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All This Could End
What’s the craziest thing your mum has asked you to do?
Nina doesn’t have a conventional family. Her family robs banks—even she and her twelve-year-old brother Tom are in on the act now. Sophia, Nina’s mother, keeps chasing the thrill: ‘Anyway, their money’s insured!’ she says.
After yet another move and another new school, Nina is fed up and wants things to change. This time she’s made a friend she’s determined to keep: Spencer loves weird words and will talk to her about almost anything. His mother has just left home with a man who looks like a body-builder vampire, and his father and sister have stopped talking.
Spencer and Nina both need each other as their families fall apart, but Nina is on the run and doesn’t know if she will ever see Spencer again. Steph Bowe, author of Girl Saves Boy, once again explores the hearts and minds of teenagers in a novel full of drama, laughter and characters with strange and wonderful ways.
Nina doesn’t have a conventional family. Her family robs banks—even she and her twelve-year-old brother Tom are in on the act now. Sophia, Nina’s mother, keeps chasing the thrill: ‘Anyway, their money’s insured!’ she says.
After yet another move and another new school, Nina is fed up and wants things to change. This time she’s made a friend she’s determined to keep: Spencer loves weird words and will talk to her about almost anything. His mother has just left home with a man who looks like a body-builder vampire, and his father and sister have stopped talking.
Spencer and Nina both need each other as their families fall apart, but Nina is on the run and doesn’t know if she will ever see Spencer again. Steph Bowe, author of Girl Saves Boy, once again explores the hearts and minds of teenagers in a novel full of drama, laughter and characters with strange and wonderful ways.
256 pages, Paperback
First published February 1, 2013
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 67 reviews
March 3, 2013
Some fact-ish stuff:
All This could end is narrated by both Nina and Spencer, in alternating POVs.
There is a love story.
And bank robbery's. With guns and stuff.
And intriguing family secrets, and sad family secrets, and secret secrets as well.
It's about families and friendships and wanting and hoping and dreaming and growing up. And everythign complicated in between.
Steph Bowe's second novel is an absolute breath of fresh air. Despite the original and delicious premise (a family of bank robbers) All This Could End is much more of a character driven than plot driven novel, . And this is where Bowe shines. Her characters are brimming with life and insecurities and intelligence and hope and just the perfect amount of truth and charm.
The other thing I loved about this book is that it is this gorgeous blend of the real and the slightly surreal. This book is so grounded in real life, yet has the whimsiest* touches of creative licence. While reading I was reminded of a post Steph Bowe wrote where she talks about her 'love of the slightly ridiculous'.
This quote really stood out to me when I first read the post (as a reader, I completely concur), and afterwards while reading All This Could End. All This Could End isn't all that ridiculous, at all, it's completely genuine and the characters are grounded and perfectly relate-able and achey. But. There are these perfectly delightful little anecdotes, memories and idiosyncrasies that just make the reader smile. It lifts the story and gives it this charming and fun edge.
This is the kind of book you sink into and savour the vibe and small moments. It's narration is often full of internal dialogue. Fast-paced, it is not. I found it so easy to engage with both Nina and Spencer, but at times wished there was a bit more of a tug in the plot, that little bit of something that would keep me sitting a little bit tighter, keep me a little more glued to the pages.
Most of all, this book is just full of soul with the right dash of whimsy. It's also the teensiest bit surprising, teetering on the edge of certain heartbreak, the climax and resolution and little mysteries unknown and revealing themselves at just the right moments.
It has it's own utterly unique heartbeat. It's the kind of book that, when placed in the right set of hands, turns out to be a perfect kindred spirit kind of book.
I have mentioned before how I so love Text publishing and a lot of the books they are bringing to readers. All This Could End is another gem of theirs and I would be so pleased to see this book picked up by international publishing houses. For those in Australia, this is not to be missed out on.
* so I invented a word, what of it? ;)
All This could end is narrated by both Nina and Spencer, in alternating POVs.
There is a love story.
And bank robbery's. With guns and stuff.
And intriguing family secrets, and sad family secrets, and secret secrets as well.
It's about families and friendships and wanting and hoping and dreaming and growing up. And everythign complicated in between.
Steph Bowe's second novel is an absolute breath of fresh air. Despite the original and delicious premise (a family of bank robbers) All This Could End is much more of a character driven than plot driven novel, . And this is where Bowe shines. Her characters are brimming with life and insecurities and intelligence and hope and just the perfect amount of truth and charm.
The other thing I loved about this book is that it is this gorgeous blend of the real and the slightly surreal. This book is so grounded in real life, yet has the whimsiest* touches of creative licence. While reading I was reminded of a post Steph Bowe wrote where she talks about her 'love of the slightly ridiculous'.
"I don't think ridiculous and genuine have to be mutually exclusive, or that literary fiction has the monopoly on affecting and brilliant stories. I think as long as there are characters the reader can empathise with, a ridiculous plotline will work (and some degree of self-awareness and irony helps)."
This quote really stood out to me when I first read the post (as a reader, I completely concur), and afterwards while reading All This Could End. All This Could End isn't all that ridiculous, at all, it's completely genuine and the characters are grounded and perfectly relate-able and achey. But. There are these perfectly delightful little anecdotes, memories and idiosyncrasies that just make the reader smile. It lifts the story and gives it this charming and fun edge.
This is the kind of book you sink into and savour the vibe and small moments. It's narration is often full of internal dialogue. Fast-paced, it is not. I found it so easy to engage with both Nina and Spencer, but at times wished there was a bit more of a tug in the plot, that little bit of something that would keep me sitting a little bit tighter, keep me a little more glued to the pages.
Most of all, this book is just full of soul with the right dash of whimsy. It's also the teensiest bit surprising, teetering on the edge of certain heartbreak, the climax and resolution and little mysteries unknown and revealing themselves at just the right moments.
It has it's own utterly unique heartbeat. It's the kind of book that, when placed in the right set of hands, turns out to be a perfect kindred spirit kind of book.
I have mentioned before how I so love Text publishing and a lot of the books they are bringing to readers. All This Could End is another gem of theirs and I would be so pleased to see this book picked up by international publishing houses. For those in Australia, this is not to be missed out on.
* so I invented a word, what of it? ;)
July 8, 2013
His head feels foggy, heavy, and everything he sees is diaphanous.
If there is one word I would use to describe this novel, it would be fresh. You know those dreamy hipstergram shots of girls with long hair, road trips and retro motels going around on Tumblr? If those could be translated into words, then you would be looking at Steph Bowe's work. I loved her debut Girls Saves Boy which was published when she was 16 and I've been hanging out for the sequel since. All This Could End doesn't disappoint. The "nowness" of the prose and the feel is bang on and I don't know if anyone has paid her a compliment for making it look so easy, but other novels have tried to do it and failed . Even when the conversations get wordy... I still really like it. Instead of coming off as stilted, it has the coolness of talky '80s John Huges movies such as The Breakfast Club. Or like Before Sunset, but with teens.
This coming of age novel about a young girl counting down to the days until she is 18 and able to escape her bank robbing parents is a darker turn from her previous novel. The structure and the cohesiveness is also stronger, but with a bit more work on the traditional story-telling structure, Steph could be perfect. I find the gaps between key events within the novel very noticeable. Suddenly time has skipped in chunks to stretch from April to December and I sorely missed what was in between, especially in regards to what had actually happened with the relationship between Nina and Spencer. Because of this, I never felt fully invested in the two of them together. The side character Bridie is super awesome, but at times I felt her personality was so big and interesting it swamped the personalities of that of the more delicate Nina & Spence. Ultimately, the novel needed to pull back and concentrate on that of Spence and Nina and give the reader the reason as to why it is their dual narrative, what it is about the two of them. The epilogue is also a disappointment.
The worldly wisdom and the understanding of family dynamics is absolutely stunning, both Nina and Spencer's crumbling families achingly drawn.Nina's mum is genuinely the most realistic monster I have seen in a novel for a long time.
I truly loved this novel despite the imperfections, in the bigger sense of things the imperfections give it a sort of young charm. Eagerly waiting the third. I'm an admirer!
If there is one word I would use to describe this novel, it would be fresh. You know those dreamy hipstergram shots of girls with long hair, road trips and retro motels going around on Tumblr? If those could be translated into words, then you would be looking at Steph Bowe's work. I loved her debut Girls Saves Boy which was published when she was 16 and I've been hanging out for the sequel since. All This Could End doesn't disappoint. The "nowness" of the prose and the feel is bang on and I don't know if anyone has paid her a compliment for making it look so easy, but other novels have tried to do it and failed . Even when the conversations get wordy... I still really like it. Instead of coming off as stilted, it has the coolness of talky '80s John Huges movies such as The Breakfast Club. Or like Before Sunset, but with teens.
This coming of age novel about a young girl counting down to the days until she is 18 and able to escape her bank robbing parents is a darker turn from her previous novel. The structure and the cohesiveness is also stronger, but with a bit more work on the traditional story-telling structure, Steph could be perfect. I find the gaps between key events within the novel very noticeable. Suddenly time has skipped in chunks to stretch from April to December and I sorely missed what was in between, especially in regards to what had actually happened with the relationship between Nina and Spencer. Because of this, I never felt fully invested in the two of them together. The side character Bridie is super awesome, but at times I felt her personality was so big and interesting it swamped the personalities of that of the more delicate Nina & Spence. Ultimately, the novel needed to pull back and concentrate on that of Spence and Nina and give the reader the reason as to why it is their dual narrative, what it is about the two of them. The epilogue is also a disappointment.
The worldly wisdom and the understanding of family dynamics is absolutely stunning, both Nina and Spencer's crumbling families achingly drawn.Nina's mum is genuinely the most realistic monster I have seen in a novel for a long time.
I truly loved this novel despite the imperfections, in the bigger sense of things the imperfections give it a sort of young charm. Eagerly waiting the third. I'm an admirer!
August 13, 2013
3.5 stars
Once again, Text has crushed it with the gorgeous (and relevant) cover art - though you may have to take my word for it that it’s much more lovely in person than in a Goodreads thumbnail.
