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3.5 AVERAGE
3.5 AVERAGE
The Night Before is a novel about a woman named Laura who meets a man on a dating site. She goes on a first date with this man and nothing is as it seems...
There were several issues I had with this book that stopped me from giving it 4 stars. The main reason being that I really didn't care for Laura, the main character. I felt like a lot of the book centered on Laura's unsuccessful love life wrapped with a "thriller" bow. I didn't care about her because she lacked the depth I desired. She has a horrific past because of a tragic event that shattered her world. Her high school boyfriend is murdered and she is found holding the murder weapon. Laura is tormented by this memory or lack thereof for the entirety of this novel.
She decides to start a dating profile and look for love again and meets a man name Jonathan Fields.
This attractive and seemingly intriguing man quickly becomes a source of fright for Laura and it stays this way for far too long..
We spent much of the book staring in the face of red flags but not doing anything about them, only for those red flags to be almost completely pointless. Maybe I missed the point, but I just really didn't care for what happened to Laura before, during, and after the events of that fateful evening.
I did really love Rosie and feel she was very well written. We read this book in Laura and Rosie's point of views, alternating. Rosie is an extremely empathetic, unwaveringly protective sister that only cares about the well-being of her sister when things go awry. And most of the time I felt like Laura couldn't be bothered to give a damn about Rosie.
Rosie and Joe were by far my favorite characters in this book!
All in all, I guessed the main twist from a mile away, but not the smaller one. I don't know how else to describe it without writing spoilers. Those that have read this book will likely understand what I mean.
It was a quick read that I gave 3.5 stars but rounded down to 3 because I won't remember Laura in a positive light after this. She just lacked the personality and left much to be desired.
If a sequel happened to be published I would love to check it out.
There were several issues I had with this book that stopped me from giving it 4 stars. The main reason being that I really didn't care for Laura, the main character. I felt like a lot of the book centered on Laura's unsuccessful love life wrapped with a "thriller" bow. I didn't care about her because she lacked the depth I desired. She has a horrific past because of a tragic event that shattered her world. Her high school boyfriend is murdered and she is found holding the murder weapon. Laura is tormented by this memory or lack thereof for the entirety of this novel.
She decides to start a dating profile and look for love again and meets a man name Jonathan Fields.
This attractive and seemingly intriguing man quickly becomes a source of fright for Laura and it stays this way for far too long..
We spent much of the book staring in the face of red flags but not doing anything about them, only for those red flags to be almost completely pointless. Maybe I missed the point, but I just really didn't care for what happened to Laura before, during, and after the events of that fateful evening.
I did really love Rosie and feel she was very well written. We read this book in Laura and Rosie's point of views, alternating. Rosie is an extremely empathetic, unwaveringly protective sister that only cares about the well-being of her sister when things go awry. And most of the time I felt like Laura couldn't be bothered to give a damn about Rosie.
Rosie and Joe were by far my favorite characters in this book!
All in all, I guessed the main twist from a mile away, but not the smaller one. I don't know how else to describe it without writing spoilers. Those that have read this book will likely understand what I mean.
It was a quick read that I gave 3.5 stars but rounded down to 3 because I won't remember Laura in a positive light after this. She just lacked the personality and left much to be desired.
If a sequel happened to be published I would love to check it out.
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
In her new book Wendy Walker takes a look at what happens when meeting someone online for a date goes terribly wrong:
Laura Lochner has never had any luck with men or love, starting from when she was a child. She remembers her childhood as always being second to her older sister Rosie and that her parents loved Rosie more than her but it never stopped Laura from looking for love. This trend has followed her into adult life, always falling too hard, too fast for the wrong man. Laura has decided to change her approach and be a different Laura after another heartbreak. She decides to go on a blind online date with Jonathan Fields. The problem is Laura doesn't come home that night. Her sister Rosie fears the worst, there are some violent events in Laura's past that have never been explained and Rosie worries that this might be another one. Where is Laura and who is this Jonathan Fields, Rosie is determined to find out what happened The Night Before.
I am a Big Fan of Walker, I loved her first two books, especially her debut All is not Forgotten, but for me this book is the weakest of the three. This is not to say that I did not enjoy this book in the end, I just enjoyed the previous two more. I found this book hard to really become engaged with the characters and story until over half the book was done as there were times it failed to hold my attention. And I will admit that I almost didn't finish reading it but I knew there had to be something big in the end, and there was, I personally was able to see it coming, but the twist was there. I just felt like Walker has a lot more to give and there was something lacking or even cliché about this book.
For some reason I could not become invested in either Laura or Rosie. Yes, I felt sorry for Laura at times, but at the same time I found that she acted more like a teenager than an adult. I also found her thought process became too repetitive throughout the book, about not trusting her emotions or instincts, when those things had saved her time and time again. She was trying to be a completely different person in a moment when she knew that she shouldn't. Rosie I just felt came off as a whiny character, and I do not think that her perspective in the book really brought anything out in the story, other than it is her, her husband Joe and their long time friend Gabe who are actively looking for Laura. I'm not sure who Walker could have used instead for the present point of view but I just wasn't feeling Rosie
The one thing that I love about Walker is how she has decided to tell her stories. I love the back and fourth between the past and present and how the past slowly catches up to the present timeline. I find that this adds to the overall suspenseful feeling that you are supposed to feel while you are reading her books as you greatly anticipate what it going to happen next, what will Walker reveal.
