Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.5 AVERAGE
3.5 AVERAGE
The Night Before is a quick thriller about two sisters – one trying to figure out what happened the night before to her sister. The story is told in two perspectives (the two sisters) and timeseries (the night before and the morning/day after). The twist was OK for me – not too predictable, but also not too shocking. I was pulled in from the beginning and really enjoyed the mystery (both past and present).
Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
“The Night Before” will keep you turning page after page trying to figure out what in the heck is actually going on. There were certain parts in the book that I wish would’ve been sped up just a tad but the author does an excellent job of leading you around twists and turns and back again. While I enjoyed the book along with one major twist I wasn’t expecting, the ending fell a little flat for me.
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
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: Confinement, Violence, Stalking
Moderate: Mental illness
This was such a page-turner! I finished it in a day, had to know what was going on. The story focuses on the disappearance of Laura after her online date night. The chapters follow Laura on that night and follow her sister Rosie on the day after as she desperately searches for Laura. Almost every chapter finishes off with a cliffhanger so that it gets addictive. I had to know what happened to Laura. Now that I know what happened that night... Am I convinced with everything? No. I also think the cliches and the family dramas were not necessary. But I still enjoyed reading this.
This was a really fun read.
The author threw in just enough plot lines and red herrings to leave the reader in doubt as to where the story was ultimately heading, but not so many that the plot became confused and jumbled. I had a million theories, but wasn't absolutely sure until very close to the end. Having read what feels like hundreds of formulaic thrillers, this one was refreshing.
I enjoyed that the author was able to create such a nuanced plot without introducing dozens of unnecessary characters. Rather than relying on characters to create doubts and questions in her story, she used her considerable imagination to create scenarios that left the reader guessing. Ms. Walker wrote a complex story, and I'm very happy that one of her main characters was revealed to be the villain at the end. It can be so frustrating to read a book, become invested in the story and the characters, only to find that the culprit was an elementary-school janitor that was mentioned on page 17 and never again. I enjoy reading an author who gives me an opportunity to solve the crime rather than pulling a cheap bait-and-switch at the end.
Ms. Walker forces her readers to ask ourselves how well we can ever really know someone. Online dating is a major plot-point in this book, and we are all well aware of the dangers of meeting strangers online for romance (full disclosure: I met my husband online and we just celebrated our 9-year wedding anniversary so I think the reward outweighs the risk most times!). We know to be careful and take safety precautions when we take our cyber romances into the real world. But maybe we should be giving those "real" people in our lives the same treatment. We google and scour social media for secrets about people we don't know well, but perhaps strangers aren't always the ones we should be on guard for.
Definitely add this one to your "to-be-read" pile.
The author threw in just enough plot lines and red herrings to leave the reader in doubt as to where the story was ultimately heading, but not so many that the plot became confused and jumbled. I had a million theories, but wasn't absolutely sure until very close to the end. Having read what feels like hundreds of formulaic thrillers, this one was refreshing.
I enjoyed that the author was able to create such a nuanced plot without introducing dozens of unnecessary characters. Rather than relying on characters to create doubts and questions in her story, she used her considerable imagination to create scenarios that left the reader guessing. Ms. Walker wrote a complex story, and I'm very happy that one of her main characters was revealed to be the villain at the end. It can be so frustrating to read a book, become invested in the story and the characters, only to find that the culprit was an elementary-school janitor that was mentioned on page 17 and never again. I enjoy reading an author who gives me an opportunity to solve the crime rather than pulling a cheap bait-and-switch at the end.
Ms. Walker forces her readers to ask ourselves how well we can ever really know someone. Online dating is a major plot-point in this book, and we are all well aware of the dangers of meeting strangers online for romance (full disclosure: I met my husband online and we just celebrated our 9-year wedding anniversary so I think the reward outweighs the risk most times!). We know to be careful and take safety precautions when we take our cyber romances into the real world. But maybe we should be giving those "real" people in our lives the same treatment. We google and scour social media for secrets about people we don't know well, but perhaps strangers aren't always the ones we should be on guard for.
Definitely add this one to your "to-be-read" pile.
I enjoyed this author's style of writing quite a bit more than the last few books I've read. You can really feel the intensity of how much the sisters care for each other and it makes you care for them too. Throw in a couple twists and thrills and you've got a pretty good read.
Five ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I’m struggling to find the words to describe a book that was really beyond exceptional. Any good book will get inside your head, but this book grabbed me and squeezed.
The writing was great but that wasn’t the thing that stood out the most. The storyline and the way it was written was absolutely meticulous. I’ve never seen anything like it.
I won’t say anything because I don’t want to give anything away but this is a must read.
Thank you to netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for this amazing ARC.
The writing was great but that wasn’t the thing that stood out the most. The storyline and the way it was written was absolutely meticulous. I’ve never seen anything like it.
I won’t say anything because I don’t want to give anything away but this is a must read.
Thank you to netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for this amazing ARC.
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Although I finished this is one day, I wasn’t totally engrossed by the book at all. Light, easy reading with a decent enough plot but a predictable ending. Not bad but not great
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes