Member Reviews
This one hurts to write… but I was not a fan. This is much slower than I expected. I can be a patient reader, but my issue with this was that my patience didn’t pay off. You have two POV, Josh’s mother and fiancés, and it takes until about a third of the way in to get interesting. It got interesting near the end, but the ending used one of my least favorite troupes. I’ll still read this author but this is a skip.
Wow! This read kept me questioning what I thought was going on. June and Bev give us dual POVs that intertwine perfectly to give you the full story. This was such an alluring read and I was shocked several times. I definitely didn’t see that ending coming!
I enjoyed this book! There were so many twists and turns that kept me guessing every time I thought I had it figured out. Without giving any spoilers, it was a little far-fetched but it was a really good quick beach read for me this week :) I received a free copy of this book from netgalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest review.
This was an interesting mystery set in an area I’m familiar with, so it was fun to read about the Napa Valley. There were no thrills here; I think I’d have enjoyed myself more if it had been billed as a mystery. At no point did it feel like our MC was in danger. The story deals with past traumas coming back to haunt us, and it does it well.
First of all - wacky choice to abbreviate "until" to "till". Was this maybe because there's no shortage of books called 'Til Death Do Us Part? It's a fair enough title for the subject matter but also if you have to spell it Jenyfer to stand out from the crowd, maybe just try to come up with something else?
Honestly though that's nitpicking, I really enjoyed this, it's been a minute since I stayed up late reading a book and then finished it the next afternoon. I liked the characters, I liked the style, I liked the twisty plot. Nice random queer rep. This was a book about wine nerds and I found that charming; I like it when characters have unusual jobs/hobbies and you can tell that the author either is actually really into what she's writing about or did such extensive research that it's indistinguishable from same. Epilogue was kind of silly but overall I had a fun time. Good stuff.
My thanks to Simon & Schuster and NetGalley for the ARC.
This book is a compelling mystery you will read in one sitting to conclusion. The story is enthralling, the characters are richly drawn to the story and the ending a shocking surprise. I loved the premises of the story that leaves clues for the reader within clues so you are pleasingly shocked at the ending. The story is so well crafted the reader is drawn to the characters from beginning to end. This is a must read !
A book meant to be savored by the reader. No spoilers here you need to read it for yourself.
Thank you with gratitude to the publilsher, Net Galley and the author. This is a highly recommended read
The premise of this novel is an intriguing one. Ten years ago, Jill’s husband Josh drowned while they were on their honeymoon. His body was never found. Now, she is engaged to Kyle and ready to move on to the next phase of her life when she suddenly sees Josh — or thinks she sees him — and then discovers a picture of the owner of a winery in Napa Valley who looks identical to Josh. Is Josh really dead or what is actually going on? Told from alternating POVs and in alternate timelines, this novel has its share of good twists and turns as well as suspense. This is a good, quick read that is great for a summer vacation.
June was widowed on her honeymoon. Until a decade later, when she sees a photo of her husband with a new family, living on a vineyard.
This domestic thriller focuses on deeply flawed and frankly unlikeable characters. There were no characters I felt connected to because they are all villains.
I loved the atmosphere of the vineyard setting and were plenty of twists and turns which kept me guessing, but I found the ending to be disappointing.
This book was okay.
I had trouble getting into the story in the first section. We were following two characters at two different points in time. Both points of view also included tons of backstory. The result was an opening section that felt super information heavy. This was combined with (for me) way too much about grapes and wine making. I expected some of that wine knowledge to be important to the plot later, but it wasn't. This could have been trimmed to help readers engage with the story. For readers who know a lot about wine making, or are as obsessed as all of the characters in this novel, this might be a better read.
The mystery here raised questions that helped me stay interested in the story. One of the largest questions wasn't answered until the epilogue, while other questions were never answered, which made for a bit of an unsatisfactory ending.
For me, connecting with the characters is very important to me. I didn't connect with the characters in this book. The story is told from mainly two points of view: June and her mother-in-law Bev. Newly engaged, June wants to find the man that looks identical to her deceased husband that died ten years. Bev is part of the dysfunctional family and keeps secrets from the past. I received a free copy of this ebook from the publisher through Netgalley. This is my honest and voluntarily given review. The mystery is okay and revolves around secrets. I lost interest and ended up skimming the rest of the book.
I received an advanced copy of this book through NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review. I enjoyed Flynn's The Girls Are All So Nice Here and gave it 4 stars. Unfortunately I can't say the same for this wine soaked family drama disguised as a thriller. There's two plot lines / timelines here with Bev, Josh's mom, and Josh's wife / widow June. I got these mixed up. Maybe it would be helpful to have June been named something "younger".
The pace was slow and the plot exploded at the end. My haw drioped. You will either love it or hate it. I can't say I was happy with the bomb Flynn dropped on the reader. I felt tricked and my time wasted. This book is available Aug 14 2024.
Excellent book that kept me reading and wanting more. I anxiously await to read more of this authors books in the future. I highly recommend reading this authors books.
Calling all wine lovers and connoisseurs! This is the perfect book for you! The story starts with us being introduced to June. June is the owner of Grape Juice, a natural wine bar. She met Josh at an upscale party. They connected over their shared love of wine. Josh, being raised on a winery, preferred fermented wine over natural. Their difference of opinion led to a hot, steamy night, and they were inseparable ever since. Despite everyone’s disapproval, Josh and June were married after a few short months of dating. But during their honeymoon, Josh disappeared, and it was assumed he drowned. His body was never found.
