THIS BOOK WAS WEIRD AF, BUT REALLY LOVED IT! I cannot describe how eerily disturbing this book was to me, but also how much I loved it. I was fascinated and wanted to know more of what will happen.

This was by turns, really interesting and pretty frustrating. I thought the way in which the tension was built up throughout the narrative was excellent and I thought the pacing was great. Unfortunately, I found the plot a bit predictable and was waiting for the reveal from fairly early on. I would still definitely recommend this book for the atmosphere however and I thought that the audiobook narrator did a fantastic job.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review.

A really eerie, complicated and mind-boggling story and narrative but it is complex and fascinating too. I would really recommend this if you’re looking for a quick and compulsive read.

2.5 stars.

The book follows a woman (unnamed) who is in the car with her boyfriend Jake. They’re on their way to his parents, who live on a farm in the countryside. The story’s mostly told through the women’s inner monologue. She’s contemplating their relationship and is thinking of ending it. Her thoughts are made up of flashbacks to past events and snippets of information without any clear connection. My overall thoughts while she was reminiscing: these are some weird characters, both her and Jake. They have these very philosophical conversations between each other that are … just weird. The whole story was very confusing.

The chapters from the woman’s point of view are alternated with very short chapters from the point of view of 2 other, unknown characters, who are talking about something horrible that happened without telling what exactly happened. This creates a very eerie, creepy atmosphere. You know something will go terribly wrong, but you don’t know what until the very end.

In the end, everything comes together with a surprising plot twist. The ending kind of makes sense, but it also leaves a lot of questions unanswered for me. I like books and stories that tie up neatly in the end, so, sadly, this wasn’t the book for me. It left me kind of frustrated. I think it will appeal a lot more to readers that like vague, suggestive stories with an open ending.

If you want to read this, I would recommend listening to the audiobook, as it enhances the creepy atmosphere. The voice of the woman was very fitting. The audiobook also supported the final reveal very well, in an original way. This is a nice example of an audiobook that really adds to the story.

I read this book in two sittings, as I could not put it down. It starts off as a story about a woman going on a road trip with her boyfriend, to visit his parents, and escalated into an amazing, gripping psychological thriller. In fact it’s one of the best psychological thrillers I have read in the past few years. If you enjoy that genre, you will love this book. It is somewhat disturbing, so be prepared.

Without giving away too much, the novel begins with the story of a woman contemplating ending things with her boyfriend. From there, the book starts to become more disturbing. It felt like slipping into a nightmare. Rather than wanting to wake up, I wanted to keep reading to find out what would happen next. A good solid 9/10.

(I understand there’s a movie adaptation in the works. Read this now before you see the film!)

My nerves are shattered after listening to this! Started before bed last night. Do not do this. When you eventually tear yourself away and manage to fall asleep, you'll be plagued by weird nightmares. The audiobook is brilliantly narrated by Candace Thaxton. She really brings the characters to life. Iain Reid has written a truly creepy novel. He builds tension skilfully throughout. The ending is breathtaking, head-twisting horror. My emotions were so heightened and raw by that point I felt like bursting into tears. "I'm Thinking Of Ending Things" is a striking debut. I wouldn't be surprised to see it achieve cult status. You should read it. What are you waiting for? I'm away to watch it on Netflix now.

I thought this was brilliant. So thought-provoking, unnerving yet completely absorbing and I'm still thinking about it days afterwards.

I had heard such mixed reviews about this - both the book and the Netflix series so I was really interested to give it a go myself. I don't listen to a lot of audiobooks but I have to say that I really enjoyed this version. I thought it was really atmospheric and I'm sure that was hard to do with such an unusual story. It was bizarre, it was creepy and it was very strange but that made it so much more interesting. I am definitely going to read the book and watch the show to compare but the audiobook was a great starting point!

In this 6-hour audiobook, we follow as a young woman travels with her boyfriend to meet his family for the first time, all while thinking to herself that she may want to end things between them.

This is one of those books where nothing at all really happens yet for some reason, I was utterly enthralled. The story lent itself very well for audiobook form, as the readers are very much inside this girl’s head and following along with her thought process. The feeling and atmosphere of the book is also great as the whole time, despite everything seeming to be okay, something just feels off.

Things build and build with this book until you feel like you’re in the middle of a storm, and you just don’t know where to turn. The ending is definitely really odd, and you really have to twist your mind around it (while having a ‘huh?’ expression on your face the whole time) but I do think it was well done.

I’m not sure if I would have liked this book as much in a regular format, as the intensity of the audiobook really added to my overall experience. I thought the narrator did a really great job, and there was some voice distortions added to the book when certain characters talked that added to the ominous, scary feeling.

This book won’t be for everyone but I recommend giving it a try, and I definitely recommend the audiobook.

Excellent narrator, really took you into the heart of the story and you are seeing events unfold through her eyes. Hugely enjoyable and genuinely creepy

I requested this Audio book via Netgalley as I'd watched the film on Netflix and after not being able to understand the running of the film, I thought the book might offer better understanding. I was wrong. Honestly I thought by reading the write up it was going to be a twisty thriller but I was so lost. The narration was captivating and I hoped there would be some clarity but even after researching the context of it i gave up on any understanding.

