Beginning of the End

End of Story #0.5

by Kylie Scott

When her boyfriend announces he’s accepted a yearlong contract in London, Susie’s relieved that Aaron suggests a long-distance relationship. But then it makes her think. Is it her imagination, or does he seem just a little too eager to leave? Is she reading too much into his excitement to hit the British pub scene? And all relationships cool off after a while…right? As Aaron’s departure approaches, Susie confides in her favorite aunt and best friend to help her figure out—is this the beginning of the end or just the beginning of something even better?

Don’t miss this sharp and sassy prequel novella to New York Times bestselling author Kylie Scott’s new book, End of Story!

Genres: Romance, Novella, Contemporary, Contemporary Romance, Chick Lit, Short Stories, Fiction

32 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2023

About the author

Kylie is a New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today best-selling, Audie Award winning Romance author.

Reviews

[Colleen Scidmore · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beginning of the end is the Pre-Novella to End of Story. It starts out with Susie in a year long relationship with a schmuck named Aaron. And yes I said schmuck. He is such an asswipe I don’t know why Susie wasted her time with him, but I guess lots of women waste their time on relationships with the wrong partner, but I digress. Aaron springs on her, at the last minute his job is shipping him to London and to her relief he wants to keep their relationship going long distance. But that’s not the feeling Susie gets as he announces to all his friends and co-workers that he “can’t wait to get to London and enjoy everything, if you know what I mean.” Making it clear that maybe he doesn’t truly want to stay monogamous.

Should Susie just chalk this up as just a little too much alcohol or is this how Aaron truly feels? Susie enables her favorite Aunt and best friend Cleo’s help in her figuring out-is this the beginning of the end or the beginning of something even better?

You don’t have to read Beginning of the End to understand End of Story, but I’m glad I did. It was a great introduction to Susie, Lars and Aaron and honestly for such a short, quick little novella this actually had a lot going on and definitely in a good way.

I’m looking forward to reading more about the trio and see what fate has in store for them!

[Amelia · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was nice to read about what happened before the book. We got to see more of Aaron and how much of a dick he is. Poor Susie didn’t have to go through that. Especially the death of her aunt. But in the end, she got Lars and I love them both.

[Lilyya ♡ · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars.

This anterior novella could’ve been easily added as a prologue for End of story. Anyway, it was a quick and easy read I don’t have much to say about it except that the story sounds promising !!😋

[Jo - •.★Reading Is My Bliss★.• · Rating 3 out of 5]

A two chapter prequel to End of Story that sets the scene for what is to come.

[Sharon ∞❥ is an emotional book junkie ❥∞ · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5-4 ⭐'s

I would definitely read this if you plan on reading End of Story. It's not a must read but it adds a lot to the story.

We get to know Susie and what's going on in her life. How she wakes up regarding her relationship and how she changed herself for it.

We also meet Lars...not a lot but enough to make you curious.

And if you've ever read my recent reviews on novellas, you know that I'm not a big fan of novellas and usually this is because they're too light and superficial. Well, you don't have to worry about that in this one. It packs quite the punch and has you dying to read the next book.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beginning of the End is the prequel novella to End of Story and I thought Kylie Scott did an excellent job with it! It was included with the book and audiobook which is something I loved, and while there is absolutely 0 steam in it (sounds like that's a bad thing but it's not), I really enjoyed getting to see what happened that led Susie out of her relationship with Aaron. There is one AMAZINGLY dramatic scene that was serious while also being rather hilarious, and I loved not only the drama but douchey Aaron getting called out for his behavior by someone other than Susie.

Since Beginning of the End is included in the same audiobook as End of Story it has the same narrator which is Andi Arndt. I wouldn't have wanted it any other way and I loved her as the narrator for Susie. This may be a novella, but don't let that fool you because Scott packs A LOT into it. It was the perfect amount of information, and I liked the choice to have it at the end of the book as well which leads me to believe that is the way Scott intended these books to be read. Overall, I am very happy I read both and I highly recommend them!

[Sarah | Kerosene.Lit · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a super short (32 pages) prequel novella to the upcoming novel End of Story. I wouldn't say it's absolutely necessary to read, but I am glad I did.

