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This Is Where It Ends
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This Is Where It Ends
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This Is Where It Ends
Audiobook6 hours

This Is Where It Ends

Written by Marieke Nijkamp

Narrated by Nick Podehl, Whitney Dykhouse, Amy McFadden and

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

3.5/5

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Currently unavailable

About this audiobook

10:00 a.m.
The principal of Opportunity, Alabama's high school finishes her speech, welcoming the entire student body to a new semester and encouraging them to excel and achieve.

10:02 a.m.
The students get up to leave the auditorium for their next class.

10:03
The auditorium doors won't open.

10:05
Someone starts shooting.

Told over the span of 54 harrowing minutes from four different perspectives, terror reigns as one student's calculated revenge turns into the ultimate game of survival.

LanguageEnglish
Release dateJan 5, 2016
ISBN9781511323376
Author

Marieke Nijkamp

Marieke Nijkamp is the #1 New York Times–bestselling author of This Is Where It Ends. She is a storyteller, dreamer, globe-trotter, and geek. She currently resides in her home country, the Netherlands.

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Reviews for This Is Where It Ends

Rating: 3.733173086538462 out of 5 stars
3.5/5

624 ratings54 reviews

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  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Opportunity, Alabama, even the place name shows the planning by the author. A school shooting is the timely action, but the book is really a character study of those close to the killer. Fascinating.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I feel like I’ve read a lot of school shooting books lately - is this a trend? This one was really amazing though. The bulk of the story (except for the epilogue) took place in about an hour, though it jumped between four different POVs. Very effective, very emotional.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I hate the fact that we live in a world where school shootings happen. I have mixed feelings about the fact that a book like this even exists because I don't want to use a tragedy as entertainment. I have had a review copy of this book for years but never got around to it. My daughter actually encouraged me to read this book because she thought it was well done. I didn't grow up in a world where school shootings happened with alarming regularity but my daughter has and it is something that she thinks about. I found this to be an engaging story and a really quick read.This book is told from multiple points of view while a school shooting is taking place. We see what is going on in the locked auditorium and outside of it as well. This is a tragic story filled with needless death but there is also a bit of hope and a few individuals that prove to be heroes. This book doesn't really get too deep into why the shooting happened but I can't think of a good reason or one that would make sense so I am okay with the decision to focus on the students fighting to survive.The story did have a few problems. Students do call 911 as things start and the police in this little town must have been out having a few doughnuts because it takes them forever to actually get to the school. I had some pretty big issues with that delayed response and I think it made the story very unrealistic. I also never felt like we got to know any of the characters very well. I didn't want any of them to die but I wasn't particularly emotional when it happened either. I did really like the fact that this audiobook was narrated by a full cast. Each point of view had its own narrator which made it very easy to keep track of who the focus was on. I thought that each narrator did a fantastic job with the story. I know that I liked this book a lot more because I decided to listen to the audiobook.I would recommend this book to others. I thought it was a well-told story despite having a few issues. I wouldn't hesitate to read more of this author's work in the future.I received a digital review copy of this book from Sourcebooks Fire via NetGalley and borrowed a copy of the audiobook from my local library.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I could not put this book down. From the first page to the last it was constantly moving forward. I am impressed with the level of detail Nijkamp was able to delve into throughout this book which, save the epilogue, was only ~1 hour. A lot can happen in one hour, but it is certainly hard to capture that. Even if this was set in the midst of a tragedy, it was wonderful to read a novel that captivated how quickly time moves. I feel like I have so much more to say about this book that I cannot find the words for. I highly recommend it to anybody who is a fan of YA and/or gripping novels.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I felt like I was there, through all of it.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    So this is a hard one for me. Was this a good read? YES! Did I want more and could there be more to it? Definitely. Did that make me like it less? No. I was completely engrossed in the story. Overall I think it is an amazing book that deals with a very tough subject that we unfortunately have to deal with. It completely tugs at your emotions and leaves you rung out. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Alternate first-person accounts of a school shooting, including the guilt-stricken sister. The shooter holds a group of students captive in the auditorium; he shoots random and then increasingly targeted individuals. We hear from victims, anguished parents via tweets, a blogger, and the news media. The characters seem cliched and stereotypical but the story is timely.