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A review by shari_russell
Date Night by Samantha Hayes
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
This thrilling domestic noir is fast-paced with questions, lies, and secrets building up to an explosive twist at the end. I was actually shocked at the surprising finale.
The story begins with Libby arrested and at this point we don’t understand what is happening. The story has two timelines, the days leading up to the date night which was the night that Sasha disappeared and the days that follow the horrible night. The different timelines work so well in this story by creating curiosity and a quest for answers. As Libby is being questioned for the murder of Sasha, you are on the edge of your seat dying to read what led up to this before.
The story is told in a first person narrative through Libby. At first, Libby and her husband, Sean seem like a normal happy couple. However, as time goes on and Libby is being questioned by the police, you realize that there are cracks behind closed doors. Sean, who started off as such a nice, loving husband isn’t what he seems and is angry and on edge. Libby is just a mess with Sasha’s disappearance and then being arrested for Sasha’s murder. She acts crazy, screaming and throwing and breaking things.
You also realize that Libby may be an unreliable narrator. But as you turn the pages, you start to see that nothing is what it seems. This is when I went from being irritated with Libby’s personality to wanting to reach out and help her.
Samantha Hayes writing is perfect. There are so many things going on that the reader is hooked from page one and can’t get enough of this suspenseful page-turner until it’s over.
I loved almost everything about this riveting thriller, except for the characters. I was irritated in some way by each of them, but it kind of makes sense now when you find out all of the flaws and secrets of each one.
Date Night is a 4 star read for me! I absolutely recommend it to psychological thriller and domestic noir fans with the warning to be prepared for an unputdownable read.
The story begins with Libby arrested and at this point we don’t understand what is happening. The story has two timelines, the days leading up to the date night which was the night that Sasha disappeared and the days that follow the horrible night. The different timelines work so well in this story by creating curiosity and a quest for answers. As Libby is being questioned for the murder of Sasha, you are on the edge of your seat dying to read what led up to this before.
The story is told in a first person narrative through Libby. At first, Libby and her husband, Sean seem like a normal happy couple. However, as time goes on and Libby is being questioned by the police, you realize that there are cracks behind closed doors. Sean, who started off as such a nice, loving husband isn’t what he seems and is angry and on edge. Libby is just a mess with Sasha’s disappearance and then being arrested for Sasha’s murder. She acts crazy, screaming and throwing and breaking things.
You also realize that Libby may be an unreliable narrator. But as you turn the pages, you start to see that nothing is what it seems. This is when I went from being irritated with Libby’s personality to wanting to reach out and help her.
Samantha Hayes writing is perfect. There are so many things going on that the reader is hooked from page one and can’t get enough of this suspenseful page-turner until it’s over.
I loved almost everything about this riveting thriller, except for the characters. I was irritated in some way by each of them, but it kind of makes sense now when you find out all of the flaws and secrets of each one.
Date Night is a 4 star read for me! I absolutely recommend it to psychological thriller and domestic noir fans with the warning to be prepared for an unputdownable read.