“I'm obsessed.” —Ali Hazelwood
"I never wanted [it] to end...Stunning." —Lyla Sage
What my eyes are showing me can’t be possible. Can’t be real. Because if they are, then I have to accept that Julian Conrad has been alive for a very long time.
Too long to be human.
A stay-up-all-night, smart, spicy romance following a doctor who finds herself falling for an alluring, much-younger man with a deadly secret
Sean’s not in the market for love. The only female, let alone Black, interventional cardiologist at her hospital, she’s watched too many of her male colleagues divorce their first wives to marry younger models—and then there’s the abusive relationship she’s spent the better part of her early 30s healing from. Her passions are reserved for her best friend, her goddaughter, and her job.
Then she meets Julian. Brooding, beautiful and eleven years her junior. In short: A bad idea.
Julian pursues her in a way that sets off alarm bells in her mind, but she finds herself unable to resist their undeniable chemistry—even starts fantasizing about him in dreams that feel altogether too real. They also have a lot in common despite their age gap. So, to hell with it: If men can date younger, why can’t she? But the more Sean gets to know him, the more impossible Julian seems: He has a depth and sorrow to him that’s beyond his years, and sometimes there’s a look in his eyes that’s less than human, and leaves her feeling more like prey. Plus, Sean herself has been exhibiting odd symptoms—memory lapses, a lack of restraint that's unlike her, persistent exhaustion—that all trace back to Julian, making Sean feeling more than a little afraid. Who—or what—is she falling, irrevocably, in love with?
Extraordinarily transfixing, suspenseful, and addictive, Die for Me is nothing short of a seduction.
"I never wanted [it] to end...Stunning." —Lyla Sage
What my eyes are showing me can’t be possible. Can’t be real. Because if they are, then I have to accept that Julian Conrad has been alive for a very long time.
Too long to be human.
A stay-up-all-night, smart, spicy romance following a doctor who finds herself falling for an alluring, much-younger man with a deadly secret
Sean’s not in the market for love. The only female, let alone Black, interventional cardiologist at her hospital, she’s watched too many of her male colleagues divorce their first wives to marry younger models—and then there’s the abusive relationship she’s spent the better part of her early 30s healing from. Her passions are reserved for her best friend, her goddaughter, and her job.
Then she meets Julian. Brooding, beautiful and eleven years her junior. In short: A bad idea.
Julian pursues her in a way that sets off alarm bells in her mind, but she finds herself unable to resist their undeniable chemistry—even starts fantasizing about him in dreams that feel altogether too real. They also have a lot in common despite their age gap. So, to hell with it: If men can date younger, why can’t she? But the more Sean gets to know him, the more impossible Julian seems: He has a depth and sorrow to him that’s beyond his years, and sometimes there’s a look in his eyes that’s less than human, and leaves her feeling more like prey. Plus, Sean herself has been exhibiting odd symptoms—memory lapses, a lack of restraint that's unlike her, persistent exhaustion—that all trace back to Julian, making Sean feeling more than a little afraid. Who—or what—is she falling, irrevocably, in love with?
Extraordinarily transfixing, suspenseful, and addictive, Die for Me is nothing short of a seduction.
Title: Die for Me
Author: Shirlene Obuobi
Publisher: Viking Penguin
Publication Date: July 14, 2026
Review:
Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Viking for providing me with a copy of this title to read and give my honest review. The opinions expressed her are my own.
I'll be honest, I took the widget for this one simply because Ali Hazelwood blurbed it and had it featured in her newsletter. I love Hazelwood and figured I could not go wrong with a title she enjoyed. I didn't even read the blurb for this, so I really had no idea what I was getting into. And boy was I pleasantly surprised. I was not expecting a paranormal romance. Nor was I expecting what the paranormal creatures actually were. This is actually the first time I've read a book with this type of supernatural being as the main "monster." I do not know much about this type of creature, except from what I kind of learned through the show Supernatural, so I was totally engrossed in trying to figure out what was going on.
Sean is a cardiologist who has spent her life making sure those around her know she is just as talented as anyone else who might be in her position. Her fight as not only a woman but a black woman is at the forefront of this book from the beginning. The opening chapter totally makes it clear she has had to claw her way to the top and fight to stay there. Her dedication to this is evident in her life choices of not having settled down, gotten married, or had kids. It has not been her priority to fit romance into her life. When she meets Julian at her best friend's ex's wedding, she is surprised by their instant connection despite their age gap. But as their relationship progresses, she notices things are not quite how they seem and takes a deep dive into finding out what Julian and his sisters, Rose and Leila, truly are. But this deep dive comes at an expense: her relationship with Julian and possibly her life.
I love that Sean is a such strong character. She can very much take care of herself. She has formed a found family with her best friend and her daughter. She lives the life she has set for herself and doesn't let anyone else dictate things for her. She's completely settled in her self. Strong and undeniably independent. Her letting Julian into her life is unusual. Her falling for him so quickly is even more so. I also enjoyed that Obuobi chose to write this book from just one perspective: Sean's. Everything we see, everything we feel, everything we know is because this truly capable woman shows it to us. It was refreshing and I was kind of surprised I was ok with is (I normally like dual POV for romances).
Julian is this sexy, broody man who knows what he wants and he wants Sean. His whole persona is a mystery. He is also single minded in getting Sean's attention and having her as his. To the point that he seems utterly obsessed with Sean. He moves so quickly, which was a red flag for me, to be honest. But given what he is, it's understandable Sean had very little control in her attraction to him.
On top of the romance is a mystery of what Julian and his siblings are. Slowly Sean reveals what she finds. Along the way we get to know her best friend, Winona, Winnys' daughter Sophie, their ex-husband/best friend Brandon, and her adorable dog Onix. All the supporting characters in this book brought something special to the story. There were no extraneous characters who made you wonder why they were there.
Finally, the pacing of this book was great. I would have finished it in one day had I not been on vacation and exhausted from a boating trip we took. I didn't want to put this one down. I had to know what was actually happening and once it was revealed I was definitely a bit shocked. Like I said above, I haven't really read books with this kind of monster in it so it was very new to me. By the 75% mark when all is finally truly revealed, the book really takes off. There is action and more mystery and some gore (nothing horrible but horrible enough). I was so worried Obuobi would leave me with heartbreak and had no idea how she would actually wrap it up so I'd be happy but she managed to do it! This book solidified that I will be reading Obuobi's future works and going back to see what her other books are about.
Author:
Shirlene Obuobi is a Ghanaian-American physician, cartoonist, and author who grew up in Chicago, Illinois, Hot Springs, Arkansas and The Woodlands, Texas. When she’s not in the hospital (and let’s be honest, even when she’s in it), she can be found drawing comics, writing on her phone, and obsessing over her three cats. She currently lives in Chicago, where she is completing her cardiology fellowship.
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