I just love Emily Carpenter books! They are always a fun, imaginative, and exciting read! This wasn't one of my favorites, but I did enjoy it!

This was a very slow moving book. The beginning got me engaged, but then my interest was lost as the plot dramatically slowed down. I wouldn't say that I lost interest, I was still interest in the plot, I just found myself skipping paragraphs and skimming to get to the next part.

The characters... they were a bit un-relatable. I didn't connect to a single character and towards the last 1/4 of the book I really didn't care what happened to them. I know we are dealing with a grieving mother and daughter, but their behavior was just so unbelievable I actually laughed out loud at things they said or did. The supporting characters were no different. I can't imagine having life long friends act that way towards me after my husband/father died tragically.

All that being said, once the story picks up again it is quite a wild ride! I liked the change of scenery to the tropical jungle setting and this is were there story gets even more imaginative and completely unrealistic. I can absolutely appreciate a fantasy novel that is not rooted in reality, however I feel that's not how the author was trying to sell this book.

The ending came quick and tied up in a too perfect bow. I felt like I worked and worked for a so-so ending.

Although my review sounds negative, it was a quick and overall enjoyable read. I give it a solid 3 stars and look forward to reading more from the author.

"Until The Day I Die" is due to be released in the U.S. on March 12, 2019. Add it to your TBR list now!

Thanks to Netgalley and Lake Union Publishing for allowing me an egalley to read and give my honest opinion.

Happy Reading!

Ok, so I didn't love this one, but will that make me stop reading books from this author? Nope! I have read her previous books and really enjoyed them! With that said, I am still a fan and eagerly await her next book!

Until the Day I Die was a bit of a slow burn. It picks up about half way through, (the 53% mark) and takes off from there. A bit implausible and a slow burn keeps this from being a 4/5 star read but a 3 to 3.5 star read instead. I think this would be a good beach read.

Grieving the loss of their father/husband, you hear from both Erin and Shorie while their chapters alternate throughout. Erin isn't handling her husband's death well and her friends decide she needs to take a trip and book her into a rehabilitation clinic called "Hidden Sands". Something sinister appears to be going on though behind the scenes that leaves Erin very uncomfortable and needing to know what exactly is going on. Who wants to do her and Shorie harm?

A big thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book.



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Erin is struggling with grief and is losing control - her husband Perry died suddenly in a car accident and her daughter Shorie is pulling away, dealing with her grief as well. Erin is now on her own, with friends and partners, trying to run a successful tech company. She feels like a few weeks in the Caribbean is just what she needs to readjust and start fresh. Her daughter, however, is worried that her mother's mental state is worsening and her business partners cannot be trusted. Is Erin's vacation just a relaxing getaway or are the "friends" in her life trying to make her disappear for good?
This was a good, fast-paced read that I really enjoyed!
Thank you to Emily Carpenter, Lake Union Publishing and NetGalley for the ARC of this great book!

Thoroughly enjoyed this fast-paced thriller about a mother, daughter, loss and grief, and greed. Erin and Perry are happily married and running a successful software app company with their best friends Sabine and Ben. Then, the unthinkable happens, Perry is killed in a tragic car accident. Erin, and their daughter, Shorie, are devastated. Erin is having a hard time dealing with Perry’s death, and an intervention is called by family and friends. She is sent to an toney ‘restoration spa’. This sets up the storyline.

Story is told in two voices, Erin and Shorie, at the same time. Ms. Carpenter gives just enough in each character chapter to keep the story flowing and keep you reading till the early hours of the morning. The story line is realistic from the software standpoint, a little far reaching in the spa dealings, but that just adds to the mystery set up here.

When you read this author, you always know you will get..thrill ride with many twists and turns and an ending that might not be tied up in a neat little bow! Thanks to the Author, Publisher and NetGalley for this ARC. Opinion is my own.