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I could not put this book down. From the first page to the last it was constantly moving forward. I am impressed with the level of detail Nijkamp was able to delve into throughout this book which, save the epilogue, was only ~1 hour. A lot can happen in one hour, but it is certainly hard to capture that. Even if this was set in the midst of a tragedy, it was wonderful to read a novel that captivated how quickly time moves. I feel like I have so much more to say about this book that I cannot find the words for. I highly recommend it to anybody who is a fan of YA and/or gripping novels.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Working in a high school, this book really hit me in the gut in a lot of places. Could someone have prevented what happened in that auditorium if they had just paid enough attention early enough? The character development is where I think Nijkamp shines. Her characters are beautifully detailed and will stay with you long after you finish the story. Admittedly, I was able to foresee how the plot was going to turn out about half way into the story which is why I only gave the book 4 stars instead of 5, but that might have been what Nijkamp intended for the readers. In either case, excellent read.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Told from varying perspectives, this author used this style well. Well written with a superb plot, I liked this book a lot. When the students of Opportunity high school beginning a new semester, they had no idea that within 54 minutes, 39 of them would be killed.Autumn and her brother lost their beloved mother in a car accident. Life hasn't been the same since then. Their father uses his fists to take his angst out on his children. Autumn's brother Ty did not return to school as a student to complete his senior year. Instead, when he came to Opportunity high school that fateful day, it would be with a gun and many rounds of ammunition. As students began to depart after the principals opening speech, shots rang out in the auditorium Systematically picking his targets with those who either actually slighted or with whom Ty held a grude, he called them forth and in cold bloodied fashion shot them. Teachers were also targeted and killed.There were two students who decided to skip the assembly and instead entered the principal's office and searched for their records. When they heard the shots, they understood something bad was happening.Successful at picking the locks and using cutters, these two brave souls silently ushered students out of harms way. This was accomplished because Autumn faced her brother and engaged him in conversation while trying to keep his eyes on her and not out at the crowd.Still, many were shot when it was discovered they were trying to flee. Rage filled and vengeful, Ty sneered and smiled as the bullets hit the bodies of his targets. His sister hopes that being a relative counts for something and that perhaps he will not shoot her as she tries to reason with him.While students realized Ty was an angry bully, no one suspected he would resort to premeditated violence.This book was good for many reasons, some of which were the fact that while there were descriptions of the shooting, the author did not resort to unnecessary descriptive gore. The character development was excellent. This very serious topic was handled well without platitudes and over emotional sentiment.There could be no happy ending, and the author did not try to paint an unrealistic ribbon on the box of difficult situations and emotions.Four Stars. I'll look for more of her writing.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    It's hard to read about school shootings, whether it's news or novels. Even after all the incidents over the past few years, I don't think you ever quite know how to not feel horrified or sad or furious or just baffled at how whatever is broken inside a kid comes out this way. This is a very dark story and if you've been involved with any sort of violence in school, you should probably skip it. I usually can't rate stories this dark with three stars; I hate leaving a story with these feelings when there are so many possible endings in fiction. This writer's voice got to me, though and I thought she did well dealing with a gritty subject.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Riveting, intense and heartbreaking. The events of this story take place in one devastating hour, such that the reader is compelled to read straight through. The author does a good job of capturing the feel of what it might be like to be a student in the midst of a school-shooting event. She made the story as authentic as possible and did a decent job of portraying the thoughts, concerns, and emotions of high-school students. Having the four points of view was helpful as well. The reader doesn't really learn anything new, but definitely experiences a frightening, unforgettable perspective.In accordance with FTC guidelines please note I received a free advanced reading copy of this book in exchange for an
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    The format of this book was a little tricky and I never figured out who some of the tweets were from but I got use to it and as tragic as the story is I liked being inside the heads of certain students. It was a good angle. I've avoided books on this topic but this was the recommended book via my library on biglibraryread.com so I joined in. As to be expected reading a book like this is draining but sadly in today's world...current.
  • Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
    2/5
