This is a dual timeline mystery, you hear from June in the present day who’s first husband Josh disappeared and from Bev, (Josh’s mother) in the past. It has a slow start and definitely took me some time to become interested but I did get there by about the halfway point. I would say that the suspense is on the lighter side, more general fiction with mystery elements and lacking some heightened tension that I would’ve appreciated. The last quarter of the book gets crazy, so many twists and reveals, truly wild stuff that you usually see on the Lifetime channel. It was almost a little too over the top for me, but in the end I did enjoy this one.

Till Death Do Us Part
by Laurie Elizabeth Flynn
Pub Date: Aug 13 2024

Till Death Do Us Part is told in two different time lines by two different woman, June in the present time line and Bev in the past.

The stories kept going back and forth which made it difficult for me to keep track of the relationships between the two woman until half way through the book. Once I figured it out the story became very interesting!

There is a real twist at the ending, it answered all of the twists and turns through out the story. I recommend this book.

Many thanks to #NetGalley, #Simon&Schuster & TillDeathDoUsPart for providing me with an E-ARC of this book.

Thank you to Laurie Elizabeth Flynn, Simon and Schuster, and NetGalley for the eARC of this book. This is my honest review.

Ten years ago, June's husband, Josh, drowns while they are on their honeymoon, and his body is never found. Ten years later, June is moving on from that terrible incident and is now happily engaged to Kyle, but her husband's mysterious disappearance and assumed death is still something she thinks of since the truth was never actually discovered. June also is finding herself seeing Josh around town and questions everything. Throughout the story, June attempts to find out the truth about what happened to Josh, and she finds out things she did not know about.

This book is dual-POV, with one POV being June, and the other POV being Bev, Josh's mom.

For me, this book was a bit slowly paced, and didn't really pick up at all until the second half. It was very hard to power through the first half and there were times where I had to put my kindle down and read something more exciting. How much detail about wine can you add into a thriller book? Apparently a lot, and it dragged on. Also, I would not call this book a thriller. Maybe more of a suspense.

However, once things started to pick up, there were more twists and turns that kept me on my toes and guessing. The ending was also something that I was not expecting, and I was not a fan.

Thank you Simon & Schuster for the gifted copy!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.2️⃣5️⃣

This book had me flipping pages so fast basically from the very beginning. The pacing was so good and each chapter left me needing to know more immediately. Set in Napa Valley 🍷 Wine Country, told from dual perspectives and alternating timelines, we have two “accidental” deaths over a decade apart.. but were they accidental? Are coincidences at play or something more devious?

The twists were twisting, there were lies and betrayals a plenty, and you’ll be side eyeing everyone. There needs to be some suspension of disbelief as not all of the twists were completely realistic, but they were not so far fetched that it took away from my enjoyment of the story! I did not see the final twist coming! This probably would have been a 4.5 ⭐️ for me, but as a mom I found one aspect of the story to just rub me the wrong way right at the end, and the ending almost always makes it or breaks it for me! Either way I really enjoyed this one and am happy it found its way to my mailbox!

Wow! This is one of those stories where the past and present collide meeting somewhere in the middle and when it’s all said and done, only the strongest will survive. I absolutely loved this story. I’ve never read this author before, but she’s made a fan out of me for real.

Ten years prior, June was on top of the world. She and her new husband were ready to conquer the world if they had each other by their side. They had just finished making love and their spent energy caused them to be hungry. June’s husband gave her a gentle kiss and told her he’d be right back with a delicious breakfast. She advised him not to take too long as she purred and cooed for her amazing husband.

As giddy as June felt with being a newlywed and all the wonder that comes along with it, unfortunately a tragedy struck her like a huge punch to the gut. Josh was dead. He was a young man with hopes and dreams and ready to take on the world with June but his life was snuffed out faster than a flickering candle.

It’s now ten years later and although June went through hell and back, fate once again struck her heart, and she was about to get married to Kyle. Kyle was nothing like Josh, but the one true thing June loved about him is that he was so understanding and nurturing in dealing with her feelings on what happened in her past. Because let’s face it, June wasn’t willing nor sure if she was able to go through another heartbreak tragedy as she did ten years ago. Kyle loved June with all his heart and he would do everything in his power to make her happy.

