Chandler Baker

I wonder if for the rest of my life, I'll be haunted by beautiful days. On one cloudless, radiant summer afternoon, Lake Devereaux lost everything. The car crash claimed the lives of her best friend and boyfriend, the people who had become her family after her own fell apart. But she doesn't have to lose them both. The development of resurrection technology has changed the world. Under the new laws regulating the process, each person gets one resurrection to be used or forfeited on their eighteenth birthday. Mere weeks away from turning eighteen, Lake faces an impossible choice. Envisioning life without one of the people she loves most is shattering enough, but Lake carries an additional burden: years ago, under family pressure, Lake secretly-and illegally-promised her resurrection to someone who isn't even dead yet. The search for answers about her future draws Lake more deeply into the secrets of her past until she begins to question everything about those closest to her. Betrayals and hurts both new and old threaten to eclipse the memories she once cherished. Then Lake meets a boy unlike anyone she's encountered before, who unflinchingly embraces the darkest parts of her life . . . and who believes that all resurrections are wrong. Which path is the right one? And how can Lake start to heal when she can't move on?

This is Not the End

Paige Green

Disclaimer: I received this book from an auction (no I did not buy it as it is an arc. It was included with other items in the package). All opinions are my own.

Rating: 5/5

Genre: YA Contemporary

Recommended Age: 16+ (death, sex, violence, disabilities, suicide, resurrection. Trigger warnings.)

Pages: 384

Author Website

Amazon Link

Synopsis: I wonder if for the rest of my life, I’ll be haunted by beautiful days.

On one cloudless, radiant summer afternoon, Lake Devereaux lost everything. The car crash claimed the lives of her best friend and boyfriend, the people who had become her family after her own fell apart. But she doesn’t have to lose them both.

The development of resurrection technology has changed the world. Under the new laws regulating the process, each person gets one resurrection to be used or forfeited on their eighteenth birthday. Mere weeks away from turning eighteen, Lake faces an impossible choice.

Envisioning life without one of the people she loves most is shattering enough, but Lake carries an additional burden: years ago, under family pressure, Lake secretly—and illegally—promised her resurrection to someone who isn’t even dead yet.

The search for answers about her future draws Lake more deeply into the secrets of her past until she begins to question everything about those closest to her. Betrayals and hurts both new and old threaten to eclipse the memories she once cherished.

Then Lake meets a boy unlike anyone she’s encountered before, who unflinchingly embraces the darkest parts of her life . . . and who believes that all resurrections are wrong.

Which path is the right one? And how can Lake start to heal when she can't move on?
Okay why isn’t the resurrection of the dead played up more for this book?? At first glance it appears to be just a normal YA Contemporary book and then BAM resurrection pops up and you’re like “wahhh” and the author is like “yea!” lol. Anyways, I absolutely loved this book. It was sad and romantic, but not too cheesy or too gushy. There was teen angst but also grief and moral compass finding. There was sibling issues but at the core it was much deeper. This book was so amazing and so well thought out. The writing was superb, the character and plot development were on point. I feel that I know each character personally and I crave more from this story.

The only issue I have is with the choice that was made at the end. It left me wanting more and a little confused on how parents can just do that, but that’s spoilery and I’m not about that life. 

Verdict: A beautiful tale that blows Me Before You out of the water!

If you could choose one person to bring back to life, who would it be? Seventeen-year-old Lake Deveraux is the survivor of a car crash that killed her best friend and boyfriend. Now she faces an impossible choice. Resurrection technology changed the world, but strict laws allow just one resurrection per citizen, to be used on your eighteenth birthday or lost forever. You only have days to decide. For each grieving family, Lake is the best chance to bring back their child. For Lake, it's the only way to reclaim a piece of happiness after her own family fell apart. And Lake must also grapple with a secret--and illegal--vow she made years ago to resurrect someone else. Someone who's not even dead yet. Who do you need most? As Lake's eighteenth birthday nears, secrets and betrayals new and old threaten to eclipse her cherished memories. Lake has one chance to save a life...but can she live with her choice?

Luisa Groß

Beautifully written and a beatiful story about friendship, family and loss. I can only recommend reading "This is not the end" if you like books that make you cry and that has you in its grasp from the first sentence.

This is Not the End

Reviews