A spooky mystery thriller that leans into its confusion and atmosphere!

This book and I had a complicated relationship. By the halfway point I still had no clue where the story was going, which sounds like a complaint, but honestly, that’s also its biggest strength. It thrives on keeping you guessing, second guessing, and maybe triple guessing about what’s real, what’s imagined, and how the story is going to tie itself together.

So what’s it actually about? We follow Mary, who lives at a boarding school and has dealt with mysterious, unexplainable pain her whole life. Just when that’s already more than anyone should have to handle, kids in the village start disappearing and Mary begins having visions of them. Slowly she realizes her pain and the missing children might be linked, and it’s up to her to uncover the truth before she’s next. Alongside all that doom and gloom, there’s also a tender romance with Chrissy (which I found very endearing), a grandmother who’d do anything for her, and a father who’s… let’s say unsettling in the creepiest way possible.

Now back to my experience: I liked the short, snappy chapters (very bingeable) and the little nods to pop culture like Frankenstein and Stranger Things. That said, some chapters felt like they just stopped mid sentence, only to pick up in the next one, which was a bit jarring. And because I spent most of the time confused, I never fully connected with our girlie Mary. I wanted to feel for her pain and struggles, but instead I felt like an observer on the outside. This caused me to take waaaayyyyyy too long to get through this book for my liking. I just couldn’t really get into it.

But once the story started rolling, it REALLY started rolling. I liked how it balances scientific thriller vibes with a paranormal twist. The mystery keeps things intentionally vague for a long time, only peeling back layers as you go, and there’s definitely a haunting undertone that makes you root for Mary.

All in all, Love You Until Death is a spooky mystery thriller that leans into its confusion and atmosphere. If you’re looking for an eerie autumn read that makes you feel like you’re solving a puzzle with pieces that might (or might not) even exist, this could be your next pick!

A huge thanks to Hamley Books for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.