2.5 STARS (aka 'just okay') - I had previously read and very much enjoyed Carpenter's book The Weight of Lies so I went into this book anticipating a gothic suspense read that would draw me in with some intriguing characters.
Until The Day I Die has an interesting premise (I loved the idea of the Jax app even though I'm far from a techy gal) and a stunningly eye-catching cover but the execution of the story fell short for me in a few areas. The book had a very slow start with a large cast of characters but unfortunately, I didn't connect with them, especially Shorie and Erin. It also felt like a few of the tertiary characters were superfluous and didn't have much impact on the plot.

The middle of the book picks up dramatically when the action ramps up for some nail-biting scenes. Unfortunately, there were also scenes that felt implausible (or much too convenient) adding to the book's incohesive feel. When you add in the epilogue which felt frustratingly extraneous, I didn't finish this book with all the bookish feels that I had expected.

This book had good bones, a beautiful cover and an interesting plot but overall, it was just an okay read for me. That said, I remain a fan of Emily Carpenter and eagerly await her next literary offering.

Disclaimer: My sincere thanks to Lake Union Publishing and NetGalley for providing me with a complimentary digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This has a good start—interesting characters and situation—but it was a little too slow-going. It just wasn’t for me, unfortunately.

A great psychological thriller that grips you from the word go. I really enjoyed this book with its various twists and turns that keep on coming

“Until the Day I Die” by Emily Carpenter is a fast-paced thriller that will keep you guessing and second-guessing!

Erin & Perry and Sabine & Ben met in college, and after starting their careers, they joined together as partners to build a tech company that has taken off and has millions of users. After Perry’s unexpected death in a car accident, while his and Erin’s daughter Shorie is preparing to head off to college (even though she would rather skip college and work for the company). Erin has a breakdown. Her friends and family stage an intervention and send her off to a private Caribbean resort that specializes in “restoration.” But what kind of restoration are they talking about? And can Shorie really leave the company behind when she discovers an unusual message in the error logs?

You will want to keep reading this to get to the end! The story moves fast, and I kept trying to figure out who was behind everything. At one point, I literally gasped...out loud...because I did NOT expect THAT! Put this one on your must-read list.

Thanks to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review. This title is scheduled for publication on March 12, 2019.

3.25 Stars* (rounded down)

A Slow Burning Mystery/Suspense.

When Erin’s husband Perry dies, Erin falls apart, while her teenage daughter Shorie keeps it together - all while starting her Freshman year at College. A few years ago, friends Erin, Perry, Ben and Sabine formed “Jax” an uber successful online budgeting company that helps people keep track of their finances. With Perry’s death, Erin wants to sell, something her partners don’t agree with. The thing is, that Erin hasn’t exactly been herself lately (Surprise, Surprise!) and no one trust her to make sound business decisions. Her partners think the best plan of action is to send Erin off to “Hidden Sands” a rest and rehabilitation retreat in the Caribbean instead. Ahh.. can you feel the sun, and the sand? Feels heavenly!

Shorie is a computer whiz thus she can’t help but keep tabs on Jax while she’s away and that’s when she starts noticing a few things that appear to be suspicious. Meanwhile, things at Hidden Sands aren’t magical after all.

What started out as an interesting ride, quickly became predictable and somewhat confusing. “Until the Day I Die” is the second novel I’ve read by Emily Carpenter and while this one wasn’t as far-fetched as “Every Single Secret,” I found it lacking in intrigue. I’ve been reading a lot of thrillers these last few years so perhaps this was just a case of my highly anticipating this novel and it not quite meeting my expectations.

This was a another buddy read with Kaceey!

Thank you to NetGalley, Lake Union Publishing and Emily Carpenter for an arc of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Published on NetGalley and Goodreads on 2.20.19.

This was a real page turner with crazy levels of tension and action. The super-fast pace made it easy to overlook plot holes and things that just didn’t make sense. This is not a realistic story and that’s part of the fun. I think our intrinsic mistrust of technology and new apps that we allow to access way more information than seems prudent makes one aspect of this story feel plausible. The situation on the island however is total inventive fantasy. This isn’t a situation that could happen in real life as I’m pretty sure someone would catch on. This didn’t matter one whit to my enjoyment. In terms of sheer suspense and excitement this was a 5 star read. You could not find a more entertaining and engaging book. I do have to say that I wasn’t a fan of the ending. Everything wrapped up too quickly and neatly and the epilogue was just infuriating. Despite this small complaint I did very much enjoy this book and I see it being a big hit with summer time beach readers. Just make sure you watch your drink!

