How It Ends Book Review

How It Ends
By: Laura Wiess
Release Date: August 4, 2009

Summary (from Amazon):
All Hanna's wanted since sophomore year is Seth. She's gone out with other guys, even gained a rep for being a flirt, all the while hoping cool, guitar-playing Seth will choose her. Then she gets him -- but their relationship is hurtful, stormy and critical, not at all what Hanna thinks a perfect love should be. Bewildered by Seth's treatment of her and in need of understanding, Hanna decides to fulfill her school's community service requirement by spending time with Helen, her terminally ill neighbor, who she's turned to for comfort and wisdom throughout her life. But illness has changed Helen into someone Hanna hardly knows, and her home is not the refuge it once was. Feeling more alone than ever, Hanna gets drawn into an audiobook the older woman is listening to, a fierce, unsettling love story of passion, sacrifice, and devotion. Hanna's fascinated by the idea that such all-encompassing love can truly exist, and without her even realizing it, the story begins to change her. Until the day when the story becomes all too real...and Hanna's world is spun off its axis by its shattering, irrevocable conclusion.

Outlined Review:
Character Development: 9/10
Originality: 10/10
Hookability: 10/10
Ending: 9/10
Voice: 10/10
Recommendation: 10/10
Total Score: 58
Grade: A+

Age Appropriate Rating:
Cussing: 6/10
Drugs, alcohol, etc.: 5/10
Sexual Content: 7/10
Violence/Disturbing Images: 4/10

Written Review:

Dramatic and beautiful. Laura Weiss masterfully wove a story of family and true love into one intricate novel. I liked the double perspective. You went from the typical teen girl Hanna, with her own problems and crushes and no time to spare for an old friend; to Helen, an elderly woman who is beginning to grow ill and is missing her relationship with her surrogate granddaughter. Though Helen’s perspective seemed slower in the beginning it was a nice change after Hanna’s hectic life.

Hanna’s messy relationship with Seth is packed with so much emotion and drama. The pre-dating relationship developed slowly and Seth seemed to be a sweet and charming guy but once the true relationship started it picked up fast and never slowed down. And Seth turned into an unlikeable yet still weirdly alluring character that sometimes left me in tears for Hanna. I don’t usually cry in books so that proves how in depth HOW IT ENDS was.

The audio book within the book kept me just as captivated as the book itself. Both are titled HOW IT ENDS and both titles seem true to the story for different reasons. HOW IT ENDS audio book is a powerful story of true love. The emotion within those pages was so strong it left me puzzled at some points, in awe at others, but mostly it left me in tears.

I don’t think I have loved a book as much as this one in a long time. It definitely makes my list of top books of 2009. I recommend it to anybody and everybody.

HOW IT ENDS is a book that touches your heart. Each voice was distinct and heartfelt. Each page flowed perfectly with true emotions pouring from them. Each character couldn’t have been more real. And each chapter only intensified the beautiful prose. My whole heart went into this book and didn’t fully come back until well after the last page.

thanks.

Jill