A really moving and emotional read.
This book details every parents worst nightmare- the serious illness and terminal diagnosis of a child and the subsequent life changing decisions forced upon the family.
Beautifully crafted, after the terminal diagnosis the book divides into two alternative realities based on the two different options presented to and by the family of Dylan following both through several years after the events.
I couldn't put this book down- I need to find out what happened and lived every breath, every choice, every appointment and every tear with Pip and Max.
I also gathered my 3 year old to me extra close as the book really brought home the message of cherishing every moment- even the ones where you just wish for 5 minutes and a hot cuppa.

This is a very emotional story and quite heart-breaking in places. It is completely different from Clare's psychological thriller books but proving what a talented author she is. This is a "must read" book

I loved After the End. It will resonate with anyone who has known someone go through life-prolonging treatment, only to wonder if enough is enough and we can't put them through any more. I thought the sliding doors aspect of the book was brilliant. It is one of those books that will stay with me for a long, long time.

Oh my goodness is there no end to this lady's talents. I wasn't expecting to be reading a book that tore every emotion from me. A truly beautiful and heartbreaking book but one that also made me smile throughout. A very tough subject but written with so much heart and soul from an author that has first hand experience of what it is like to know you are going to lose your child.
One word AMAZING

This is a very timely read - these cases have come to prominence over the last few years, & this book gives you a real insight into the lives & relationships behind these stories. This book is heartbreaking, and hopeful at the same time. I loved it, and found myself rooting for both Pip & Max, even though they were on completely different sides in their view of what was best for Dylan.

This is a personal choice but I have to knock a star off for the difficulties I had sometimes in keeping track of which outcome I was following.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC of this title in exchange for an honest review.

Enjoyed this authors other books but did not know whether this one was going to hit the spot . I was so not disappointed . What an emotional rollercoaster for two parents having to decide whether you try to save your son or let him go . Dylan is terminally ill but the choices the parents have to go through are heartbreaking . What will they do, how will their marriage survive . A must read. Thanks nethgalley for this book

I’ve loved all of Clare Mackintosh’s and this one is no exception. I loved how the story split and how it weaved between two different lives.

Utterly heartbreaking story. I was very surprised to uncover the story as I don’t think it was well reflected by the synopsis and I actively avoid stories about childhood death as I find them massively triggering. I would never have requested it had I known the subject matter, and I really struggled to get through it.

A raw story of a couple who have different views on what is the best way to progress with their sons treatment.

A heart breaking decision for anyone to imagine and then raw emotional journey if both outcomes is portraid by each of the characters as they try to love after death.

It’s not often you pick up a book to read that is written with eloquent and heart felt words throughout. This story is based on Dylan. Max and Pips son who is terminally ill, when faced with the decision as to whether or not to place him in pallative care plan both parents have opposing views. But which one has the right decision? Is there a right decision? Who decides. Irrespective life continues and they have to live with their decision.

I cannot imagine being faced with such a situation l. Losing a child must be a harrowing experience. At the end of the book we learn that the author has been in a similar situation. And I genuinely feel that this book is written from her heart, sharing her emotions, and it’s this that makes this an exceptional read.

Big fan of this author, this was totally different to her thrillers. I loved the start but felt a bit let down by the ending found it a bit abrupt & wondered what happened with lars & how the wedding came about.

Max and Pip are the strongest couple you know. Only now they're facing the most important decision of their lives - and they don't agree.

As the consequences of an impossible choice threaten to devastate them both, nothing will ever be the same again.

But anything can happen after the end....

****
Wow. I wasn't sure what to expect with this being a book away from Clare's usual genre. But, being honest, I think this is her best book yet.

This book is about a parents worst nightmare. A terminally ill child. Upon receiving the news that there was nothing further the doctors could do for Dylan, who was just shy of 3 years old, his parents have opposing views. His mum wants to let him go and be at peace and be pain free. His dad wants to fight and trial anything that may prolong Dylan's life. So what happens next....

What I liked about this book, was that there was no right or wrong. You felt for each parent in equal measures, and could completely understand where they were coming from. I also really like both parents and all the supporting characters too.

It is well worth reading Clare's personal note at the end. You will get an understanding of how she managed to write this beautiful eloquent story.

This is a book that will stay with me for a long time.

Highly recommended.

When I requested this book on NetGalley, I didn’t realise it wasn’t Mackintosh’s usual psychological thriller. It doesn’t give a lot away in the blurb, but I jumped at the chance to read another of her books as I’ve loved them all so far.
It doesn’t matter that this wasn’t the genre I was expecting as it is an outstanding and brilliant read in its own right.
I kept forgetting who the author was as it felt like I was reading a Shari Low book. Low’s books can be quite bleak and poignant. The most recent of hers that I read had the split ‘what if’ story where part of the book the heroine stays with her husband and the other half where she leaves him. The second part of ‘After the End’ reminded me a lot of ‘With or Without You’ as the chapters interspersed with different outcomes from the court trial.
I disagree with some of the other reviewers that thought the book should have ended after the court case as that’s not entirely what the book was about. It is concerning how each party coped with the aftermath and the consequences. It is called ‘After The End’ after all!
Sometimes the interspersed chapters could become a little confusing especially as it neared the end but if you concentrate you can keep up. I also missed Leila’s side of the story in these, yes she popped up now and again, but we had gotten to know her life in the first half and then all of a sudden she no longer had a staring role. The final chapter had me screaming out though as I’d hoped for the real ‘answer’.
I thought this book was beautifully written and you could feel the heartbreak that Pip and Max had to go through, and I don’t envy anyone that has to make that kind of choice. It really makes you think (I don’t have kids, but I do have cats) and it would break my heart to have to make a decision even close to this one.