    While I was reading this book, I had to constantly remind myself that this book was written for teens not adults. The premise was horrific and timely; although with Sandy Hook (among other school shootings) I think it may have been a bit on the tacky side. However, like adults, younger teens like to hear gory details about things. This book will fit the bill for them quite nicely.For young adults and adults -not so much. Frankly though the cast of character's were interesting, the mindset and emotional aspects of them all seemed to ring false to me. But again, I have to keep reminding myself that these characters are not adults and would not have older adult thoughts, ideas and emotions. I would have thought that the will to live would have been too strong for these kids to do what they had done.What is very interesting is that this is also a look into bullying and it bears asking just who in this scenario was the true bully? No I did NOT like this book one little bit, but I can see how it will appeal to the younger crowd and perhaps those with young teens in the home. I would strongly advise any parent to read this book first before giving it to anyone under the age of 13
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    A small-town high school in Alabama is rocked by a school shooting. There are some good things here, but overall I felt the characters were too one-dimensional, the author tried too hard to convey emotions by telling us what the characters were feeling instead of showing us, and the adults were all either absent or deeply flawed, leaving a plucky band of students to save their school. Maybe I'm just a jaded old lady, but when students and teachers are being murdered right and left, it's hard to care whether a character gets a Juilliard dance audition. Basically, all the faults I find in most less-than-stellar young adult fiction. This is a topic that is crying out for a strong fictional treatment, but I've read nothing that can match the incredible nonfiction of Dave Cullen's [Columbine] for making me feel like I am right there witnessing horror.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    t first a bit disjointed - there's multiple narrators, and while details of their lives are shared, it's a bit confusing at first. But the plot moves forward inexorably ... And in increasingly horrific detail . A young man methodically locks all the auditorium doors, brings weapons and extra ammo and tells the trapped student body and staff that he is in control. The shock is real and as the shooter begins to actually kill students and teachers, the dread and the sense of despair builds along with the claustrophobic atmosphere of the auditorium. The narrators' relationships to the shooter, Tyler Browne, emerges and secrets are revealed. Well written, emotionally wrenching and painful to read for its straight from the headlines plot, this is a compelling read.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Really 2 1/2 stars. Very disappointing. With all the positive press surrounding this book. I expected something more gripping. I felt like the author didn't delve deep enough into the characters and it was wayyy too short.
  • Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
    2/5
    In a word, melodramatic. In many other words...The tone of this story skews so heavily effeminate it's distracting. I'm not saying femininity is a bad thing, but an event like this is going to have different reactions from different people, except they all sound the same. It's supposed to be about a real school shooting, but it's so cheesy it doesn't feel real. The narrative is split into the perspectives of four victims in four different situations. One is the ex-girlfriend of the shooter, another is the sister of the shooter, another is that sister's lesbian girlfriend, and last is the trouble-making brother of the lesbian girlfriend (do you see how relationshippy this is?). Two are trapped in the auditorium with the shooter, the brother is trying to get them out, and the ex-girlfriend is ROTC and running for help.The sister, who I guess is the main character because she's the closest to the shooter and has the most to lose, is obsessed with dance. Her dead mother was a dancer. Dancing is the "only time she feels free." And of course she's going to Julliard. Maybe it's because I'm not a dancer, but this feels like cliched rhetoric. See any dance movie or book in the last ten years. You cannot combine "Bowling for Columbine" with "Save the Last Dance". The shooter makes his sister dance on stage, like he's the Joker. Don't you want to mix it up a bit and make her want to be an astronaut?And there's way too much thinking. Four different narratives + limited amount of time (about an hour) means minute by minute breakdown of each POV. In high-risk situations, there is NEVER this much thinking going on. No thinking about the past or "why does he like her and not me?" high school junk. That all drops when you're just trying to survive. Even with the wordiness, the lack of detail is appalling. The author never even mentions what kind of gun the shooter has. Is it a rifle? Shotgun? Handgun? Automatic? That's an essential detail, to know what kind of damage can be done, what the stakes are. I'd venture to say the author didn't research school shootings, instead opting to make a soap opera around a dramatic event.There is so much Lifetime-worthy drama cheese it's embarrassing. The name of the town is Opportunity, and the author never lets you forget it. Lines like "the sky feels endless" and "she looks so beautiful" and kissing a guy during a crisis like at the end of "Speed". Is this really your biggest concern with a gunman? Was there kissing going on during Columbine? Because no one reported any post-tragedy romance. Add in a nice dose of parent abuse, sexual assault, and all the other things you expect from a "serious" YA novel about "serious issues" that belong in a CW show. This is not worth your time. Read "Columbine" by Dave Cullen instead.