Review: ‘Til Death

‘Til Death by Busayo Matuluko

Published By: Simon and Schuster
Publication Date: January 30, 2025
Date Read: September 23, 2025
Genre: YA – Thriller
Source: Bought
Format: Audiobook
Pages: 416

Add to Goodreads | Add to Storygraph

A slick and addictive YA mystery thriller that celebrates the nuances and dramas of Nigerian family and culture, perfect for fans of Holly Jackson and Karen M. McManus.

Save the date . . . for a killer wedding!

True-crime-obsessed Lara Oyinlola is heading to Lagos for her favourite cousin, Dérin’s, wedding. It’s going to be a holiday filled with glitzy dress-fittings, glamorous parties and, of course, the star-studded event of the year.

But everything isn’t perfect in Dérin’s world. She’s been receiving anonymous threats telling her to cancel the wedding . . . or face dire consequences.

This is the moment Lara’s been waiting for: put her sleuthing knowledge to work and solve a real-life mystery. As Lara investigates, what she doesn’t expect to uncover is a web of secrets, malicious crimes, and near‑death encounters which promise to tear the family apart for good . . .

With sinister secrets, bitchy bridesmaids, annoying exes, and a gossip-loving amateur detective, this gripping mystery thriller from a standout debut author and award-nominated BookTokker will have readers hooked.

I’ve always been a huge fan of YA Thrillers so when I heard about ‘Til Death, I was really intrigued. I’ve never read a book set in Nigeria and so I was really interested to see what it would be like. I really enjoyed the Nigerian element and learning more about their customs and such. It was definitely my favourite part of the book, but sadly for me the thriller aspect of the book was a little bit lack luster.

For me personally, I think this book should be considered more a family drama book, rather than a thriller/mystery. You have the prologue of the book showing you a ‘murder’ at a wedding and then you go back in time three weeks to see the lead up to said wedding. It was around 75% through the book that the wedding takes place and honestly I was just a little bit bored. ‘Til Death definitely felt more like a gossip girl-eske family where the mysteries were around who does what, and who might be having an affair with who… and while some readers will love that sort of thing, it definitely was not my vibe.

One thing I did really love about this book was the representation of sickle cell disease. It’s a main focus of the book and really explores people prejudice and discrimination against people with this disorder. I didn’t really know much about this disorder and so I did find this part of the book really interesting and educational. Especially as it explored the fact that some people are really sick with it but some can lead a normal life where those around them don’t know they have it. I really appreciated that element of the book.

‘Til Death was a fun read, and the audiobook was fantastic. I really praise the narrator for doing a fantastic job bringing these characters to life. It was enjoyable but unfortunately for me I really was left wanting more. Call me messed up but I wanted there to be a higher focus on the murder than the mysteries of family drama. I’m glad that I read it, but I wouldn’t re-read this one personally. If you’re a fan of things like gossip girl and family drama, this will be a must-read for you.