Tell Me How This Ends by Jo Leevers introduces us to 32 year old Henrietta Lockwood whose job is to transcribe the memories of terminally ill patients into books for their families, and Annie who is in the last weeks of her life who has a story to tell. As these two ladies are put together their friendship grows and their secrets are shared. Annie is still not over the disappearance of her sister and Henrietta becomes a sort of detective for her. This book is a slower contemporary mystery with an underlying theme of grief, but the grief isn't sitting heavy over the story. I think that if you enjoy slow paced mysteries where details are revealed through memories/flashbacks, you will enjoy this wonderful debut novel by Ms. Leevers.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest thoughts.

This seems to be one of those books that some people love, whereas others just don't relate to the main characters and therefore end up not being fully invested in it. Sadly I fall into the latter category. The story was good and the idea of Life Story books was also really good and I really liked Annie as a character, but Henrietta just got on my nerves and rubbed me the wrong way at times.

A couple of times I wondered if I would finish it, but my curiosity got the better of me. I wanted to know what had happened to Kath, Annie's sister back in the 70s and of course also if Annie's story would be told before she passed away.

So all in all mixed feelings.... good story, but mainly Henrietta as a character was not for me.

Henrietta is beginning her new job as a writer/story teller for the terminally ill. The project is to make books of memories for people to give to their survivors. Her first client is Annie who is hiding a mysterious past that she want’s people to know but afraid to tell. Henrietta begins digging and finds a dead sister in Annie’s past. A wonderful story of two very different women helping each other with their pasts. An enjoyable read that handles death very well.

This is a book full of heart. It's sad in many ways, but ultimately it's also uplifting. I really enjoyed the mystery element and how that particular plotline unfolded, along with the gradual but long overdue blossoming of Henrietta. It's a story of friendships, family and finding your place in the world. I'll be looking out for more from Jo Leevers as this is such a strong debut with a quirky yet relatable storyline and characters that I couldn't help but love.

Another sad story about a women at the end of her life wanting to relay a story to someone, to get it down and possibly draw out the secret to a mystery that has plagued her. What happened to her sister?

The story was pretty quick to suck me in. I liked the intro, the job and the way they meet. The MC is a bit hard to like, at first, but she grew on me. The story swept me away, even if I felt like a knew some of the things that were going to happen. It was a great story to fall into in the midst of a busy holiday season, because the audio kept me hanging on every word and was something I could listen to as I cleaned, shopped, or other errands.

I highly recommend the audio.

A unique debut novel - character driven drama with a mystery that is screaming to be solved. It is beautifully written and a touching story. I loved how real the characters feel. I wasn't sure, at first, how to take the main character, Henrietta. She is extremely socially awkward and is only comfortable in following routines and rules. She is well written and, as we read on, we begin to understand why she behaves as she does and, in the end, we experience her growth in character. This is a distinctive and emotional story.

I expected this book to be depressing but the author did a good job of making the stories and the main plot engaging and emotional without dragging readers down. The characters were engaging and relatable, and the plot was paced well.

Henrietta Lockwood lives in west London with her cantankerous dog Dave and at 32 is feeling a bit like a failure. She's recently lost her job, has no real friends and an uncomfortable relationship with her parents. She is able to land a new gig with an up and coming new company called Life Story -- helping dying people tell their legacy stories before they pass in order to make a keepsake book for grieving loved ones. She assumes the job will be pretty straightforward, and hopefully one that even she, a self proclaimed "failed librarian" can do quite well. Her first subject is Annie, an eccentric older woman dying of cancer, and an unlikely connection unfolds one session at a time. Annie casually mentions her sister drowning by mysterious circumstances nearly 50 years earlier which sets Henrietta on a personal mission to help solve the mystery that has haunted the rest of Annie's life. In turn Annie helps Henrietta heal from her own past trauma and a friendship takes shape. Can Henrietta create the closure Annie desperately needs?

This did take me a minute to get into. I very much enjoyed the way this story unfolded, layers of each woman's life peeling away until you couldn't help but see the similarities between them and how badly you wanted to see them team up and solve the mystery before Annie's death. Both characters were endearing, quirky, and tragic in their own way. This author does a great job of character development while still continuing the plot and building up the mystery to keep the reader engaged. During the latter half of the book things really picked up and I was very invested, in the wild but incredible journey of both Annie and her sister. Great debut book!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book!

I am blown away that this is Jo Leevers debut novel! For those of you who are fans of Fredrik Bachman, Nita Prose, and Heather Webber, meet Tell Me How This Ends! Henrietta and Annie form an unlikely friendship. Henrietta is tasked with writing Annie's final memories and as the story of her life unfolds, they both uncover truths about themselves that they were not prepared for. I found myself rooting for Henrietta and aching for Annie throughout but all along I knew the reveal would be worth the wait. 👏
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Thank you to Netgalley, Jo Leevers, and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

A beautifully handled tender and rare insight into an encounter that blossoms into an unlikely but meaningful friendship between some very different women, one of them terminally ill, the other a shy diffident charity worker. Their companionship and trust in one another blossoms across the pages, a real privilege to be privy to their story.

