This was so fun! It felt very much like And then there were none with the isolated setting and the one by one deaths. It took a LONG time to get to the first death but somehow that didn’t bother me. I was enjoying getting into the story and getting to know the authors. I enjoyed that in the first part we had a POV from each ‘type’ of author and then when we switched to Sienna’s POV I was happy because she was my favourite character. And then she died 😭😂 I liked that we proceeded to have a POV from each character, and when it was revealed that Priscilla was actually the senior editor and was just there to keep an eye on things, I did not see that coming! Sometimes this felt like it was trying to be very meta with the commentary on the publishing industry and how difficult it can be, it was an interesting spin at the end of the book but a bit of a depressing take. The only reason this isn’t 5 stars is because I guessed who the murderer was and yet I’m still not 100% sure what their motivation was? Because it seemed like they weren’t PLANNING on murdering anyone until Sienna happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time and a bit too drugged up, so if that hadn’t have happened then what would the murderer have done… just submitted their ending and gone home to live their life? I don’t think so but it’s something I’m not sure about. The motivation wasn’t very strong. Overall loved it! Excited to find out who the authors of this are.

What an absolute rollercoaster of a read!

This book has so much hype around it, but rightly so! Could I figure out the 2 authors under the pen name of Evelyn Clarke? No…. I couldn’t even tell there were 2 people writing this!

So the story is about Arthur Fletch- a renowned author who tragically died before writing an ending for his final book. His publishing company, Merryweather Press have an opportunity of a lifetime for 6 up and coming authors: to write an ending to complete his legacy. In return, the chosen ending/author will receive one million dollars for said ending, plus another million dollars and a 3 book contract.

Sounds simple? Wrong- these authors have just 72 hours to write the ending for the book, whilst shut off from the world in a creepy ass castle on a remote Scottish island….

This book was told through multiple pov and was definitely suspenseful. It was mysteriously twisty and now that I’ve got to the end I can see there were clues throughout the book!

Thank you so much to HQ publishers for the advance read. I have never run to Netgalley so fast to request a book, and this one did not disappoint! Opinions expressed here are my own.

EVELYN CLARKE IS A FRAUD!!
Unless you’ve been living under a rock or stuck in a real housewives hole, you’ll know that Evelyn Clarke doesn’t exist. She is a fictional author created by TWO top secret writers who clearly got together and said “What if we caused absolute chaos in the publishing world?” Mission. Accomplished.

Thanks to the legends at @hqstories, I got an early peek at this fever dream of a novel and let me tell you—IT SLAPS.
It’s a cross between a Knives Out Mystery and The Traitors. It’s giving secrets, it’s giving sabotage, it’s giving “I trust no one, not even myself.” At one point I was fully expecting Claudia Winkleman to burst out and ask the key players if they were a traitor or faithful because even I was unsure who to trust and who not to.

Told through multiple POVs, this book is an UNHINGED and WILD ride. I finished it in two days and now I just sit here, emotionally unstable and side-eyeing everyone in my life.

Can I tell you anything about the plot? Absolutely not. Do I want to? Of course I bloody do. But I won’t. Go in blind. Go in confused. Come out SHOOK.

The true authors are being revealed soon and all I have to say is - Whoever they are: you’re chaotic and I love you.

4.5 stars!

When big-name author Arthur Fletch dies before he finishes what is meant to be his final novel, his agent and editor decide to keep it under wraps and get it finished using a ghostwriter. But of course they don't just do that and instead they get 6 midlist authors to compete to write the ending. Of course they don't tell the authors that Arthur is even dead until they're trapped on his private island, an NDA signed and all their electronic devices locked in a time-locked safe for 72 hours. Whoever writes the best ending wins a once in a lifetime contract. Only before long the competition turns deadly.

The story is told through multiple POVs - Cate (debut novelist), Kenzo (horror), Jaxon (sci-fi), Priscilla (romance), Millie (YA), Malcolm and Sienna (thriller duo writing). Although that works well, particularly when a character who is narrating is subsequently murdered, it does mean that we miss some of the depth of backstory for each of them, which is a shame as it gets hinted at on a few occasions, but we never actually go back to follow up or explain why its relevant. The house is a character in itself, with hidden corridors and potentially deadly props scattered liberally throughout (somebody please move the antler bouquet for the love of god!), the island gives a sense of being trapped and the incoming storm is pathetic fallacy if I ever saw it. But for me it just felt like something was missing. The characters don't seem to be that bothered when someone dies, it borders on ranting about how publishing is not fair to midlist authors on more than one occasion and the ending feels a bit rushed. That being said, its a fun and quick read, and for the first time in ages it's a thriller that hasn't been compared to Knives Out, which is strange as it actually bears resemblance to it towards the end! Read it expecting lots of death and a decent whodunnit without much gore.

