"I never realized that courage was so terrifying."

This raw, powerful, and timely book gives readers an uncomfortably close encounter with a fictionalized school shooting. Over the span of 54 heart-pounding minutes, four students must confront their greatest hopes and darkest fears as they come face to face with the shooter.

You would expect a book on this subject matter to be suspenseful, but this one is also remarkably thought-provoking, dealing in equal measure with fear, love, loss, courage, and compassion.

This Is Where It Ends by Marieke Nijkamp is acclaimed by critics and readers alike, whose reviews describe the book with words like "gritty," "tough and heartbreaking," "profound," "eye-opening," "brutal," and "gutting and realistic." 

There is plenty to unpack here, and the novel offers no shortage of important topics and questions to prompt deeper discussion.

Special bonus content in this version includes a letter from the author, discussion questions, two bonus chapters, a conversation with the author, and a playlist.