I couldn't put down this heartbreaking story of two parents divided over the care of their terminally ill child. This is very cleverly written portrayal of the angst and trauma that two parents had to go through. Thought provoking and emotional, I loved it. Thank you!

Loved, loved, loved it. To begin with it's a little like a Jodie Picoult story - trying to decide what is the right thing to do - morally. But eventually it just becomes a love story of two people and their love for their child. Definitely recommend it. Couldn't put it down.

My goodness. I can see that this is a book which does and will divide opinion. I have worked with parents and pre-school children most of my life and could really feel the pain portrayed in this book concerning the illness of a much loved child. I was gripped and can freely say that this is very well written, at least in the first part. It was a great idea to split the story and continue it telling two accounts following the aftermath of the court case. However it was somewhat confusing to read and personally I found this section less believable and compelling. It would have been improved by the parallel stories being less alike. Easier to follow and with a greater interest to the reader. I would give the first half of the book 5 stars but overall 4.

From twitter.com/karamina

I started reading #AfterTheEnd by
@claremackint0sh
last night and couldn’t stop. It’s an exceptional book, beautifully written and full of humanity and tenderness and love. (And well worth staying up until after 2am to finish...)

I have read and enjoyed all of Clare Mackintosh's previous books and was delighted to receive a copy of her latest book After the End.
This story is unlike any of her other books. This is a story of a family in crises, a sad emotional tale of a terminally ill child and the choice that his parents have to make for his future. A thought provoking story that made me think of what I would do in their shoes.
Thank you to NetGalley and Little, Brown Book Group UK for my e-copy in exchange for an honest review.

I can't imagine the heartache and tears required to write this book. It's based on the author's own experiences I understand and that got me. I didn't know the subject matter before reading the book and I only went on the name of the author,. This is quite an amazing book but it was very very hard to read. If you can cope reading about terminally ill children and hospital appointments then you're stronger than I am. Goodness knows how someone actually goes through this. I can't review this book for many reasons but I am in awe of Clare's strength and that of her family. Much love to them all.

Had I'd known what the subject matter was for this book, I would not have requested to read this. The blurb on the NetGalley page did not mention the terminally ill child at all. I can say that the writing style was very engaging initially and I got into the main characters very quickly and you also get to read the Doctor point of view too.

I did find this story very difficult to read and it makes it even more hard to review when you read that the author has used her own personal experiences to write this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for a honest review.

I’m not someone who cries easily, but this ruined me. Compassionate, gentle and engaging - I’ve been blown away by the writing, the gripping storyline and the genuine pain.

So relevant in a time where the topic is more and more splashed across social media.

Highly recommended. Not an easy read, but a wonderful one.

A very powerful and emotive book, I work as a Paediatric Nurse and have seen very similar cases, there are no winners and a position no parent should ever have to make. It made me so sad how Pip and Max couldn't agree on the best end of life care for Dylan and no matter what the outcome of the court case it was hard to see how they would ever move forward

I'm a huge fan of Clare Mackintosh, so I was delighted to receive an advanced copy of this novel.

It's very different to her previous books, in that it's not a thriller. It's a family drama, based on very real emotions and unbelievably difficult circumstances. It's every bit as fast paced though, and I devoured it.

Very well written, I connected with all the characters and felt their pain throughout. You'd think it was a true story, based on those characters, and the author's note at the end confirms it comes from a very real place in the author's heart.

The second half of the book, which shows the alternative lives of the characters "after the end" was clever and something different. A fantastic read.

Really enjoyed this book on a very difficult subject matter, although found it a little confusing at times with the alternative story lines. I like that the ending however was not conclusive this seemed to fit well with the story.

A totally different type of book from Clare’s previous 3, in lots of ways. As the mum of a 3 year old boy I found it incredibly moving and indeed hard to read at times.
Thank you NetGalley for the chance to read and review this book - it gets a high recommendation from me.

I feel a bit conflicted reviewing this book because I am aware it is a deeply personal subject to the author. I'm a big fan of Clare Mackintosh's thrillers so was keen to see her write another genre. After The End is about a couple who are having to deal with a terminally ill child and make a decision about his healthcare. Around halfway through the book splits and we are taken through the two possible choices which alternate chapter about. I found that this didn't help the narrative flow and made the book seem quite disjointed. I didn't find any of the characters likeable and really struggled to get through this.

A difficult topic, beautifully handled with great originality. Many authors would have based their novel on what happens to a couple when a child falls terminally ill, but Clare Mackintosh takes this one step further and examines what could happen next. I totally believed in this couple and their struggles and was reduced to tears on more than one occasion. Very very good.