Meanwhile, Bev Kelly, June’s ex-mother-in-law, was dealing with her own set of issues ten year’s ago. She had just given birth to another son while learning to deal with her eldest son, Josh. Even though there wasn’t any way Bev could know how heartbreaking it was for June to lose her husband, it was equally as devasting to her as a parent to lose a child. Especially, the nature in which Josh died—by drowning. Josh was an excellent swimmer. No one in the Kelly family could understand how Josh drowned. There had to be something more to it. But what? As Bev and June take the readers on both of their journeys, one thing is going to become very clear, did either of them truly know who Josh Kelly was? OMG! I loved, loved, loved this story!

You have two different women’s perspectives with one man in common between them. Both of their experiences were opposites, yet the same. What do I mean by that, you ask? You must read this awesome novel to find out! Oooooh Nerds, I believe this story is going on my all-time favorite list. Yasss!

What Flynn did was take a tragedy and allow the characters to invite us in to see for ourselves just what was going on. The story captures everyone’s view and perception so well. You will become so invested in this story that the rest of the world will completely disappear and the only thing you’ll be doing is concentrating on getting to the next page. I did not want to put this book down. I absolutely loved it.

A powerful tale of motherhood and marriage, Till Death Do Us Part made it evident that there was a virtuoso at work behind the intoxicating words. From the evocative setting and onion-like plot, I was immediately immersed in the Napa Valley vineyards and the many dark lies. I do have to say, however, that this poignant story was far more domestic suspense/family drama than thriller. Don’t get me wrong, there were plenty of downright jaw-dropping twists, but the slow burn nature of the ever evolving plot meant that it didn’t quite meet the threshold of thrills and chills for me.

That’s not to say that I wasn’t riveted. With dual distinct POVs that narrated from two decades apart, I couldn’t imagine how they could ever come together. But when they did finally converge, the resolution to the multiple mysteries held within these pages was utterly spellbinding. Complex and ultimately sadder than expected, the last bombshell reveal quite literally made me gasp. Even that, though, wasn’t the strongest piece to the puzzle. Those were the characters. Genuine and finely layered, they all had me in the palm of their hands—up to and including both June and Bev.

All said and done, while this book wasn’t quite what I was expecting, it was everything that I wanted. With depth to the characters and secrets upon secrets to unravel, my eyes never wavered from the pages. In fact, I was so swept up in this story that I read it in just one single sitting. I do have say, though, that it felt quite different from Flynn’s prior novel. But despite the more women’s fiction leaning, this premise nevertheless delivered in spades. So if you like suspense with a soft touch or a low-key thriller, give this book a try. I absolutely inhaled it and I think you will too. Rating of 4 stars.

Thank you to Laurie Elizabeth Flynn, Simon & Schuster, and NetGalley for my complimentary copy. All opinions are my own.

Could Josh still be alive? That's the question that underlies this dual timeline dual POV novel that starts with June spying what might be her husband, who disappeared 10 years ago. Then there's Bev, his mother, whose timeline dates back over 20 years. The two threads will come together to give the reader (and June) answers, albeit perhaps not easy ones. This has some good twists and a nice overarching aura (love the Napa sections). Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. Good storytelling makes for a good read.

Till Death Do Us Part was a fun thriller. It was a bit slower than I like, but it held my attention enough for me to keep reading it. This would be great for someone who enjoys wine...there's a lot of "wine" talk as the setting is mainly on a vineyard.

The main female character irritated me to no end. She is a widow and starts to think that she is seeing her dead husband. She is also newly engaged to a sweet, and patient guy. The twists in this one were not that great. I think it would have been fine after the first reveal. I found the big twist to be anti-climactic and just not necessary. I could have also done with Bev's love life storyline. It didn't add nor take away from the story and at times it felt like I was reading two different books.

This book is told in dual POVs in alternating timelines. I was most interested in the main character's story. At times, Bev's story seemed to not be linear and jumped around a bit.

Overall, this book wasn't all bad. There were some things I could have done without. This would be a great read for a book club for discussion.

