It’s not often you pick up a book to read that is written with eloquent and heart felt words throughout. This story is based on Dylan. Max and Pips son who is terminally ill, when faced with the decision as to whether or not to place him in pallative care plan both parents have opposing views. But which one has the right decision? Is there a right decision? Who decides. Irrespective life continues and they have to live with their decision.

I cannot imagine being faced with such a situation l. Losing a child must be a harrowing experience. At the end of the book we learn that the author has been in a similar situation. And I genuinely feel that this book is written from her heart, sharing her emotions, and it’s this that makes this an exceptional read.

Big fan of this author, this was totally different to her thrillers. I loved the start but felt a bit let down by the ending found it a bit abrupt & wondered what happened with lars & how the wedding came about.

Max and Pip are the strongest couple you know. Only now they're facing the most important decision of their lives - and they don't agree.

As the consequences of an impossible choice threaten to devastate them both, nothing will ever be the same again.

But anything can happen after the end....

****
Wow. I wasn't sure what to expect with this being a book away from Clare's usual genre. But, being honest, I think this is her best book yet.

This book is about a parents worst nightmare. A terminally ill child. Upon receiving the news that there was nothing further the doctors could do for Dylan, who was just shy of 3 years old, his parents have opposing views. His mum wants to let him go and be at peace and be pain free. His dad wants to fight and trial anything that may prolong Dylan's life. So what happens next....

What I liked about this book, was that there was no right or wrong. You felt for each parent in equal measures, and could completely understand where they were coming from. I also really like both parents and all the supporting characters too.

It is well worth reading Clare's personal note at the end. You will get an understanding of how she managed to write this beautiful eloquent story.

This is a book that will stay with me for a long time.

Highly recommended.

When I requested this book on NetGalley, I didn’t realise it wasn’t Mackintosh’s usual psychological thriller. It doesn’t give a lot away in the blurb, but I jumped at the chance to read another of her books as I’ve loved them all so far.
It doesn’t matter that this wasn’t the genre I was expecting as it is an outstanding and brilliant read in its own right.
I kept forgetting who the author was as it felt like I was reading a Shari Low book. Low’s books can be quite bleak and poignant. The most recent of hers that I read had the split ‘what if’ story where part of the book the heroine stays with her husband and the other half where she leaves him. The second part of ‘After the End’ reminded me a lot of ‘With or Without You’ as the chapters interspersed with different outcomes from the court trial.
I disagree with some of the other reviewers that thought the book should have ended after the court case as that’s not entirely what the book was about. It is concerning how each party coped with the aftermath and the consequences. It is called ‘After The End’ after all!
Sometimes the interspersed chapters could become a little confusing especially as it neared the end but if you concentrate you can keep up. I also missed Leila’s side of the story in these, yes she popped up now and again, but we had gotten to know her life in the first half and then all of a sudden she no longer had a staring role. The final chapter had me screaming out though as I’d hoped for the real ‘answer’.
I thought this book was beautifully written and you could feel the heartbreak that Pip and Max had to go through, and I don’t envy anyone that has to make that kind of choice. It really makes you think (I don’t have kids, but I do have cats) and it would break my heart to have to make a decision even close to this one.

At first I was unsure about this as it’s a complete departure from her brilliant thrillers into the world of Jodi Picoult type dilemmas. Once I got into it though I thoroughly enjoyed it as 2 parents face the appalling choices of allowing their son to die or to fight to keep him alive at any cost. I thought the scenes in the hospital as different parents are coming and going as their children suffer and then recover, or not, were particularly moving. It was the little scenes such as the one at the beginning where she debates paying the astronomical daily hospital parking charge or let’s her son down by buying a much cheaper monthly pass which is a tacit admission that he won’t be getting out of hospital any time soon that really worked for me. Excellent emotional roller coaster that didn’t follow the paths I expected it too.

A beautifully written book which touches your heart. It takes you through a parent’s journey and how they make their way through the toughest time of their lives and how their decisions affect their entire lives.

Clare Macintosh is an author with enviable storytelling skills who has knife-like precision when it comes to writing the perfect thriller. Her pacing, characters and ability to ramp up the tension to the final few pages is incomparable. Therefore, I will buy and read anything she writes without knowing a single thing about the novel I’m about to delve into – she could write anything, and I’d read it!
I am so very thankful to __ for allowing me an early NetGalley copy of After The End to review. I will be buying myself a copy as soon as it comes out to treasure forever because this book has firmly found a place in my ‘Top Books Of All Time’ list.

I curled up in bed and opened After The End ready to get involved in another wickedly clever thriller, determined more than ever to outsmart Clare and work out the plot. However, what I got myself lost in was an intimate, intoxicating, incandescent novel that lingered in my mind every second I was away from the pages. I want to leave this review as enigmatic as possible because the most effective way to read this novel is to know very little about what it entails and uncover the beauty of it for yourself. What I will say though is this book will leave you torn in half with an impossible decision dividing not only the narrative but the characters within it.

Clare draws on her own personal experience to write this touching novel and it is brutal in its honesty. It’s, at times, overwhelmingly emotional and will touch even the hardest of hearts. I flew through the pages of After The End with tears pricking at my eyes and a heavy heart. You sometimes read books that feel important or life-changing but it’s rare to find a book that is both and then a little bit more. It moved me in ways I haven’t been moved by a novel in a long time, it renewed my faith in so many little things and gave me the chance to explore a decision I hope I’d never have to make.

