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After the End
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Max and Pip are the strongest couple you know. They're best friends, lovers—unshakable. But then their son gets sick and the doctors put the question of his survival into their hands. For the first time, Max and Pip can't agree. They each want a different future for their son.
What if they could have both?
A gripping and propulsive exploration of love, marriage, parenthoo ...more
What if they could have both?
A gripping and propulsive exploration of love, marriage, parenthoo ...more
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Hardcover, US Edition, 400 pages
Published
June 25th 2019
by G.P. Putnam's Sons
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Barbara
I Let You Go is one of my all-time favorite books EVER!!!
Community Reviews
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Start your review of After the End

My reviews can also be seen at: https://deesradreadsandreviews.wordpr...
4.5 Stars!!
"After the End" was a novel Clare Mackintosh had been wanting to write for more than a decade. Twelve years ago, Clare and her husband had to make an extremely difficult decision. Ever since they have questioned whether or not they made the right choice.
I knew this was going to be quite different from the author's previous novels, but I was excited to read it.
I thought this was an excellent read!
Parents often have ...more

Aug 25, 2019
Nilufer Ozmekik
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
i-m-intrigued
Three point five rounded up four but I still have my deep concerns about this book because this is not what I expected stars…
I know this writer is genius, I know what she has dome to me when I was reading “I let you go”! I talked gibberish for one week at least and lost my face expressions, looked like a botox addict after her big twist punched me several times, so this is not the surprising, smartly written book I desired and wished to read!
I confessed, as soon as I read this first half of th ...more
I know this writer is genius, I know what she has dome to me when I was reading “I let you go”! I talked gibberish for one week at least and lost my face expressions, looked like a botox addict after her big twist punched me several times, so this is not the surprising, smartly written book I desired and wished to read!
I confessed, as soon as I read this first half of th ...more

***NOW AVAILABLE***
This was an incredibly hard book to read and an even harder book to review. I have waited a few days to let my thoughts settle and have decided to try and write this review to help others decide if it’s something they would like to read.
I had read Ms. Macintosh’s thrillers and really loved them. I knew what this book was about but it was more thought provoking and heartbreaking than I had imagined. As you know from the blurb, two young parents disagree on the decision of whet ...more
This was an incredibly hard book to read and an even harder book to review. I have waited a few days to let my thoughts settle and have decided to try and write this review to help others decide if it’s something they would like to read.
I had read Ms. Macintosh’s thrillers and really loved them. I knew what this book was about but it was more thought provoking and heartbreaking than I had imagined. As you know from the blurb, two young parents disagree on the decision of whet ...more

Jul 31, 2019
Emily (Books with Emily Fox)
rated it
it was ok
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
audiobooks,
2019-releases
This is not a mystery/thriller!
Holy boredom. Look I went into this thinking it was the same genre as the other books from the author but it's a contemporary. I don't know why others have categorized it otherwise but it definitely didn't help me enjoy this.
Two parents can't agree about what to do with their terminally ill child. One wants to try more treatment no matter what, the other to let them go. They go to court and the second half of the book shows you the different outcome.
An interesting ...more
Holy boredom. Look I went into this thinking it was the same genre as the other books from the author but it's a contemporary. I don't know why others have categorized it otherwise but it definitely didn't help me enjoy this.
Two parents can't agree about what to do with their terminally ill child. One wants to try more treatment no matter what, the other to let them go. They go to court and the second half of the book shows you the different outcome.
An interesting ...more

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ All five heartbreaking stars
This was such an emotional read. So much so, I actually thought of walking away after only the very first chapter. I just didn’t think I could endure the journey. I left it for the night and in the morning, took a deep breathe, told myself “buck-up, you’re stronger than this!” I tapped my kindle to start chapter 2 and I’m so very glad I did.
“You cannot feel grief without first feeling love, and now my heart is filled with both.”
Pip and Max need to face the ...more
This was such an emotional read. So much so, I actually thought of walking away after only the very first chapter. I just didn’t think I could endure the journey. I left it for the night and in the morning, took a deep breathe, told myself “buck-up, you’re stronger than this!” I tapped my kindle to start chapter 2 and I’m so very glad I did.
“You cannot feel grief without first feeling love, and now my heart is filled with both.”
Pip and Max need to face the ...more