3.5 stars, rounded to 4

Till Death Do Us Part by Laurie Elizabeth Flynn. Thanks to @simonandschuster for the gifted Arc ⭐️⭐️

I loved The Girls Are All So Nice Here but unfortunately this one didn’t do it for me. I’ll give it this.. it did have me craving some good wine and certainly hit the Napa Valley winery ambiance on the head. I struggled to get through it but knew it had some good twists coming. Twists it did have, but nothing I found cleverly done or built up to.

“I’ll always be a widow first and a wife second.”

Till Death Do Us Part comes out 8/13.

The premise of this book sounded promising, and although I didn't know what the tag "Women's Fiction" meant, it didn't say "Romance," so I thought I was safe. Nope. I think women's fiction is another way of saying this is a romance story. I'm not fond of romance, but based on the popularity of authors specializing in this genre, I think I'm a minority. That was one of the reasons I was disappointed in this book, but just one.

After a whirlwind courtship, Josh and June quickly marry, much to the dismay of those closest to them. Wedded bliss quickly turns to horror when Josh is presumed drowned on their honeymoon. Flash forward ten years to 2022: June is now engaged to Kyle, and while photographing engagement pictures, she sure spots Josh in a crowd. Once June spotted him, she seemed to see him everywhere, including on a winery website in Napa, California. Could he still be alive?

The story then shifts to a winery in Napa in 1999. Bev discovers her husband has cheated on her. She struggles with his unfaithfulness, but not wanting to harm the reputation of their winery, she tries to overcome her feeling of betrayal.

I don't want to spoil the plot, and I've never discussed an ending, so I won't go into details, but I will say I found it hard to swallow. There are twists galore, and even though I wasn't invested in either June or Bev, I kept reading to see what would happen. I love wine, but I got tired of the explanations of the ins and outs of wine-making. I'd say this book was not my cup of tea, but saying it's not my glass of wine is more appropriate.
2/5 stars.

Thank you, NetGalley and Simon & Schuster, for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. The publication date is August 13, 2024.

Thanks to Simon Books for NetGalley access, as well as sending me an ARC along with a coaster for Grape Juice, the natural wine bar in Brooklyn owned by June, one of the FMCs in Till Death Do Us Part. I started reading this book while eating a slice of pizza before attending an author event last night, then I read it on my bus ride home… and in bed as I was falling asleep… and I finished it this morning. In other words, I was immediately engrossed and couldn’t put it down!
Till Death Do Us Part is a twist-filled thriller. This dual timeline alternates chapters, going from 2022 with June and her wine bar in NYC back to 1999 with Bev who, along with her husband, run a winery in Napa Valley. The immediate connection between the two is established relatively early on, but it seems there must be more than this link as the book continues. Broken into five parts, based on the five steps in the wine-making process, the book kept me on my toes, always wanting to read one more chapter to see where it was going next.
My favorite part of reading thrillers is the unseen twists - but I love it even more when after a twist I immediately think, “ohhhh that was foreshadowed and I didn’t put it together until now - well done, author!” That was how I felt multiple times this morning while finishing Till Death Do Us Part. I definitely recommend this one when it comes out on Tuesday, 8/13! I also recommend the author’s previous release, The Girls Are All So Nice Here, another dual timeline psychological thriller, which was one of the first books I posted about back in 2021 when I started posting book reviews- it doesn’t seem like it’s been that long!

When I read the back cover of this book, I was intrigued. A husband who may have come back from the dead? Sounded like a perfect formula for a psychological thriller.

And, for the first three-quarters of the book, I was glued. Flynn's pacing was terrific, and she left me wanting more with each chapter ending. There were also some great plot twists. I was even willing to suspend belief when it came to the protagonist's questionable behavior.

If only the ending hadn't been so disappointing.. The last couple twists didn't work for me AT ALL. What I came away with was that this was a cast of characters who all needed a lot of therapy. Also because I don't want to say anything, I only add Poor Michelle.

Why then, did I give the book 3 stars when it's clear I was disappointed? Two reasons. First, those first 200-plus pages were page-turners. That says to me that some readers won't find the ending as disappointing as I did.

Second, the storyline involving Bev, Josh's mother, hit me emotionally. Her journey, from scorned wife to a self-actualized woman would have made a terrific stand-alone women's fiction novel.