The Pretty family are bank robbers, in the old-fashioned balaclava-wearing, gun-toting, vault-emptying style of heists. They move from town to town, never staying long in one place, lead by the Pretty matriarch: the mercurial and restless Sophia. Nina and her younger brother Tom were born into a life of crime and duplicity, but Nina is counting the days until she can legally flee the nest and live on her own terms. Nina is increasingly uncomfortable with her mother’s twisted moral code masquerading as Robin Hood style philanthropy, yet she’s also aware that she’s complicit in Sophia’s criminal agenda. The whole family is. And family, according to Sophia, is everything.
Bowe takes an attention-grabbing concept (bank robbing family and their life on the road) and anchors it firmly in a deconstruction of dysfunctional families. The story switches back and forth between Nina and Spencer, both of whom are dealing with complicated home lives. Nina, craving the normalcy of life off the lam, and Spencer, navigating the emotional fallout of a family tragedy, both feel like outsiders in their own way. Nina has never been able to build real friendships; Spencer is awkward and a bit of a loner, besides his best friend Bridie. When their paths cross, Bowe sets in motion a chain of events that – we know from the prologue – will end in disaster.
Bowe uses third person omniscient narration, and as such it’s her authorial voice that comes across most clearly. All This Could End is quirky, dryly humorous and a little bit tongue-in-cheek without belittling the concerns of her teenage characters. Because where Bowe excels is in writing authentic, believable characters attempting to navigate their transition into the adult world. The on-the-cusp sensation of adolescence is captured beautifully, with all the soul-searching and questioning of identity it entails, without waxing angsty. Nina and Spencer find in each other someone they can open up to – to an extent; Nina at least has secrets she can’t reveal.
While the two main characters develop a relationship, romance is not a substantial part of the plot. Bowe shows the burgeoning closeness between Nina and Spencer, the tentative nature of their attraction and a few endearingly awkward moments as they manoeuvre towards each other, while remaining firmly focused on what this means for Nina and the choices she will have to make.
All This Could End is fundamentally about the relationship between Nina and Sophia (and between Sophia and the family as a whole), and how it alters as Nina begins to comprehend the extent of her mother’s solipsism. Bowe handles the complexity and ambiguity of Sophia’s character well, and Nina’s confusion over whether her mother is a bad person or not is developed throughout the course of the novel. Sophia has an ability to justify her actions and obscure her selfishness that plausibly explains Nina’s difficulty in resisting her mother. While Nina initially seems somewhat passive, outwardly complying with her mother’s whims and actions, it’s clear to see how this is necessitated by Sophia’s manipulative nature. By choosing to wait it out until she’s eighteen, Nina is also picking her battles, opting for what seems to be the most failsafe method of escaping her mother’s hold.
The missing piece here is Paul, Nina’s father. While Nina, Sophia and (to a lesser extent) Tom’s motivations and actions are clear and well explored in the novel, Paul’s reasons for adopting, pursuing and raising children in a life of crime with his wife remain vague. Bowe references Paul’s love for Sophia, and makes a passing comment on his upbringing, but this never feels sufficient to substantiate his choices. Sophia’s abuse of her role as a parent goes a long way to explain her influence over her children; yet Paul’s willing participation in Sophia’s schemes is the weak link in the story. It’s hard not to ask at least once while reading the novel why he’s never resisted or questioned their lifestyle.
The pacing of the novel, while understandable in terms of the plot, is uneven and I would have liked to have seen some aspects of the story expanded on. Bowe lingers over certain scenes, then truncates periods of several months. I get this: Bowe is establishing her characters before thrusting them into the climax – but I felt some development of the story was abbreviated for the sake of the finale and extended epilogue. I might have felt more for that epilogue had I been able to spend more time with Spencer and Nina’s relationship as it progressed, and how they subsequently grew as individuals.
That said, All This Could End was a refreshing take on familiar themes. Bowe appreciates and writes knowledgeably about the experience of being a teenager, with a slightly offbeat, conversational charm, a balance of humour and sensitivity. Definitely one to watch.
Once again, Text has crushed it with the gorgeous (and relevant) cover art - though you may have to take my word for it that it’s much more lovely in person than in a Goodreads thumbnail.
The Pretty family are bank robbers, in the old-fashioned balaclava-wearing, gun-toting, vault-emptying style of heists. They move from town to town, never staying long in one place, lead by the Pretty matriarch: the mercurial and restless Sophia. Nina and her younger brother Tom were born into a life of crime and duplicity, but Nina is counting the days until she can legally flee the nest and live on her own terms. Nina is increasingly uncomfortable with her mother’s twisted moral code masquerading as Robin Hood style philanthropy, yet she’s also aware that she’s complicit in Sophia’s criminal agenda. The whole family is. And family, according to Sophia, is everything.
Bowe takes an attention-grabbing concept (bank robbing family and their life on the road) and anchors it firmly in a deconstruction of dysfunctional families. The story switches back and forth between Nina and Spencer, both of whom are dealing with complicated home lives. Nina, craving the normalcy of life off the lam, and Spencer, navigating the emotional fallout of a family tragedy, both feel like outsiders in their own way. Nina has never been able to build real friendships; Spencer is awkward and a bit of a loner, besides his best friend Bridie. When their paths cross, Bowe sets in motion a chain of events that – we know from the prologue – will end in disaster.
Bowe uses third person omniscient narration, and as such it’s her authorial voice that comes across most clearly. All This Could End is quirky, dryly humorous and a little bit tongue-in-cheek without belittling the concerns of her teenage characters. Because where Bowe excels is in writing authentic, believable characters attempting to navigate their transition into the adult world. The on-the-cusp sensation of adolescence is captured beautifully, with all the soul-searching and questioning of identity it entails, without waxing angsty. Nina and Spencer find in each other someone they can open up to – to an extent; Nina at least has secrets she can’t reveal.
While the two main characters develop a relationship, romance is not a substantial part of the plot. Bowe shows the burgeoning closeness between Nina and Spencer, the tentative nature of their attraction and a few endearingly awkward moments as they manoeuvre towards each other, while remaining firmly focused on what this means for Nina and the choices she will have to make.
All This Could End is fundamentally about the relationship between Nina and Sophia (and between Sophia and the family as a whole), and how it alters as Nina begins to comprehend the extent of her mother’s solipsism. Bowe handles the complexity and ambiguity of Sophia’s character well, and Nina’s confusion over whether her mother is a bad person or not is developed throughout the course of the novel. Sophia has an ability to justify her actions and obscure her selfishness that plausibly explains Nina’s difficulty in resisting her mother. While Nina initially seems somewhat passive, outwardly complying with her mother’s whims and actions, it’s clear to see how this is necessitated by Sophia’s manipulative nature. By choosing to wait it out until she’s eighteen, Nina is also picking her battles, opting for what seems to be the most failsafe method of escaping her mother’s hold.
The missing piece here is Paul, Nina’s father. While Nina, Sophia and (to a lesser extent) Tom’s motivations and actions are clear and well explored in the novel, Paul’s reasons for adopting, pursuing and raising children in a life of crime with his wife remain vague. Bowe references Paul’s love for Sophia, and makes a passing comment on his upbringing, but this never feels sufficient to substantiate his choices. Sophia’s abuse of her role as a parent goes a long way to explain her influence over her children; yet Paul’s willing participation in Sophia’s schemes is the weak link in the story. It’s hard not to ask at least once while reading the novel why he’s never resisted or questioned their lifestyle.
The pacing of the novel, while understandable in terms of the plot, is uneven and I would have liked to have seen some aspects of the story expanded on. Bowe lingers over certain scenes, then truncates periods of several months. I get this: Bowe is establishing her characters before thrusting them into the climax – but I felt some development of the story was abbreviated for the sake of the finale and extended epilogue. I might have felt more for that epilogue had I been able to spend more time with Spencer and Nina’s relationship as it progressed, and how they subsequently grew as individuals.
That said, All This Could End was a refreshing take on familiar themes. Bowe appreciates and writes knowledgeably about the experience of being a teenager, with a slightly offbeat, conversational charm, a balance of humour and sensitivity. Definitely one to watch.
June 16, 2013
See more reviews at YA Midnight Reads
***3.5 stars***
This book was given to me by Text Publishing. No bribes, money of other treats were given for compensation. Thank you Text Publishing!
All This Could End was a fantastic contemporary novel by Steph Bowe who was just a teenager when she wrote this book. Her first novel, Girl Saves Boy was written at the age of 14, that is just one year older than me! This promising piece of art captured me at the first page.
My thoughts of what the ratings were as I read the book:
Prologue: Fantastic. 4.5 stars
Middle: Eh, uneven in many aspects and the characters were a bit iffy. 3.5 stars
Epilogue: It was supposed to be a passionate, touching ending to tear one's heart but had a tang of irrational humour. 3-3.5 stars
Nina's family isn't what you'd call...normal. Her family robs banks and moves houses on a frequent basis. However, Nina wants to get out of this mess, away from the spontaneous drama, but she needs to wait until she is eighteen. Meet Spencer; awkward, shy and a ruined family. Yet when Spencer and Nina are thrown together, something grows, but maybe will never bloom.
Once I began reading, I fell in love with Nina, she is a cogent, strong character whom has a complicated life that can be related to. You can feel Nina's eagerness and longing to leave her messed up life for something different and new as well as her clear thoughts that are rational and intriguing to read about. Spencer is shy and unsure, those are unlikable characteristics, however, when Steph Bowe incorporates it, Spencer is your handsome, desirable guy. I loved his uncertain-ness, the way Spencer tries to communicate without the awkward parts is simply hilarious and enjoyable.
I feel like the prologue was what shined in this book. Short sentences, beautiful ways of showing off Steph's techniques to create such emotions like shock, bewilderment and excitement. I felt conflicted, really about the way she structured the scene to make me feel understanding and unknowing alternatively.
As the story began, I was pulverised with these descriptions of Nina's family. It felt more forced than casual, I wanted a better flow like the prologue, so the beginning disappointed me. I can think of several other unique ways to describe and paint the image of a character than just bomb it down immediately.
