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kenziburke's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Kidnapping
Moderate: Violence, Murder, and Sexual content
Minor: Stalking
serendipitysbooks's review
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
The Night Before is a psychological thriller centred on Laura. She doesn’t have a great track record when it comes to men and has returned to her home town after her latest break up, despite it being the scene of a really traumatic event in her teen years. One night she goes on a date with a guy she met online, but fails to return home. The story unfolds in three main parts. One follows Laura on the date, one is told from the perspective of her sister Rosie after Laura doesn’t return home, while the third is snippets from conversations Laura has had with a psychologist.
I guess the book was perfectly fine but I tired of all the twists and turns, the deliberate red herrings. I understand those are stock-in-trade for the genre but I found myself unable to get engrossed in the story. Rather I was constantly asking myself which characters, if any, I could trust and wondering when the author was going to spring the next twist. In one way that makes sense given the moral of the story could perhaps be “be suspicious of everyone” or “be careful who you trust”. However, I was looking for a book I could escape into and this just wasn’t it. I remained detached, interested to find out exactly what was going on and if my guesses were correct as an abstract exercise rather than because I cared about the character and her fate. A quick read that served as a palate cleanser but not one that I’ll remember.
I guess the book was perfectly fine but I tired of all the twists and turns, the deliberate red herrings. I understand those are stock-in-trade for the genre but I found myself unable to get engrossed in the story. Rather I was constantly asking myself which characters, if any, I could trust and wondering when the author was going to spring the next twist. In one way that makes sense given the moral of the story could perhaps be “be suspicious of everyone” or “be careful who you trust”. However, I was looking for a book I could escape into and this just wasn’t it. I remained detached, interested to find out exactly what was going on and if my guesses were correct as an abstract exercise rather than because I cared about the character and her fate. A quick read that served as a palate cleanser but not one that I’ll remember.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Confinement, and Stalking
Moderate: Mental illness
sjones08's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Stalking
Moderate: Murder
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