It managed to pack in two life-alternating events, giving a great introduction to Susie and her ambitions for the future.

I'm excited to read more of these characters. I'm very, very intrigued by Lars!

[Tami · Rating 2 out of 5]

This should have been offered as a freebie. It was basically the prologue for End of Story. Not marketed as a novella and sold for $2.

I’m still going to buy end of story. Just annoyed and feeling duped.

[Gina · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a prequel novella to Scott's upcoming End of Story. It's good I already have End checked out from the library because this prequel is sad and lacks a true ending. It's well written and has me looking forward to the full-length conclusion, but this beginning is hard to read emotionally leaving the heroine in a tough place. I question the reasoning as to why this was published separately instead of as an extended prologue at the beginning of End.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5/5 stars

This is a 2 chapter prequel to End Of Story.

I did become invested in the characters. And I definitely want to continue the story. But OMG did I despise Aaron. Also truthfully I found one aspect of the book to be very hard to read.

[Izzie d]

Prequel.
2 chapters.

[Fanny · Rating 2 out of 5]

Fue una precuela muy breve, con solo dos capitulos pero me atrapo y me dejo con ganas de leer el primer libro de esta serie.

Ya empece a leer Ends Of Story y lo estoy disfrutando como una niña pequeña.

2.5 Estrellas!

[The Glassed And The Furious]

I'm a hypocrite, I admit. For the past 3 years, I have been consistently disappointed by books from Kylie Scott, and yet, when I see a new one, I still get it and read it. Now, let me, for a change, start with the positive: FINALLY, Kylie Scott is doing something other than ruining her Stage Dive series. At least it is something new.
Now, I can't really judge the characters based on the limited information we get in this novella. Susie kind of has the typical Kylie Scott victim tendencies, though at least she stood up to her brother rather quickly. I'm not quite sure what to expect from these family dynamics in the future. However, here's what gives me hope. Will this book feature the 3. Larsen brother? Because I have kind of hoped to get another one of them. I loved the first book, so here's hoping!

[Kaelyn · Rating 1 out of 5]

Prequel to “end of story” legit did not need to exist. Just include the context at the beginning of the original novel.

[Tmstprc · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice set up for End of Story.

[Lesley Reyes · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Carrey 🍓 · Rating 2 out of 5]

This short novella serves as a prequel to the novel, “End of Story”, and it revolves around Susie and Aaron and how they came to break up.

It was a quick read, and in my opinion didn’t really add anything to the overall story. I would have much more preferred to read about Aunt Susan, or Cleo. Or even on how the divorce certificate came into existence, but we don’t really get any of that at all.

The novella wasn’t terrible, but it wasn’t great either.

⭐️⭐️❌❌❌/5.

[Darcy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This little short did what it was supposed to, I'm intrigued. I liked Susie, felt bad at all the bad things that happened to her, but loved how she stood up to 2 different horrible men in her life. It will be interesting to see where things go for her from here.

[Cheri · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was withholding judgment on this very short story until I read the book it’s a precursor for, End of Story. I wanted to be able to tell you if you have to read this one in order to read the other. You do not. Yet I feel, in just a few pages, a lot is explained about Susie that we don’t necessarily get in the main story. I really enjoyed this little peek and it did its job of making me curious as to what path Susie would take in her life. And, somehow, I felt I knew Lars’s heart better through his one scene in this short story.

While reading End of Story, there are a few things that struck me as odd since I had read this prequel. I felt Susie and Lars had a more amicable relationship and Lars was much more aware of his best friend’s shortcomings than he is in the main story. Also, Susie’s brother has a different name in the two stories. I read an ARC of End of Story so maybe that gets corrected before publication.

Quite honestly, I feel as though this story could have (and should have) been a prologue instead of a whole separate short story. It would have been a bit long for a prologue, but I’ve seen longer. This story was included at the end of my ARC for the main story, so it’s possible it will be included with the purchase of End of Story.

[AJ · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 stars

This short novella is a prequel to Kylie Scott’s upcoming novel, End of Story. It’s an introduction to the characters as we meet Susie and see her endure two life-changing events which set up her full story to come – a brutal break up, and a devastating loss.

