Member Reviews
Until The Day I Die by Emily Carpenter is a psychological thriller that will appeal to readers who are content to have events unfold in their own time. Slow to boil, perhaps, but then the novel really cooks. Rest assured that patience will be duly rewarded.
The novel is presented in the dual first person narratives of Erin and Shorie, a mother and daughter who are struggling to come to grips with the death of their husband/father Perry. Along with friends Ben and Sabine, the two women head a tech company, Jax, essentially a comprehensive personal budgeting app. Mother/daughter tensions simmer when Shorie must head off to college, but would much rather devote her time to Jax. Following an awkward and humiliating event while she is dropping Shorie off at school, Erin's friends and family stage an intervention, and ultimately commit her to a "restoration facility", Hidden Sands, on an island off of St Lucia, Ile Saint Sigo.
It is during Erin's stay on the island where suspense and tension reach boiling point, both at the retreat, where Erin must fight for her life, and at home, where Shorie is determined to find answers of her own. The final twist is a surprise, and the epilogue is wholly sinister. This is the first of Ms Carpenter's novels that I have read, but I will definitely seek others out in future.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishers for the opportunity to read this ARC.
Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and the author, for an ARC of this book, in exchange for an honest review.
I thought that this book was a nicely paced, unpredictable suspenseful thriller.
This is the 1st book that I have read by Emily Carpenter and I can’t wait to read her other books.
I was a huge fan of Carpenter’s book The Weight of lies and this book didn’t disappoint! It started off a bit slow but once the action and suspense started it didn’t stop! Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy in exchange for review.
4.5/5 stars- rounded up
I love everything Emily Carpenter writes and this one was no exception! Fast paced, twisty, banana pants!
Having never read anything from Emily Carpenter before, Until the Day I Die was a pleasant surprise. The novel was full of suspense and mystery, with just the right amount of thrill. I liked the alternating POVs and I thought they were well done for the characters (i.e. Erin sounded like a mom/grieving wife and Shorie sounded like a stubborn teen girl). I was quickly hooked into the story and I easily read through most of the book in one sitting. The twists were exciting and I enjoyed how the different storylines ended up coming together in the conclusion. One thing that would've made this a stellar read is if there were more character and relationship development. The novel is told from Erin and Shorie's POVs, so I was hoping there would be more development with their relationship as mother and daughter. I felt like I wasn't as invested in their relationship as I probably should've been. The minor characters were also pretty flat and I wish we got more insight to their personalities and had a better understanding of some of their motivations. Overall, Until the Day I Die was a fast and thrilling read.
I don’t normally do this, but I am giving this book five stars solely because it’s the first book in a long while that I have actually attempted to read in one sitting. I absolutely loved the story, the complexity of the characters, the conspiracy, and the two perspectives (plus a bonus journal perspective).
The pacing was perfect. The tech stuff in this book was genius. Pure genius! I loved it all.
My only complaint? I needed it to be longer so I wouldn’t be done so quickly! I need more! :)
AWESOME!!! Wow what a read... at first I wasn't sure if this would be a thriller that I would really get into but I am so glad that I did! Emily Carpenter did an excellent job at capturing my attention and holding it there until the very end. The characters were also top notch!
I just had to get my hands on an ARC of Emily Carpenter's newest novel as soon as I heard about it! Carpenter really has a way of sucking her readers into her stories. This one started off a bit slow for me in the beginning, but it definitely picked up soon after. Suspenseful, thrilling, and just an over-all great book! I always look forward to read anything this author has written. Thank you to NetGalley for the chance to read and review this novel in exchange for an honest review.
Finally finished this one! This book started off slow but by the upper middle I was definitely intrigued by what was happening to Erin at her luxury rehab resort and by what Shorie was discovering through her super high tech computer skills. However, the ending was just not plausible-it was so unbelievable that I could not wait to finish it and once I thought it could not get anymore weird the epilogue happened. I teetered to giving this a 2 star review but the writing itself was strong so I still give this a solid 3 review -- I wish I could ask the author what she was trying to do with the ending.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a chance to read and give an honest review.
I loved this book! This author has such a way with setting a story and drawing you in. Concerned over her emotional and mental state in the months after her husband passes away, Erin's friends and family decide (pretty much for her) that she should go away for a while to heal, on a beautiful tropical island. With her daughter having just moved in to college, she feels even more lost and agrees that the time away may be just what she needs. And that is just the beginning...
It's hard not to give too much away, but it's when she leaves that the plot really starts moving forward. Her daughter Shorie is dealing with her own issues at school - she'd rather be working at the company her parents founded with their close friends, a financial app called Jax that took the world by storm. She's described to be at near genius level with in-depth knowledge and training in coding. At times it was a bit too technical for me to follow, but it's relevant to the story so be sure to pay attention to these details.
At times, you may feel that the credulity of the story is in doubt, particularly on the island of the resort, but everything is brought together and concluded in such a way that you realize crazy things like these could really happen. And sinister evil hides in the most innocent of faces.
This is a book that makes you hold your breath while reading it. The unpredictable suspense is really what drew me in to giving this book a 5 star rating. This is exactly what you're looking for for a psychological thriller that you just can't put down.
I loved Emily Carpenter’s Honeysuckle Girls novel and I was so stoked to read her next book and I must say I have a new favorite! Fantastic read!!
Emily Carpenter is an auto-buy author for me with The Weight of Lies ranking up there as one of my all-time favorite books, so I was beyond thrilled to read her newest novel, Until the Day I Die as soon as I received an advanced reader copy!! Let's just say that I stayed up to finish it until 4 am because it is so riveting, fast-paced, and kept me on the edge of my seat!