Tell Me How This Ends is one of the most unique stories I have ever read, and impressively enough, it's a debut!

The writing style did take a bit to get used to as it was translated from German. Once, I got used to the voice of the story, I couldn't put it down. Henrietta is a quirky character who has struggled to fit in her entire life and has a family that can be described as cold. She has just secured a job writing terminally ill people's life stories.

Enter Annie. An old woman with a sordid past that doesn't have a story to fit Henrietta's writing template for a life story. Her devastation after her sister's alleged drowning years ago and more than loveless marriage, Annie feels there's nothing more to do than to just be "rid of it."

But as these women meet for each session, Henrietta can't help but think there is more to the story. She learns more of Annie's past than even Annie herself could have imagined, and an unlikely friendship is forged.

Tell Me How This Ends is a story of regret and learning acceptance. Annie learns that maybe the story we tell can be the same story we tell ourselves before it's too late.

This was a really unique storyline and I loved reading about the characters, I really warmed to them both and wanted the best for them. It was a really intriguing and exciting read

The story is well written but the story's structure just isn't as appealing to me as I initially expected. I found myself bored. But I just think it's simply not for me.

This was enjoyable and I found myself thinking about it long after I finished. Henrietta was likable in her quirkiness and I was invested in the story,

"Tell Me How This Ends" by Jo Leevers is written mostly from the two protagonists' perspectives. One of Henrietta, who just got hired to write down people's life stories, and one of Annie--a widow dying of cancer whose time to enjoy her widowhood outside an abusive marriage was cut too short.

The women form an odd friendship that seems to circulate around their own traumatic life events. Annie's story seems to give Henrietta a purpose to dab in a bit of a missing person investigation that will bring surprising discoveries.

I enjoyed reading this story with one character accidentally possessing autistic traits, and the other so traumatised that created an illusion that helped her survive tough times. However, the ending and resolution felt too rushed and sped up, comparing to the first 3/4 of the book.

Henrietta has a new job at Life Story Projects, her first client is Annie. Annie tells Henrietta about her life with her husband and her sisters drowning in 1974 which was never resolved and had always hung over her.

When we meet Henrietta she is very to the point, likea rules and guidelines, and doesn't have the best social etiquette. She's quite hard on Annie at first and wants to know the answers to everything, even if Annie doesn't have them. There is a lot of unresolved problems in Henrietta's live; the incident in Papa New Guinea and her relationship with her parents.

My heart broke for Annie when she recounts her life but she shows us how she made it through and lived the last years of her live happier and care free.

I really enjoyed how Henrietta grew as a person with Annie and how Annie was able to show her the good in the life and how you just had to take chances.

There were twists I wasn't expecting which made me want to read read read until I knew it all.

I thoroughly recommend this book. It's a read that keeps you wanting more.

Thank you to Netgalley and the author for a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

An absolutely beautiful book, so many heartbreaking but also heartwarming moments. Two women at different stages of life who help each other in very different ways, but who make each others lives better. The subject matter was tough for me for personal reasons, but at no point did I want to stop reading. Because you cared about the characters, you wanted to find out their stories, you wanted the answers and you knew that there may not be a 'happy ending' entirely, but what you did have at the end of this book was hope. It is a story that shows that bottling things up can fester, and that in the end, sharing the hardest things, those that weigh on you throughout your life, can bring you some peace, it just takes finding someone who will listen, show kindness and care and not judge. And when we unload ourselves of those things, we can make our lives better, or at least find some peace. A beautiful piece of writing! 4 stars.

Rating: 3.5 stars (rounded up to 4)I love the preimise of this book. The description and gorgeous cover drew me in right away!

The pacing felt a bit slow to me, and I’m sure that was intentional. However. I found myself wishing we could skip some of the mundane parts and get on with Annie’s story. I felt myself not wanting to read it a few times because the pace was a little slow.

I adored the characters. Henrietta gave me very strong The Maid vibes (by Anita Prose). I also loved Annie’s spunk and loved hearing her story. Her development and growth throughout the story was fun to witness in reference to it being put into a book.

I actually don’t typically enjoy books set in London for some reason, but I enjoyed this setting. You mostly felt like you were sitting in a cafe with Henrietta and Annie! The backstory was the perfect amount of mysterious.

My favorite part was the writing style. Everything flowed very well and wasn’t descriptive without the overuse of similes. I was shocked to discover this was a debut author. I am very excited to jump into more of her books!

A stunning novel of two very different women who are brought together by memories and a haunting mystery. I was first drawn in by the voice of Henrietta, who is reminiscent of Eleanor Oliphant and just as witty! Her personality juxtaposed with strong and colorful Annie made them a wonderful pair! As Annie's story unfolds, I became just as invested as Henrietta and finished the novel over just a couple days because I too had to find out what happened. Jo Leevers has written a fantastic study on grief, regret, the things we choose to leave behind... and the people we can never forget.

This was such a sweet and heartfelt read. The characters are lovable. The story sucks you in! It has great writing! Highly enjoyed!