This Is Where It Ends

The reviews are in! This Is Where It Ends, the #1 New York Times bestseller and one of the Best Books of the Decade (Buzzfeed, Paste Magazine, BookRiot), "could break you." "I am speechless." "The saddest book I have ever read." "Literally tore my heart out."

Go inside a heartbreaking fictional school shooting, minute-by-terrifying-minute. Everyone has a reason to fear the boy with the gun...

10:00 a.m.: The principal of Opportunity, Alabama's high school finishes her speech, welcoming the entire student body to a new semester and encouraging them to excel and achieve.

10:02 a.m.: The students get up to leave the auditorium for their next class.

10:03 a.m.: The auditorium doors won't open.

10:05 a.m.: Someone starts shooting.

Over the course of 54 minutes, four students must confront their greatest hopes, and darkest fears, as they come face-to-face with the boy with the gun. In a world where violence in schools is at an all-time high and school shootings are a horrifyingly common reality for teenagers, This Is Where It Ends is a rallying cry to end the gun violence epidemic for good.

Praise for This Is Where It Ends:

A Buzzfeed Best Young Adult Book of the Decade
A Paste Magazine Best Teen Book of the Decade
A Book Riot Biggest YA Book of the Decade
A Professional Book Nerds Best Book of the Decade
A Bustle.com Most-Anticipated YA Novel
A Goodreads YA Best Books Pick
A Goodreads Choice Award Finalist for Young Adult Fiction
Kids Indie Next List Pick

"Marieke Nijkamp's brutal, powerful fictional account of a school shooting is important in its timeliness." --Bustle.com

"A gritty, emotional, and suspenseful read and although fictionalized, it reflects on a problematic and harrowing issue across the nation." --Buzzfeed

"A compelling, brutal story of an unfortunately all-too familiar situation: a school shooting. Nijkamp portrays the events thoughtfully, recounting fifty-four intense minutes of bravery, love, and loss." --BookRiot

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Published May 7, 2019

336 pages

Average rating: 7.1

131 RATINGS

Community Reviews

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abookwanderer

Oct 09, 2025

8/10 stars

I've had This Is Where It Ends on my shelf for awhile. It's one of those I'd pull off, read the first few pages, feel overwhelmed, and place back on the shelf. The heavy subject matter seemed daunting, but today I finally decided to tackle it and finished it in just a few hours! I've read mixed reviews on this one, too. Many feel it's too detached--black and white--but for a book geared for teens, I think it has just the right amount of depth. What I do know, is I couldn't put it down.

#popsugarreadingchallenge2019 (prompt #24)

Krysta

Oct 01, 2025

2/10 stars

Would not recommend. This book was awful and a total disgrace. Should never have been published. When I finished it, which was very hard to do, I had so much anger in me. This book is a total disservice to any TRUE victim.

ameliareads

Oct 22, 2024

10/10 stars

This is perfectly devastating. You seriously need a box of tissues and don’t read this in public, unless you’re okay blubbering and/or swearing in front of others. I highly recommend this book for everyone, as it helps gives a piece of what it may feel like for victims of school shootings. You never really know what someone is going through or the last time you’ll see the people you love.

brittanytaylor

Oct 18, 2024

8/10 stars

Might make you cry but it’s a good book

sarcasticgrl

Feb 10, 2024

7/10 stars

Terrifying, fast-paced read about a school shooting. Chest-clenching detail of what it would be like to be involved in a life or death situation told from the view points of 4 students. Not a read I will forget soon.