Really liked this book. Great beach read if you like thrillers. Although I didn’t love any of the characters in the story I did enjoy the book. Keeps you guessing until the very end.

Unfortunately, this was not what I was expecting. I read The Twilight Wife by A. J. Banner last year and absolutely loved it, so I was really excited to read this novel. It just didn't do it for me. I think the plot was interesting, but nothing special. I also really had a hard time with the main character. She seemed really stiff and the dialogue between her and the other characters was awkward. I think the novel was entertaining, but it left me wanting more. Thank you to NetGalley for sending this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Marissa and Nathan have a dinner party to announce their engagement. In attendance is Marissa's former bff Lauren, her husband, Nathan's brother and his wife, and Nathan's 9 year old daughter. Lauren flirts with her new fiance, then leaves early, telling Marissa that she needs to tell her something. The next morning, Lauren is found dead. Whodunit?!

This pulled me in from the very beginning and I didn’t want it to end! So many unreliable characters, all flawed in their own ways, but I didn’t truly dislike any of them. I had pegged just about everyone at one point or another, except the narrator (that just seemed too obvious, especially with the detective visibly tailing her). The steps that lead Marissa to discovering the outcome seemed realistic as well; nothing that didn't make perfect sense when put all together. A bit of friend drama, jealousy, revenge, and obsession kept me intrigued until the very last page!

An excellent mystery! Full of surprises, this fast moving novel had me guessing. Thank you NetGalley for the e-reader copy for review. All opinions are my own.

Another great book by A J Banner! She is becoming one of my favorite authors. I'd give this book a 4.5 if I could. I loved the entire book, with all of the twists and turns. The only negative for me was that the book seemed to end so abruptly. I was reading the story and it just....ended. A bit disappointing. I love her writing style...quick to read. Thanks to the publishers for the advanced copy,

I read this in just over a day and found it to be engrossing. It had just enough drama to keep me guessing without getting repetitive or weighed down in details. I really enjoyed how the author threw in so many clues along the way that kept me guessing and wondering what would happen next.

Lauren and Marissa were the best of friends until the sexy Lauren betrayed her in the worst of ways. Marissa does move on though and years later invites Lauren and her husband, Jensen to her engagement party. She can't believe it when Lauren proceeds to flirt with her fiance right under her nose. What is wrong with her? Maybe it is the wine or perhaps "her perfume is poisoning her brain."

I just loved the setting of this neighborhood on the beach with a steep staircase leading to the water. It reminded me of a TV show I binged on called Revenge (which was so good btw). This one has a plot with many layers and perhaps a bit of revenge woven in.

Marissa puts on her detective hat and she starts noticing some things that don't seem right. Nerves flare when she begins to question her fiance about his questionable behavior. A story of obsession and jealously with a surprising conclusion that left me saying but....wait....

If you like to be guessing until the end, this one is sure to entertain. Excellent summer read!

After Nightfall by AJ Banner was a great read! I'd recommend this to anyone looking for a suspenseful thriller to read. I was guessing until the very end!

Wow, this book drew me in right from the start and kept me wanting to read "that one more page." The feelings that Marissa experiences while dealing with and accepting her friends death are so spot on that it felt like I was grieving along with her. A.J. Banner wrote like someone who has experienced these feelings as strongly as Marissa is. This book just flowed and I found myself nearing the end with still no idea who I thought the murderer was, everyone seemed to be guilty. I really liked the little twist at the very end too!

An addictive, sinister psychological thriller that will have you on the edge of your seat. The dark and twisted plot is riddled with plenty of secrets, lies and cleverly-done twists that keep you guessing. If you like dark, twisted suspense as much as I do, you can't go wrong with this book!

I love this author. I feel like her novels are captivating and intriguing, and I could not wait to get my hands on this book. The storyline was so interesting to me and I couldn't wait to see how Banner took the reader through her normal twists and turns to get to the end. I loved the fact that I started second guessing myself and the connections I had made about the characters and their relationships with one another. It was an intense read but I could hardly put it down. I have recommended this read to many friends already!

Lots of twists and turns and unexpected events! Definitely one to pick up when you are craving a who done it!!

