The Ending Writes Itself
About the book
Author: Evelyn Clarke (V.E. Schwab + Cat Clarke)
Publisher: Harper
More info:
The StoryGraph | Goodreads
Note: Content and trigger warnings are provided for those who need them at the bottom of this page. If you don’t need them and don’t want to risk spoilers, don’t scroll past the review.
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My review
I’ve never read one of Cat Clarke’s books, but I’m very familiar with V.E. Schwab’s skill at writing a tight, heart-pounding plot. So I fully expected this (a collab between the two of them and Schwab’s first foray into thriller/murder mystery) to be gripping and twisty and nothing less than five stars. Well I was right — and yet they managed to pleasantly surprise me, too.
The premise of this book is that a handful of midlist authors have been invited to the private island mansion of the most famous author in the world, who writes mysteries. When they get there, they’re told that (surprise!) he died before his magnum opus was finished, so they are now competing to see who can write the best ending — and win a bunch of money plus a new publishing contract, to boot. Because this all must be a secret, they’re trapped on the island without any technology for 72 hours…what could go wrong? (Spoiler: A lot!!)
This book was completely delicious and the perfect reason to stay up late reading (which I did). And in fact, after a mic-drop moment at the end of the first section, I literally said “Let’s f*cking GO” out loud to an empty room. What I didn’t expect, but was also very impressed by, was this book’s spot-on social commentary on the publishing industry, plus its ingenious use of common mystery/thriller tropes to not just craft the story, but make a statement.
V, I will follow you anywhere, as you have not led me astray yet. And Cat, I’m officially on board.
I can’t wait for more people to read this!! (Thanks Harper for the copy via NetGalley!)
Content and trigger warnings
Murder
Blood, violence, gore
Alcohol
Abuse (in the past)
