one person (or decline to) on their eighteenth birthday. Many people think this is a great idea, while others decry it as unnatural. How this affects Lake, her family, and the families of her two dead friends is at the heart of this story. Is resurrection the answer to one's prayers? Or is the chance for a second life preventing some from moving on after a loss? This is not just a choice that will affect Lake. So many are touched by her choice. But is that a fair burden to put on someone just turning eighteen?

Characters:

Lake is a complicated girl. On the surface, many envy her good looks and the close relationships she has with her best friend, Penny, and her boyfriend, Will. But take a closer look and you see a girl with big problems.

Ever since her older brother's accident (which has caused him to be a quadriplegic), her parents are too consumed with Matt's care to be there for Lake. She is left out of every family decision, and is told (not asked) that she will resurrect Matt, who would come back to life without his spinal chord injury. They actually plan to have him killed just before Lake's birthday (what a birthday memory)! Besides all the ethical issues, Matt is a complete jerk to Lake. When Penny and Will are killed, she feel no compunction whatsoever to use her resurrection on one of her friends, leaving Matt out.

There is more going on with Matt than meets the eye. Why is he so resentful of Lake? If someone is literally holding your life in their hands, why would you antagonize them? There actually is a strong reason for his anger, which I was gasping over when I figured it out.

Impossible Choices:

How in the world is Lake supposed to choose between resurrecting Penny, Will, or her brother? The pressure from all three families is intense, with fights breaking out at funerals, offers of money, and guilt trips galore. Her classmates are actually betting cash on who her pick will be! When Lake tries to ascertain what her friends would want, she starts to uncover some truths she would rather not know! Were Penny and she really as close as she thought? Did Will really love her? There is also the distinct possibility that if she doesn't resurrect Matt, her family will disown her. How can she choose?

What I Was Mixed About:

I was put off my Matt's decision to end his life, rather than live as a quadriplegic, and even more so by the parents eagerness to help him. Do they want to help him so he can live his best life, or are they tired of taking care of him? Why are they not helping him to create his best life now? This kid needs intense therapy, but he is allowed to wallow in pain and anger, waiting for Lake's birthday to transform him. The reality is that this is a complicated issue. I am not naive about the challenges of someone in a wheelchair. But this book, at first, seemed to say that life wasn't worth living if you are severely disabled.

This theme is extensively explored in the book, so that is why I am not totally turned off by this aspect of the novel. But it certainly made me uncomfortable. Would Matt suddenly change his attitude and accept his limitations? That seemed like it would be a bit of a stretch. Yet I was horrified by what the other outcome would mean. I was on the edge of my seat till the very end of the book when this is resolved.

This book asks brutally honest questions about what one is willing to live with. I'm not just talking about Matt's situation. Could you resurrect someone who you know is against it? Are you willing to risk the anger of your family for your choices? This is the mammoth of the "Who gets to decide" story line. It is a roller-coaster of a reading experience, that I highly recommend.

[Buchdoktor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wenn Lake 18 Jahre alt ist, wird sie bei den Behörden die Auferweckung ihres querschnittsgelähmten Bruders beantragen, nachdem Matt sich zur Vorbereitung der Aktion das Leben genommen haben wird. In der nahen Zukunft sollen Auferweckte durch „Resurrection“ stets gesund und makelloser als zuvor wiedergeboren worden sein. Lakes Eltern gehen davon aus, dass der Ablauf ausgiebig besprochen wurde und Lake selbstverständlich Matt für die Auferweckung vorschlagen wird. Jeder Bürger kann genau einmal jemanden zur Auferweckung auswählen. Seit Will, Penny und Lake mit dem Jeep verunglückt sind und Lake allein überlebte, ist für die 17-Jährige nichts mehr klar. Will sie wirklich ihren abweisenden Bruder auferwecken lassen, der sich nach seinem Unfall von ihr zurückgezogen hat? Nicht lieber Will, den sie liebte? Oder Penny, mit der Will und sie eine Gemeinschaft Seelenverwandter bildeten? Die freundlichen Worte der Erwachsenen haben scharfe Widerhaken. Lake steht unter erheblichem Druck der verwaisten Elternpaare, und sie kennt niemanden, der schon einmal eine andere Person auferwecken ließ. Sie könnte sich mit der Entscheidung Zeit lassen. Doch zunächst will sie alles über Will wissen und setzt sich dazu auf die Spur der Schnitzeljagd, die Will für ihren 18. Geburtstag vorbereitet hat. Mit auf Wills Spur sind Matt – und Ringo, den Lake aus der Grundschule kennt und unerwartet im Wartezimmer ihrer Psychotherapeutin getroffen hat.

In einer Gesellschaft, die ihre Bürger einmal im Leben zum Herrn über Leben und Tod macht, muss die 17-Jährige Lake im Schnelldurchlauf reifen und nachholen, was sie durch die schwere Behinderung ihres Bruders bisher versäumt hat. Aus der Ichperspektive erzählt, folgt ein Handlungsstrang den Ereignissen vor 5 Jahren nach Matts Unfall, ein anderer läuft unaufhaltsam auf Lakes 18. Geburtstag in wenigen Tagen zu. Im Rückblick wird schmerzhaft deutlich, wie stark Lake sich durch die Behinderung Matts ausgeschlossen fühlte, aber auch Matts Scham und Befangenheit seiner Schwester gegenüber. Erst durch die Begegnung mit Ringo hinterfragt Lake das angebliche Geschenk eines zweiten Lebens, das zu sehr fragwürdigen Auswüchsen führen könnte, wenn man es weiter denkt.

