A solid, intense psychological thriller from start to finish. With so many secrets and unexpected twists, I didn’t know whom to believe until the final reveal. I loved the complexity of the main character...

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

A thriller about a woman with a troubled past. The cover and description of this book grabbed my attention the first time I saw it! I was expecting so much more. The story held my interest, and it was a good read, but not great. I stopped and started the book several times...so it could partly be my fault.

Laura leaves her job, returns to her hometown and moves in with her sister after a bad breakup. This sounded a bit extreme to me. She decides to try online dating and goes out on her first date. But when she isn’t home the next morning, her sister, Rosie, begins to worry.

This is my first Wendy Walker book, and although I didn’t find it immensely satisfying, I will be reading more from her. I’ve read such great reviews about her writing and her books, I have to give her another chance!

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press and the author for this ARC, in exchange for my honest review!

<b>My Rating: </b> 3 ⭐️’s
<b>Published:</b> May 14th 2019 by St. Martin's Press
<b>Pages:</b> 320

An addictive and compelling read that will suck you in from the very first page and will not let you go until the mind blowing end! There are a lot of red herrings if you pay attention but there are so many twists that it’s hard to keep everyone straight. Just don’t trust anyone or what they might say! I'm glad I read this book, and I will definitely continue to seek out Wendy Walker's books, as they are always a fun read.

I received an ARC of this novel from the publisher through NetGalley.

superb, pacey, gripping story. ending not entirely unpredictable but still satisfying to read. will be looking out for other books by this author.. thank you for the opportunity to read and review.

The Night Before by Wendy Walker is a psychological thriller in its finest form. The brief description tells the story. A woman goes on a date and twelve hours later she’s missing. As the story moves back and forth from that night to the subsequent days, the reader will become acquainted with Laura, the missing woman, and her frantic sister, Rosie. As the search for Laura intensifies, so does the suspense. The plot is well-conceived, the characters well-drawn and the pace of the story is just right. Is Laura an innocent victim? Does Rosie really know her own sister? As the final chapters unfold, there is a major twist that appears unexpectedly and yet pulls all the loose ends together.

I highly recommend this book for anyone who enjoys a well-written psychological thriller that slowly builds to an unexpected climax.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing a copy of this book for review.

A thriller that while could be formulaic turns out to be so much more. This is one that will be on a lot of readers' lists.

This book is a perfect example of what a fantastic psychological suspense thriller should be! It is one of my favourite thrillers I've read so far this year and also I think, perhaps ever!

I found the characters to be very fresh and original and I loved Wendy Walker's bold writing-style. "The Night Before" was a totally refreshing and extremely fast-paced read. There were twists that made events super exciting and I did not want to stop reading as I really needed to find out what was going to happen next. The author certainly knew how to build on the suspense and raise its level.

Wendy Walker’s writing was both seductive and gripping, a dangerously addictive combination. With twists and turns in each chapter, the constant cliffhangers made this brilliant thriller impossible to put down.

Just when I thought the novel couldn't possibly be improved, it became even better. Towards the end, I found it impossible to figure out what the conclusion might be. No one was as they seemed.

If you are considering buying this book, go right ahead, as I reckon that you'll love it as much as I did! It’s definitely a must read.

Did you hear the news that Wendy Walker’s The Night Before will be a TV series developed by @eva?! If you love to read the book before you watch, pick this one up now.
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I just finished reading it yesterday and enjoyed it a lot! Laura goes missing after going on a date with a guy she met online. The chapters alternate between the two sisters as we figure out what’s happened. Solid thriller with twists and turns to keep you guessing!
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Thank you to Netgalley & the publishers for a copy in exchange

The Night Before – Wendy Walker

Laura Heart is back in her Connecticut hometown after a sudden nasty break up via a text message with a man she really thought loved her. Staying with her sister and her husband, Laura has taken to online dating sites in hopes of finding love . Formerly Laura Lochner, she has changed her name because of a significant event in her teenaged years, that she wishes to leave behind her. She heads out Thursday evening to meet a man she met online and does not return home. Calls to her cellphone go to voicemail.

Frantic with worry, her sister Rosie, husband Joe & childhood friend Gabe all begin a search for her. Very quickly they find the vehicle Laura was driving – but no sign of Laura. They create a fake account on the dating site Laura used, and quickly identify her scheduled date, a man named Jonathan Fields. They are also able to connect with some of his former ‘dates’ who have less than desirable stories to tell – and with still no sign of Laura, they involve the police.