Another issue I had with this book was the dialogue. It wasn't balanced. There were places where there was so much dialogue, I felt like I was reading a play manuscript, then other times, I felt like I was an observer with no ears. It was rather painful, to speak the truth. Moreover, I wanted more depth. Actually, it NEEDED more depth, constantly, I felt like there were gaps in the book, missing parts to make the book feel wholly and worthy of more stars. For instance, the action scenes were rather peaceful occasionally. I had to re-read to make sure I was actually reading a combat.
Overall, I enjoyed this book. For a young adult/teen, Steph Bowe certainly has a handful of tricks up her sleeve and I cannot wait to see more of it in the future. Although, there were quite some flaws, All This Could End touched my heart and will shock readers with twists and turns.
Recommended for contemporary lovers of Pushing the Limits By Katie McGarry and several more drama/romances!
***3.5 stars***
This book was given to me by Text Publishing. No bribes, money of other treats were given for compensation. Thank you Text Publishing!
All This Could End was a fantastic contemporary novel by Steph Bowe who was just a teenager when she wrote this book. Her first novel, Girl Saves Boy was written at the age of 14, that is just one year older than me! This promising piece of art captured me at the first page.
My thoughts of what the ratings were as I read the book:
Prologue: Fantastic. 4.5 stars
Middle: Eh, uneven in many aspects and the characters were a bit iffy. 3.5 stars
Epilogue: It was supposed to be a passionate, touching ending to tear one's heart but had a tang of irrational humour. 3-3.5 stars
Nina's family isn't what you'd call...normal. Her family robs banks and moves houses on a frequent basis. However, Nina wants to get out of this mess, away from the spontaneous drama, but she needs to wait until she is eighteen. Meet Spencer; awkward, shy and a ruined family. Yet when Spencer and Nina are thrown together, something grows, but maybe will never bloom.
Once I began reading, I fell in love with Nina, she is a cogent, strong character whom has a complicated life that can be related to. You can feel Nina's eagerness and longing to leave her messed up life for something different and new as well as her clear thoughts that are rational and intriguing to read about. Spencer is shy and unsure, those are unlikable characteristics, however, when Steph Bowe incorporates it, Spencer is your handsome, desirable guy. I loved his uncertain-ness, the way Spencer tries to communicate without the awkward parts is simply hilarious and enjoyable.
I feel like the prologue was what shined in this book. Short sentences, beautiful ways of showing off Steph's techniques to create such emotions like shock, bewilderment and excitement. I felt conflicted, really about the way she structured the scene to make me feel understanding and unknowing alternatively.
As the story began, I was pulverised with these descriptions of Nina's family. It felt more forced than casual, I wanted a better flow like the prologue, so the beginning disappointed me. I can think of several other unique ways to describe and paint the image of a character than just bomb it down immediately.
Another issue I had with this book was the dialogue. It wasn't balanced. There were places where there was so much dialogue, I felt like I was reading a play manuscript, then other times, I felt like I was an observer with no ears. It was rather painful, to speak the truth. Moreover, I wanted more depth. Actually, it NEEDED more depth, constantly, I felt like there were gaps in the book, missing parts to make the book feel wholly and worthy of more stars. For instance, the action scenes were rather peaceful occasionally. I had to re-read to make sure I was actually reading a combat.
Overall, I enjoyed this book. For a young adult/teen, Steph Bowe certainly has a handful of tricks up her sleeve and I cannot wait to see more of it in the future. Although, there were quite some flaws, All This Could End touched my heart and will shock readers with twists and turns.
Recommended for contemporary lovers of Pushing the Limits By Katie McGarry and several more drama/romances!
June 16, 2013
I’m a big fan of Steph Bowe’s blog Hey! Teenager of the Year (www.stephbowe.com), which is about all things YA, and have been looking forward to the release of All This Could End since I read her debut novel in 2010.
Steph Bowe has a talent for creating charming and original characters with a lot of heart. In All This Could End Nina, a seventeen-year-old who is struggling to come to terms with her bank-robbing family, moves to a new town where she develops feelings for Spencer, one of her classmates. Spencer is shy but smart — his love of strange words like Vergangenheitsbewältigung (a German word that means coming to terms with the past) is quite endearing — and Nina soon decides she’s finally met a friend she wants to keep.
In All This Could End Steph Bowe expertly conveys how it feels to be a teenager — I especially loved Spencer’s description of the summer holidays. He says, “Everyone hangs out over the summer holidays but you’re not really friends when you get back to school. It’s like a different world. Whatever happens in the summer is nobody’s real life, even though it’s what everybody lives for.”
Despite the many strengths of the book, there were times I found it frustrating. I loved Nina and Spencer’s first kiss, but the development of their relationship from that point on was skimmed over. I didn’t feel like I was given the chance to become invested in their relationship, which was a little disappointing because this is a character-driven book and the romance between Nina and Spencer is central to the plot.
As I was reading I found myself constantly questioning the execution of the premise. There was just something unbelievable about the way Nina’s family of professional bank robbers committed their crimes and justified their actions. Steph Bowe’s descriptions of how Nina’s family robbed banks and why they chose to do it never felt ‘real’, which was a shame because this made it difficult for me to relate to Nina’s thought process at times.
The dialogue was also a little uneven. There were moments when I felt Steph Bowe perfectly captured the way teenagers speak and interact, and other times when the dialogue felt so forced I was pulled out of the scene completely. Spencer’s light-hearted comments during the climatic robbery scene struck me as particularly off.
Overall, All This Could End was an enjoyable sophomore novel, but I much preferred Steph Bowe’s debut Girl Saves Boy. With that said, I can’t wait to see what she writes next because she brings something unique and fiercely smart to contemporary Australian YA. Steph Bowe is definitely one to watch.
Steph Bowe has a talent for creating charming and original characters with a lot of heart. In All This Could End Nina, a seventeen-year-old who is struggling to come to terms with her bank-robbing family, moves to a new town where she develops feelings for Spencer, one of her classmates. Spencer is shy but smart — his love of strange words like Vergangenheitsbewältigung (a German word that means coming to terms with the past) is quite endearing — and Nina soon decides she’s finally met a friend she wants to keep.
In All This Could End Steph Bowe expertly conveys how it feels to be a teenager — I especially loved Spencer’s description of the summer holidays. He says, “Everyone hangs out over the summer holidays but you’re not really friends when you get back to school. It’s like a different world. Whatever happens in the summer is nobody’s real life, even though it’s what everybody lives for.”
Despite the many strengths of the book, there were times I found it frustrating. I loved Nina and Spencer’s first kiss, but the development of their relationship from that point on was skimmed over. I didn’t feel like I was given the chance to become invested in their relationship, which was a little disappointing because this is a character-driven book and the romance between Nina and Spencer is central to the plot.
As I was reading I found myself constantly questioning the execution of the premise. There was just something unbelievable about the way Nina’s family of professional bank robbers committed their crimes and justified their actions. Steph Bowe’s descriptions of how Nina’s family robbed banks and why they chose to do it never felt ‘real’, which was a shame because this made it difficult for me to relate to Nina’s thought process at times.
The dialogue was also a little uneven. There were moments when I felt Steph Bowe perfectly captured the way teenagers speak and interact, and other times when the dialogue felt so forced I was pulled out of the scene completely. Spencer’s light-hearted comments during the climatic robbery scene struck me as particularly off.
Overall, All This Could End was an enjoyable sophomore novel, but I much preferred Steph Bowe’s debut Girl Saves Boy. With that said, I can’t wait to see what she writes next because she brings something unique and fiercely smart to contemporary Australian YA. Steph Bowe is definitely one to watch.
February 25, 2013
Some parents help their kids with math homework. Most have spouted parental proverbs like “Mind your Ps and Qs” or “Respect your elders.”
This is not the way of the Pretty family.
For Nina and her little brother Tom, homework is pickpocketing for big bucks. Motherly maxims include “Trust no one” and “Scout the place.”
Because the Pretty family are bank-robbers. Old-school, hold-em-up style bank-robbers. Nina is, unwillingly, following in her mother’s footsteps and has been robbing since she was twelve-years-old and able to spray-paint surveillance cameras. Now that’s Tom’s job, and Nina is deemed old enough to wield a gun alongside her mother and father.
But while Tom is still thrilled by the life of crime and has no qualms with moving town every four months or so, Nina is decidedly sick of it all. She plans to escape from her parents’ criminality, just as soon as she’s old enough.
In the meantime, her father has taken a new teaching job and the family are moving once again. Except this time something changes. Nina meets Birdie and Spencer – two completely opposite best friends who draw Nina into their orbit. Birdie is extravagant and fearless, with a serious penchant for bassists. Spence is a shy word-enthusiast, who can talk to Nina about absolutely everything – including his parents’ crumbling marriage.
But Spencer’s father is also the local bank manager.
And this life of crime just got a whole lot more complicated.
‘All This Could End’ is the new novel from Australian young adult author, Steph Bowe.
This novel has one of the most suckering beginnings of any book; “Nina Pretty holds the gun to the boy’s head, her other arm around his neck. Her balaclava itches.” Of course I was captivated from that line onwards, and Stephe Bowe delivered on a first-chapter cliff-hanger with a rather fun and quirky contemporary novel.
Spence and Nina alternate in point-of-view chapters, which backtrack from the moment of a bank-robbery that’s suddenly veered off course to their first meeting. In Nina’s chapters we also get carried back to the beginning of her crime-sprees, when she was just twelve-years-old.
The story about the Pretty family of bank-robbers is a great hook. And the old-school, hold-up style is explained rather eloquently by Nina’s mother, Sophia;
‘A bank hold-up is outdated. It’s almost quaint! It was happening in the eighties. It’s something they think only desperate, unprepared people do. Bank theft is all online stuff now,’ Sophia had lectured them a few weeks earlier, through a mouthful of parmigiana made by Paul. She waved her fork about to emphasise her point. ‘Has the element of surprise every time.’
This also goes a long way to hinting at Sophia’s entire outlook on her crime-life, which began when she was a child herself. Sophia has rose-tinted glasses when it comes to the criminality aspect of bank-robbing, she treats it like a bizarre hobby full of retro nostalgia. She burns through their stolen money too quickly, and revels in the adrenaline rush.