INFO:
After Nightfall by A.J. Banner
Published: August 2018
Pages: 251 pages
Genre: Mystery/Thriller
Source: NetGalley

SYNOPSIS FROM GOODREADS: “Imagine your closest friend utterly betraying you. Years later, when she seeks forgiveness, you invite her to your engagement party as a gesture of reconciliation. But seething hostilities rise to the surface, ruining everyone’s evening. After an awful night, your friend’s battered, lifeless body is found at the bottom of a rocky cliff.

Newly engaged Marissa Parlette is living this nightmare. She should be celebrating her upcoming wedding, but she can’t shake the image of her friend lying dead on the beach. Did she fall? Was she pushed? Or did she take a purposeful step into darkness? Desperate for answers, Marissa digs deep into the events of the party. But what she remembers happening after nightfall now carries sinister implications: the ugly sniping, the clandestine meetings, the drunken flirtations. The more she investigates, the more she questions everything she thought she knew about her friends, the man she once trusted, and even herself.

Bestselling author A. J. Banner keeps readers on a razor-sharp edge in this intricately plotted novel of psychological suspense…in which nothing is as it seems."

MY THOUGHTS:
The book dives right in with a tragedy at a dinner party and then on to the scramble to find out who did it! There are mixed feelings, old drama, and lots of romantic relationships in turmoil. In the end, I was satisfied with the conclusion! The book will have you suspecting everyone, which I love.

However, I had some mixed feelings about this book. It took me a little bit to get through. I think that my hang-ups had to do with the characters that I wasn’t really a fan of. I just didn’t click with most of them. They did things that I just couldn’t relate to or that didn’t seem plausible to me. The story line was sometimes moved forward by convenient discoveries…

Overall, it was a pretty good read and if you like a lighter brand of mystery/thriller, give it a try!

YOU NEED THIS BOOK IF: You are a fan of somewhat light whodunnits.

MY RATING:
Entertainment Value: 3
Characters: 3
Voice: 3
Plot: 3
Overall: 3 stars

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

After Nightfall is on my top 5 great books. I was hooked from page 1. Other than keeping the characters straight in the first few chapters, it was a fast, easy read. The characters were well portrayed and I could really relate to them. After Nightfall is as good as, if not better than, The Good Neighbor.

I really enjoyed After Nightfall! And surprisingly I didn’t figure out the twist until the very end, which was good. I kept going back and forth in my head trying to pin point exactly what was going on throughout the story. I love those kind of books where it keeps me guessing until the very end.

I loved AJ’s writing and can’t wait to pick up another of their books! If you like psychological thrillers then I definitely recommend this book!

I was super excited to get this early copy! I have read both The Good Neighbor and The Twilight Wife and was not disappointed. I think I enjoyed the premise of After Nightfall even more- friendship and relationships laced with secrets and betrayal- definite win! I was kept guessing throughout the whole story and every time I thought I had it figured out- I was wrong! If you’re a fan of mystery and suspense, do yourself a favor and pick this one up when it releases!

I would rate this book 3.75 stars.

The main issue I had with this story is that the reader is just dumped straight into the story. It made the dialogue feel very clunky at the beginning of the story.

My favourite thing about this book is how this book didn't fall into too many thriller tropes. The main character is questioning something another character has done and rather than, like it 1,000 other thrillers, never saying anything, the main character immediately addresses the situation. The main character keeps the police informed of information she discovers which, again, is rare in thrillers.

Overall an enjoyable thriller.

I was given a copy of After Nightfall by A.J.Banner through Netgalley and this is my honest review

After Nightfall is a twisty, captivating, interesting, head spinning mystery It kept me guessing right to the end. Each chapter I thought I knew what was going on, and each chapter found myself wrong! The author did a great job building characters that kept you guessing

Although I don’t normally read mysteries, I did enjoy this very much. Thank you Netgalley!

Holy smokes! This novel kept me guessing until the very end. Fans of Liane Moriarty will love this thriller. The main character, Marissa, is trying to solve the murder of her former best friend, and A.J. Banner does an excellent job of developing complex characters. I kept changing my mind about the killer. Overall, I highly recommend this book. Wow.

*Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.*

I loved this up until the end. Everyone had a motive in this whodunnit that keeps you guessing. It was just disappointing when the guessing had to stop! I would read the author’s next book for sure, though, because the writing was great.

Unfortunately, this was a miss for me and the story felt rather boring. The characters almost felt too similar to one another, which made it difficult for me to keep track of the storylines.