Title: Until The Day I Die
Author: Emily Carpenter
Genre: Mystery, Thriller, Fiction
First published: March 12th 2019
Publisher: Lake Union Publishing
Finished reading: February 11th 2019
Pages: 325
“When energy flows from one place to another, it may change forms, but it’s never destroyed. It’s the same with sadness, I’ve discovered. You can’t get rid of it.”
*** A copy of this book was kindly provided to me by Netgalley and Lake Union Publishing in exchange for an honest review. Thank you! ***
I have been meaning to try more of Emily Carpenter‘s work ever since I read The Weight Of Lies. It took me longer than expected, but between the gorgeous cover and the intriguing blurb I found the perfect excuse to read her newest upcoming title Until The Day I Die. I bet Caribbean paradise and death are not exactly the first association you will make, but the cover and title fit this story perfectly. Until The Day I Die is a very unconventional read and I’m still trying to wrap my head around what I actually think of this story. The plot is very original and it is one of those stories that is really hard to place in just one genre. College experience? Grief and moving on? Family focused? Mental health? Geeky elements? Conspiracy? Crime? Dystopian feel? Survival? International setting? Somehow all of these elements and more are squeezed into one story, and somehow they all seem to fit together. I do have to say that this was a slowburner for me and the first half tended to drag a bit in parts. The second half was a lot faster, mostly because we get more island scenes and the college location is mostly put in the background. I liked Erin’s POV better than Shorie’s, mostly because I wasn’t expecting a YA/college feel POV in this story and the college cliches distracted from the more interesting parts of the plot. The lack of connection to the characters didn’t help either… But I can’t deny the part set in the Caribbean and the whole conspiracy plot is fascinating. I can definitely understand the Lord Of The Flies inspiration! This has been a difficult review to write, especially since even after a few days I have still been unable to pinpoint exactly why I wasn’t as blown away with this story as I thought I would. If you are looking for something different to read, a story that mixes women’s fiction with a good and honest crime thriller with a tropical setting, Until The Day I Die would be a perfect fit.
Erin and her daughter Shorie have been grieving their husband and father, who suddenly died in a car accident. It has been a difficult few months and both seem to be growing apart… Erin slipping away as she is being overwhelmed by her work running their app company Jax the couple build with their best friends. She hasn’t been caring for herself and the people close to her have noticed… Meanwhile, Shorie doesn’t want to go to college, preferring to keep close to her father’s memory by working at Jax. She is sent off to college anyway, even though Shorie is worried about her mother’s mental state as well as the company. Especially as her family decide to send her mother to a resort on a remote Caribbean island to recover…
If you are looking for something different and original to read and don’t mind a good conspiracy plot and an almost dystopian survival feel, Until The Day I Die would definitely be for you. It’s hard to place this story inside a box, and I think that is just the beauty of it in the first place. While this was a slowburner for me and I’m still not sure how I actually feel about this story, I do know the second half had me hooked and the island scenes are both terrifying and brilliant. Excellently written and bonus points for originality! Perri’s diary entries are a nice touch and will start making sense as you keep reading.
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