This is How it Ends by Jen Nadol 4/5 stars

*Note: This books was given to me in exchange for an honest review*

This is How it Ends was a very interesting book.  The entire book was filled to the brim with mystery. As soon as one thing was answered, two more would come to take its place.  It was a good book.
The Cover:

The Cover:

The cover shows Riley, the main character, with Sarah.  This scene was one of the visions that Riley saw in the binoculars, but I don't agree with it being on the cover.  It makes this book seem like a romance, which it wasn't.  Romance was an element, yes, but it was very subdued.  (It's just as much of a romance as Harry Potter is.)

Official Description:

If you could see the future, would you want to? After the disturbing visions Riley and his friends see turn out to be more than hallucinations, fate takes a dangerous twist in this dark and suspenseful page-turner.

Riley and his friends are gearing up for their senior year by spending one last night hanging out in the woods, drinking a few beers, and playing Truth or Dare. But what starts as a good time turns sinister when they find a mysterious pair of binoculars. Those who dare to look through them see stragne visions, which they brush off as hallucinations. Why else would Riley see himself in bed with his best friend's girlfriend-a girl he's had a secret crush on for years?

In the weeks that follow, the visions begin to come true...including a gruesome murder. One of Riley's closet friends is now the prime suspect. But who is the murderer? Have Riley and his friends really seen the future through those mysterious binoculars? And what if they are powerless to change the course of events?

My Review:

This is How it Ends is one part murder-mystery and one part time travel book (though it was more like time watching than time travel).  There were a lot of seemingly unrelated mysteries that overlapped in spectacular ways.  What do the binoculars show? Who killed Natalie's dad? etc.

The characters were all unique and complex.  There wasn't a lot in the way of character development, but I was still satisfied with how the characters were portrayed.

I was completely sucked into this book's plot.  It was fast-paced and interesting throughout.  

That being said, this book was missing the piece of the story that grabs you by the guts and forces you to be part of the book (with some books its the narrator's voice, others relationships between characters, other plot).  In other words, it was missing the ummph. I still really enjoyed This is How it Ends and read it in a single day, but it needed something to make it stand out. 

I loved reading this book, but I imagine I will not remember it in the long run.  

I would recommend reading This is How it Ends by Jen Nadol if you were originally thinking about reading it or if you think the concept is interesting.  If not, I'd recommend another book.

Phrase:

My inner fourteen-year-old