It's only 32 pages, so the $1.99 asking price is a bit steep (I think this would have been better offered as a freebie to build anticipation for the upcoming release), but I’m glad I read it. I liked Susie, I empathised with all that she went through, and excitedly, I already see a spark of something with her future hero that I can’t wait to explore further.

I’m excited for the story to come.

3 stars.

[Ess Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Een mooi startpunt voor het volgende boek"

Bedankt LoveBooks voor dit exemplaar

Dit boek is duidelijk een novella en is dus ook heel kort. Naar mijn idee zijn alle pagina's wel enorm goed benut, maar deze 30 bladzijdes hadden naar mijn idee best het eerste hoofdstuk mogen zijn van het volgende boek.

🩷MIJN SAMENVATTING🩷
Susie haar relatie loopt stroef. Ze merkt dat het de laatste tijd niet zo leuk meer is als voorheen. Daarnaast vergelijkt haar favoriete tante haar huidige vriend met haar vreselijke vader. Naast dat de relatie niet vlekkeloos loopt , hoort Susie ook nog eens plots dat haar vriend (Aaron) voor werk zal vertrekken naar Londen. Susie baalt hier van en besluit een onvergetelijk afscheidsfeest voor Aaron te organiseren. Aaron doet op het feest wel heel enthousiast over zijn vertrek en onvergetelijk, dat wordt het zeker...

🇬🇧MIJN REVIEW🇬🇧

Dit verhaal was echt heel kort. Zelfs zo kort dat ik het prima had gevonden als dit gewoon een extra hoofdstuk had geweest in het volgende boek. Wel vond ik dit verhaal een prachtige start voor het vervolg.

Er gebeurde heel veel in het verhaal ookal bestaat het boek maar weinig pagina's. Mijn aandacht bleef dus constant bij het boek en het werd zeker niet saai. Soms heb je wel eens dat novellas een saaie aanloop zijn richting het verhaal, maar saai was dit verhaal echt niet.

De schrijfstijl is vlot en prettig. De woorden die gebruikt worden zijn makkelijk en dit boek is heerlijk om te lezen als tussendoortje of op vakantie🫶🏻🩷

[Alyson | Books.plants.and.tea · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a prequel to End of Story, in which you get to read about the two major events that happened 6 months before we meet Susie in End of Story. While it was nice to read about the encounter between Aunt Susan and Susie (and feel their love for each other) as well as seeing early interactions between Susie and Lars, I think it is an unnecessary prequel seeing as both events are described in End of Story enough to get the gist. There's really no added value to reading it before (or after) you read book 1.

Tw: death of a loved one, finding the dead body of a loved one

*Included in the ARC I read and reviewed, given to me by the publisher through Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.*

[Ptiteaurel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Il s'agit du prequel de End of story qui sortira le 14 février prochain et cela nous permet de poser le contexte de cette romance. Nous découvrons donc notre héroïne à un moment clé de sa vie et nous sentons déjà quelques pistes se poser.

Avis complet: https://thelovelyteacheraddictions.bl...

[❁ lilyreadsromance ❁ · Rating 3 out of 5]

That rating is just a placeholder for now. Will change it after I finished the next book.

Anyway, this is giving me a little 'literary' romance vibe than your typical romance book from Kylie Scott. I'm still on the fence on this, but will gladly accept anything from this author at this point. Need myself a good love story.

[Dikshya Pattnaik · Rating 4 out of 5]

Can't wait for the main novel 🥲❤️

[Joana B. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Highly recommend reading this before diving into End of Story.

[Kendall · Rating 3 out of 5]

Definitely could’ve (should’ve?) been a prologue to the full End of Story book

[Marline · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was 2 chapters tacked onto the end of "End of the Story".

[Destinys.littleworld · Rating 4 out of 5]

4⭐️ [gekregen]
Een korte introductie (had wat mij betreft ook een proloog kunnen zijn als onderdeel van deel 1). Goede situatieschets en ik ben benieuwd naar de rest van het verhaal!

[Naomi]

Unnecessary tbh.