What a fantastic book , I really didn't see the twist coming but oh my gosh !' NETGALLEY REVIEWER, 5* The story for the most part is imaginative on how a scenario like this plays out and the impact it has. The pace is inconsistent in the initial sections – it starts with a bang and then tapers off, then again building up slowly. I had a sneaking suspicion on the turn it would take towards the end and that is what happened. The last sections will not stand up to much logical scrutiny, though they are well written. I remember sitting in my musician father's cross-legged lap while he tried to show me the guitar chords. I was three. His music sheets fascinated me - strange language that translated into music. My mother taught French and English, so her fluency with words fired my interest.

I had requested this book mainly on seeing the part about the ban on fiction. But the book spoke not just to the bibliophile in me but also to the woman and the mother in me. I hadn’t expected such an emotional impact. Fern Dostoy was a very successful, award winning writer until fiction was banned. She is now not allowed to write, with a fine & possible imprisonment being the punishments for being caught writing or reading. The people running the country believe that fiction warps our minds, and we are told what to read. In today’s world, these things do not sound so far fetched! But we all know that she’s not going to do as she’s told don’t we?! Note: The chapter endings in the initial half or so are quite abrupt, stopping mid-sentence. Don’t assume that this is a defect in your audio/digital/print copy. It is a deliberate writing choice, and you will learn the reason for it soon enough.Initially, I was not convinced that this was the book for me. I have never been a huge fan of futuristic fiction. Yet, there was something that kept me reading. I needed to know what was going to happen to Fern. Not giving up on this book proved to be a good choice. This story turns out to be an emotional read that leaves you loving it. It's 2035 and all fiction books have been banned for 5 years and only books based on facts can be sold and read. Fern Dostoy has lost her livelihood of being an award winning writer. She was taken from her home and isolated from all of her friends and the government keep tabs on her to make sure that she is not writing. Despite the consequences of writing, that does not stop Fern especially when she becomes a bedtime story reader and grows an attachment to one particular boy, Hunter. But what is real and what is fake? Powerful and thought-provoking and quite unlike anything I've read before. Louise Beech is a fearless writer." - Laura Pearson This is a book about the importance of storytelling, and it's little bit magic, a little bit dark, and a lot emotional. I adored it." - Amanda Prowse

I enjoy this author’s work. She manages to deliver an emotional ending while keeping the story light and easy to read. By the time I reached the end of this book, I was amazed by where the story ended. As much a ride as a read, this tense, paranoid thriller expands into something absolutely show-stopping. End of Story is a rare find indeed! Louise Swanson takes every expectation and defies it - to tell a breath-taking tale of humanity and redemption." - Janice Hallett Absolutely enthralling, incredibly clever, brutal and heartbreaking. This deserves to be the book everyone is talking about in 2023. I loved it." - C J Tudor

BUT CAN YOU GUESS HOW IT WILL END?

Thank you to Louise Swanson, Hodder and Stoughton and NetGalley for an advanced copy of the audiobook. The plot became weirder and creepier as it moved ahead. I kept wondering how the author was going to resolve this nightmare of a situation. My rating too kept dipping in sync with my progress. And then… **something happened**….and zhoooop!!! (That's the sound of my rating shooting up to the top once again!) Hello, I am Hayley and I run Lotus Writing Therapy and The Lotus Readers blog. I am a counsellor, workshop facilitator and avid reader.