Until the Day I Die by Emily Carpenter

 

My friend Heather and I recently read EVERY SINGLE SECRET by this author and I really, really loved it. When she proposed bingeing through some of this author's other works, I was like, "Um, let me think about that... HELL YES!" UNTIL THE DAY I DIE was the first book we decided to read because, you know, tech companies and family dramas and tropical wilderness retreats, oh my.

Heather really liked this book. Sadly, I did not. In fact, I kept texting her, "Idk, I think I might bail," like a total killjoy. As someone who works in tech, I thought the tech company angle was a little silly. I didn't like the dual POVs, either. I was never won over by Shorie, the narrator, who mostly felt like she was just there to take up space and pad out the tension and, of course, help save the day. Erin was a more interesting narrator but I didn't really care for her much, either. And the big twist didn't wow me the way the one in ESS did.

Also, side note: both EVERY SINGLE SECRET and UNTIL THE DAY I DIE take place in shitty therapy retreats. No shade, but I'm kind of wondering if the author went to a shitty therapy retreat and she's just decided to use her shitty experiences for book fuel. If so, good for her. Having been to a shitty therapy session myself, I gotta say, if the person isn't doing their job well, the experience can feel so toxic. Anyway, just something I observed.

 2 out of 5 stars