Ten years later, June is engaged to Kyle. This time, everything is different. June and Kyle took the time to get to know each other, and Kyle has willingly dealt with June’s grief over Josh. As time draws closer to their upcoming nuptials, June believes she is seeing Josh in the oddest places. Is Josh still alive, or is June hitting the wine bottle too much?
June feels she needs closure from Josh before she marries Kyle, so she goes off to find out what really happened to Josh. What she discovers is that Josh was not the person he portrayed himself to be, and that her friends and family may have been right about him.
This book has more twists than a Twizzler!!! Everyone has a secret, and no one is perfect in this story. If you like thrillers that take you on a wild ride, this book is for you!
Thank you NetGalley and Simon and Schuster for this arc in exchange for my honest review.
Thank you to Netgalley and Simon & Schuster for the eARC of Till Death Do Us Part in exchange for my honest review!
This is definitely a slow burn and I feel like I learned way more about wine than I really wanted to. The mystery didn’t feel like it was taking center stage which in a thriller is kind of an odd choice.
The ending left a lot to be desired and I feel like it’s one people will either love or hate.
This is my first book from the author so I read this blindly but oh boi I hooked for this instantly. The author introduced two narrators in different timelines: June, in the present time, a wine pub owner who lost her husband Josh in an accident, finally finding a second chance with her fiancé Kyle to start a new family.
But she starts to see a person who just like her husband starts to having second thoughts about her decisions. However, when she search the internet to find a wedding place in Napa directs her to Andrew and Sadie Smith’s family winery, she cannot believe her eyes. The man in the photo looks exactly like her dead husband!
In the other timeline, its about Josh’s mother, who recently gave birth to her baby Kieran, conducting the winery with her husband David, still trying to deal with the family scandal that affected their lives.We go back and forth between the narratives of these two women to uncover secrets that shape their futures.
The pacing was a little slow for me at first but it quickens after so many shocking revelations. Overall, this is a well written women’s fiction, family drama blended with mystery.
Anything anyone would ever want to know about wine is covered in this book: Its history, various varietals, its taste, chemical make up, what spoils a harvest, what makes a harvest, how to bottle it, how to sample it, etc., etc., etc. ad infinitum, ad nauseum.
Current female angst (pages and pages of inner dialogue and insecurities) plus bad decisions make up the rest of this book.
The mystery of the dead/missing/resurrected husband was completely overshadowed by the above.
Not my cuppa tea (nor glass of wine), but I’m sure many others will enjoy it.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early reader’s copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
A decade ago, June's whirlwind romance with Josh led to an impulsive elopement. Despite her friends' warnings that things were moving too fast, she was in love. Tragically, Josh drowned on their honeymoon, and June has never believed it was an accident, especially since his body was never recovered. Bev, Josh's mother, who also disapproved of the union, has severed all ties with June. Now, as June spots Josh in New York, she's unable to confide in her friends or fiancé, given her previous breakdown over Josh's death.
While searching for a honeymoon destination, she stumbles upon a winery in Napa Valley and a photo that she's convinced is of Josh. She deceives her fiancé and travels there to investigate, as Josh grew up in Napa Valley. The deeper June delves into her inquiries and interactions with Bev, the more she uncovers about Josh's life before they met.
The narrative unfolds through Bev's perspective of the past, chronicling her son's upbringing, and through June's present viewpoint as she gradually reveals the family's hidden truths.
Till death do us part was a fun ride. It was a traditional thriller with lots of twists and turns. People have hidden agendas and pasts. The main character is likeable although the "losing my mind" trope was utilized in the mid portion of the book and while I know this happens in many thrillers it is not a trope that I enjoy. Other than that, it definitely kept my interest and was paced well.
The twists and turns are TWISTING and TURNING! Just when you think you have an idea about what’s going on in this book, another piece of information gets dropped into your lap upending everything you thought you knew. I LOVE a good dual POV and this one is mostly told from the perspective of June (a woman who 10 years ago was married and widowed all within 6 months) in 2022 and Bev (the mother of June’s dead husband) in 1999. I never knew what to believe or what was going to happen next and both women’s stories were equally enthralling. The final twist was so satisfying. This is a great book for anyone who loves piecing together a mystery but needs more going on in a story to stay engaged. Will absolutely be encouraging friends and fans of the genre to check this book out when it releases on August 13th.
I loved Laurie Elizabeth Flynn's book The Girls Are All So Nice Here and could not wait for her next book, and I truly enjoyed Till Death Do Us Part. The book follows two characters, June and Bev in different timelines. In 2022, it has been 10 years since June's husband Josh died, yet she has questioned his death ever since the day he went missing, even as she gets engaged to the second love of her life, Kyle. In 1999, the story follows Josh's mom Bev and the year that changed everything for her marriage and her family's life.
From the beginning sections of the book, I kept feeling like there was something the reader did not know yet about Bev's family and when you are clued in, I thought it was done in a good way where it did not feel forced. Bev can definitely be considered an unlikeable character with how she feels about motherhood, but at the same time, I thought it was an honest portrayal of a mother who loves her family, but still has things in her life she gave up for those that she loved and lost herself along the way. I couldn't put this book down as June's story unfolded and she learned not only things about Josh, but her fiancé Kyle as well.
The ending of this one truly left me saying WTH and I think it is the kind of thing that people will either love or hate. Initially, I wasn't thrilled with it, but after sitting with my thoughts for a few days, I think it was the perfect way to end the book. Highly recommend adding this one to your TBR if you want a mystery that will definitely take you through all the emotions!