My friend's hot take on endings made me flip my stance completely
I used to think a book's ending was everything. If the last 20 pages fell flat, I'd call the whole thing trash. Then my buddy Jake from my Tuesday night group argued the opposite, that endings are just the final comma in a long sentence. He pointed out that a messy ending can actually make you rethink the middle, like how The Goldfinch stuck with me for weeks after a pretty shaky finale. That conversation hit different cause it gave me permission to enjoy the ride instead of just waiting for the landing. Has anyone else had a book where the ending was weak but the journey made it worth recommending anyway?
Gotta disagree with Jake on this one, cause if the last 20 pages flop it kinda sours the whole thing for me no matter how good the ride was. Like I loved the middle of that book but the ending was such a mess I still wouldn't hand it to a friend without a warning first.