At first I was unsure about this as it’s a complete departure from her brilliant thrillers into the world of Jodi Picoult type dilemmas. Once I got into it though I thoroughly enjoyed it as 2 parents face the appalling choices of allowing their son to die or to fight to keep him alive at any cost. I thought the scenes in the hospital as different parents are coming and going as their children suffer and then recover, or not, were particularly moving. It was the little scenes such as the one at the beginning where she debates paying the astronomical daily hospital parking charge or let’s her son down by buying a much cheaper monthly pass which is a tacit admission that he won’t be getting out of hospital any time soon that really worked for me. Excellent emotional roller coaster that didn’t follow the paths I expected it too.

A beautifully written book which touches your heart. It takes you through a parent’s journey and how they make their way through the toughest time of their lives and how their decisions affect their entire lives.

Clare Macintosh is an author with enviable storytelling skills who has knife-like precision when it comes to writing the perfect thriller. Her pacing, characters and ability to ramp up the tension to the final few pages is incomparable. Therefore, I will buy and read anything she writes without knowing a single thing about the novel I’m about to delve into – she could write anything, and I’d read it!
I am so very thankful to __ for allowing me an early NetGalley copy of After The End to review. I will be buying myself a copy as soon as it comes out to treasure forever because this book has firmly found a place in my ‘Top Books Of All Time’ list.

I curled up in bed and opened After The End ready to get involved in another wickedly clever thriller, determined more than ever to outsmart Clare and work out the plot. However, what I got myself lost in was an intimate, intoxicating, incandescent novel that lingered in my mind every second I was away from the pages. I want to leave this review as enigmatic as possible because the most effective way to read this novel is to know very little about what it entails and uncover the beauty of it for yourself. What I will say though is this book will leave you torn in half with an impossible decision dividing not only the narrative but the characters within it.

Clare draws on her own personal experience to write this touching novel and it is brutal in its honesty. It’s, at times, overwhelmingly emotional and will touch even the hardest of hearts. I flew through the pages of After The End with tears pricking at my eyes and a heavy heart. You sometimes read books that feel important or life-changing but it’s rare to find a book that is both and then a little bit more. It moved me in ways I haven’t been moved by a novel in a long time, it renewed my faith in so many little things and gave me the chance to explore a decision I hope I’d never have to make.

This novel is both heart-warming and heart-breaking. It is funny and sad, light and dark, upsetting and uplifting. It is a novel of pure brilliance and one I would read a thousand times over and still not get bored. I can only hope this marks the first of many novels like this from Clare.

I have really enjoyed all of this authors books and this was no exception.
After the End is completely different to her other books, it's not a thriller but a superbly written emotional heart breaking story.
I found the characters to be believable with strong voices and the plot was very well paced and incredibly thought provoking.
A must read for anyone who loves Claire Mackintosh as an author. A riviting storyline that will grip you to the end
and will definitely pull your heart strings.

I received a free copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. It's hard to find words to describe this book - I've just spent the last four hours devouring it in one sitting, close to tears for much of it. Mackintosh writes beautifully and with buckets of emotion, and her author's note at the end was touching. I have so much sympathy for her, and am impressed with how she's used her own experiences to write such a deeply moving novel. The characters are all likeable and realistic, and I thought the way that she explored the consequences of both scenarios was effective. Despite the premise of the of the book making it in some ways a difficult read,, the ending(s) were ultimately heartwarming and uplifting, with hope and love ultimately shining through the darkness. I'm so impressed with this book, and look forward to reading more from this author.

I've read all of Clare Mackintosh's previous work so when I saw this book come up on NetGalley I thought great another psychological thriller. How wrong I was.

This is an utterly brilliant yet heartbreaking book about parents who have to make an incredibly difficult decision about their critically ill son.

It is full of emotion and hours later I'm still thinking about it and I'm sure I will still be thinking about it in days to come.

I think this may be Mackintosh's best book yet.

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

Well, this was something completely different! With this galley having minimal synopsis I was still expecting a psychological thriller.. I stuck it out to the end anyway. Not an easy read. The subject matter is highly emotional, not that that’s a bad thing, just be prepared that you may spend a few days in tears.
The characters were well thought out and the story well researched. However, I wasn’t a fan of the way the story was told from halfway through, I was left confused a lot and I felt like this half just tried to desperately find an endding to something that was more just life with twists and turns and no set ending.
I’ve loved all her other books and this was a brave decision to move away from her norm. I’d give it a 2.5 if that was possible, but I’m going with a 3. Well written but just not for me.