This was sublime, I love reading about writers, all the characters were relatable and so great. I enjoyed the twist a lot, I did not see it coming! I'm going to recommend this books to my friends and keep reading books by Evelyn Clarke. When I ended reading it, I was wishing I could keep going.

I absolutely loved this book. I had saw the hype on Instagram and knew I’d love to be involved. I was so over the moon when I found out I had been accepted on NetGalley for a proof.
I had been in a bit of a reading slump, reading purely because I had signed up for different tours and review things but I read this for me. And it felt so good to be reading for me.
6 midlist authors are brought to a remote Scottish island under the guise of meeting a famous author. However, he’s already dead and the 6 of them are actually tasked with writing the ending for the novel the author hasn’t finished. These 6 authors all come from different backgrounds and genres. They aren’t there long before someone starts murdering the authors.
This is a typical closed room murder and the writing is great. I had no clue who the murderer was, but it reminds me of a Christie novel.
This book is amazing and I read it in 24 hours, and even worked a shift and went to my in laws for dinner.
The biggest hype about this book is who is Evelyn Clarke. The pen name of two authors writing together for the first time. One is a best seller, having sold books for decades and the other, isn’t. While reading this book, I did feel like the writing was familiar to me and that got me thinking about who it could possibly be. My guesses are Brandon Sanderson & Ben Miller. There’s a few other authors I think it could be Ben Aaronvitch, Sophie Kinsella, or wild card Prue Leith. I cannot wait to find out who is it and honestly this is the first book I’ve read a digital copy of that I will be buying the print version of.
Such a great read

This book was everything I wanted from a thriller – exciting, fast-paced, strong characters and a brilliant ending! It was a real page turner and I couldn't turn the pages quickly enough!

Each chapter left me wanting more… a must-read and it really was a masterpiece! I really wish I was still reading this book but I suppose I had to run out of pages at some point, at the rate I was devouring them!

The easiest five stars I’ve given and definitely a must read!

As someone who gets more of a peek into the world of book publishing than the average person, both as a journalist and an event chair, I found the commentary on what it's like to be a midlist author so interesting.
I’ve also read quite a few books with a somewhat similar premise of authors being invited to a remote island, but this put a really unique spin on it.
The direction that it took was unexpected, in a good way, and not as formulaic as some of the other books that have attempted this.
I truly had no idea where it would go next or what would happen.
I also liked the switching of POVs and narratives, with it again being done in a different way.
I'm so intrigued by who wrote this, too. It only adds to the mystery, but I quite liked that I didn't go into it with any preconceived notions or previous works by the authors to compare it to.
And speaking of it being written by more than one author, I never would have been able to tell that this was the case, as their writing blended together so well.
Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Oh, wow. Where do I even start?

I almost fell out of my seat when I saw I’d been approved for an ARC of The Ending Writes Itself, because I’ve been anticipating its publication ever since I started noticing the clever marketing centred around Evelyn Clarke, the pseudonymous author duo (and honestly, no, I have no idea as to who they could be, but I’m very impressed at how seamless the writing is – I’d have had no clue two people wrote this if I hadn’t been told beforehand).

The basic premise already had me hooked – a group of authors locked away, tasked with writing the ending to a prolific and now-very-much-dead writer’s final book, but when I actually started reading it and realised it was so much more than that, I devoured it in just over a day. The characters are incredibly compelling and I became quite attached to almost all of them despite my best efforts (I knew, after all, that this story would result in at least a few bodies), the plot twists kept hitting me out of left field, and the meta commentary on the publishing industry was so hard-hitting and spot-on.

I’m well and truly a sucker for books about people who work in publishing, so I knew from the get-go that I’d love this, but I didn’t anticipate just how much of an impact it would have on me. I can’t wait to reread it knowing what I know now, and most importantly, I can’t wait to get my hands on a physical copy! My only gripe is that I currently have no one to talk (or rather, scream incoherently) to about this incredible novel.