Like I said above, the ending didn't work for me. It might for others.

Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to read an advanced copy in exchange for this honest review.

"Till Death Do Us Part" by Laurie Elizabeth Flynn offers an intriguing premise with June’s world upended by the sudden reappearance of her presumed-dead husband, Josh. As June grapples with the haunting possibility that Josh never died, Flynn effectively captures the emotional turmoil and suspense. The setting of a natural wine bar in Brooklyn transitioning to the picturesque vineyards of Napa provides a captivating backdrop. June’s journey to uncover the truth about her past love, while trying to maintain her present relationship, adds layers of complexity to the narrative.

However, the novel's execution falls somewhat short, leading to a mixed reading experience. While the initial setup promises a thrilling unraveling of secrets, the plot occasionally drags, and some twists feel predictable. June's internal conflict is well-portrayed, yet her decisions can sometimes seem inconsistent, making it difficult to fully connect with her character. Despite these shortcomings, "Till Death Do Us Part" remains a compelling read for those interested in romantic suspense, though it may not fully satisfy readers seeking a more tightly woven mystery.

This book is so promising, the synopsis sold me, June elopes, and days later she becomes a widow, she has allegedly moved on to this amazing man, an amazing career, but she thinks she sees her late husband in the streets of NYC, and she goes back to damn near losing it. This time she needs to finds out who that was, she always found the death of Josh to be so mysterious, and while everyone is telling her to let it go, but she is so damn determined. I loved that about her, but the different POV’s were a little all over the place, there was no need, and then to make matter worst the story dragged, for some time. And then it ended (I was PISSED), and that’s it. I felt like it should’ve been more, for some reason.

This book is really hard to rate. Up until the middle it would have been four stars. I was riveted and dying to know more about what happened to Josh. Then it started to drag and felt a little too long. By the end, I wanted to give it two stars. Bev’s decision with Camille was absurd. No resolution on what happened to Michelle made me angry. And the epilogue felt totally contrived. Overall, three stars.

Stories told with dual timelines are my favorite.
This story flits back and forth between two women.
I felt confused for several chapters trying to keep the story straight. The short paragraphs before a new chapter about wine making were interesting. I had a hard time getting into this book

Many thanks to netGalley and Simon and Schuster for the free e_arc in exchange for my honest review.

Ten years ago, June’s husband drowned on their honeymoon. June has moved on, is blissfully happy with her new man, Kyle. However, she keeps seeing her dead ex-husband everywhere, and it appears that he is watching her. After some research, she discovers he lives in Napa Valley so she takes off to confront her past.

I was interested in the wine, wine country and wine making science of the story which is why I requested this title as it seemed a bit different. However, the wine science info that was provided at the beginning of each chapter had nothing to do with the story. I think a little effort should have been made to tie into the theme or chapter content? Also, I did not like the characters and found them flat, unrelatable and not real. There has to be an element of reality to the story or its sci-fi, which I do not read. The ending and "twist" was beyond the pale of believability. Maybe this is a great beach read that does not require a lot of thought if that is of interest but I struggled to finish this one.

2.5 stars rounded up.

This book was very entertaining with many different turns that are completely not expected. Great book, wonderful author, will definitely recommend to others.

This book reminded me too much of Gone Girl, so if you liked that book, which I did not, you will like this. I think I am not a fan of this particular genre, domestic thriller I shall call it.
10 years after her husband drowned on their honeymoon, June thinks she sees her husband Josh, outside her New York wine bar. She has just become engaged to Kyle but she feels she must get to the bottom of what really happened to her husband.
She goes to Napa to track down everyone involved.
Meanwhile we go back and forth in time to the POV of her former mother in law and Josh's life in high school.
There are several twisty plot points and an out of the blue ending that was quite unsatisfactory.
I think, judging from my antipathy to Gone Girl and Girl on a train, and those books huge popularity and movie success that I am going to be an outlier on this. I like a book that has a character to root for. Perhaps that is June, so many of you might think that and enjoy the book.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the EARC. This is obviously my honest review.

Who doesn’t like a thriller that comes with a twist you never saw coming. In this one you get two big twists. Really good read! Four stars!