Thank you to Lake Union Publishing for providing an Electronic Advance Reader Copy via NetGalley for review.

Erin Gaines might be spiraling a bit out of control. She is recently widowed; her husband, Perry, died just months prior in a car accident and Erin has been struggling to cope. Erin and Perry's daughter Shorie is also feeling the loss and is resentful of her mother for being such a mess. Erin is pushing Shorie to follow through on her father's wishes and attend Auburn on her full-ride scholarship. Shorie wants to stay home and work at Jax, the tech company that Erin and Perry created with their best friends Sabine and Ben.

When Ben and Erin drop Shorie off at Auburn, Erin shows up at a frat party Shorie is attending, makes a scene, and blacks out. Her friends and family decide that something must be done. Ben and Sabine, Shorie, Jax's corporate lawyer Layton, and Erin's in-laws Arch and Gigi stage an intervention. They push Erin into going to Hidden Sands, a glitzy "restoration" resort on a Caribbean resort. Erin arrives and quickly realizes that Hidden Sands isn't a normal rehab facility. Meanwhile, Shorie is keeping tabs on Jax from school and realizes that there's something shady happening with the app.

Now Shorie is set on figuring out what is happening and if someone is sabotaging Jax from the inside while Erin is beginning to worry that someone is trying to make sure she disappears for good.

I thoroughly enjoyed Until the Day I Die and found it to be a quick, engaging read. A few implausible moments in the resolution of the storyline kept it from being a five star read for me, but it was an entertaining novel and would be an excellent poolside/beach read.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Shorie and her mom Erin are still grieving her father, Perry’s, death and trying to live life in the way he would have wanted. Shorie is going off to college with hopes of returning to work at her parent’s software company. Erin, in her role as CEO, is trying to make decisions for the company that her and her husband started with their best friends a few years ago. The four were meant to work together until the end but Perry’s death has put Erin in a majority shareholder position and unsure if she has it in her to continue with the company. Maybe she just needs some rest and time away. Enter Hidden Sands, a place for rehabilitation and rejuvenation on an island in the Caribbean. It sounds perfect and might just be the thing to take Erin’s attention off of her company.

This modern psychological thriller was engaging enough to read beyond what my body was telling me was enough time. The character struggles felt real and the secondary characters also felt very realistic. The story, while at some points became a little too soap ‘opera-ish’ for me, was fresh and kept me guessing. I enjoyed the mostly 2 character perspective. I give this book 4 stars for it’s ingenuity and characters and recommend it for anyone looking for a tense thriller with a modern twist.

Thank you to @netgalley and #lakeunionpublishing for this book in exchange for an honest review.

B1DC6E77-1D30-4CC7-82F4-9C828D69284EThank you to Lake Union Publishers for providing me with a free digital copy of Until The Day I Die in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

Until The Day I Die is the third book by Emily Carpenter that I’ve read and I think it’s my new favorite! Ms. Carpenter has become the queen of the atmospheric thriller, in my own mind at least. She develops such strong settings that not only transport you to another place but also give off the creepiest of vibes. The Weight of Lies and Every Single Secret both take place in old mansions with so many quirks that I was scared for the characters. In Until The Day I Die, the tropical resort where the main character goes is so unnaturally perfect, I was left wondering what the catch was.

What made this thriller work so well for me was the realistic nature of the plot. The horrifying reality that Erin was facing could very well happen in real life. Thrillers can sometimes get a little far fetched but what happened in UTDID could probably actually happen to someone. I don’t want to say much more for fear of spoilers, but just know that UTDID is another great thriller from Emily Carpenter and a five star read for me!

I thought this story took too long to get into, there was a lot of build up that I didn't care for unfortunately. The author's writing was addictive and made it easy to get through but did not find the story thrilling or mysterious enough.

This book tells the story of a mum and her daughter torn apart by death and lies that are threatening to destroy them both.

