This Is How It Ends
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- $13.99
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- $13.99
Publisher 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 out as a good time turns sinister when they find a mysterious pair of binoculars. Those who dare to look through them see strange 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 closest 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?
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
With his father dead and his mother chronically ill, 17-year-old Riley thinks he'll never escape poverty in rural Vermont, so when he and four friends find a pair of binoculars that show the future, he's shocked to see himself going to college. Even more surprisingly, he'll be dating his secret crush his best friend Trip's girlfriend. Brainy Riley's friendship with jock Trip is marked by deep trust but also by neglect and jealousy. As others' visions come true, including his friend Natalie's premonition of her abusive father's murder, Riley and his friends are forced to grow up quickly, and the bright future Riley saw comes at a shocking price. The left-field explanation of the mystery of the binoculars is the weakest part of the book, and the resolution lacks the emotional impact it aims for. But Nadol (The Vision) otherwise delivers a smartly paced, engaging novel that evokes and explores the ambiguities of friendship, while featuring a detailed, immersive setting and characters like Riley's racecar-driving friend Tannis, or tough yet vulnerable Natalie who jump off the page. Ages 14 up.