In Chandler Bakers Coming-of-Age-Geschichte haben mich besonders die Rolle ihrer Eltern und die Kluft zwischen Lakes tatsächlicher Reife und dem formalen Erwachsenenalter bewegt. Auch für erwachsene Leser unbedingt empfehlenwert

[Katrin Schäfer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Das Ende ist erst der Anfang
von Chandler Baker
Thienemann-Esslinger Verlag
Cover:
Das Cover besticht das Leserauge durch sein Schwarz-weiß Aussehen. Stilistisch wunderbar
Rezension:
Ein Coming-of-Age-Roman für Mädchen und junge Frauen, der aus dem Rahmen fällt.
In 23 Tagen wird Lake 18. Dann hat sie die Chance, genau einen Menschen von den Toten auferstehen zu lassen. Ihr behinderter Bruder wäre nach der Auferstehung wieder gesund und sollte Lakes erste Wahl sein. Doch gerade sind ihre beste Freundin und ihr Freund bei einem Unfall ums Leben gekommen. Für wen soll sie sich entscheiden? Ist es überhaupt richtig, Gott zu spielen und über Leben und Tod zu bestimmen? Lake steckt in einem Dilemma, aus dem es scheinbar kein Entkommen gibt ...
Die Grundfrage dieses Buches ist so kompliziert, dass man sich als Leser fragt, wie würde ich entscheiden oder könnte ich es überhaupt? Dürfen wir Schicksal spielen? Daher ist es auch ganz klar, das Lake im Laufe des Buches eine entsprechende Entwicklung durchlebt und sich und alles hinterfragt. Auch der überraschende Plottwist passte sehr gut in diese Geschichte. Mit seinem Schreibstil schafft es der Autor hier in diesem Buch den Leser für die Geschichte zu begeistern und einzunehmen. Den Spannungsbogen gelingt es aufrecht zu erhalten und ebenso eine Bindung an die Protas herzustellen. Die Vergänglichkeit des Seins ist Thema dieses Buches aber auch die Freundschaft, das Leben an sich und die Wichtigkeit der Familie. Ein wirklich gelungenes Stück Literatur. 4/5 Sterne

[Marcie · Rating 3 out of 5]

his Is Not The End is one of those books that definitely make you wonder what you would do if you were in the main character's shoes. Lake had a difficult decision to make. But calling it 'difficult' seems to be an understatement.

Lake Devereaux is approaching her eighteenth birthday. On that day, she'll be able to resurrect one person. A person that has already been chosen for her, even though that person is still alive. But then a tragedy strikes. A car crash claims the lives of her best friend and boyfriend. Now Lake has an impossible choice to make. Does she break her previous promise of resurrection? If so, who should she choose? Her best friend? Boyfriend? How does she choose between them?

As Lake searches for answers, she uncovers more questions. This process forces her to go outside her comfort zone and discover who she really is. This Is Not The End is a thought-provoking, soul-searching, emotional roller coaster of a book. It raises all sorts of ethical questions, and, frankly, makes me glad I don't have to make this decision.


Read more at http://www.toreadornottoread.net/2017...

[Kenya | Reviews May Vary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Okey dokey.
There were some awesome parts of this book, including Lake, our main character who has lost a lot in a short time. She has to make a decision that will effect everyone she cares about. There's some great moral discussion stuff here about resurrection without consent, making this a pretty good book club pick, if you need one.

Someone has to be dead. Some people want to be dead. Some people want to be alive, and some people are keeping secrets. At times, it feels like secrets were kept just to make the decision about who should be alive easier. The ending was a bit easy... but I'm not sure I really wanted a more difficult ending... so. There ya go!

[DaJa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Von dem Buch war ich echt sehr überrascht, vor allem das Ende. Ich hatten nicht den Hauch einer Idee, obwohl es im nachhinein wirklich logisch ist.
Die Grundidee war interessant und außergewöhnlich. Eine Welt, in der Tod nicht zwangsläufig das Ende bedeutet aber die Hinterbliebenen wirklich unter Druck setzt.

Das Ende konnte mich nicht vollkommen zufriedenstellen, ein abschließender Epilog wäre toll gewesen, so 3 - 4 Jahre später.

[Leoni_csh · Rating 3 out of 5]

Die Story war schön und super traurig, aber das Ende war leider total enttäuschend

[marisdreaming · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mi ha catturata dall’inizio alla fine; c’è una questione che avrei preferito venisse gestita diversamente, ma in generale un’ottima lettura.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was moving and brutal and beautiful and sad. The premise is fascinating and delivers on its promise to pull you along Lake's journey...and decision. I loved it as it broke my heart and slowly put it back together. Truly original

Edited to add: There are a few problems with the story I didn't think about initially. One is the message of relationships. I think there is a huge reliance on others that by the end of the story I think gets a bit unhealthy and sends mixed messages.

Still a great story, but not without some varying flaws.

[Cece · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 ✨️