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<p><strong>  ›In a Connecticut suburb</strong> Rosie wakes up at 5 am to find her sister, Laura, hasn't returned from a date with a man she met online. Laura borrowed Rosie's van, when she hasn't returned or called by early-afternoon Rosie is sure something bad has happened. They find Rosie's van with parking tickets - it's been there all night. Gabe calls a friend who works for the phone company, Laura's phone was last on near the harbor - miles away from where the van was parked. The reader is taken on a wild ride as we find out where Laura is, and what really happened that night in the woods when Laura's boyfriend was killed.</p>
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<blockquote class="wp-block-quote"><p><em> “People could hide. And hide well. Even the people you love the most.” </em></p></blockquote>
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› Characters
• Laura Lochner: Princeton graduate with an MBA from Columbia. Laura and Rosie's father left when Laura was twelve-years-old, and hasn't seen her father for sixteen years. Laura has trouble trusting men and has emotional trauma after her boyfriend was killed in high school. She has a history of choosing the wrong men.

• Rosie Ferro: Laura's sister, married to Joe, has a son. She may have anxiety issues, admits "her fears were not normal".

• Joe: Rosie's husband

• Gabe: has been friends with Laura, Rosie, and Joe since they were kids.
› Writing Style
• Laura feels like a complete character, while others feel cookie-cutter and incomplete.
• Told from different time periods and perspectives.
1. Therapy sessions with Laura and Dr. Brody
2. Past: Laura's perspective
3. Present: Rosie's perspective

› Likes
• Quick read
• Compelling
• Surprising reveals
• Sisters + Friend Group
• Two perspectives and time flips are done very well
• Well-written unreliable narrator

› Dislikes
• Girl bashing:
"Two naughty girls to my right, drunk and slutty."
"Gabe went home, beckoned by his jealous, needy wife..."
• Questionable actions: Laura agrees to meet her date at a pub then immediately leaves at his suggestion, THEN agreed to go in his car alone? What are you thinking!
• I wanted a little bit more from the ending.

› Final Thoughts
With lots of twists and turns, The Night Before is a thrilling novel about family secrets, betrayal, and sibling loyalty. I must read Walker's other books ASAP!

This book has a lot of twists and turns. It starts off with the story of Laura going on a date and not returning, and her sister trying to track her down. The alternate point of views were great to read, and added to the appeal. Though the final twist did not seem THAT shocking to me even though I hadn’t figured it out, it’s a well written book with good character development and good writing.

This is my second Wendy Walker book and I think she does a fabulous job writing characters. She does such a great job of putting the reader inside the character’s heads and making them feel so real. There were obviously some things I didn’t like about this book but her characters were a high point.

For most of the book I thought this was going to be a three star read because while I do enjoy her characters I didn’t connect to the actual story the way I wanted to. There were a few things that I didn’t see coming but I figured out the final twist pretty early on. Since I figured out the end twist so early I was really just anxious to get to that point so I don’t think I enjoyed the lead up to there as much as I could have.

The pacing of the story is really well done though so I feel confident that most of my problems with this book are an “it’s me not you” situation. The story is told from both Laura and her sister Rosie’s perspectives as well as parts of Laura’s therapy sessions. All these different parts helped tell the story in a suspenseful way. Things would build up to something and then it would switch to another perspective. Because of that this book just flies by and I really liked all the different reveals.

Some of the things that I didn’t like would be spoilers so I can’t really go into them. I can tell you that I knocked half a star off at the very end because I really don’t like when authors booksplain (I heard this recently and thought it was genius). I don’t need pages at the end of the story to explain things to me. If an author feels it is necessary than maybe a paragraph at the most but any more than that and it comes across as lazy storytelling. Sorry if that seems harsh but booksplaining is one of my bookish pet peeves.

Overall, this is an average (average doesn’t equal bad!) thriller that I think anyone who is a fan of thrillers will enjoy. I know I rated it low but I did enjoy 99% of this book. I also think that someone who enjoys women’s fiction would also like this book because a lot of Laura’s story has to do with dating and relationships. I am also going to link the other Wendy Walker book that I read because I gave that one four stars and I do think she is so great at fleshing out characters. Also, if you aren’t familiar with the name Wendy Walker I bet most of you have heard of her last book Emma in the Night. I think she has written five novels and I plan on reading all of them.

The less you know about the plot, the better the surprises will be in The Night Before.

Rosie forces her sister, Laura, to go on a date arranged on a dating website. When Laura doesn’t return that night or the next morning, Rosie investigates what happened.

The Night Before is a compulsively readable thriller where nothing, and no one, is what they appear. The twists, especially at the end, were intense. It is highly recommended for suspense fans. 4 stars!

Thanks to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for my honest review.

