❃ I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review. ❃

Book Review: How it Ends by Catherine Lo

How It Ends by Catherine Lo is such a touching story about friendship. This book has a realistic representation of two friends who slowly drift apart and is very relatable. What I especially enjoyed was the main character and the believable way that her anxiety was shown.

❀ A book of friendship

How It Ends is the story of a friendship, from beginning to end. Two girls quickly become best friends, but their friendship slowly falls apart over the course of a year. I loved how this book focuses on friendship, as I prefer a strong group of friends to a couple any day. I definitely enjoyed reading about Jessie and Annie’s adventures together.

❀ Relatable Characters

What I most enjoyed about How It Ends is that it is relatable and realistic. Jessie and Annie’s friendship isn’t perfect and their pasts get in the way of their bond. One of my least favourite things in books is the perfect friendship where nothing every goes wrong. I’m sure that many people will be able to relate to the characters in the book and the struggle of having to choose between your friends.

❀ Anxiety is portrayed realistically

I really enjoyed the main character in How It Ends, Jessie. She is such a complex character with plenty of flaws. Jessie has anxiety, which makes her friendship pretty tough. I absolutely loved the way Jessie’s anxiety was portrayed in the book. It is serious and not romanticized. I find a lot of the time in books, anxiety is used to make female characters seem like they need rescuing, or just thrown in to make them seem more complex. I really appreciated how strong Jessie is, even with her anxiety, and the fact that her anxiety was shown realistically.

❀ Enjoyable Story

How It Ends by Catherine Lo is a great friendship story that is very relatable. The main character has anxiety, which I found to be portrayed very believably. The only part of the book that I didn’t enjoy was the ending, but I still liked the book overall.

Book Quotes: how it Ends by Catherine Lo

“So basically, what I have learned about the wold of work is that it’s depressingly like high school. There are still cliques, everyone does the least amount of work possible to get by, and the beautiful people are in charge.”

About The Candid Cover

Olivia ❀ YA book blogger, Starbucks lover, novice New Yorker, & professional bibliophile.