This novel is both heart-warming and heart-breaking. It is funny and sad, light and dark, upsetting and uplifting. It is a novel of pure brilliance and one I would read a thousand times over and still not get bored. I can only hope this marks the first of many novels like this from Clare.

I have really enjoyed all of this authors books and this was no exception.
After the End is completely different to her other books, it's not a thriller but a superbly written emotional heart breaking story.
I found the characters to be believable with strong voices and the plot was very well paced and incredibly thought provoking.
A must read for anyone who loves Claire Mackintosh as an author. A riviting storyline that will grip you to the end
and will definitely pull your heart strings.

I received a free copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. It's hard to find words to describe this book - I've just spent the last four hours devouring it in one sitting, close to tears for much of it. Mackintosh writes beautifully and with buckets of emotion, and her author's note at the end was touching. I have so much sympathy for her, and am impressed with how she's used her own experiences to write such a deeply moving novel. The characters are all likeable and realistic, and I thought the way that she explored the consequences of both scenarios was effective. Despite the premise of the of the book making it in some ways a difficult read,, the ending(s) were ultimately heartwarming and uplifting, with hope and love ultimately shining through the darkness. I'm so impressed with this book, and look forward to reading more from this author.

I've read all of Clare Mackintosh's previous work so when I saw this book come up on NetGalley I thought great another psychological thriller. How wrong I was.

This is an utterly brilliant yet heartbreaking book about parents who have to make an incredibly difficult decision about their critically ill son.

It is full of emotion and hours later I'm still thinking about it and I'm sure I will still be thinking about it in days to come.

I think this may be Mackintosh's best book yet.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for a honest review.

Well, this was something completely different! With this galley having minimal synopsis I was still expecting a psychological thriller.. I stuck it out to the end anyway. Not an easy read. The subject matter is highly emotional, not that that’s a bad thing, just be prepared that you may spend a few days in tears.
The characters were well thought out and the story well researched. However, I wasn’t a fan of the way the story was told from halfway through, I was left confused a lot and I felt like this half just tried to desperately find an endding to something that was more just life with twists and turns and no set ending.
I’ve loved all her other books and this was a brave decision to move away from her norm. I’d give it a 2.5 if that was possible, but I’m going with a 3. Well written but just not for me.

Totally different to what I had read before from this author, but amazing and thought provoking. A sliding doors style approach to a situation which tugs at the heartstrings. Thank you for the read

A truly thought provoking, poignant, beautiful story. As a parent this is your worst nightmare and it truly got into my head and my heart. I loved the change halfway through and thought it was a clever way to start the second half of the story. I must admit the last page has truly confused me so much so that I have to read the chapter again to see if I'd missed something but still at a loss. Anyway the story is sad, beautiful, heartbreaking but gives hope at the same time.

I have read all of this authors books and I’m a fan. This one didn’t disappoint. I love the way she writes. Full of twists and turns and I couldn’t put it down. Recommend it 100%

I absolutely loved this book, I have loved Clare Mackintosh's previous books and could not wait to pick this one up and get stuck in.

I found the first half emotional and tough going but I still couldn't put it down and read the second half in one sitting as I was not able to go to bed until I knew what happened to the characters. Throughout the book, I felt the highs and lows with the characters, what a book - I loved it.

This is beautifully written and very clever. My heart broke for the main characters - what a terrible decision to have to make, and live with. I loved seeing the outcomes of each route the couple chose. The characters are likeable and well-drawn and the dialogue is spot on. I didn't want to put it down.

The blurb says that Max and Pip are a strong couple who are facing the most important decision of their lives and they don't agree.
It didn't prepare me for the emotional rollercoaster that was 'After the End." It was the most heart-wrenching book I have ever read. I could not put it down. I cried and cried again. What a story. What a story-teller. I have never felt so emotionally wrapped up in characters in a book. The writing comes from the soul. Clare Mackintosh has written an amazing book, an honest, sad, traumatic yet uplifting book that every parent should read.
Five out of five.

This is a very well written story about one of the most heart wrenching and controversial decisions that a parent should never have to face.
It is heartbreakingly frank and gives us two separate yet quite similar outcomes.
A difficult read for any parent but so worth it.

This was a really clever book, and one that seems sadly too topical. It questions what happens when parents can’t decide on the medical treatment for their child, but more than just being a tragic tale of the short life and death of a toddler it goes on to explore what could happen to the parent’s relationship depending on what path is taken.

I surprised myself by not crying while reading this book but found it an utter page turner, and a courageous book to have written.

After the End is one of the most emotionally written book that I have ever read. Pip and Max seemed to have it all - meeting by chance on a transatlantic flight, they marry and go on to have their son Dylan. Tragedy strikes when Dylan is diagnosed with a brain tumour, and, as a consequence of treatment has to spend months in PICU. This takes its toll on the family, and the consequences of decisions made cannot be undone. Clare has the marvellous ability to draw her readers into the story, presenting each character in such a way that you are bound to champion them........but whose side do you take? I found myself changing my mind each chapter! This book presents the reader with real moral dilemmas, causing you to stop and think what you would do if faced with a similar situation. As with her other books, she likes to play with twists and turns, just when you think you know where the story is going, it surprises you! Having read a little about Clare’s personal life, the reader can feel the heart that has been put into this book.
Thank you to PenguinRandomHouse and NetGalley for the opportunity to preview this e book.