Until the Day I Die starts off as a slow-burn as Carpenter introduces a cast of intriguing and realistic characters, her ingenious and highly intelligent plot and then throws you into a story so swift and breakneck, dark and sinister, twisted and unpredictable that you're breathless throughout the entire three-fourths of the book!
Her newest novel is told through the perspectives of the mother-daughter duo of Erin and Shorie, both recovering from the recent death of their husband/father Perry. Erin's grief is overwhelming as she can barely recover from Perry's death. Erin's not only acting strangely but is overworking as CEO of Jax, the successful tech company she started with Perry and their best friends/partners Sabrine and Ben, a company she now wants to sell since Perry is gone but against her partner's wishes.
Jax is a company that Shorie loves because it was a part of her dad, and she wants to work there instead of heading to Auburn University for her freshman year like her mom wants, so their relationship is strained. When her grandparents, along with Ben and Sabine suggest Erin needs to go to a spa for some rest and "restoration" to help recover from her grief, Shorie is all for sending her mom to an exclusive spa in the Caribbean Island. Erin goes but quickly finds out that the spa experience is not relaxing as promised and wonders who would send her into this chilling nightmare. Soon even Shorie begins to realize something is horribly wrong while she's keeping an eye on Jax and sees error codes appearing that shouldn't be in the system.
Carpenter weaves a menacing web of deception and lies that will have you quickly turning pages trying to figure out each surprising plot twist! The two female protagonists of Erin and Shorie are fantastic, and I loved how Carpenter wrote their relationship as honest and genuine. The short chapters are just perfect to keep the relentless suspense going at the ideal pace. The story is just as atmospheric and enthralling as its gorgeous cover (Carpenter's covers always perfectly evoke images of what's between its pages) and although she departed from her normal southern gothic style of writing with this one to write a more classic type suspense, Carpenter absolutely slayed it with this book!
Carpenter has proven without a doubt that she's a master of suspense no matter what subgenre she chooses to write! Until the Day I Die was a phenomenal read and one that I predict will be a huge hit in 2019! It comes out March 12, 2019, so make sure you grab a copy!!
**Thank you Netgalley and Lake Union Publishing for an ARC to read in exchange for my fair and honest review. **
Wow! Just Wow!
*Alert*- Remember to breathe as you read "Until the Day I Die"!
This is an intense, suspenseful, psychological novel that will have you wondering how is this book going to end!
The story is told by Erin and her daughter Shorie.
Erin is a founder at her app company and still reeling from her husband's sudden, unexpected death.
Shorie is a freshman at college. Shorie believes college is a waste for her and wants to help with the business, and to stay home and help her mom. She misses her dad.
This mother/daughter team is strong, determined and brilliant as they solve who is embezzling money from their company and how!
It is certainly a dangerous and wild ride!
This book had me actually holding my breath at times while I was racing through the pages!
I liked this book a lot, but did not love it. Started off a bit slow and the first half of the book was all over the place but the second half was really good and overall it was saved with a twist at the end. Definetely glad I read it but I did not enjoy it as much as previous books.
Wow what a book! I started it right before bedtime thinking I would read just a little bit and go to bed. Haha that didn't happen until I read the very last page! There were so many twists and turns that each time I thought I figured it out, I realized I was completely wrong. Erin's life is thrown into a tailspin when her husband dies. She throws herself into work. Her relationship with her daughter Shorie suffers because both aren't dealing well with their grief. Erin is sent away to a rehab to work on herself and get herself back to normal. Erin and Shorie are thrown into a very scary world of secrets and lies and you have to read quickly to find out what happens! I thoroughly enjoyed this book and it kept me on the edge of my seat with all the dangers and lies. I received an advanced readers copy from NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing. All opinions are my own.
While it took a few chapters to get into this book, once it started moving, I could not put it down. The dual narrative, Erin and her daughter Shorie, was what initially drew me in. The mother-daughter dynamic post the loss of their husband and father was very well written and developed.
The story features the company (Jax) Erin and Ben created along with their friends Ben and Sabine as a primary character. It delves into coding and app development, but for me, this was fascinating and I loved reading about strong female characters interested and succeeding in STEM.
The twists and turns in this thrilling book had me guessing and pointing fingers at someone new every other page. Just when you think you have it figured out, the author throws the switch and a new possibility unfolds.
I devoured this book in about three sittings and I was on edge for at least two-thirds of the book.
I was given an advanced copy to read for an honest review.
This book was rather interesting to me since I work in IT. The part of the story around the startup company that created an app was very fascinating. When you add in a clever girl heading off to college not long after her fathers death, and her mother, the company CEO, facing an intervention due to her overwhelming grief, you have a mess that needs to be addressed.
Shorie is her fathers daughter and is determined to watch over the company while at college, since her mom is getting the help she needs.
The story has many twists and turns and you find yourself trying to find out who is causing problems at the company.
I really enjoyed the characters. The strength and determination for both mother and daughter to be there for each other warms your heart.
I was lucky enough to get my hands on an ARC of Emily's latest thriller. Once again, she's delivered a page turner! If a suspenseful murder-is-just-around-the-corner story can be considered both scary and fun, then this one certainly is! I enjoyed it thoroughly!
the book started slow for me but picked up halfway through. I loved the original storyline even if the twists seemed a tad unrealistic and far reaching. The characters fell a little flat for me as I was not at all connected to any of them. The location pulled me in and made me long for a tropical island in January, but again the description wasn’t enough to make me feel like I was there. I was hoping for a bit more from this book that it didn’t quite deliver.