It Was Always Going to End This Way

by Ashlynn Poulsen

Delilah never thought she’d let herself fall in love—let alone with a psychopath—and certainly never imagined being betrayed in the worst way imaginable. But she won’t realize the mistakes she’s made until it’s too late . . .

Delilah is a simple she loves reading, her family, and the beauty of a sunset. To protect herself from heartbreak, she has long vowed never to fully trust another person. But when Bodhi, a handsome stranger, stumbles into her life and fits into the parts of herself she guards so closely, her convictions slowly crumble—and once she caves to the temptation, she discovers she’s never felt freer.

But as Delilah begins to uncover all the half-truths, all the lies, she wonders if she should have listened to her gut all along.
Set in two timelines, before and after, we watch as Delilah falls in love, falls apart, and ultimately falls into the clutches of her captor. We see how she was always going to end up as something for a monster to use, not someone to love. How with her and him, it was always going to end this way.

390 pages, Kindle Edition

Published February 10, 2026

Reviews

[Emma]

Ashlynn!!!! Mega proud!!! Here’s the thing I didn’t know it was going to end that way!?! Hahaha what a plot twist! I’m in shock tbh. It was so hard for me because I knew bodhie was so toxic but I continued root for Delilah to give him a chance. lol I think I’m the problem. But I loved & respected Delilah as a character which surprised me bc I normally have a hard time with female main characters! She was so cautious the whole time but also understanding which made for a really solid character. A little heartbroken that Luca wasn’t my fairytale ending but wow what a good plot twist. IM SO IMPRESSED!!!

[M K]

I'm not sure how to feel about this book. I really enjoyed it, but Luca's last chapter confused me. So Bodhi was manipulated into drugging and kidnapping his girlfriend? In the "After" chapters, were they about Bodhi or Luca? There's this moment when she's asking him why he took her when he did, and he said, "I saw you getting close with him, being friendly with him, and I knew that it was time. You were getting too attached. I had to move when I did, or I might have lost you." That led me to believe that the After was with Bodhi, that he was talking about Luca and saving her from him. But then does that mean that she fell in love with two psychopaths? But in the Luca POV chapter, he says Bodhi took her and "tried to save her." If he was trying to save her, why was he acting so psychologically abusive in the After chapters?

These aren't critiques per se, just a fan who wants clarity from other fans.


It Was Always Going to End This Way

[Hailee]

this book was awesome! love the mind f***s haha

[JB Prez]

a must read!

One of my favourite books. Her writing pulls you in and makes it feel real. The twists and turns are unexpected.