And as much as this is a novel centred on a quirky ‘bank-robbing’ plot, the real heart of ‘All This Could End’ stems from the family dramas playing out between Spence and Nina.
For Spence, it’s coming to terms with his parent’s clearly fraught marriage that’s on the brink. He has a best friend called Birdie, who’s all eclectic-larger-than-life awesomeness, but for the real heart-to-hearts he grows to rely on Nina and they develop this lovely, blossoming bond.
For Nina, it’s this feeling like her family is suffocating her and she needs to break away – to stand on her own two feet. There’s a hint of ‘Running on Empty’ with this aspect of Nina’s home life, and I found it really intriguing that although she’s talking about feeling smothered by her crime family, this feeling of needing to break away from the nest is one many young readers will relate to.
Right now Nina feels as if happiness is just a story people tell, rather than something that actually happens. Because it’s not happening for her.
If I have any complaints about the book, it’s that Bowe occasionally strays into ‘show, don’t tell’ territory and there were some revelations that I felt I could have got to myself, without her laying them out for me;
It didn’t occur to her until years later that someone who was truly good, who truly loved her children, would not put them in such a situation. But then again, it’s a miracle Nina ever reached a place in her mind where she could realise that at all.
This is a charmingly quirky novel about family, criminality and independence.
This is not the way of the Pretty family.
For Nina and her little brother Tom, homework is pickpocketing for big bucks. Motherly maxims include “Trust no one” and “Scout the place.”
Because the Pretty family are bank-robbers. Old-school, hold-em-up style bank-robbers. Nina is, unwillingly, following in her mother’s footsteps and has been robbing since she was twelve-years-old and able to spray-paint surveillance cameras. Now that’s Tom’s job, and Nina is deemed old enough to wield a gun alongside her mother and father.
But while Tom is still thrilled by the life of crime and has no qualms with moving town every four months or so, Nina is decidedly sick of it all. She plans to escape from her parents’ criminality, just as soon as she’s old enough.
In the meantime, her father has taken a new teaching job and the family are moving once again. Except this time something changes. Nina meets Birdie and Spencer – two completely opposite best friends who draw Nina into their orbit. Birdie is extravagant and fearless, with a serious penchant for bassists. Spence is a shy word-enthusiast, who can talk to Nina about absolutely everything – including his parents’ crumbling marriage.
But Spencer’s father is also the local bank manager.
And this life of crime just got a whole lot more complicated.
‘All This Could End’ is the new novel from Australian young adult author, Steph Bowe.
This novel has one of the most suckering beginnings of any book; “Nina Pretty holds the gun to the boy’s head, her other arm around his neck. Her balaclava itches.” Of course I was captivated from that line onwards, and Stephe Bowe delivered on a first-chapter cliff-hanger with a rather fun and quirky contemporary novel.
Spence and Nina alternate in point-of-view chapters, which backtrack from the moment of a bank-robbery that’s suddenly veered off course to their first meeting. In Nina’s chapters we also get carried back to the beginning of her crime-sprees, when she was just twelve-years-old.
The story about the Pretty family of bank-robbers is a great hook. And the old-school, hold-up style is explained rather eloquently by Nina’s mother, Sophia;
‘A bank hold-up is outdated. It’s almost quaint! It was happening in the eighties. It’s something they think only desperate, unprepared people do. Bank theft is all online stuff now,’ Sophia had lectured them a few weeks earlier, through a mouthful of parmigiana made by Paul. She waved her fork about to emphasise her point. ‘Has the element of surprise every time.’
This also goes a long way to hinting at Sophia’s entire outlook on her crime-life, which began when she was a child herself. Sophia has rose-tinted glasses when it comes to the criminality aspect of bank-robbing, she treats it like a bizarre hobby full of retro nostalgia. She burns through their stolen money too quickly, and revels in the adrenaline rush.
And as much as this is a novel centred on a quirky ‘bank-robbing’ plot, the real heart of ‘All This Could End’ stems from the family dramas playing out between Spence and Nina.
For Spence, it’s coming to terms with his parent’s clearly fraught marriage that’s on the brink. He has a best friend called Birdie, who’s all eclectic-larger-than-life awesomeness, but for the real heart-to-hearts he grows to rely on Nina and they develop this lovely, blossoming bond.
For Nina, it’s this feeling like her family is suffocating her and she needs to break away – to stand on her own two feet. There’s a hint of ‘Running on Empty’ with this aspect of Nina’s home life, and I found it really intriguing that although she’s talking about feeling smothered by her crime family, this feeling of needing to break away from the nest is one many young readers will relate to.
Right now Nina feels as if happiness is just a story people tell, rather than something that actually happens. Because it’s not happening for her.
If I have any complaints about the book, it’s that Bowe occasionally strays into ‘show, don’t tell’ territory and there were some revelations that I felt I could have got to myself, without her laying them out for me;
It didn’t occur to her until years later that someone who was truly good, who truly loved her children, would not put them in such a situation. But then again, it’s a miracle Nina ever reached a place in her mind where she could realise that at all.
This is a charmingly quirky novel about family, criminality and independence.
February 2, 2015
L’esprit de l’escalier.
“It’s French for the feeling you get after leaving a conversation, when you think of all the witty things you should have said”.
If only I could say this concept is unfamiliar. Alas, it is not. I also quite frequently think of all the wonderful things I could have said in reviews, assignments and exams etc. I really, really hope Bowe doesn’t feel there was anything which she could have said better in this, because it felt perfect.
There are some books I love because of the plot, or the characters, or the writing. And then there are the ones which I respond to on a purely emotional level. There are some authors who have managed to beautifully and perfectly combine all three of these things in such a way that I simply cannot help but love a book from the very first page. In case you hadn’t already guessed, this is how I feel about All This Could End. It is incredibly difficult for me to articulate why exactly I loved this book so much, but there was just something wonderful about it.
Spencer and Nina were wonderful characters and I loved their cute, slightly awkward interactions. As dual narrators they worked incredibly well, both offering complex personalities. I really felt for both of them. They were both trying to cope with difficult families and find their place in the world. I recognised aspects of myself in both of them and this is something which always appeals to me. The emphasis on Spencer and Nina’s families was also something I enjoyed about this novel. Both families were slowly falling apart and I appreciated the way Bowe portrayed how each person was trying to cope with their own grief or come to terms with and justify their actions.
I loved the structure of the novel, with its ‘slice of life’ segments. For me it was something new and fresh. I was intrigued about what went on in the missing months, but enjoyed seeing the changes in both characters. I felt like these were emphasised by the passing of time; sometimes things stand out more when not seen day by day. The writing was quite concise and flowed well. Although it was heavy with internal dialogue and reflection, I never felt bogged down and found myself constantly torn between needing to find out what happened and wanting to savour every sentence.
All This Could End was a book I responded to on an emotional level; it was a compelling, yet beautifully written novel with characters I completely fell in love with. It’s a story about two people, and their families, slowly falling apart and struggling to find their way. It’s also one of my favourite books of the year. I can’t wait to see what else Bowe has in store for us.
Thank you to Text Publishing for providing a copy of the book for review.
This review and many more can be found at Maree's Musings.
“It’s French for the feeling you get after leaving a conversation, when you think of all the witty things you should have said”.
If only I could say this concept is unfamiliar. Alas, it is not. I also quite frequently think of all the wonderful things I could have said in reviews, assignments and exams etc. I really, really hope Bowe doesn’t feel there was anything which she could have said better in this, because it felt perfect.
There are some books I love because of the plot, or the characters, or the writing. And then there are the ones which I respond to on a purely emotional level. There are some authors who have managed to beautifully and perfectly combine all three of these things in such a way that I simply cannot help but love a book from the very first page. In case you hadn’t already guessed, this is how I feel about All This Could End. It is incredibly difficult for me to articulate why exactly I loved this book so much, but there was just something wonderful about it.
Spencer and Nina were wonderful characters and I loved their cute, slightly awkward interactions. As dual narrators they worked incredibly well, both offering complex personalities. I really felt for both of them. They were both trying to cope with difficult families and find their place in the world. I recognised aspects of myself in both of them and this is something which always appeals to me. The emphasis on Spencer and Nina’s families was also something I enjoyed about this novel. Both families were slowly falling apart and I appreciated the way Bowe portrayed how each person was trying to cope with their own grief or come to terms with and justify their actions.
I loved the structure of the novel, with its ‘slice of life’ segments. For me it was something new and fresh. I was intrigued about what went on in the missing months, but enjoyed seeing the changes in both characters. I felt like these were emphasised by the passing of time; sometimes things stand out more when not seen day by day. The writing was quite concise and flowed well. Although it was heavy with internal dialogue and reflection, I never felt bogged down and found myself constantly torn between needing to find out what happened and wanting to savour every sentence.
All This Could End was a book I responded to on an emotional level; it was a compelling, yet beautifully written novel with characters I completely fell in love with. It’s a story about two people, and their families, slowly falling apart and struggling to find their way. It’s also one of my favourite books of the year. I can’t wait to see what else Bowe has in store for us.
Thank you to Text Publishing for providing a copy of the book for review.
This review and many more can be found at Maree's Musings.
August 15, 2020
I adore Steph’s writing so much and I’m so sad we won’t be able to get any more Steph Bowe books 💔
February 28, 2018
one of my all time favourite books, i love this so much <3
April 5, 2020
Recently I was very sad to hear of the incredibly untimely death of Australian young adult writer Steph Bowe. She was published at a very young age, still in her teens I believe and was only in her mid-20s when she unfortunately passed away after a short battle with lymphoma. Steph is one of the many authors whose books I have seen ‘around’ frequently – on twitter, on blogs I read, on Goodreads etc but I had only read one of her 3 published books, Girl Saves Boy which I read way back in 2011. I read a little of her journey after her passing – I actually hadn’t even known she was ill until after I saw on twitter that she had passed away. I ended up borrowing both the books of hers I hadn’t yet read from my local library.
