A Necessary End - Book Review

About A Necessary End

• Hardcover: 400 pages
• Publisher: William Morrow (July 7, 2015)

How far would you go to get what you wanted? The author of Don’t Try to Find Me returns with a taut, riveting novel of psychological suspense—a domestic drama full of secrets and twists—about a woman determined to have a child, her ambivalent husband, and a pregnant teenager with a secret agenda of her own.

“I know now that there was no other way things could have turned out. Tragedies are inevitable, just like the great love stories, like us.”

Thirty-nine-year-old Adrienne is desperate to be a mother. And this time, nothing is going to get in her way.

Sure, her husband, Gabe, is ambivalent about fatherhood. But she knows that once he holds their baby, he’ll come around. He’s just feeling a little threatened, that’s all. Because once upon a time, it was Gabe that Adrienne wanted more than anything; she was willing to do anything. . . . But that was half a lifetime ago. She’s a different person now, and so is Gabe. There are lines she wouldn’t cross, not without extreme provocation.

And sure, she was bitten once before by another birth mother—clear to the bone—and for most people, it’s once bitten, twice shy. But Adrienne isn’t exactly the retiring type.

At nineteen, Leah bears a remarkable resemblance to the young woman Adrienne once was. Which is why Adrienne knows the baby Leah is carrying is meant to be hers. But Leah’s got ideas of her own: Her baby’s going to get a life in California; why shouldn’t she? All she wants is to live in Adrienne’s house for a year after the baby’s born, and get a fresh start.

It seems like a small price for Adrienne to pay to get their baby. And with Gabe suddenly on board, what could possibly go wrong?

My thoughts:

A Necessary End by Holly Brown kept me riveted and thoroughly intrigued by the mind games the characters play on each other dangling a valuable prize--the darling baby Adrienne has longed for. As their secrets are revealed, the reader is left constantly wondering who is really the one to fear. Brown is excellent at getting into the minds of her characters and unveiling their inner most doubts, desires and dreams. The entire situation is foolish but desperate people often go to desperate measures to get what they really want.

There are a few plot twists that seem completely implausible and even more so when I explained them out loud to Rand (Whatcha reading?). At times I had trouble reconciling Adrienne and her husband Gabe actual age--though in their forties, they often acted like teenagers still. And the ending! I'm still trying to resolve how I feel about the ending. With that said, it is definitely an exciting conclusion. 

The writing is taut and flows at a good pace and kept me constantly guessing. I didn't dare glance at the clock, to see just how late I had stayed up reading to the final page. A Necessary End is a fun psychological thriller. 

**There is occasional profanity and talk of sex.

Purchase Links

Amazon | IndieBound | Barnes & Noble

About Holly Brown

Holly Brown lives with her husband and toddler daughter in the San Francisco Bay Area, where she's a practicing marriage and family therapist. Her blog, Bonding Time, is featured on PsychCentral.com.

Connect with Holly on Facebook.

A Necessary End by Holly Brown is published by William Morrow and released on July 7, 2015.

Thanks to TLC for the complimentary copy. Don't miss the tour schedule.