After falling into the orbit of an accomplished young actor -- as handsome and reserved as he is startlingly cold-hearted, and intense -- an eccentric couple find themselves mingling with predatory Hollywood elite, drawn deeper and deeper into a secret that changes the trajectory of their lives forever.
******
Neither Adrian nor Val know exactly what they're doing in Los Angeles, as two freelance writers who spend more time looking for odd jobs, public places to have sex, and other outlets for their respective frustrations than actually writing. But both are determined to survive on their own terms, even if it means inflicting loneliness upon both each other and themselves.
Enter Bee Jonsson, former child actor and the son of recently deceased indie darling Emma Jonsson, each known for their work with prolific writer-director Stevie Foster. When Bee, now twenty-four and new to LA, makes a habit out of visiting Adrian's part-time barista gig, the two fall into a routine of gamely sarcasm and offhand cruelty. When Bee kisses Val, Adrian is there to watch, and the couple initiates a feverish affair with their new friend.
In exchange for tolerating Bee's strange and volatile moods, Adrian and Val are gifted with tickets to film festivals, payments to fill the gaps in their rent, and opportunities to score interviews with Hollywood's up-and-coming. For a while, it seems as if success must be within their reach, at least until the two begin to stumble upon answers to unasked questions -- questions that lead to the reasons behind Bee's hurtful games, Stevie Foster's violent art, and the abrupt death of the woman who brought them together.
[Think THE SECRET HISTORY meets EVELYN HUGO with a dash of A LITTLE LIFE. Some spice, too, if you're interested in that.]
I kissed him. I slept next to him. I thought maybe, for once, this would go somewhere.
Instead, he blocked me.
Sage wasn't supposed to fall for Alex. He was a distraction. A hookup. A maybe-I'll-regret-this-but-who-cares kind of night. But somewhere between cheap beer and his stupid smile, she started to feel safe with him. Seen. Like maybe she wasn't too much.
Then he disappeared.
No explanation. No goodbye.
Just silence where he used to be.
Now Sage is trying to move forward-drinking too much, overthinking everything, and rewriting the story in her head just to make it hurt less.
Meanwhile, Alex is unraveling.
And every chapter takes us further back through the mess he made.
Told in dual timelines-Sage moving forward, Alex spiraling in reverse-
Tell Me How It Ends is a story about almosts, unspoken apologies, and the kind of love that leaves you wondering if you were ever enough
TRIGGER WARNING:
Drugs, depression, Borderline Personality Disorder POV, Bi-Polar Disorder POV, sex, and language