From the bestselling author of Burying the Honeysuckle Girls comes a riveting novel about a mother and daughter separated by grief, secrets, and a conspiracy that threatens to destroy their lives.If there’s a healthy way to grieve, Erin Gaines hasn’t found it. After her husband’s sudden death, the runaway success of the tech company they built with their best friends has become overwhelming. Her … become overwhelming. Her nerves are frayed, she’s disengaged, and her frustrated daughter, Shorie, is pulling away from her. Maybe Erin’s friends and family are right. Maybe a few weeks at a spa resort in the Caribbean islands is just what she needs to hit the reset button…
Shorie is not only worried about her mother’s mental state but also for the future of her parents’ company. Especially when she begins to suspect that not all of Erin’s colleagues can be trusted. It seems someone is spinning an intricate web of deception—the foundation for a conspiracy that is putting everything, and everyone she loves, at risk. And she may be the only one who can stop it.
Now, thousands of miles away in a remote, and oftentimes menacing, tropical jungle, Erin is beginning to have similar fears. Things at the resort aren’t exactly how the brochure described, and unless she’s losing her mind, Erin’s pretty sure she wasn’t sent there to recover—she was sent to disappear.
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I enjoyed the ever-increasing tension and plot twists in this exotic, emotional thriller, and the mother-daughter relationship. No one can be trusted except the two of them, as they struggle through the pain of loss and betrayal separately, but together.
I made the mistake of starting this book late in the day. I didn’t put it down until I finished it at 3 a.m. It was a roller coaster ride of a story told by two strong women that kept me guessing until the end. Emily Carpenter continues to bring us books that keep her readers in suspense from the first page until the end.
This book is told from two perspectives – Erin, the mom who is still dealing with the grief of losing her husband in a car accident several months earlier. She and her husband owned a software company that was a major part of their lives and now she is considering selling it because of her grief. Her daughter, Shorie, is leaving to go to college. She doesn’t want to go, she wants to work at the software company but her mom feels like she needs to get away and experience college life. Shorie is very worried about her mom’s state of mind and convinces her during an intervention with friends and family, to get some rest at a rehab facility in the Caribbean. Things at the resort aren’t exactly how the brochure described, and unless she’s losing her mind, Erin’s pretty sure she wasn’t sent there to recover—she was sent to disappear. Who is behind the danger to Erin and will she and her daughter be able to stop whoever it is before its too late?
I loved the way the story was told from Erin’s and Shorie’s perspectives because it gave us more of an insight to each character. I also liked the relationship between the two of them – mothers and daughters love each other even as they try to pull away to live their own lives. They were both so well written that they felt like people I knew and I experienced their terror and confusion along with them. I barely breathed during the last 50 pages of the book.
This is a wonderful story of survival and mother/daughter love and I highly recommend it!
Thanks to the publisher for a copy of this book to read and review. All opinions are my own.
Emily Carpenter is one of my go-to authors, so I was thrilled to receive a digital ARC of UNTIL THE DAY I DIE. Every book Carpenter writes is dark, twisty, atmospheric, and terrifying in the smartest and most subtle of ways. In this book, with a deft hand, she crafts a tale of grief, betrayal, and secrets so perfectly that you really won’t know who to trust. I tore through the pages, in breathless suspense, completely immersed in the very real characters and vivid setting until the shocking ending I never saw coming. Carpenter is one of the best thriller authors on the shelves, and I highly recommend this book.
Emily Carpenter has definitely written a book that will make you sweat. The ride is one that will have you twisting and turning and most assuredly holding on and holding your breath. The first half, give or take a bit, sets the stage for the most thrilling book I have read this year. Who to trust. Who to fear. Who can you turn to when your very life is in danger of exploding. Your best friends, coworkers, in laws, or yourself? When you think you may be losing your mind it’s hard to know who is your friend or who is out for themselves and couldn’t care less what happens to you. Even family will come under scrutiny while reading this one. I could not take in a good breathe during a lot of this book.
Erin and her daughter, Shorie, are two very strong women who are picking up the pieces of their lives after Perry, husband and father, is taken from them. Erin does not know how to let go and Shorie does not want to. As close as they are, when Shorie is more or less forced to go to college, they have problems. Shorie does not want to go. She wants to work at their compan “Jax” and does not understand why she should go to college when she already knows what she wants to do. Erin of course wants her daughter to get the college experience and do great in her life. While they are there something goes wrong and Erin is talked into going to a rehab/spa to help her get on with her life. Shorie believes that her mother needs this also. Now the action begins.
There are so many twists and turns in this book that you will not get bored in any way. You will be turning the pages to find out what happens, who it happens to and why. Will they survive. Is a friend or family member trying to make you disappear? Who can you trust? Can you trust anyone anymore? Or is it all in your head?
This is such a good book. It gave me all the good feelings that a very good thriller will make you feel. Love, anger, scared, hard to breathe, edge of your seat danger. It’s got it all I assure you. I think this book would make a great movie. Big screen movie. It made me stop and look in a few places, to see if anyone was there or if my imagination was getting the best of me. It is a page turner and one I highly recommend. A huge 5 stars.
Thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union for a copy of this book. This is my review and I was in no way compensated for it. It’s my honest opinion. Thank you to Emily Carpenter for giving us this wonderful thriller.
This shocking cat-and-mouse thriller will shatter your expectations — and Carpenter’s skill for brilliant and twisty storytelling will have you gasping in surprise. Buckle up for a terrific ride — this is timely, unpredictable, and irresistible!
I swear I didn’t breathe for the second half of this book. Emily Carpenter is the master of creepy, unpredictable suspense, keeping me glued to the pages with the back-and-forth between mother and daughter’s chapters. Though the mother gets much of the action spotlight in this story, the real star IMO was the daughter, Shorie. a young woman who’s as smart as she is spunky. And the ending…OMG the ending. Emily, can we get a book 2?