This is an unusual story! Not too many protagonists in fiction, especially YA fiction, have a family that rob banks for a living but that’s the reality of Nina’s life. Her mother grew up with a father who robbed banks and after he went to jail, she appears to have ‘taken over’ the family business. Her father is a school teacher who goes along with the bank robbing because he loves Nina’s mother. And when Nina turned a certain age, she was recruited to assist. She hates it – she’s counting down internally until the day she turns 18 and can leave, strike out on her own. She’s tired of moving every few months, tired of new schools and no lasting friendships. Although at her latest school, Nina has made friends….Spencer in particular. And Spencer has his own issues and his family feels like it’s falling apart.
I found a lot of this quite entertaining. Nina’s inner struggles are well documented, she really just wants her family to be somewhat ‘normal’, in that her mother doesn’t commit crimes in every small town they land in. She tries to protect her younger brother from being indoctrinated into the family business but Nina’s mother really does not hear a lot of her pleas. She’s very blinkered, Nina’s mother….focused on one thing and one thing only and doesn’t see how it’s affecting everyone else around her. I think she feels theirs is some sort of musketeer situation, all for one and one for all but the rest of the family are definitely struggling. I do wish a bit more was made to explore Nina’s father’s motives. I’m not sure “because I love her” is a good enough excuse to don a balaclava and rob banks every 6-12 months. Especially when you have two children at vulnerable ages. Well, this lifestyle makes any children vulnerable, because one slip up and their parents are banged up for 20 years. It’s Nina’s story but she really only tries to plead her case once or so to her dad.
I really enjoyed the friendship that forms between Spencer and Nina and loved Spencer as a character. He’s struggling with his home life as well and that’s excellently portrayed. He and Nina become quite close in a short amount of time and then she vanishes without warning…only to show back up again in the most bizarre of situations some months later. Spencer is dealing with the trauma of something his family experienced, which resulted in his mother leaving, his sister stopping talking and his father retreating from the world with an inability to cope. He’s somewhat forced to assume a more mature role, almost parental as he tries to protect his sister, especially when the school wants to investigate. His father is completely disconnected and seemingly either unable to cope or just processing things until he can cope but that means that practicalities and responsibilities fall to Spencer.
One part of me was like….well, how plausible is it that parents make their kids rob banks? But adults commit crimes and rope in children all the time. The banks were well chosen – rural, small town banks where the security was probably not as good as city banks, where there were less people. Nina’s mothers methods and opinions were honestly hard to sympathise with. She came across as a bit delusional more than once and her complete lack of regard for the safety of her children (also the innocent randoms in the bank) didn’t endear me to her either. But I really enjoyed Nina and her brother, as well as Spencer. This was a cute read that felt quite satisfying. I still have Night Swimming, Steph Bowe’s final book to read and I’m looking forward to it.
This is an unusual story! Not too many protagonists in fiction, especially YA fiction, have a family that rob banks for a living but that’s the reality of Nina’s life. Her mother grew up with a father who robbed banks and after he went to jail, she appears to have ‘taken over’ the family business. Her father is a school teacher who goes along with the bank robbing because he loves Nina’s mother. And when Nina turned a certain age, she was recruited to assist. She hates it – she’s counting down internally until the day she turns 18 and can leave, strike out on her own. She’s tired of moving every few months, tired of new schools and no lasting friendships. Although at her latest school, Nina has made friends….Spencer in particular. And Spencer has his own issues and his family feels like it’s falling apart.
I found a lot of this quite entertaining. Nina’s inner struggles are well documented, she really just wants her family to be somewhat ‘normal’, in that her mother doesn’t commit crimes in every small town they land in. She tries to protect her younger brother from being indoctrinated into the family business but Nina’s mother really does not hear a lot of her pleas. She’s very blinkered, Nina’s mother….focused on one thing and one thing only and doesn’t see how it’s affecting everyone else around her. I think she feels theirs is some sort of musketeer situation, all for one and one for all but the rest of the family are definitely struggling. I do wish a bit more was made to explore Nina’s father’s motives. I’m not sure “because I love her” is a good enough excuse to don a balaclava and rob banks every 6-12 months. Especially when you have two children at vulnerable ages. Well, this lifestyle makes any children vulnerable, because one slip up and their parents are banged up for 20 years. It’s Nina’s story but she really only tries to plead her case once or so to her dad.
I really enjoyed the friendship that forms between Spencer and Nina and loved Spencer as a character. He’s struggling with his home life as well and that’s excellently portrayed. He and Nina become quite close in a short amount of time and then she vanishes without warning…only to show back up again in the most bizarre of situations some months later. Spencer is dealing with the trauma of something his family experienced, which resulted in his mother leaving, his sister stopping talking and his father retreating from the world with an inability to cope. He’s somewhat forced to assume a more mature role, almost parental as he tries to protect his sister, especially when the school wants to investigate. His father is completely disconnected and seemingly either unable to cope or just processing things until he can cope but that means that practicalities and responsibilities fall to Spencer.
One part of me was like….well, how plausible is it that parents make their kids rob banks? But adults commit crimes and rope in children all the time. The banks were well chosen – rural, small town banks where the security was probably not as good as city banks, where there were less people. Nina’s mothers methods and opinions were honestly hard to sympathise with. She came across as a bit delusional more than once and her complete lack of regard for the safety of her children (also the innocent randoms in the bank) didn’t endear me to her either. But I really enjoyed Nina and her brother, as well as Spencer. This was a cute read that felt quite satisfying. I still have Night Swimming, Steph Bowe’s final book to read and I’m looking forward to it.
March 16, 2013
I decided to read this book because the blurb looked really interesting and the prologue hooked me in. This comes under the category of my choice. I loved this book because the family drama is not something most kids go through so it's something different; I mean, how many families rob banks together under the peer pressure of the parent? Nina has had enough because she hates the look of terror on the faces of the customers, hates being scared of the cops showing up on their doorstep and hates that she has to be so guarded around Spencer. I'm really glad that the conflict in the story resolved the way it did; good on Tom, Nina's brother, for going to the police. Nina's mum didn't have any right to put her family through the stress of robbing banks when they really don't want to.
My favourite quote from the book was in the part of the novel where Spencer was accidentally shot in the leg by Tom because of Nina's psychotic mother, the police were outside and Nina said, "I will give up my freedom if he gets to a hospital." It shows Nina's caring personality and she will live though the consequences of what her family has done, maybe even prison, if it means her best friend stays alive. The family drama of the mother making her family rob banks was really thought provoking because it made me realize how lucky I am that my parents don't put me through that and how uncomplicated my life really is. Uncommon criminals really do know how to hide in plain sight. But the most interesting character for me was Spencer, the boy that Nina meets at her current high school. He's shy, quiet, nerdy, yet best friends with the most popular girl in school, Bridie, and knows lots of quirky words.
My favourite quote from the book was in the part of the novel where Spencer was accidentally shot in the leg by Tom because of Nina's psychotic mother, the police were outside and Nina said, "I will give up my freedom if he gets to a hospital." It shows Nina's caring personality and she will live though the consequences of what her family has done, maybe even prison, if it means her best friend stays alive. The family drama of the mother making her family rob banks was really thought provoking because it made me realize how lucky I am that my parents don't put me through that and how uncomplicated my life really is. Uncommon criminals really do know how to hide in plain sight. But the most interesting character for me was Spencer, the boy that Nina meets at her current high school. He's shy, quiet, nerdy, yet best friends with the most popular girl in school, Bridie, and knows lots of quirky words.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 28, 2018
All This Could End was an interesting, quick but ultimately forgettable read.
The premise could have been so fascinating, especially for someone like myself who studies criminology and is fascinated by criminal psychology. I wanted Nina’s family dynamics, particularly what led to them turning to their life of crime, to play a central role in the story. While her family was definitely important, there was nothing unique or nuanced about the dynamics. In fact, Nina felt like a teenager who could have struggled with not agreeing with her family’s dedication to pretty much anything: being non-religious in a religious family, being nerdy/introverted in a sport/extroverted family, etc. It was a real let down.
I did love bumbly, awkward Spencer but... something was missing.
The premise could have been so fascinating, especially for someone like myself who studies criminology and is fascinated by criminal psychology. I wanted Nina’s family dynamics, particularly what led to them turning to their life of crime, to play a central role in the story. While her family was definitely important, there was nothing unique or nuanced about the dynamics. In fact, Nina felt like a teenager who could have struggled with not agreeing with her family’s dedication to pretty much anything: being non-religious in a religious family, being nerdy/introverted in a sport/extroverted family, etc. It was a real let down.
I did love bumbly, awkward Spencer but... something was missing.
February 17, 2013
This worked very well for me. I engaged totally with the two main characters and found the first person present tense effective, giving it immediacy.
Great tension, great interactions between Nina and Spencer and well-rounded secondary characters. There was quirk, humour and the right amount of poignancy and sadness without sentimentality or cliché.
Best of all, the resolution was satisfying and believable. Although more kissing would have made me happier.
Great tension, great interactions between Nina and Spencer and well-rounded secondary characters. There was quirk, humour and the right amount of poignancy and sadness without sentimentality or cliché.
Best of all, the resolution was satisfying and believable. Although more kissing would have made me happier.
May 1, 2018
Who would know that Nina doesn't have a normal family? Why would Spencer even suspect Nina of being anything other than an enchanting new girl at school? This story revolves around how Nina and Spencer keep their daily lives secret.
Nina hates the life she has. She’s counting down the days until she reaches eighteen and can leave her family for good. She doesn’t want to keep doing what her crazy mother wants her to do. She doesn’t want her younger brother to be going through the same brainwashing. Her father is a good teacher and he loves teaching. Why does he let her mother call the shots? She literally wants them to continue to rob banks. She trains Nina and her brother to pickpocket and break and enter cars. Nina feels the strain of constantly moving towns when all she really wants to do is settle down into a normal house, with normal friends going to a normal school. She really does like Spencer but she always has to be on guard. No one can know that the family she is part of, is one step ahead of the law. She also knows they are only in this town for four months, so it’s no good getting too involved with anyone.
Spencer has a normal family, school and home. His gregarious and wild friend Bridie, sticks with him through thick and thin, except when they go out and Bridie goes for the latest Base guitarist in the band. His sister Monica hasn’t spoken a word in months only communicating through Conversation Hearts. His father is like a walking zombie. All happened after arguments between his mother and father and his mother leaving them to live in Fiji with a younger he-man. Then he meets Nina, and he thinks things are starting to look up. He’s shattered when she leaves one day out of the blue.
