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namitakhanna's review against another edition
4.0
After a bad breakup Lara has moved in with her sister Rosie and her husband but now she is ready to enter the dating world. She signs up on a dating service online and goes out on a blind date but never returns home. Rosie begins searching for her sister but soon discovers that she didn't know all her sisters secrets after all.
The Night Before by Wendy Walker is a fast paced psychological thriller with a clever engaging plot. Told in different POV’s and alternate timelines with a few twists and turns and in depth characters makes this a compulsive read
I would like to thank St. Martin’s Press & NetGalley for providing an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest and fair review.
This and more reviews at https://chloesbooksblog.wordpress.com/
The Night Before by Wendy Walker is a fast paced psychological thriller with a clever engaging plot. Told in different POV’s and alternate timelines with a few twists and turns and in depth characters makes this a compulsive read
I would like to thank St. Martin’s Press & NetGalley for providing an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest and fair review.
This and more reviews at https://chloesbooksblog.wordpress.com/
leoxegg's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
thephdivabooks's review against another edition
5.0
A woman leaves on a first date and doesn’t return home. Her sister tries to remain calm but she can’t. Something is wrong, she is sure of it. But is she more worried for her sister or the person she was on the date with? A twisty, compulsive thriller that will pull you in until the very final page!
I love the way Wendy Walker writes! A blend of suspense, twists, and character-driven plot elements, it’s hard to pin down a genre for this book. It is a psychological thriller that is heavy on the psychology and seems to carry some broader messages of self-reflection and healing from past trauma. Truly, an outstanding book!
Told in flashbacks to the night before, Laura Lochner is preparing for a date with Jonathan Fields. She is trying her best to be more like her sister Rosie—she’s wearing a dress and make up, she is flirting. Laura is staying with her sister and her husband and young son in the wake of a bad break up.
In the present time, Rosie is worried that her sister Laura didn’t return home from her date. She knows she might be paranoid, but Laura needs her protection. Rosie is certain something sinister happens when her minivan is found near the bar they met at with parking tickets—Laura is nowhere to be found.
As we flash back and forward, we also begin to learn more about Laura’s past. Laura, the girl whose own mother described her as “born with fists for hands”. Laura, who has met her fair share of wolves, but is no lamb…
I loved the narrative structure of this. The chapters with Laura’s date (the night before) build so much suspense, since you know she hasn’t returned home in the present time. But what exactly happened? Meanwhile, we get flashbacks to Laura’s sessions with her therapist, which provide some interesting insight into her past and some secrets buried deep.
This book has so much more to it than meets the eye. It isn’t a typical thriller at all. There is a depth to the psychology of the characters and the story that are so compelling. I am a fan of Wendy Walker now and already bought her next book.
The Night Before is suspenseful, character-driven writing at its finest with a jaw-dropping twist that will definitely have you coming back for more!
Thank you to St Martin’s Press for my copy. Opinions are my own.
I love the way Wendy Walker writes! A blend of suspense, twists, and character-driven plot elements, it’s hard to pin down a genre for this book. It is a psychological thriller that is heavy on the psychology and seems to carry some broader messages of self-reflection and healing from past trauma. Truly, an outstanding book!
Told in flashbacks to the night before, Laura Lochner is preparing for a date with Jonathan Fields. She is trying her best to be more like her sister Rosie—she’s wearing a dress and make up, she is flirting. Laura is staying with her sister and her husband and young son in the wake of a bad break up.
In the present time, Rosie is worried that her sister Laura didn’t return home from her date. She knows she might be paranoid, but Laura needs her protection. Rosie is certain something sinister happens when her minivan is found near the bar they met at with parking tickets—Laura is nowhere to be found.
As we flash back and forward, we also begin to learn more about Laura’s past. Laura, the girl whose own mother described her as “born with fists for hands”. Laura, who has met her fair share of wolves, but is no lamb…
I loved the narrative structure of this. The chapters with Laura’s date (the night before) build so much suspense, since you know she hasn’t returned home in the present time. But what exactly happened? Meanwhile, we get flashbacks to Laura’s sessions with her therapist, which provide some interesting insight into her past and some secrets buried deep.
This book has so much more to it than meets the eye. It isn’t a typical thriller at all. There is a depth to the psychology of the characters and the story that are so compelling. I am a fan of Wendy Walker now and already bought her next book.
The Night Before is suspenseful, character-driven writing at its finest with a jaw-dropping twist that will definitely have you coming back for more!
Thank you to St Martin’s Press for my copy. Opinions are my own.
suzyq436's review against another edition
3.0
I am not sure how I feel about this book. To be honest, I went through phases of enjoyment throughout the story. The beginning was okay and took me a while to get into. Once I reached the middle of the book, the pace started to pick up and the story became quite intriguing. I started to really enjoy the book and could not put it down. However, by the time the plot twists started taking place, I lost interest again. I felt the twists were trying to outdo each other. One plot twist trying to be bigger, better and more shocking than the previous twist. It started to feel more like a telenovela instead of the thriller. I must say that I thoroughly enjoyed the therapy sessions between Kevin and Laura. I found that interesting and it is what kept me hooked to the book. Overall, it was a good and enjoyable ready but not one of my favourite thrillers.
c_gurli's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
teresaalice's review against another edition
3.0
The most compelling mystery about this book is how badly written the main character is, yet I was able to finish it.
kplovesstories's review against another edition
4.0
This is the 3rd book by Wendy Walker that I’ve read and this comes in second (after All is Not Forgotten). This was a suspense-filled book and was a pretty quick read for me. While I didn’t figure out the plot twist, it isn’t too hard and not that surprising as there aren’t that many characters. Overall, a solid read, though.
kbroshous's review against another edition
5.0
This book intrigued me. Or rather, the lack of information in the blurb intrigued me. This book was a great psychological thriller with lots of twists and turns. The story is told from past to present as well as different characters points of view, which was very effective in this book.
k_lenn's review against another edition
3.0
Despite all of the shining reviews, The Night Before was a middle-of-the-road thriller for me. It offers a very twisty plot, but I felt like the dramatic build-up kept me waiting for some super-shocking event that never came. Don't get me wrong: the ending wasn't completely awful or anything, but I felt like it could've been more. (If that makes any sense.)
The characters are pretty one-dimensional with some emotional inconsistencies, and the writing could be improved— especially the dialogue. I don't think the characters are particularly likeable, but I can see how that played into the plot so I won't take any points off because of it.
The really unnecessary Joe subplot felt like a twist just for the sake of adding another twist. It did absolutely nothing to push the story further and was honestly more annoying than anything.
Overall, this wasn't a bad book. If you're into thrillers, I'd definitely give this one a go! There's a reason for all of the rave reviews, after all.
The characters are pretty one-dimensional with some emotional inconsistencies, and the writing could be improved— especially the dialogue. I don't think the characters are particularly likeable, but I can see how that played into the plot so I won't take any points off because of it.
The really unnecessary Joe subplot felt like a twist just for the sake of adding another twist. It did absolutely nothing to push the story further and was honestly more annoying than anything.
Overall, this wasn't a bad book. If you're into thrillers, I'd definitely give this one a go! There's a reason for all of the rave reviews, after all.
gmccray's review against another edition
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0