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I enjoyed the book it covered a controversial topic and gave us unique points of view from four different characters. It kept me engrossed through the whole book and feeling for the characters. A recommended read.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I received a digital copy of this title, free, in exchange for my honest opinion. Wow! This book left me breathless and heartbroken, but also hopeful. School shootings is always a scary topic, mainly because they happen way too frequently for comfort and almost everyone has been touched by it in some way. As with suicide, those who are left in the aftermath or who are outsiders to the event, school shootings leaves the world asking questions. The number one question being "Could I have stopped this?"But what Nijkamp shows is that a shooting involves a whole lot more people than just the shooter. A shooter rarely wakes up one morning and decides to bring a gun to school to exact revenge on those around them. There is more to it than that. She was able to show this without really being in the shooter's head at all. That is one thing that I find the most intriquing, very little time (if any) is actually spent inside the shooter's head. What we learn about him comes from the people that interacted with him directly, mostly in some negative way or from what the shooter says to the other characters. We have to assume that the character's perspective and the shooter's dialogues tells us the truth of who he is. But, I kind of hope that they're wrong. If not, than they were all pretty naiive to not expect something like this to happen. And yes, I can say that, because as a reader I know all of the secrets and truths that each character had but chose to keep to themselves. And it's easy to come to this conclusion when you don't already have a gun pointed at you and you have enough information and experience. It's called the outsider's perspectives. Besides getting to know the shooter, we are also given the opportunity to get to know the other characters. And they are a diverse group. Heroism comes in unexpected places. But so does cowardice. Not everyone can be brave. But you would think that someone who is closer to the shooter would be braver, instead I found her to be selfish and a bit of a coward. I don't think that the author intended her to be portrayed this way, but that's the way she came across to me. I was impressed by this book on so many levels. But this one is worth mentioning directly. This is the work of a debut author. This is Nijkamp's first published book. And it is written as though she has been in the game for a while. Well written, authentic characters and engaging plot. Flawless. I have never said all of that about any other debut author's work. And yes, I know that just because it is the first published work does not mean this is the first book she's ever written (for all we know it could be her hundredth attempt at a book, this same story even). But it is the first in what I hope is long long publishing career.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    This was such a great audio. I loved the multi-person cast. This is such a heavy, dark book, but very pertinent to what’s going on in the world today. It left me teary eyed in quite a few parts.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    The Twitter part is confusing and also doesn’t connect well with the storyline. It just help give the setting a mood
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Wow. Just wow. This book tore my soul apart from the inside out.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    This book does a wonderful job of portraying what it would be like to be part of the terrifying drama of a high school shooting. It explores the perspectives of many different people in the story, the choices they make, the courage they show and the shared tragedy that forever binds them together.
  • Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
    2/5
    A poorly written book about a very serious topic. No wonder it was on sale.Not recommended.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    HIGHLY RECOMMEND **NO SPOILERS**

    This book called my attention since I saw the cover. The welcoming colors and resemblance of our childhood obliterated into dust with a hint of the traumatic possibilities was enough for me to grab it off the shelf. Now, after reading it the only way I can describe the experience is :

    Absolutely heartbreaking, stunning story telling, fast paced detailed input that only a great writer could pull off, raw, and filled with emotional impact.

    It was worth every second. To be able to read an 8 hr book yet we only spent ONE HOUR in the school is absolutely BRILLIANT!
  • Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
    2/5
    Spoiler alert!!!

    Seriously?! Everybody dies?! And the main character that wants nothing but to dance may not ever be able to do that again?! What a waste of my time…
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Fast paced. Chilling. Gripping. Terrifying. And absolutely heartbreaking. I don't recall ever crying so hard while reading a book. This should be required reading for parents and teens.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Overall a good book, the audio skipped at some parts but still was able to understand the story.
  • Rating: 1 out of 5 stars
    1/5
    Terribly written, it was so boring I could not get through it. The writing has no heart, it's just jumbled together. There is no explanation of why the shooting happened. Its just dull, very, very dull.