5+ stars!
Heart-wrenching. Thought-provoking. Emotion-stirring. This has earned a spot on my Favourites List.
One of the most emotional, hard hitting and gut wrenching books I’ve ever read. Pip and Max face a decision that is every parents worst nightmare. Whether to continue treatment for their brain damaged, critically ill two-year-old son or take him off life support to end his suffering. How can one choose? What happens when the parents don’t agree on the decision?
I am emotionally exhausted af ...more
Heart-wrenching. Thought-provoking. Emotion-stirring. This has earned a spot on my Favourites List.
One of the most emotional, hard hitting and gut wrenching books I’ve ever read. Pip and Max face a decision that is every parents worst nightmare. Whether to continue treatment for their brain damaged, critically ill two-year-old son or take him off life support to end his suffering. How can one choose? What happens when the parents don’t agree on the decision?
I am emotionally exhausted af ...more

Thank you to Putnam's Sons / Penguin Publishing Group for providing an advance reader copy via Edelweiss.
The premise of this book lured me in immediately. The story takes place in England where they have the National Health Service (NHS). The parents of almost three year old Dylan Adams, who has a cancerous brain tumor, are just told that the hospital recommends no further treatment; just comfort (palliative) care. The mother has accepted that devastating assessment, but the father insists on fu ...more
The premise of this book lured me in immediately. The story takes place in England where they have the National Health Service (NHS). The parents of almost three year old Dylan Adams, who has a cancerous brain tumor, are just told that the hospital recommends no further treatment; just comfort (palliative) care. The mother has accepted that devastating assessment, but the father insists on fu ...more

Jun 01, 2019
Debra
rated it
liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
edelweiss,
traveling-sister-reads
Parenting is hard. I think every parent might have experienced time in the upbringing of his/her child where they do not agree upon something with the child's other parent be it, curfew, discipline, when to have a cell phone, etc. But what happens when you are faced with the ultimate decision? What happens when your child gets sick? When your child has a terminal disease. Do you prolong his life to only face the inevitable? Do you allow him to pass away with comfort and care? How do you decide?
...more

I received this as a paper arc from Goodreads back in spring, but it’s taken me until now to read it. It’s not an easy book. Whether you’re a parent or not, you can’t help but be drawn in by this incredibly sad story of two parents dealing with their three year old son’s brain cancer. It will have you thinking what would you do in the same situation.
The book would make a fascinating book club discussion, because the parents do not agree on what to do once traditional treatments fail. “I thought ...more

What a nightmare to be told your child is terminal with no hope of recovery. How can you make decisions when every cell in your body doesn’t want to let your precious child die, but regardless of the decisions made, your child will die. It’s just a matter of when. What makes a life worth living? Who decides?
The dilemma of such a heartbreaking decision is one the author and her husband faced after their infant son had a massive brain hemorrhage. It’s obvious she’s intimately familiar with the sub ...more
The dilemma of such a heartbreaking decision is one the author and her husband faced after their infant son had a massive brain hemorrhage. It’s obvious she’s intimately familiar with the sub ...more

Oct 26, 2019
Brenda ~Traveling Sisters Book Reviews
rated it
it was amazing
·
review of another edition
It took me a while to find the courage to read After The End. When I did, I read it when the house was quiet and it was mostly just me at home so I could be left alone with my thoughts for this one. Once I started, I read it in less than 24 hours and it was all I thought about for a while. Then, it took me a while to find the courage to write this review and then longer to find the words to write.
After The End is a heartbreaking, painful issue-driven story that explores an unthinkable, impossib ...more
After The End is a heartbreaking, painful issue-driven story that explores an unthinkable, impossib ...more