Thank you so much to HQ for the advance copy!

Without knowing, you’d never be able to guess that this book was the combined work of two authors, the narrative and characterisation feels flawless. From the off, it doesn’t have the typical thriller/mystery feel, however this gradual build as the weekend retreat progresses leads to twists and revelations that keep you guessing. I loved the jumping between the focus on characters and the epilogue is perfectly fitting. The comments on the nature of the publication industry are raw and honest and give an insight readers don’t typically have access to.

Before getting into the story and my review, I have to talk about the marketing of this book! I’ve been absolutely loving it! 👏 to HQ for the brilliance which for me has been 1. The premise of The Ending Writes Itself is frankly selling itself 🤣 and 2. Who is Evelyn Clarke??? The promo says it’s a pen name for 2 writers - one of whom is a New York Times bestseller, and one of whom is not.

The story is a classic whodunnit set up, with a meta twist. Infamous thriller writer, Arthur Fletch, has suddenly died, leaving the last book in his Julia Pertrarch series unfinished. Now a selection of midlist writers of various genres have been brought together to Fletch’s castle on a remote Scottish island, tasked with writing the ending of the book. All of their devices are locked up in a safe for 72 hours, and everyone has nothing but a bedroom with an old typewriter to write on.

Winner literally takes all!

Amongst the classic setting is a bold commentary on the publishing industry. How hard it is for authors to achieve success, cut through the noise and break free of the midlist. There are lots of references to pen names and each genre’s tropes. There’s also a lot of humour and warmth alongside the mystery and thrills. And of course plenty of twists and surprises that I didn’t see coming!

But OK, now I just need to know who Evelyn Clarke is! I wonder if they’re writing in a different genre to the one they’re famous for as there’s a lot of talk of this in the book. I also wonder if they’re American as - despite the Scottish setting, most of the characters were American and I spotted American spellings - although this could be a red herring!

The character driven aspect, and chapters being divided into different POVs made me think of Lianne Moriarty - and it had the wit and intelligence of a Richard Osman. Neither of those are American so basically I’m clueless and can’t wait to find out!

I do not know where to start with this one. We could start with the fact that I read this in 24 hours. We could then talk about how this is a portrayal of the publishing industry and everything it represents, straight from the source themselves.

I was hooked from the start, I found this really engaging, I loved hearing all of the characters perspectives and feelings.

I enjoyed the diversity of the characters, the plot twists, the publishing parallels. Everything was just so well done.

Highly recommend if you’re a thriller reader, a contemporary fiction reader or just want an insight into the publishing industry and the writing world in a fictional setting.

I loved the initial set up of the story and the first 50% had me gripped. The insights into the world of publishing were astute, sharp and amusing and I loved how comprehensively this was addressed. The setting was atmospheric and I enjoyed the characters.
The pacing was slightly off for me. The first half flew by (even though the action was limited) but the next 40% felt messy and I started to find my interest waning. Although the body count ramped up after the first half it began to feel chaotic and lost its way a bit.
The ending worked well but didn't quite deliver the punch I hoped for.
All in, it's a great glimpse of the publishing world that's well written but as a locked room/cut off island thriller it's limited in terms of plot.

This was a phenomenal story and I was hooked from the very first page. I had spotted people with proof copies from a mystery weekend event and then spotting it on Netgalley, I quickly requested it. I was over the moon to be approved as this is a genre I adore.

In this book, we have a unique group of authors brought together by a reclusive author of world renown. Arthur Fletch has a hugely successful career and is writing his last book, one that is eagerly anticipated by his publisher and fans, When a group of 6 “mid list” authors are brought to his private island for a weekend, none of them can imagine the changes their lives will undergo in that 72 hour window,

The characters are a broad group of authors from romance, fantasy, horror and YA! All of them want greater success and bigger publishing deals and are talented but seem stuck in that “mid list”. As a way out, Fletch’s publisher is offering a huge advance and a three boom deal to whoever can write the best ending for an unfinished manuscript.

As the challenge and timer are set, emotions and stress begin running high and it isn’t long before cracks and chaos begin to rein over the authors. They are so vastly different and you gain insights into their careers and backgrounds, When a murder takes place, you are trying to keep up with the plot and figure out who the villain is but this is a brilliantly thought out story! I was guessing through to the reveal!

I think this is an amazing story and I will certainly be adding this to the shelves of my libraries!