This was such a creepy audiobook and yet I could not stop listening! It was the equivalent of hiding behind the sofa when watching Doctor Who as a child! 😱

The story is mostly told from the point of view of Jake’s unnamed girlfriend, but at times there are two other characters talking about a tragedy that had happened to a colleague. At first these conversations were very odd as they came out of the blue and confused me a bit. I think possibly in the print version it would be more obvious that it was a completely different conversation.

The description of the meeting with Jake’s parents was so creepy. I was convinced something really terrible was going to happen in that house. I was just waiting for it, it was so tense! 😱 I calmed down a bit when they left the house, but things got even worse when they stopped at the deserted high school!

The ending was strange and I think understood what had happened, especially when I spoke about it with my husband and son. But the more I thought about it the more I realised that I needed to listen to it again, so I could ‘get it’. The second time made more sense, especially at certain points in the story, and those intermittent conversations between the colleagues, they were a lot easier to understand.

Candace Thaxton’s narration was perfect really adding to the whole creepy atmosphere! I’ll definitely look out for more audiobooks with her narrating.

Highly recommended if you’re looking for a really creepy listen for this time of year.

This book was such a wild ride! It was creepy and unsettling in a way that made my skin crawl sometimes. There were moments that had me completely confused and others where I had to rewind it to understand what was going on. The ending was crazy and I still don't understand it - I guess it's one of those where you think about it over and over and come to a different conclusion every time! Overall, I quite "enjoyed" listening to this - if you can call it enjoyment. Candace Thaxton is a brilliant narrator and I wish she narrated every single audiobook.

Unfortunately I think I am in the minority with this book as I really didn't get it.

It was really slow and then just when I thought that something big was going to happen, it didn't!

The twist was call but it wasn't anything that made me go wow, I just went "oh" and then the book ended.

As I said I may be in the minority because I know a lot of people that loved this, but I will watch the Netflix show and see if I enjoy that any better

Given that the Netflix show is about to air, I thought it might be interesting to check out the source material. Sadly, now I don't want to watch the show either. The book just really did nothing for me. I wasn't invested, excited or interested... I begrudgingly went back to it a few times just to get to the end, but it wasn't for me.

This is a book that has been on my radar for quite some time, without me ever actually being aware of what its contents actually entailed. I think this greatly benefited my reading and allowed for a pretty chilling experience to occur. Audiobook was also definitely the best format in which to consume this book. Listening to the eerie concluding portion at 2am led to one restless night of little sleep!

I found the former and latter portions of this book very well executed and exactly as horrifying as I was hopefully anticipated. The middle portion, however, seemed to lessen in its foreboding tone and I was struggling to connect the dots of all that was occurring. This was then successfully and shockingly explained at the close of the novel and I loved how this unforeseen twist altered every event that had gone before. There were still a few elements I wanted cleared up and I did still find the central portion far lower in intensity but, for the most part, this was a satisfying and horrifying read/listen.

“I’m thinking of ending things. Once this thought arrives, it stays. It sticks. It lingers. It dominates. There’s not much I can do about it. Trust me. It doesn’t go away. It’s there whether I like it or not. It’s there when I eat. When I go to bed. It’s there when I sleep. It’s there when I wake up. It’s always there. Always.”

A very short, spoiler-free synopsis: Jake and his girlfriend take a road trip to meet his parents for the first time. Along the way, some really strange stuff happens. His girlfriend is thinking of ending things.

I’m Thinking of Ending Things starts off very slowly, a good portion of the book is the couple on the drive to Jake’s parents’ house, their philosophical conversations and the unnamed girlfriend's internal monologue. In a way, the claustrophobic setting of just two people in a car did add to the very unsettling atmosphere I experienced throughout the book.

Though a few creepy details are scattered throughout this first part of the story, it is not until we get to the parents' house when the weird factor is really cranked up. A combination of bizarre conversations, uncanny events and the recollection of some very disquieting memories that together act to make the reader really unnerved.

The audiobook narration was amazing! At times I had to pause the book because I was altogether too unsettled by what was going on. I would definitely recommend listening to the audiobook (perhaps in a well-lit room though).

The ending took me a while to digest. It wasn’t particularly confusing- but once again, I think the audiobook format helped me understand what was happening- however it was definitely unexpected.

I have seen a few reviews of people that adored this book and I’ve also seen people who hated it, particularly because of the ending. I certainly understand both sides of the argument but I really enjoyed this reading experience. I have never been so gripped and felt so ill at ease because of a book.

Overall I think this is an excellent psychological thriller written with near nightmarish precision.

*Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for providing an audio-book ARC in exchange for a honest review. As always, all opinions are my own!

This is my re-read/re-listen of this book, and it didn't disappoint the second time around either....

I have read a lot of strange books, thrillers, mystery, etc....

The entire story is strange, with what seems to be flashes back and forth in time, and it takes a LONG time for things to start 'clicking' and making some sort of logical sense.....

** MY FULL REVIEW IS ON GOODREADS AND CONTAINS SPOILERS **

The audiobook version does help to understand the ending much much better than reading it physically and I definitely recommend it.

I'll just say here....

Brilliant twist at the end but at the same time, very weird.

I'm so glad I got the chance to read (listen) to this before the Netflix adaptation.

This book was weird, chilling, dark, scary, an utter mind fuck (I'm still confused over that ending)! Just when you think you understand what's going on... the train falls off the track.

I will definitely be re-reading this at some point.

Amazing. I have read this book but the audio was fantastic. Highly recommended and highly terrifying.