The collision course Nina and Spencer are on moves this story to the next level and makes it a real page-turner.
Steph is young herself and draws on her own experiences to write close to the bone adolescent feelings. I loved this book and will now go to read her other two books, Boy Saves Girl she wrote when she was fifteen, and Night Swimming her latest release in 2017.
Nina hates the life she has. She’s counting down the days until she reaches eighteen and can leave her family for good. She doesn’t want to keep doing what her crazy mother wants her to do. She doesn’t want her younger brother to be going through the same brainwashing. Her father is a good teacher and he loves teaching. Why does he let her mother call the shots? She literally wants them to continue to rob banks. She trains Nina and her brother to pickpocket and break and enter cars. Nina feels the strain of constantly moving towns when all she really wants to do is settle down into a normal house, with normal friends going to a normal school. She really does like Spencer but she always has to be on guard. No one can know that the family she is part of, is one step ahead of the law. She also knows they are only in this town for four months, so it’s no good getting too involved with anyone.
Spencer has a normal family, school and home. His gregarious and wild friend Bridie, sticks with him through thick and thin, except when they go out and Bridie goes for the latest Base guitarist in the band. His sister Monica hasn’t spoken a word in months only communicating through Conversation Hearts. His father is like a walking zombie. All happened after arguments between his mother and father and his mother leaving them to live in Fiji with a younger he-man. Then he meets Nina, and he thinks things are starting to look up. He’s shattered when she leaves one day out of the blue.
The collision course Nina and Spencer are on moves this story to the next level and makes it a real page-turner.
Steph is young herself and draws on her own experiences to write close to the bone adolescent feelings. I loved this book and will now go to read her other two books, Boy Saves Girl she wrote when she was fifteen, and Night Swimming her latest release in 2017.
April 7, 2018
This was so much fun. I didn't think I'd enjoy a book about a bank robbing family this much but Bowe's knack for writing lively characters proved me wrong. A fun, easy read :)
October 13, 2021
This book was really good. I think a lot of books these days try to be revolutionary or a really big hit, but this book didn't do any of that in the best way possible. Imagine the stories you might have come up with as a little kid but it was possible. Bandits that rob bank vaults, moving around the country, etc. The characters also had very relatable emotions that most people can relate too and fun relationships. It just felt like it was written by a young person in the best way.
June 26, 2013
Why I decided to read this book:
I wanted to read this book because last year, I read another boom by Steph Bowe and I thought it was one of the best books I had ever read. I was a little disappointed by her second book because when I read the blurb and saw that it was about a family who robs banks, I thought it would be more action-packed, rather than a depressed teenager's life story.
Category:
'A book written in 2012 or 2013' is the category this book fits into.
Favourite quote and why:
My favourite quote from this book is "...But real life's not like that. There are no conclusions, and things don't happen for a reason, and the only guaranteed ending is that, sooner or later, everybody dies." because it sounded so matter-of-fact and plain that it made it effective, which then resulted in the quote planting itself in my memory.
What I learned:
I learnt that even in the toughest circumstances, there is still hope that one day things will get better and how even if there is no guaranteed conclusion, that's life, and you just have to carry on.
Character or setting that was interesting and why:
I found Nina Pretty's family intriguing because they stole money from banks for a living-but they still seemed like a normal, happy family... until the eldest daughter/main character-Nina started sharing her own thoughts.
I liked this book but only because it had an interesting idea. Although I'm not in the position to say so, I think the author could have lifted the story to another exciting level by making it a bit more action-packed and thrilling.
I wanted to read this book because last year, I read another boom by Steph Bowe and I thought it was one of the best books I had ever read. I was a little disappointed by her second book because when I read the blurb and saw that it was about a family who robs banks, I thought it would be more action-packed, rather than a depressed teenager's life story.
Category:
'A book written in 2012 or 2013' is the category this book fits into.
Favourite quote and why:
My favourite quote from this book is "...But real life's not like that. There are no conclusions, and things don't happen for a reason, and the only guaranteed ending is that, sooner or later, everybody dies." because it sounded so matter-of-fact and plain that it made it effective, which then resulted in the quote planting itself in my memory.
What I learned:
I learnt that even in the toughest circumstances, there is still hope that one day things will get better and how even if there is no guaranteed conclusion, that's life, and you just have to carry on.
Character or setting that was interesting and why:
I found Nina Pretty's family intriguing because they stole money from banks for a living-but they still seemed like a normal, happy family... until the eldest daughter/main character-Nina started sharing her own thoughts.
I liked this book but only because it had an interesting idea. Although I'm not in the position to say so, I think the author could have lifted the story to another exciting level by making it a bit more action-packed and thrilling.
November 22, 2023
Representation: N/A
Trigger warnings: Gun violence, surgery
Score: Six and a half points out of ten.
This review can also be found on The StoryGraph.
10 years ago, this would've been fresh off the press. 10 years later, it hasn't aged well.
So. I wanted to read this for a while ever since I added this book to my to-read pile, and not long after, I finally read this story when I picked it up from one of the two libraries I regularly go to since this novel is the only one they have from Steph Bowe. That book was only okay, and since the library does not have any more books from her, I don't know if her other books are better than this. It starts with the main character, Nina Pretty, or Nina for short, and she has one characteristic that separates her from other characters: her family is criminal. Then, the book switches to another POV from Spencer, and he also has a particular attribute: he has a missing toe, but her mother hides that to avoid bullying or something like that. Nina has moved to a new town and school to escape the police, but she is frustrated with that, and she wants a friend that can last, in the form of Spencer. A few pages later, Nina and Spencer develop an attraction to one another, discussing trivialities and doing other wacky acts stretching across the middle of the book, slowing its pace. That all leads to the ending, and let me tell you, it is bittersweet and heartbreaking. That is it.
Trigger warnings: Gun violence, surgery
Score: Six and a half points out of ten.
This review can also be found on The StoryGraph.
10 years ago, this would've been fresh off the press. 10 years later, it hasn't aged well.
So. I wanted to read this for a while ever since I added this book to my to-read pile, and not long after, I finally read this story when I picked it up from one of the two libraries I regularly go to since this novel is the only one they have from Steph Bowe. That book was only okay, and since the library does not have any more books from her, I don't know if her other books are better than this. It starts with the main character, Nina Pretty, or Nina for short, and she has one characteristic that separates her from other characters: her family is criminal. Then, the book switches to another POV from Spencer, and he also has a particular attribute: he has a missing toe, but her mother hides that to avoid bullying or something like that. Nina has moved to a new town and school to escape the police, but she is frustrated with that, and she wants a friend that can last, in the form of Spencer. A few pages later, Nina and Spencer develop an attraction to one another, discussing trivialities and doing other wacky acts stretching across the middle of the book, slowing its pace. That all leads to the ending, and let me tell you, it is bittersweet and heartbreaking. That is it.
May 20, 2013
The author's second novel, completed when she was just 18, proves what a talented young writer Steph Bowe really is!
The scenario of a bank robber parents enticing their children into crime tips stereotypical relationships on their head, but is not entirely new (Gordon Korman's 'Son of the Mob'). There are a few moments of uneasiness, such as the scene where Spencer's mother leaves with her boyfriend, but these are outweighed by far more quirky delightful pieces of writing, making the occasional clumsiness easy to forgive.
What Bowe does particularly well is the painting of her teen characters, particularly Nina and Spencer, conveying the uneasy blend of awkwardness and self-righteousness evident in adolescence, the need for teens to find independence and distance from their parents, and the difficult transitions some undergo on their way to adulthood.
'All This Could End' is a satisfying read for middle teens, and we look forward to more of Steph Bowe's work.
The scenario of a bank robber parents enticing their children into crime tips stereotypical relationships on their head, but is not entirely new (Gordon Korman's 'Son of the Mob'). There are a few moments of uneasiness, such as the scene where Spencer's mother leaves with her boyfriend, but these are outweighed by far more quirky delightful pieces of writing, making the occasional clumsiness easy to forgive.
What Bowe does particularly well is the painting of her teen characters, particularly Nina and Spencer, conveying the uneasy blend of awkwardness and self-righteousness evident in adolescence, the need for teens to find independence and distance from their parents, and the difficult transitions some undergo on their way to adulthood.
'All This Could End' is a satisfying read for middle teens, and we look forward to more of Steph Bowe's work.
July 24, 2013
Really enjoyed this book. the characters and plot were very different and I loved it. I love useless facts and words for things so this book made me so happy haha. A book I read in one sitting.
Steph Bowe has done it again!
Steph Bowe has done it again!
March 8, 2013
This. Was. Amazing! I love you Steph!! <3
August 2, 2014
‘All This Could End’ is such an amazing read and I can see how well Steph’s writing has improved since ‘Girl Saves Boy’ (which is an impressive debut it made me cry. A lot.) This novel is full of things that MADE SENSE and it was such a compelling story.
Here is some of my ramblings about it:
Things about Nina that I could relate to:
- Nina’s love of books and movies. ‘…For as long as she’s immersed in them, being able to forget, if only for a short time, about the reality of her own life.’ (pg 18) Even though Nina’s life is vastly different to mine I can understand this because this is the reason I love books so much: you just get so lost in the words, the stories, the characters in a way that’s addicting.
-Pg 119- Nina google-stalking (well facebook-stalking) Spencer. Don’t feel guilty, girl, EVERYONE does it.
-Page 184 when Nina wakes up and hits her head on the bunk above her. I know too well how that feels.
-Not something I can relate to so well but loved anyways: Standing up to her freaking crazy mother!!! GO GIRL.
Things that I loved about Spencer:
-‘His hair is black and short and messy, and his eyes bright, bright blue, unnaturally blue’ (page 31) He is not overly attractive like being compared to a demi-god or something like that. His features weren’t something that mattered character-wise to me because his personality was totally lovable. Of course, Nina mentions how beautiful and/or gorgeous he is but who can blame her?
