It Ends Here by Heidi Perks

     Having worked and taught in a Kansas High School for many years I saw my fair share of bullying.  Yes, it is strictly prohibited and when caught it is addressed and  dealt with to the best ability of the educational system, but to be brutally honest much goes without accountability being taken. Sadly that is the society we live in, both in person and online.

As an educator I have used various illustrations to bring the damage bullying can cause to light. The crumpled piece of paper, one that is pristine the first day of school then someone crushes it into a ball and no matter how much a person tries to flatten it back out it carries the damage done to it forever; or the toothpaste tube, when squeezed and the paste is squirted out it can never be put back into the tube again. Both showing how irreparable damage inflicted can not be undone. I have also known those who have been bullied and never fully recovered their confidence after the incidents. So I was anxious to read It Ends Here after seeing it listed on my NetGalley website. 

Heidi Perks's novel, It Ends Here, deals with the tragic aftermath of a student being bullied by a set of high school peers which leaves lasting effects throughout their lifetime.  

Five strangers end up in a diner early one morning at the English seaside, Isle of Wight. A nearby boatman calls the police to report a shot has been fired. Five strangers are then held hostage while the police try to figure out the names of those in the diner and which person is the one holding the gun.  Families are summoned and interviewed. Each family member tries to uncover what is happening and whether their loved one could be the gunman or woman. 

The identity is withheld until the very end, and it is a surprise to find out who they are as well as the motive behind the event.

I was definitely kept in suspense.  I did not figure out the entire ending until the actual end.  That was an enjoyable part of reading It Ends Here.  The only negative comment I have to share is that the book's plot moved slowly.  I really had to work to stay engaged in the story until the end. I was glad that I did, but it was difficult to keep going as the book would not be what I consider a page turner.  I rate It Ends Here with 3 stars because of that fact.  

I do feel that "being bullied" is an important topic to bring forward and Parks does an admirable job of portraying the damage that can experienced; by both being tormented as the one bullied,  and the the regrets of the adults who perpetuated the bullying when they were children.  

It Ends Here by Heidi Perks publishes October 6, 2026 by Poisoned Pen Press. Thank you to NetGalley, Poisoned Pen Press, and Heidi Perks for the Advanced Readers Copy of It Ends Here in exchange for this honest review.

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