On the first day of a new semester, everything is playing out normally with the same routine that happens every semester, every year. The principal makes her speech, the students get up and rush to the exits, and the doors won’t open. Students push harder, yell louder, and alert friends and teachers. A quick, boisterous noise comes from somewhere in the auditorium. Someone is shooting. Run! Hide! There is no way out. No one can help. Everyone is on the inside, everyone in the school is in the auditorium…or so he thinks.

This is Where it Ends by Marieke Nijkamp is easily one of the most superlative novels I have ever had the pleasure of reading. The storyline is incomparable to anything else I have heard or read. The book doesn’t take very long to finish because it is close to impossible to tear yourself away from the electrifying events taking place at all times during the story.

This thrilling tale is told from the perspectives of four different high school students who are all experiencing the shooting in a different ways. Claire is running outside on the track, Autumn and Sylvia are in the auditorium, and Tomas is in the principal’s office; they are all connected to the shooter in one way or another. The stories the kids tell are so mind-numbing and exhilarating that attachments formed between myself and the characters.

However, I did find a few details in the plot that I felt needed more clarification. Many times I had to flip back and reread a few pages because I felt like I missed something. While reading, it is important to be able to remember who is related to whom and what affiliations certain characters have with one another. But despite the small confusions, I found the book generally easy to follow.

This is Where it Ends is a story that I think everyone should read and will love. It teaches you about the power of relationships with people and the importance of creating bonds between friends. I highly recommend taking the time to read this book and engage yourself in the riveting story that you will never stop thinking about.