Oh, I hope I can do this beautiful book justice!
This is the story of Max and Pip- two parents who love each other but who love their son Dylan more.
Dylan has a tumor which could not be completely removed, and it is growing again. His brain damage is irreparable, and if he lives, he will not walk or talk, or be able to communicate his needs.
Max and Pip must decide if they should explore a treatment which will NOT cure him, but MAY extend his life..or allow the Doctors to provide only comfort c ...more
This is the story of Max and Pip- two parents who love each other but who love their son Dylan more.
Dylan has a tumor which could not be completely removed, and it is growing again. His brain damage is irreparable, and if he lives, he will not walk or talk, or be able to communicate his needs.
Max and Pip must decide if they should explore a treatment which will NOT cure him, but MAY extend his life..or allow the Doctors to provide only comfort c ...more

Jul 21, 2019
Scarlett Readz and Runz....Through Novel Time & Distance
rated it
it was amazing
·
review of another edition
Tragic. I am mush. My heart is aching 💔. This book is gut-wrenching and incredibly compelling. Experience all the feels stretched beyond the limits you ever thought possible....it will bring you to your knees just reading the story.
Mackintosh wrote this novel undoubtedly insightful with uttermost care yet as real as it ever could be.
THIS will go on my 5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ book list of 2019.
My time of reading any kind of self-help books has gained interest and flourished in my twenties, peaked for a few yea ...more
Mackintosh wrote this novel undoubtedly insightful with uttermost care yet as real as it ever could be.
THIS will go on my 5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ book list of 2019.
My time of reading any kind of self-help books has gained interest and flourished in my twenties, peaked for a few yea ...more

Whenever I read a book by Claire Mackintosh I know to clear my day and get comfortable,as I will not be able to put her book down and won’t be disappointed!!
Max and Pippa have a son Dylan who they adore. Sadly Dylan is diagnosed as having a brain tumour ,which couldn’t be removed during surgery and caused brain damage which will leave him unable to walk or talk.
Max and Pippa have the dreadful decision whether to opt for further treatment which may lengthen his life but not cure him or to allow d ...more
Max and Pippa have a son Dylan who they adore. Sadly Dylan is diagnosed as having a brain tumour ,which couldn’t be removed during surgery and caused brain damage which will leave him unable to walk or talk.
Max and Pippa have the dreadful decision whether to opt for further treatment which may lengthen his life but not cure him or to allow d ...more

Max and Pip have a toddler called Dylan. Sadly he has been diagnosed with a brain tumour, of which surgeons could not remove all off. Then they are given the devastating news that the Timor is growing again. There is nothing more the surgeons can do but give him palliative care and make sure that he is pain free. Max, not wanting to give up on his son, researches the disease hoping to find a cure for his son. He finds that it can be treated in America. But first he has to take the hospital to co
...more

4 Stars
A family torn apart during an impossible time. Palliative care or alternative treatment? That is the question.
Max and Pip’s three year old son Dylan is sick. He has cancer and has developed an inoperable brain tumor. His doctor in London recommends palliative care, to which his mother, Pip agrees and his father, Max does not - as he would like Dylan to get alternative treatment at a facility in Houston, Texas.
Seeing as neither parent can come to an agreement it is up to the court to dec ...more
A family torn apart during an impossible time. Palliative care or alternative treatment? That is the question.
Max and Pip’s three year old son Dylan is sick. He has cancer and has developed an inoperable brain tumor. His doctor in London recommends palliative care, to which his mother, Pip agrees and his father, Max does not - as he would like Dylan to get alternative treatment at a facility in Houston, Texas.
Seeing as neither parent can come to an agreement it is up to the court to dec ...more

