This Is How It Ends by Jen Nadol
Simon Pulse
Publication Date: October 7, 2014
Date Read: July 27, 2014
I received an advance reader
edition of this book from Simon Pulse and Edelweiss for the
purpose of providing an honest review.
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3 Stars
I liked this book but must admit that I am a bit disappointed because I honestly believe that it had the potential to be so much more than it was. A group of teens with the power to see the future using a magic pair of binoculars was such an interesting concept and I had such high hopes. Please don’t get me wrong this is a good book with a lot of positive attributes but it fell short in several areas as well.
Riley and his friends are hanging out in a cave playing Truth or Dare when they find a mysterious pair of binoculars. They each take turns looking through them and each see a vision of themselves with the exception of Trip. They shrug it off as a hallucination until Natalie’s vision becomes a reality.
The relationships between the teens in this book were very well done and realistic. It was really nice to see a book with a male as the main character. The mystery connected to Natalie’s vision was interesting with the group trying to solve it on their own. This group of kids had more details and know how than the local police.
I felt that the book had two major negative points. The slight paranormal angle of the future seeing binoculars was incredibly underused. If I had access to something that could tell me my future, I would be using it constantly and I am an adult with a lot more restraint than most teens. The biggest problem with the book was the ending. I was so disappointed in how this book ended or really did not end. There really did not seem to be much of a conclusion and what was learned towards the end of the book was really quite the let down.
I would recommend this book to others and think it would be appropriate for older teens who enjoy mysteries. This is the first book by Jen Nadol that I have read and I would be open to reading more in the future.