While not my favourite book that Walker has written, it was able to grab me more in the latter half of the book. I know that this will not stop me from reading her novels and I anxiously await the next book that she releases. Pick up this book if you like more of a psychological suspense or domestic suspense read.
Cheers!!!
Laura Lochner has never had any luck with men or love, starting from when she was a child. She remembers her childhood as always being second to her older sister Rosie and that her parents loved Rosie more than her but it never stopped Laura from looking for love. This trend has followed her into adult life, always falling too hard, too fast for the wrong man. Laura has decided to change her approach and be a different Laura after another heartbreak. She decides to go on a blind online date with Jonathan Fields. The problem is Laura doesn't come home that night. Her sister Rosie fears the worst, there are some violent events in Laura's past that have never been explained and Rosie worries that this might be another one. Where is Laura and who is this Jonathan Fields, Rosie is determined to find out what happened The Night Before.
I am a Big Fan of Walker, I loved her first two books, especially her debut All is not Forgotten, but for me this book is the weakest of the three. This is not to say that I did not enjoy this book in the end, I just enjoyed the previous two more. I found this book hard to really become engaged with the characters and story until over half the book was done as there were times it failed to hold my attention. And I will admit that I almost didn't finish reading it but I knew there had to be something big in the end, and there was, I personally was able to see it coming, but the twist was there. I just felt like Walker has a lot more to give and there was something lacking or even cliché about this book.
For some reason I could not become invested in either Laura or Rosie. Yes, I felt sorry for Laura at times, but at the same time I found that she acted more like a teenager than an adult. I also found her thought process became too repetitive throughout the book, about not trusting her emotions or instincts, when those things had saved her time and time again. She was trying to be a completely different person in a moment when she knew that she shouldn't. Rosie I just felt came off as a whiny character, and I do not think that her perspective in the book really brought anything out in the story, other than it is her, her husband Joe and their long time friend Gabe who are actively looking for Laura. I'm not sure who Walker could have used instead for the present point of view but I just wasn't feeling Rosie
The one thing that I love about Walker is how she has decided to tell her stories. I love the back and fourth between the past and present and how the past slowly catches up to the present timeline. I find that this adds to the overall suspenseful feeling that you are supposed to feel while you are reading her books as you greatly anticipate what it going to happen next, what will Walker reveal.
While not my favourite book that Walker has written, it was able to grab me more in the latter half of the book. I know that this will not stop me from reading her novels and I anxiously await the next book that she releases. Pick up this book if you like more of a psychological suspense or domestic suspense read.
Cheers!!!
This is my first read by Wendy Walker and boy what a wild ride! Told in two (technically three) perspectives, Laura and Rosie as well as Laura’s past sessions with Dr. Brody . There was a great balance between the two and you got a real understanding of Laura, our main character, and her relationship with her sister Rosie.
This definitely was a slow start for me. It took me a little bit to get into the story but once I got a few chapters in, I was hooked and couldn’t and didn’t want to put this down. This was such a page turner!! I had absolutely no clue what was going to happen or who was behind everything. I probably guessed a million times and each time I thought it was one person, another looked and acted suspicious. I went through the entire list of characters in this story thinking that they were the cause and it really kept me on my toes. I felt like I couldn’t trust a soul.
This is the perfect book if you’re looking for a quick thriller read! I highly recommend this ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ book!
Thank you St. Martin’s Press, NetGalley and Wendy Walker for giving me a chance to read the ebook for an honest review.
This definitely was a slow start for me. It took me a little bit to get into the story but once I got a few chapters in, I was hooked and couldn’t and didn’t want to put this down. This was such a page turner!! I had absolutely no clue what was going to happen or who was behind everything. I probably guessed a million times and each time I thought it was one person, another looked and acted suspicious. I went through the entire list of characters in this story thinking that they were the cause and it really kept me on my toes. I felt like I couldn’t trust a soul.
This is the perfect book if you’re looking for a quick thriller read! I highly recommend this ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ book!
Thank you St. Martin’s Press, NetGalley and Wendy Walker for giving me a chance to read the ebook for an honest review.
Didn’t enjoy this as much as Don’t Look For Me. This one was a bit more predictable and honestly if I had been reading instead of listening, I could have skipped a lot of pages
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
2.5/5
It's not especially good, but it was entertaining. I felt like it was predictable at times, but at other times the events barely connected to each other.
I liked Luara, though. She's a pretty cool character.
**Book 4 out of 10 in the reading marathon
It's not especially good, but it was entertaining. I felt like it was predictable at times, but at other times the events barely connected to each other.
I liked Luara, though. She's a pretty cool character.
**Book 4 out of 10 in the reading marathon
mysterious
medium-paced