Review: How it Ends by Laura Wiess

How It Ends by Laura Wiess

Young Adult Commercial Fiction

MTV Books (August 4, 2009)

ISBN: 978-1416546634

368 pages

Synopsis from Amazon.com:

Laura Wiess, the acclaimed author who once brought us "a girl to walk alongside Harper Lee's Scout and J. D. Salinger's Phoebe" (Luanne Rice), brings us another memorable young woman, this one at the center of an extraordinary novel of how love ends, how it begins, and what it's worth to protect it...


All Hanna's wanted since sophomore year is Seth. She's gone out with other guys, even gained a rep for being a flirt, all the while hoping cool, guitar-playing Seth will choose her. Then she gets him -- but their relationship is hurtful, stormy and critical, not at all what Hanna thinks a perfect love should be. Bewildered by Seth's treatment of her and in need of understanding, Hanna decides to fulfill her school's community service requirement by spending time with Helen, her terminally ill neighbor, who she's turned to for comfort and wisdom throughout her life. But illness has changed Helen into someone Hanna hardly knows, and her home is not the refuge it once was. Feeling more alone than ever, Hanna gets drawn into an audiobook the older woman is listening to, a fierce, unsettling love story of passion, sacrifice, and devotion. Hanna's fascinated by the idea that such all-encompassing love can truly exist, and without her even realizing it, the story begins to change her.

Until the day when the story becomes all too real...and Hanna's world is spun off its axis by its shattering, irrevocable conclusion.

Going into this novel I wasn't sure what to expect. After reading the cover copy, I thought that the plot sounded like it would be a bit disjointed and that too much would be going on in this novel. I'm glad to say that Laura Wiess's How It Ends proved to be not only enjoyable, but also quite unique.

The course that the story takes is one of a realistic and touching evolution of the primary character Hanna. Starting with her sophomore year, Wiess illustrates all of the typical adolescent experiences but manages to make them seem fresh and significant. Hanna is a sympathetic heroine and her voice adds greatly to the narration of the story. All too often in young adult novels, the teenage experience comes across as played and it is difficult to care for the protagonist but, thankfully, Wiess doesn't fall into that trap with Hanna.

What makes this book a notable one though is the unique and touching relationship that Hanna has with her surrogate grandmother, Helen. Helen's story and point-of-view is just as integral to this novel as Hanna's. Wiess does an excellent job of weaving their intersecting tales - her success is especially apparent during the parts where the tone changes to relay Helen's past byway of the audiobook that she has written.

A novel about love and changes of all different sorts, How It Ends caters to young adults and adult readers alike.

Grade: A-

Visit Laura Wiess' site to learn more about her and How It Ends

Check out the other blogs participating in the How It Ends blog tour:

My Book Views: my-book-views.blogspot.com

Book Soulmates: http://booksoulmates.blogspot.com/

A Journey of Books: http://ajourneyofbooks.blogspot.com/

Just Jennifer Reading: http://justjenniferreading.blogspot.com/

Debbie’s World of Books: http://debbiesworldofbooks.com/

All About {n}: http://www.bookwormygirl.blogspot.com/

Chick with Books: www.chickwithbooks.blogspot.com

Bookin’ with Bingo: http://bookinwithbingo.blogspot.com/

Starting Fresh: http://startingfresh-gaby317.blogspot.com/

Booksie’s Blog: http://booksiesblog.blogspot.com/

Readaholic: http://bridget3420.blogspot.com/

Blog Business World: http://www.blogbusinessworld.blogspot.com/

Books and Needlepoint: http://booksandneedlepoint.blogspot.com/

Bella’s Novella: http://www.bellasnovella.com/

Frugal Plus: http://frugalplus.com/

My Own Little Corner of the World: http://molcotw.blogspot.com/

Chick Loves Lit: http://www.chickloveslit.blogspot.com/

Poisoned Rationality: http://lastexilewords.blogspot.com/

So Many Books, So Little Time: http://purplg8r-somanybooks.blogspot.com/

Beth’s Book Review Blog: http://bethsbookreviewblog.blogspot.com/

Park Avenue Princess: http://aparkavenueprincess.blogspot.com/

Half Deserted Streets: http://www.halfdesertedstreets.com/

Power in the Blog: http://jesharris.wordpress.com/

Metroreader: http://metroreader.blogspot.com/

Crazy for Books: http://crazy-for-books.blogspot.com/

Angieville: http://angieville.blogspot.com/