-‘All the smart retorts, all the funny remarks, come to him long after a conversation has ended’ (pg 49) I feel your pain Spencer Jack. This is such a BIG problem for those who are socially awkward and this aspect of Spencer made it easy for me to connect with him. Also, ‘ ‘Awkward’ is Spencer’s permanent residential address’ (pg 87). He’s awkward-ness kills me.
-I love how he tends to babble around Nina. (Evidence on several pages but I liked pg 57-ish)
-(page 79) an epic mental panic-freak out which is just adorable
-pg 252, when Spencer is shot I died of laughing and crying and general panicking.
‘I’ve been shot. I feel like Rambo. I feel like Chuck Norris. I feel like the Terminator’.
‘They’ve got to feature me in an Underbelly series after this. I’m a legend. I’ll sell my story to A Current Affair’.
‘I feel like a rock star’.
-McDonalds while in hospital. ‘If I have a heart attack, at least I’m in the right place’
[I think this has turned from ‘what I love about Spencer’ into ‘my favourite Spencer lines’
Spencer And Nina
-On page 74, it is revealed that Spencer has trouble ‘being honest with people’ and yet he is very honest with Nina. This comfortable-ness [my English skills are fantastic, no?] he feels with Nina is a little disconcerting.
-Page 96, Spencer’s revelation to Nina about the pinkie toe pulled out a gasp from me because he’s just told her his ‘biggest secret’ on a first date too. And I understand that she can’t tell him about her family’s robbing banks business, but I felt it was a big step out of his shy nature for Spencer when he told her about the pinkie toe.
-Their first kiss (pg 109) is so cute :3
Things about Bridie
-One: how do you pronounce her name!?
-‘Bridie and The Bassists’ I can’t even.
-Steph Bowe really depicts these ‘big personality’ kinds of people really well in Bridie
-How Bridie says on page 182: “I think that’s just fatherly. The whole outdated men-shouldn’t-express-emotion thing?”
-How she asked about the bullet. *biggest facepalm* and the prison letters. (page 259-260)
Things about Nina’s Parents
-Paul is a good man who stupidly fell in love and got pushed around by Sophia. I felt really sorry for him. I love how he stood up to her though (finally) on page 233-234.
-SOPHIA IS INSANEEEEEEEEEEEEE the brainwashing made me wanna puke sometimes.
Why I loved Tom:
-The shit he says:
‘Curriculum is such a teacher word’ (pg 11)
‘… ‘the only reason everyone looks forward to turning eighteen [is to get drunk]. It’s not like anyone’s excited to vote’
And this seemingly clueless, happy, care-free 12-yr-old is the one who I felt really developed in terms of growing up and standing up to your parents (even though he had a pretty insane mother)
Things that made me sad:
-Spencer’s unborn baby brother (Why, Steph, Why?)
-Spencer’s mother leaving
-Nina leaving
-Spencer’s younger sister taking a vow of silence
-Spencer crying
-Spencer confronting his father and nothing coming from it
Things/References I Understood:
- VCR’s (mentioned pg 12)- scary to think that I actually know what this is (am I really that old??)
- The ‘crappy chain emails’ and their ‘you know you’re a nineties kid when…’ and ‘you know you’ve been playing too many video games when…’
- The game where they ‘figure out things about people by the food they eat at a restaurant, or their shoes, or some outward sign’ (pg 76) is something all writers should do to get creative brain juices and is something that I shall file away for later use. Thanks, Steph ☺
- Mentioned junk food on page 108: Milko Chews, Redskins, Cornettos. My life flashed before my eyes, I swear.
Teenager/YA/Growing Up Philosophy Stuff:
- (pg 41-42) ‘The New Girl’ options that Nina went through. I wish that I could have used her technique/advice when I moved schools! Steph Bowe hits the nail on the head when she shows readers a sneak peek into ‘high school life’ of an Australian.
- (page 103) ‘I figured out I couldn’t avoid death without also avoiding life’ *moose noises because gah kill me now*
- The whole ‘on the verge’ analogy is something I think that any teenager/young adult can relate to. And I think is very nice of Steph to put this emotion into words.
- ‘This self-doubt and insecurity business is a bitch’ (pg 119) Amen to that.
- PAGE 196 AND THE REAL LIFE’S NOT LIKE THAT. THERE ARE NO CONCLUSIONS, AND THINGS DON'T HAPPEN FOR A REASON, AND THE ONLY GUARANTEED ENDING IS THAT, SOONER OR LATER, EVERYBODY DIES. Steph Bowe, I think you’ve killed me.
- ‘Spencer isn’t sure he likes growing up’ (pg 220) All young people feel that every now and again.
- Bridie’s spiel on page 227. Me love it.
Here is some of my ramblings about it:
Things about Nina that I could relate to:
- Nina’s love of books and movies. ‘…For as long as she’s immersed in them, being able to forget, if only for a short time, about the reality of her own life.’ (pg 18) Even though Nina’s life is vastly different to mine I can understand this because this is the reason I love books so much: you just get so lost in the words, the stories, the characters in a way that’s addicting.
-Pg 119- Nina google-stalking (well facebook-stalking) Spencer. Don’t feel guilty, girl, EVERYONE does it.
-Page 184 when Nina wakes up and hits her head on the bunk above her. I know too well how that feels.
-Not something I can relate to so well but loved anyways: Standing up to her freaking crazy mother!!! GO GIRL.
Things that I loved about Spencer:
-‘His hair is black and short and messy, and his eyes bright, bright blue, unnaturally blue’ (page 31) He is not overly attractive like being compared to a demi-god or something like that. His features weren’t something that mattered character-wise to me because his personality was totally lovable. Of course, Nina mentions how beautiful and/or gorgeous he is but who can blame her?
-‘All the smart retorts, all the funny remarks, come to him long after a conversation has ended’ (pg 49) I feel your pain Spencer Jack. This is such a BIG problem for those who are socially awkward and this aspect of Spencer made it easy for me to connect with him. Also, ‘ ‘Awkward’ is Spencer’s permanent residential address’ (pg 87). He’s awkward-ness kills me.
-I love how he tends to babble around Nina. (Evidence on several pages but I liked pg 57-ish)
-(page 79) an epic mental panic-freak out which is just adorable
-pg 252, when Spencer is shot I died of laughing and crying and general panicking.
‘I’ve been shot. I feel like Rambo. I feel like Chuck Norris. I feel like the Terminator’.
‘They’ve got to feature me in an Underbelly series after this. I’m a legend. I’ll sell my story to A Current Affair’.
‘I feel like a rock star’.
-McDonalds while in hospital. ‘If I have a heart attack, at least I’m in the right place’
[I think this has turned from ‘what I love about Spencer’ into ‘my favourite Spencer lines’
Spencer And Nina
-On page 74, it is revealed that Spencer has trouble ‘being honest with people’ and yet he is very honest with Nina. This comfortable-ness [my English skills are fantastic, no?] he feels with Nina is a little disconcerting.
-Page 96, Spencer’s revelation to Nina about the pinkie toe pulled out a gasp from me because he’s just told her his ‘biggest secret’ on a first date too. And I understand that she can’t tell him about her family’s robbing banks business, but I felt it was a big step out of his shy nature for Spencer when he told her about the pinkie toe.
-Their first kiss (pg 109) is so cute :3
Things about Bridie
-One: how do you pronounce her name!?
-‘Bridie and The Bassists’ I can’t even.
-Steph Bowe really depicts these ‘big personality’ kinds of people really well in Bridie
-How Bridie says on page 182: “I think that’s just fatherly. The whole outdated men-shouldn’t-express-emotion thing?”
-How she asked about the bullet. *biggest facepalm* and the prison letters. (page 259-260)
Things about Nina’s Parents
-Paul is a good man who stupidly fell in love and got pushed around by Sophia. I felt really sorry for him. I love how he stood up to her though (finally) on page 233-234.
-SOPHIA IS INSANEEEEEEEEEEEEE the brainwashing made me wanna puke sometimes.
Why I loved Tom:
-The shit he says:
‘Curriculum is such a teacher word’ (pg 11)
‘… ‘the only reason everyone looks forward to turning eighteen [is to get drunk]. It’s not like anyone’s excited to vote’
And this seemingly clueless, happy, care-free 12-yr-old is the one who I felt really developed in terms of growing up and standing up to your parents (even though he had a pretty insane mother)
Things that made me sad:
-Spencer’s unborn baby brother (Why, Steph, Why?)
-Spencer’s mother leaving
-Nina leaving
-Spencer’s younger sister taking a vow of silence
-Spencer crying
-Spencer confronting his father and nothing coming from it
Things/References I Understood:
- VCR’s (mentioned pg 12)- scary to think that I actually know what this is (am I really that old??)
- The ‘crappy chain emails’ and their ‘you know you’re a nineties kid when…’ and ‘you know you’ve been playing too many video games when…’
- The game where they ‘figure out things about people by the food they eat at a restaurant, or their shoes, or some outward sign’ (pg 76) is something all writers should do to get creative brain juices and is something that I shall file away for later use. Thanks, Steph ☺
- Mentioned junk food on page 108: Milko Chews, Redskins, Cornettos. My life flashed before my eyes, I swear.
Teenager/YA/Growing Up Philosophy Stuff:
- (pg 41-42) ‘The New Girl’ options that Nina went through. I wish that I could have used her technique/advice when I moved schools! Steph Bowe hits the nail on the head when she shows readers a sneak peek into ‘high school life’ of an Australian.
- (page 103) ‘I figured out I couldn’t avoid death without also avoiding life’ *moose noises because gah kill me now*
- The whole ‘on the verge’ analogy is something I think that any teenager/young adult can relate to. And I think is very nice of Steph to put this emotion into words.
- ‘This self-doubt and insecurity business is a bitch’ (pg 119) Amen to that.
- PAGE 196 AND THE REAL LIFE’S NOT LIKE THAT. THERE ARE NO CONCLUSIONS, AND THINGS DON'T HAPPEN FOR A REASON, AND THE ONLY GUARANTEED ENDING IS THAT, SOONER OR LATER, EVERYBODY DIES. Steph Bowe, I think you’ve killed me.
- ‘Spencer isn’t sure he likes growing up’ (pg 220) All young people feel that every now and again.