I don't even know where to start with a review at the moment - reading this so early gives me the opportunity to not have to say too much as yet so nearer publication I will attempt to write a full review and make it count.
I can't even begin to imagine what it took to write this but After The End is incredible. Just that. The sheer weight of emotion in it is astounding, beautiful even in heartache and it offers a perspective and ultimately a choice for the reader that makes you think, really thi ...more
I can't even begin to imagine what it took to write this but After The End is incredible. Just that. The sheer weight of emotion in it is astounding, beautiful even in heartache and it offers a perspective and ultimately a choice for the reader that makes you think, really thi ...more

Have you ever heard about Charlie Gard? I thought so much about that poor baby during reading this book. Couldn't help thinking Mackintosh was inspired by that real life event but I have learned sadly Claire Mackintosh herself lost a child so really felt for her during reading this book and how brave of her to write about this difficult subjects.. Turning her own experience into an eye opening read is definitely worth congratulating.
This book is about a terminally ill child and her parents: Pip ...more
This book is about a terminally ill child and her parents: Pip ...more

Jodi Picoult fans, eat your heart out!
When it comes to writing a compelling, engaging, insightful story, Claire Mackintosh can do no wrong in my book, and even though I knew going in that this was going to be completely different from her usual domestic suspense thrillers (which I love) I was still desperate for the chance to read it.
After the End is the story of a terminally-ill toddler with multiple deliberating disabilities. Dylan is not yet three years-old but as the result of a brain injury ...more
When it comes to writing a compelling, engaging, insightful story, Claire Mackintosh can do no wrong in my book, and even though I knew going in that this was going to be completely different from her usual domestic suspense thrillers (which I love) I was still desperate for the chance to read it.
After the End is the story of a terminally-ill toddler with multiple deliberating disabilities. Dylan is not yet three years-old but as the result of a brain injury ...more

A departure from her usual crime/thriller books, Clare MacKintosh has written an emotional, heart wrenching, brilliant novel about a family, Pip, Max, and their son, Dylan. Dylan, 2 1/2, becomes gravely ill, and Pip and Max end up on opposite sides regarding his treatment. It ends up being decided for them in a court of law.
This is a sad story, but also a beautiful one, touching on very difficult issues.
5 stars
This is a sad story, but also a beautiful one, touching on very difficult issues.
5 stars

So many people, including this author have lost a child. It is a heart wrenching experience that one never truly recovers from. Your heart is broken, your life is empty, and for some the trauma of this breaks apart everything they held dear and loved and such was the case with the protagonists of the book After the End.
Pip and Max are a successful couple. They have a firm marriage and a son they adore. Life seems wonderful until fate deals them a card that is devastating and cruel. For their so ...more
Pip and Max are a successful couple. They have a firm marriage and a son they adore. Life seems wonderful until fate deals them a card that is devastating and cruel. For their so ...more

Parenting is hard. I think every parent might have experienced time in the upbringing of their child where they do not agree upon something with the child's other parent be it, curfew, discipline, when to have a cell phone, etc. But what happens when you are faced with the ultimate decision? What happens when your child gets sick? When your child has a terminal disease. Do you prolong his life to only face the inevitable? Do you allow him to pass away with comfort and care? How do you decide? Ho
...more

I have read and enjoyed all of Clare Mackintosh's previous books and was delighted to receive a copy of her latest book After the End.
This story is unlike any of her other books. This is a story of a family in crises, a sad emotional tale of a terminally ill child and the choice that his parents have to make for his future. A thought provoking story that made me think of what I would do in their shoes.
Thank you to NetGalley and Little, Brown Book Group UK for my e-copy in exchange for an honest ...more
This story is unlike any of her other books. This is a story of a family in crises, a sad emotional tale of a terminally ill child and the choice that his parents have to make for his future. A thought provoking story that made me think of what I would do in their shoes.
Thank you to NetGalley and Little, Brown Book Group UK for my e-copy in exchange for an honest ...more

