Thank you to NetGalley, Little, Brown Book Group UK, Sphere and Clare Mackintosh for my ARC of ‘After The End’ in return for my honest review.

Where do I start? What a read. For me, this was an outstanding novel and I found it impossible to put down. I have read all of Claire Mackintosh’s previous books so am a huge fan anyway and this had clearly made one of my favourite authors.

This one was different for her but, for me, it was the best. Pip and Max were a strong couple who worked out how to deal with their son being in the PICU after having a brain tumour and surgery. The story of the hospital and other children and parents in the ward was vivid and real. It took my breath away at times and I felt for all of them.

Then the crunch time comes when Pip and Max disagree about Dylan’s care moving forward. How it is resolved is intense and heart wrenching. The story up to this point is clear and this is the point all aspects become blurred.

This is where we hear the story as it moves in two different directions. How brilliant and how cleverly written with characters who were amazingly well developed. Read it as I don't want to give away anything.

An absolute must read. Highly recommended.

Max and Pip are spending their lives in the intensive care unit with their small son, Dylan. Dylan has cancer and is very poorly and unless the hospital agree to extensive therapy in another county, death is the only outcome. Max and Pip want different things and this tale follows their paths.

This story was beautiful without being twee. The human pain was heart wrenching and I did well up a few times reading it.

This was such a contrast to Clare’s previous books and until I read the very end I didn’t understand why. Thank you for sharing this book. Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for this arc in exchange for my honest review.

I needed time after finishing this book to get over it. I both loved and hated it for the same reason.
I was expecting a similar style read to the authors previous books. Phycological Crime thriller. This was completely different. It was emotional, thought provoking, and heart wrenching, but beautiful.
Often authors stay true to their usual genre, and this shows that Clare Mackintosh can make any story gripping and relatable.

We follow parents Pip and Max along with their son Dylan through the worst time of their lives – Dylan is in the child’s care unit with a brain tumour. Hes had surgery and treatment and there is light at the end of the tunnel. His mom has left her job and is with him, all day every day, whilst his dad is trying to keep his job – with a boss that’s less than sympathetic, travelling all over the world and not home to spend time with his family as much as he would like.

The doctor that was are following has her mother visiting, who wont leave the house and has a QVC addiction. One morning Leila comes off her bicycle on the morning cycle to work, and is rescued by a paramedic who becomes her friend. He understands her work, her life and how hard the job can be, so when she confides in him it makes the world seem better – just for a while.

By a couple of chapters in you are emotionally involved with this book, and its characters, they feel like people you know and care about. You want things to get better for them, for Dylan to come home and be okay. The second part of the book confused me to start with. But I quickly picked up it follows both Pips choice to let Dylan be at peace, and Max’s to take him to Texas for treatment. The timelines are slightly out and it becomes a sliding doors style book. It allows easy comparison of their lifes, how each decision affected both of them, and what their lives become. It follows the ups and downs, and shows that no matter how much you may believe in your choice, it can bring about regret. Simple things can cause all of your emotions to come to the surface, and you have to manage and control it.

What happens in both versions is devastation, in this story Dylan was never going to survive. It wasn’t medically possible. It shows the toll it can create on a relationship when something like this happens, not just with your partner, but with everyone around you. People change and you learn who your friends really are. The end is a ray of sunshine, Pip gets pregnant again, and it takes time for her to accept it, the fear that comes with it and the guilt is difficult to read – but the ending is beautiful, showing that you can move on, and things can get better, day by day.

I couldn't put down this heartbreaking story of two parents divided over the care of their terminally ill child. This is very cleverly written portrayal of the angst and trauma that two parents had to go through. Thought provoking and emotional, I loved it. Thank you!

Loved, loved, loved it. To begin with it's a little like a Jodie Picoult story - trying to decide what is the right thing to do - morally. But eventually it just becomes a love story of two people and their love for their child. Definitely recommend it. Couldn't put it down.

My goodness. I can see that this is a book which does and will divide opinion. I have worked with parents and pre-school children most of my life and could really feel the pain portrayed in this book concerning the illness of a much loved child. I was gripped and can freely say that this is very well written, at least in the first part. It was a great idea to split the story and continue it telling two accounts following the aftermath of the court case. However it was somewhat confusing to read and personally I found this section less believable and compelling. It would have been improved by the parallel stories being less alike. Easier to follow and with a greater interest to the reader. I would give the first half of the book 5 stars but overall 4.

From twitter.com/karamina

I started reading #AfterTheEnd by
@claremackint0sh
last night and couldn’t stop. It’s an exceptional book, beautifully written and full of humanity and tenderness and love. (And well worth staying up until after 2am to finish...)

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 review.

I can't imagine the heartache and tears required to write this book. It's based on the author's own experiences I understand and that got me. I didn't know the subject matter before reading the book and I only went on the name of the author,. This is quite an amazing book but it was very very hard to read. If you can cope reading about terminally ill children and hospital appointments then you're stronger than I am. Goodness knows how someone actually goes through this. I can't review this book for many reasons but I am in awe of Clare's strength and that of her family. Much love to them all.

Had I'd known what the subject matter was for this book, I would not have requested to read this. The blurb on the NetGalley page did not mention the terminally ill child at all. I can say that the writing style was very engaging initially and I got into the main characters very quickly and you also get to read the Doctor point of view too.

I did find this story very difficult to read and it makes it even more hard to review when you read that the author has used her own personal experiences to write this book.

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

I’m not someone who cries easily, but this ruined me. Compassionate, gentle and engaging - I’ve been blown away by the writing, the gripping storyline and the genuine pain.

So relevant in a time where the topic is more and more splashed across social media.

Highly recommended. Not an easy read, but a wonderful one.

A very powerful and emotive book, I work as a Paediatric Nurse and have seen very similar cases, there are no winners and a position no parent should ever have to make. It made me so sad how Pip and Max couldn't agree on the best end of life care for Dylan and no matter what the outcome of the court case it was hard to see how they would ever move forward

I'm a huge fan of Clare Mackintosh, so I was delighted to receive an advanced copy of this novel.

It's very different to her previous books, in that it's not a thriller. It's a family drama, based on very real emotions and unbelievably difficult circumstances. It's every bit as fast paced though, and I devoured it.

Very well written, I connected with all the characters and felt their pain throughout. You'd think it was a true story, based on those characters, and the author's note at the end confirms it comes from a very real place in the author's heart.

The second half of the book, which shows the alternative lives of the characters "after the end" was clever and something different. A fantastic read.

Really enjoyed this book on a very difficult subject matter, although found it a little confusing at times with the alternative story lines. I like that the ending however was not conclusive this seemed to fit well with the story.

A totally different type of book from Clare’s previous 3, in lots of ways. As the mum of a 3 year old boy I found it incredibly moving and indeed hard to read at times.
Thank you NetGalley for the chance to read and review this book - it gets a high recommendation from me.

I feel a bit conflicted reviewing this book because I am aware it is a deeply personal subject to the author. I'm a big fan of Clare Mackintosh's thrillers so was keen to see her write another genre. After The End is about a couple who are having to deal with a terminally ill child and make a decision about his healthcare. Around halfway through the book splits and we are taken through the two possible choices which alternate chapter about. I found that this didn't help the narrative flow and made the book seem quite disjointed. I didn't find any of the characters likeable and really struggled to get through this.

A difficult topic, beautifully handled with great originality. Many authors would have based their novel on what happens to a couple when a child falls terminally ill, but Clare Mackintosh takes this one step further and examines what could happen next. I totally believed in this couple and their struggles and was reduced to tears on more than one occasion. Very very good.