Emily Carpenter has become my go-to for a book that I know will provide escapism, nail-biting, and book hangovers. And Until the Day I Die did not disappoint! Her knack for setting suspense in completely unique situations may be my favorite part. Keep writing and I’ll keep reading!
UNTIL THE DAY I DIE by Emily Carpenter is a fast-paced and riveting thriller that I could not put down once I started it. It has a great blend of family drama, intrigue, adventure and mystery with twists and turns I never saw coming. The story is told from the points of view of mother and daughter, Erin and Shorie Gaines who are both devastated after the sudden death of their beloved husband and father, Perry. In her grief, Erin seems to be losing control of everything – her family, her friends and the high tech business she started with her husband and best friends. After an uncharacteristic public meltdown, Shorie and Erin’s partners intervene and send Erin off to a remote island for a month of “restoration” at an exclusive retreat. Soon it is clear that things are not what they seem either on the island or back at home, where Shorie has begun to suspect Erin’s colleagues are behind a web of secrets and lies that could destroy their lives. The tension builds to a fever pitch. The raw emotions of mother and daughter are palpable on the page. And wow, I never could have guessed that ending! I really enjoyed this gripping story of family, loss, betrayal and survival and highly recommend it.
Fast paced and full of surprises, this wonderfully crafted story kept me guessing until the final page. Great read!
Until the Day I Die was an intense novel! I could not stop reading this so I could find out what was going to happen next! Erin and her husband Perry are co-owners of a successful financial app along with their friends, Ben and Sabine. They have worked hard together to make the business a success and are now enjoying the benefits of it. Shortly before Erin and Perry’s daughter Shorie starts college, Perry dies in a car accident. Erin begins to fall apart and Shorie struggles with actually starting college. I can’t say much more at all without giving away too much. Trust me, there are many layers to the story and the perfect life that everyone appears to be living. The story is told in alternating chapters between Erin and Shorie. Their world goes from idyllic to dark pretty quickly.
Seductively sinister, with a fierce, feisty mother-daughter duo you’ll be cheering for. A fast, frightening read.
In Until the Day I Die, Emily Carpenter proves once again she’s a thriller powerhouse. Packed with heroines you’ll cheer for, villains you’ll love to hate, and plot twists galore, this story will have you on the edge of your seat until you breathlessly turn the last page. What a ride!
Once again Emily Carpenter has written a thriller that kept me guessing from beginning to end. She leads you one way and then twists you around. Nothing is what it seems.
Upon sudden the death of her husband, Erin Gaines’ life seems to be spinning out of control. She seems unable to focus and handle daily life, her daughter, or the company she, her husband and two friends started. Her family and friends gather for an intervention to make Erin see that she needs to take time to get her life in order. Erin reluctantly agrees to go to Hidden Sands to get back to herself. You won’t believe what happens next.
The story is well written and the characters are very relatable. There are many emotions rushing through this story but fear and uncertainty are primary. There is another layer to the story, the relationship between mother and daughter.
If you like thrillers, mystery, and suspense, then you have to read this book. I recommend this book to everyone that wants to read a good book.
Thank you to #Netgalley and #LakeUnionPublishing for approving my request. The opinions expressed in this review are solely my own.
Until the Day I Die is a story that kept me wondering and guessing until the end. And then there was the ending that I wasn’t expecting. All the deceit, conniving, and suspense I felt throughout the whole story made this a definite page turner. Then there was the ‘drop my jaw’ conclusion. Genus!
Erin gets sent away to a retreat facility when her family decides she is not handling her husband’s sudden death. But things are not what they seem there and it’s anything but a restful retreat. Some of the things Erin had to deal with definitely got my heart racing.
And Shoire, Erin’s daughter—what a strong, smart person she is. She knows something isn’t right with her mom and the company her parents founded and she just keeps digging and never gives up, even when she doesn’t know who to trust.
Emily Carpenter has once again written a story that I won’t soon forget. This is one you need to read!
I loved everything about Until the Day I Die from the gorgeous cover to the twisted page turning story inside! I thought I had the ending all figured out but I didn’t see it coming!
I absolutely love everything that Emily Carpenter writes and this is one of the best! It is full of suspense and delicious twists that keep you on the thrilling edge! You don’t want to miss this atmospheric modern day gothic read!
A very interesting book. I think if your more computer literate than I may you would definitely enjoy this book. A story of embezzlement that goes beyond anything you can think up in your head. The twists and turns are never ending and will keep you turning the pages. You must be sure to read the epilogue where you will still find surprises
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.
My rating really sits around 4.5 stars. I think Emily Carpenter is the first author to keep me in an extreme state of trepidation through at least half of a book. A slow burn at first, this book truly takes off as soon as Erin arrives at the “restoration” facility. I couldn’t read fast enough and the anxiety just continued to build. I was suspicious of everyone and everything; I was ready to accuse Ben’s dog, Tiger, by the last quarter of the book.
I had a bit of trouble with the timeline at the beginning due to the changes in POV between Erin and Shorie but eventually I was able to settle into Carpenter’s story-telling. I was in awe over how authentic Erin and Shorie’s voices were. Subtle changes in vocabulary and tone made such a difference that I wouldn’t have needed the chapter headings to let me know which POV we were reading. The emotions, particularly the anxiety felt by Erin and Shorie’s angst and frustration, were brilliantly written and relatable. I would love to listen to this as an audiobook!
This thriller had me hooked. I don’t necessarily enjoy being held up in suspense for the entirety of a book so I tend not to read many thrillers but I am so glad I made an exception for this book. I would love to listen to this as an audiobook!
I received an advanced copy of this book from the author/publisher; all opinions are my own.
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!