Now as the clock ticks, the search is on for Laura…

Told from the viewpoints of Laura & Rosie, along with excerpts from Laura’s psychiatric visits several months ago, the reader is drawn into an exploration of the close relationships they all had as childhood friends, as well as Laura’s attempts to ‘be loved’, as the reader learns that not all men are nice, and not all relationships are healthy…

A suspenseful, riveting, hard-to-put-down read that will have you asking yourself just how well you really know someone…

I was fortunate to receive this book as an Advance Reader Copy from Netgalley, in exchange for an objective review.

The beginning of the book captured my attention right off. Developing the characters and building of the plot was intense, however, I felt that too much was given to the beginning and middle that when the end of the book fell short. Overall I enjoyed this book, and this was my first experience with this author, I’ll definitely read her other books.

Laura goes out one evening to meet a man she connected with on a dating site. When she doesn’t return, her sister and brother-in-law fear for the worst. Together they look into Laura’s life for clues about her disappearance. This book grabs you and you can't turn the pages quick enough to find out what happens. Great read!

It took me a little while to get into this book but once I did, I was hooked. Never saw the twist coming and enjoyed the suspense.

I read The Night Before in a day and a half because I could not put it down! I have read other books by Wendy Walker and loved them, and this was no exception! Laura doesn't understand why she can't seem to find love. Is it her? Is it them? She recently moved back to her hometown with her sister and brother-in-law and joins a dating site. She goes on her first date in a long time...and nothing goes the way it should. And she can't seem to get past being accused of killing her ex boyfriend. This book took off fast and flew until the last page. Loved it!!

I was thrilled to receive an advance copy (#ARC) of #TheNightBefore via @netgalley bc this book was all over #bookstagram and thrillers are my favorite genre. I also love an alternate perspective so I really enjoyed jumping back and forth between Rosie in the present and Laura the night before.

Let me just say that I liked this book a lot. I didn’t mind that Laura was a bit of annunrelible narrator, that kept me on my toes. Particularly in her chapters with Jonathan Fields, her date, she is constantly observing and questioning his every remark. She’s an unreliable narrator who KNOWS she is unreliable. She doesn’t trust herself and that made her interesting to me. As the story unfolds and we learn about her former lover and her relationship with her friends Joe (her sister’s husband) and Gabe and an event that unfolded 11 years ago, it becomes clear why she doesn’t trust herself and why even her sister and friends worry for her and actually fear her; feel she is a danger to others but also to herself.

Without giving anything away, the ending was relatively surprising and satisfying. This was not my all-time favorite thriller but it was well done and kept me intently turning the pages. 🌟🌟🌟💫 for me. Thank you @netgalley #partner

I had some trouble getting into Walker's novel, but I kept reading because I heard that she was a wonderful author. I did enjoy the novel and the plot twists as the novel went on, but I would not want to reread this text. I did not connect to the characters and did not really care about what happened to Laura,

I thoroughly enjoyed the way the author built up the suspense throughout the whole story, and the surprises along the way just added to the overall enjoyment of this book. I look forward to reading more books by this author.

This an amazing story about the true love between two sisters. The author has a way of revealing the love beween the sisters and the husband of one. But what are the mysteries beween the sisters and the group of friends? #TheNightBefore #NetGalley

What lengths would you go to to protect someone - murder, deceit, secretiveness.? It all started when Gabe & Laura are young and it continues, without her knowledge, until they’re adults. But who is the real protector?

This book just did not do it for me. I did not like any of the characters. I did not think that any of them were particularly well developed. The explanations behind their behaviors were not believable to me. I did not care for the plot, the details felt muddy to me. The ending of the novel was satisfying but by then, I really just wanted it to be over. Kind of disappointed because I really liked Emma in the Night, but I just didn't like this one.

Author Wendy Walker’s writing excited me with Emma in the Night, so I was thrilled to get my hands on her latest The Night Before,. Thank you NetGalley for this opportunity.
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Pros: Great premise, dual timeline (Then & Now), unreliable narrators.
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Cons : Momentum unfortunately fell flat for me.
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The beginning started with a bang leaving me hooked and intrigued, then I became disengaged halfway through waiting for something big to happen. There was a twist I didn’t see coming, however the suspense had somewhat flatlined. I really enjoyed Rosie’s chapters, however Laura’s with her date had me slightly annoyed. I still look forward to reading many more by this author as her writing is entertaining and enjoyable.