- Bridie’s spiel on page 227. Me love it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 21, 2024
This is the second of Bowe’s three novels that I’ve had the delight of reading. Bowe was a very rare kind of writer - her novels may not be Booker Prize works, but they are an amazing combination of simplicity, honesty, wit and realism. There is no window dressing, no extra angst to ramp up the drama and as a result, her novels are wonderfully warm and sweet without being saccharine. She had a knack for illustrating mental illness in a real and sympathetic manner; it’s this that really lifts the characters out of the realms of caricatures.
Highly recommended.
Highly recommended.
December 30, 2017
You feel for this teen girl, knowing her normal is not normal but its all she knows, a relatable protagonist. Compelling and quick reading....great for YA and adults. Impressed that it was written by a teen for teens, and note that there is nothing in this novel that needs censoring - it was in the senior fiction section in my library but this is unnecessary. Have passed this on to my 11 year old to see if she likes it - will update.
May 29, 2017
Liked the characters in this book but found the fact that Nina's mother was a bank robber a bit annoying, perhaps because I am a Mum. Also wondered why police were so inept for so long... But well written and mostly enjoyed it.
September 30, 2017
I'm so glad I finally got around to reading Steph Bowe's second novel. All This Could End is another girl/boy romance story with a remarkable twist. Can people who commit criminal acts be good people? You decide.
February 22, 2013
(This review originally published in Viewpoint: On Books for Young Adults.)
Steph Bowe’s second novel, All This Could End, opens with a killer premise. When you think about family outings, what springs to mind? Trips to the beach, amusement parks, picnics? Nina’s mother Sophia has her family rob banks.
For as long as she can remember, Nina has been on the move with her family. They’ll settle in briefly in a town while her father does relief teaching and her mother cases the next joint. Once the plans are finalised, Nina and her parents walk into the bank wearing balaclavas and waving guns, and walk out with the contents of the safe. Then it’s on to the next town, and the next. Sophia has enough rationalising rants up her sleeve to last a lifetime: the money’s insured, life’s a game, banks steal from ordinary people and we’re just taking it back, everyone’s a bad guy when you think about it.
Nina’s not convinced, but she dutifully plays her role in the robberies, all the while counting the days til she turns eighteen and can escape Sophia’s influence. Meanwhile, she lays low at each new school and avoids close friendships. There’s no point making friends when she’ll soon be on the move anyway:
"She doesn’t really care where they go to school. She used to, when she was younger, and she’d invest a lot of thought into making a good impression on everyone, making friends. But it’s only four months this time. Even if it were longer, she’d always know that it was only temporary."
Then she meets Spencer. Spencer is bad at conversation, especially around girls (he likes them, but ‘only in theory’). He has a fondness for obscure words and phrases, which he quietly catalogues in his head. But when Spencer and Nina meet (thanks to Spencer’s larger-than-life best friend Bridie), Spencer unaccountably discovers his voice, and Nina finds her emotional walls crumbling.
But there’s still the unavoidable bank job. And as the book begins, mid-robbery, Nina is holding her gun to the head of a trembling hostage. The hostage is Spencer.
As I noted, the premise of All This Could End is an exciting and unique one. The opening sentences grab the reader immediately: ‘Nina Pretty holds the gun to the boy’s head, her other arm around his neck. Her balaclava itches.’ Combining the action of bank heists with the everyday concerns of adolescence is a great plot foundation, and for the most part Bowe pulls it off. The bank job scenes are sharp, suspenseful, and successfully surprise the reader with each turn of events. Spencer and Nina’s budding relationship is sensitively written, and the comic-relief character of Bridie is thoroughly enjoyable:
"‘I need you to be my entourage,’ says Bridie. ‘What do the bands play?’ asks Spencer. ‘I’m not coming if they only play country music.’ ‘Oh really Spencer. You know I wouldn’t make you endure anything like that. You and your middle-of-the-road pop. We need to broaden your horizons. Vampires on Bikes are indie synth pop-rock with an emo-folk edge. Kind of like an organist at a church, but on speed and covered in pig’s blood and with scene hair.’"
Unfortunately, Bowe’s novel is peppered with jarring moments that render the book very uneven. Sometimes it’s a case of a character’s thoughts being awkwardly expository: ‘It didn’t occur to her until years later that someone who was truly good, who truly loved her children, would not put them in such a situation.’ Sometimes it’s paragraphs of simply bad writing: ‘“Wonderful,” says Caro. She steeples her fingers and taps them against each other like Mr Burns when he says “Excellent”.’ There’s also an occasional sense of disdain toward teenagers at large, which always rubs me the wrong way as I remember feeling it myself when I was in my early twenties: scorning adolescent concerns as immature because I was now Adult and very much Above All That. Bowe’s references to the ‘lack of subtlety only teenagers possess’ and ‘legions of kids who all look the same and whose friendship-group pecking orders are dictated by the alphabetical order of their surnames’ have a superior tone to them which is entirely out of place in a YA novel.
All This Could End also contains an exhausting amount of broken parents. Spencer’s grieving and deserting mother; his father frozen with sadness and unable to care for his children; Nina’s sociopathic mother and her pathetic father. There is substantial over-use of broken parenting in YA novels. When it is done well it can seem entirely necessary to the book, but here the parent characters here are slight and their emotional journeys relatively unexplored. It smacks less of genuine character development and more of an attempt to make sure the book is regarded as Very Serious YA. The turn of events for Spencer’s family in the epilogue are especially unbelievable and unsatisfying.
Overall, All This Could End is a very uneven novel. There is a lot to like here: the plot is a winner and the combination of action and romance is an excellent one. It’s a fast read and a great ride. But the patchy writing and problematic treatment of adult characters make it a book that doesn’t quite live up to its potential.
Steph Bowe’s second novel, All This Could End, opens with a killer premise. When you think about family outings, what springs to mind? Trips to the beach, amusement parks, picnics? Nina’s mother Sophia has her family rob banks.
For as long as she can remember, Nina has been on the move with her family. They’ll settle in briefly in a town while her father does relief teaching and her mother cases the next joint. Once the plans are finalised, Nina and her parents walk into the bank wearing balaclavas and waving guns, and walk out with the contents of the safe. Then it’s on to the next town, and the next. Sophia has enough rationalising rants up her sleeve to last a lifetime: the money’s insured, life’s a game, banks steal from ordinary people and we’re just taking it back, everyone’s a bad guy when you think about it.
Nina’s not convinced, but she dutifully plays her role in the robberies, all the while counting the days til she turns eighteen and can escape Sophia’s influence. Meanwhile, she lays low at each new school and avoids close friendships. There’s no point making friends when she’ll soon be on the move anyway:
"She doesn’t really care where they go to school. She used to, when she was younger, and she’d invest a lot of thought into making a good impression on everyone, making friends. But it’s only four months this time. Even if it were longer, she’d always know that it was only temporary."
Then she meets Spencer. Spencer is bad at conversation, especially around girls (he likes them, but ‘only in theory’). He has a fondness for obscure words and phrases, which he quietly catalogues in his head. But when Spencer and Nina meet (thanks to Spencer’s larger-than-life best friend Bridie), Spencer unaccountably discovers his voice, and Nina finds her emotional walls crumbling.
But there’s still the unavoidable bank job. And as the book begins, mid-robbery, Nina is holding her gun to the head of a trembling hostage. The hostage is Spencer.
As I noted, the premise of All This Could End is an exciting and unique one. The opening sentences grab the reader immediately: ‘Nina Pretty holds the gun to the boy’s head, her other arm around his neck. Her balaclava itches.’ Combining the action of bank heists with the everyday concerns of adolescence is a great plot foundation, and for the most part Bowe pulls it off. The bank job scenes are sharp, suspenseful, and successfully surprise the reader with each turn of events. Spencer and Nina’s budding relationship is sensitively written, and the comic-relief character of Bridie is thoroughly enjoyable:
"‘I need you to be my entourage,’ says Bridie. ‘What do the bands play?’ asks Spencer. ‘I’m not coming if they only play country music.’ ‘Oh really Spencer. You know I wouldn’t make you endure anything like that. You and your middle-of-the-road pop. We need to broaden your horizons. Vampires on Bikes are indie synth pop-rock with an emo-folk edge. Kind of like an organist at a church, but on speed and covered in pig’s blood and with scene hair.’"
Unfortunately, Bowe’s novel is peppered with jarring moments that render the book very uneven. Sometimes it’s a case of a character’s thoughts being awkwardly expository: ‘It didn’t occur to her until years later that someone who was truly good, who truly loved her children, would not put them in such a situation.’ Sometimes it’s paragraphs of simply bad writing: ‘“Wonderful,” says Caro. She steeples her fingers and taps them against each other like Mr Burns when he says “Excellent”.’ There’s also an occasional sense of disdain toward teenagers at large, which always rubs me the wrong way as I remember feeling it myself when I was in my early twenties: scorning adolescent concerns as immature because I was now Adult and very much Above All That. Bowe’s references to the ‘lack of subtlety only teenagers possess’ and ‘legions of kids who all look the same and whose friendship-group pecking orders are dictated by the alphabetical order of their surnames’ have a superior tone to them which is entirely out of place in a YA novel.
All This Could End also contains an exhausting amount of broken parents. Spencer’s grieving and deserting mother; his father frozen with sadness and unable to care for his children; Nina’s sociopathic mother and her pathetic father. There is substantial over-use of broken parenting in YA novels. When it is done well it can seem entirely necessary to the book, but here the parent characters here are slight and their emotional journeys relatively unexplored. It smacks less of genuine character development and more of an attempt to make sure the book is regarded as Very Serious YA. The turn of events for Spencer’s family in the epilogue are especially unbelievable and unsatisfying.
Overall, All This Could End is a very uneven novel. There is a lot to like here: the plot is a winner and the combination of action and romance is an excellent one. It’s a fast read and a great ride. But the patchy writing and problematic treatment of adult characters make it a book that doesn’t quite live up to its potential.
June 22, 2017
This book was fine. I needed a quick read, but I don't think I'd go back to read it again.
April 5, 2021
what a strange and wonderful little book. themes of family and belonging taken to an extreme that can resonate with most, even if they aren't criminals.
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