It looks at grief and how different people deal with it. The consequences of their decisions are also affecting the family business.

Absolutely riveting suspense! An explosive story of loss, lies and betrayal. Emily Carpenter takes us on a wild ride from beginning to end. This story is told in the alternating voices of Erin and Shorie, mother and daughter. Perry, husband and father, recently died in a car accident. Was it really an accident or was foul play involved? Who can they trust? This book is full of twists and turns. Every time I thought I knew what was happening I was wrong. This book will keep you guessing. It kept me turning the pages well into the night. Full of richly woven, complex characters, some you love, some you question. It is a story of strength and survival. Emily Carpenter has woven a multi layered story that is a blockbuster. A true nail biter that will have you on the edge of your seat. This is one you don't want to miss! Highly, highly recommend!

Shorie and her mom, Erin, are grieving the loss of husband and father. Nerves are frayed as they try to continue a very successful tech company and also get Shorie ready for her first year of college.

Erin seems to fall apart over Shorie starting college and her business buddies intervene and send her off to relax a luxurious spa in the Caribbean.  So we have Shorie at college, and her mom without technology on a remote island, an island where she is supposed to be relaxing and recovering.

But almost immediately Shorie discovers a discrepancy in company figures. But where is it coming from? Is it possible there was a bigger reason to get her mom out of the picture?

The fast roller coaster ride begins!

My Thoughts

What Concerned Me: When I saw that one review called this a roller coaster ride, I jumped on board. This book starts out slow, in fact for me (a person who feels the need to be caught up in a story quickly), I wondered if I could make it through the whole book.

Yet, soon the story captured my interested and I was zooming through the pages, only to get to the end. A VE-R-Y S-L-O-W ride back into the roller coaster’s main platform. And this slow ending had several chapters untwisting the plot, by now a plot of far too many coincidences that I wasn’t sure I cared too much about.

As an avid reader, I engage "suspension of disbelief," but this felt over-the-top unbelievable.

What I Liked Most: To be honest, this is a really hard book to rate since the writing is very good. And much of the story is page-turning.

Since it has lots to offer and the things that concerned me might not bother you, definitely give this book a try.

3.5 stars rounded up. Would have been 4 stars but I really didn’t like the epilogue. It kind of threw off the entire book for me. Overall I really enjoyed this book though. It drew me in from the beginning and kept me on the edge of my seat trying to figure out who was behind everything. Everything I want to say would give a spoiler so I will just say go ahead and read this book!

Erin Gaines is overwhelmed. Her husband is dead and their company, Jax, which they started with their friends, is doing well, yet she is considering selling. She is insisting that her daughter, Shorie, attend college classes and not stay home to work at Jax. Erin appears to be distracted and is making mistakes at work and it is affecting her relationships. When her friends and daughter have an intervention for her, it is determined that she should go to spa resort to get back on track.

This is a book that I was highly anticipating. I had very high hopes and was so intrigued by the description. I dove in and found the beginning to be slow but was convinced that this book was going to pick up. It did. The middle became interesting but then things slowed down again. I found the ending to be convenient and not plausible.

This book picked up for me when Erin arrived at the Spa retreat. The characters there were interesting, and the pace picked up for me. The middle had that something-is-going-to-go-down feel to it. I could just feel that something was going to happen. But what? Just what the heck is going on? This section of the book was fun and slightly campy (bad pun) and at times felt like a made for TV or lifeline movie.

Then things slowed down for me again. My biggest two issues with this book are that I did not feel connected to any of the characters and the slow sections. I have enjoyed other books by this Author and will keep reading, this one just didn’t live up to my high expectations. The beginning and the ending took away from my enjoyment. I could look past the slow beginning, but the ending didn't work for me. In a lot of books, I can suspend disbelief when things seem far-fetched, but I had a hard time with it in this book.

I can't fault the writing. Emily Carpenter is a talented writer and I look forward to reading more books by her.

Thank you to Lake Union Publishing and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.

I very much enjoyed this book! An original, innovative suspense novel - would definitely recommend. I flew through this one!