A lot of folks are calling After the End by Clare Mackintosh a mystery or a thriller but I didn’t get either vibe from this one but maybe more perhaps just general fiction or a tad drama. The story is one in which parents are caring for a sick child, not searching for a missing one.
Max and Pip are a young married couple that thought they had everything going for. Very much in love and with a wonderful son things were good until one day they were’t. These parents get the most devastating news whe ...more
Max and Pip are a young married couple that thought they had everything going for. Very much in love and with a wonderful son things were good until one day they were’t. These parents get the most devastating news whe ...more

When their son, Dylan, is diagnosed with a terminal illness, Max and Pip are confronted with making a life changing decision something that no parent should ever have to do. But what happens when Max and Pip are unable to reach an agreement on a decision. It appears that what used to be a loving and happy family is now being ripped apart.
After The End by Clare Macintosh is a moving and heart-wrenching story. Highly recommended.
After The End by Clare Macintosh is a moving and heart-wrenching story. Highly recommended.

I picked this book up purely because I had recently read a couple of really good psychological thrillers by the same author. However as I started reading it I was surprised that it was so different to the previous books I had read by her. This is a book must have been so difficult for her to write as it is a subject which is close to her and must have been a very difficult time of her life. Presumably her own story compelled her to write 'After the End'.
In the story Pip and Max have to contempl ...more
In the story Pip and Max have to contempl ...more

Max and Pip have a deep, untenable bond and a strong marriage that they feel is sealed by fate. But when their nearly three-year-old son, Dylan, gets sick, everything they know changes. Dylan has a brain tumor, and now Pip spends her days in the PICU, while Max tries to juggle work and being strong for his wife and child. Then, the couple receives the worst of all news: the chemo isn't helping Dylan's tumor, and the doctors feel Dylan's condition is terminal. Suddenly, Max and Pip find themselve
...more

4 prepare for heartbreak stars
This one is very unique and unlike anything Clare Mackintosh has written before. Fellow Goodreads reviewer NZLisaM compares it to a Jodi Picoult book – and I completely agree with that comparison. If it is difficult for you to read about ill children, I would recommend skipping this one. It is very realistic and likely to break your heart.
The first half of the book is mostly “Before” – the life of a loving couple Max and Pip and their adorable toddler son Dylan. Tra ...more
This one is very unique and unlike anything Clare Mackintosh has written before. Fellow Goodreads reviewer NZLisaM compares it to a Jodi Picoult book – and I completely agree with that comparison. If it is difficult for you to read about ill children, I would recommend skipping this one. It is very realistic and likely to break your heart.
The first half of the book is mostly “Before” – the life of a loving couple Max and Pip and their adorable toddler son Dylan. Tra ...more

Wow, just WOW!!! I’m an emotional wreck and I love it!!! I wish just this once I had the right words to convey how heart wrenching and different and fantastic and tragic and redeeming this book was to me. My heart aches and my tear ducts need a rest after this. Read the authors note, it too is very moving.

Beautifully written and quite a tear-jerker. Told from three perspectives. What do you do when your child is catastrophically sick and there may not be reasonable hope of recovery? When the government (NHS) steps in to decide whether further treatment is warranted or Pip and Max’s child can be flown to America for an experimental procedure that may prolong his life, it drives a wedge into their marriage. Dylan is not yet three, but has gone through surgery and six rounds of chemo for a brain tum
...more
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Clare Mackintosh is the multi-award-winning author of New York Times bestseller I LET YOU GO, and Sunday Times bestsellers I SEE YOU, LET ME LIE and AFTER THE END. Translated into forty languages, her books have sold more than two million copies worldwide, and have spent a combined total of 50 weeks in the Sunday Times bestseller chart.
Her new thriller, HOSTAGE, comes out in June 2021.
Clare is th ...more
Her new thriller, HOSTAGE, comes out in June 2021.
Clare is th ...more
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“...When you stand at the crossroad you cannot see each destination, only the beginnings of the paths that will lead you there. All you can do is hope that someone will walk with you.”
—
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“Everyone has an opinion, yet the truth is that no one can really know what is right. No one can predict the future, and so all we can do is make a decision based on the facts we have, and—sometimes on what our heart tells us.”
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