Wendy Walker is quickly becoming my favorite suspense author. She writes so that the plot quickly moves forward, while also going back in time to build the backstory. I’ve not always been a fan of the dual timeline narrative, but with authors like Wendy Walker knocking it out of the park consistently, it’s hard not to enjoy it.

Something I really liked about this book was the connection between Rosie and Laura. We know that Rosie is protective over Laura, and that Laura seems to be a bit of a train wreck, but we don’t know why until about 1/2 way through the book. Then it all clicks and makes TOTAL sense why everyone feels so protective of Laura, and why Laura seems so fragile.

My only complaint, if you can call it that, is that the online dating perspective didn’t seem realistic. Having never done online dating, I could be totally wrong.

I received an advance copy of this book. All thoughts are my own.

The Night Before is one of the most suspenseful, shocking thrillers I've read in quite some time. Laura recently moved back home from NYC after a bad breakup with her boyfriend, leaving her job and apartment practically overnight, and moving in with her sister, Rosie, her husband, Joe and nephew, Mason. After 5 weeks, Laura decides to try dating again and uses an online service. She leaves on a date on a Thursday night, and doesn't come home. Rosie, along with Joe and his best friend from grade school, Gabe, search for her using all information available to them. Rosie starts to worry because Laura was involved in another murder in high school, the reason she hasn't been back to her small town since graduation. As the pieces fall into place, Rosie worries for Laura's safety and wonders if she was the victim or the predator in this mystery.

I'm amazed - the twists kept me guessing until the very end and even then, I did not expect the outcome. I love the telling of the story in Laura's therapy notes and from her perspective and from Rosie's view. This should be on your definitely read list!

I received an advance review copy. All opinions are my own.

Two very different sisters, one goes missing the night before and the other tries to put the nightmare together.

The Night Before is a clever, unique, fast-paced story that had my heart racing right from the start. The characters are so well-developed and the well-layered plot drew me right into the lives of these two very different sisters, their bond and their dark secrets.

I love unreliable characters and Wendy Walker does such a great job here with keeping me on our toes with the best possible sense of dread as I tried to figure out who was the danger and who was in danger.

The twists and turns, red herrings had my head spinning from the excitement and I was going in so many different directions trying to figure out how it was all going to come together I didn’t see that unexpected ending coming that came together so well. I highly recommend!

Disclaimer: I received an advanced reading copy of this book for free in exchange for an honest review.
Another amazing psychological thriller!!! I’ve been really enjoying this genre lately, and I can tell this book is going to be huge now that it’s out (Happy pub day!).
I have rarely actually felt my heart beat faster when reading, but I noticed it while reading The Night Before. Something big or suspenseful would happen and I would put my Kindle down and feel my heart accelerate from the rush. That’s how good this book is. What an amazing author Walker is to create such a twisted story with a very complicated main character in the middle of all of it. I loved that it was a constant question in my mind whether Laura was innocent or guilty, good or bad. Throughout the whole book I was trying to guess what would happen in the end (I didn’t try too hard because I don’t like to ruin it for myself), and at one point I actually guessed correctly. However, I might have guessed correctly, but I was so unsure about it because of all the other evidence pointing in other directions that I kept second guessing everything. That is absolute genius writing, especially when everything finally fits perfectly in the end. This way, I felt smart because I could say “I knew it!” But I didn’t really…
Now, this book wasn’t perfect, but I only noticed a few tiny things. One, I would have loved to learn about Laura’s childhood in flashbacks, rather than through dialogue and her storytelling on her date. I think flashbacks could have made her childhood really come to life and focus on sensory details more than you can when you just tell a story out loud. There were also a few odd interactions/dialogue that seemed inconsistent, but I did read an ARC so these things might be fixed in the final copy. I’ll also warn that the beginning might be a little slow for some, but you have to expect that with a psychological thriller because the end makes the wait worth it. It’s better when you have to stick with it to get the reward in the end.
Thank you so much to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for letting me read this book, I really recommend it to those that enjoy psychological thrillers!

The Night Before tells the story of a woman with a mysterious past, Laura, as she goes on a blind date gone wrong. The story is told through alternating points of view switching between Laura and her sister, Rosie. I won’t say more about the plot because the best thing about this book is that it kept me guessing and is full of twists and turns. The author keeps the reader in suspense as we try to figure out what happened on the date and the events in Laura’s past that led her to this moment. As a result, the book is a page turner and I finished it in two days (fast for me!) Unfortunately, the character development felt a bit flat and some parts of the plot seemed rushed. The Night Before is a solid three stars for me. It’s not a book that will change your life but is ultimately an entertaining beach or weekend read.

I was lucky enough to read an early copy of The Night Before. It is my first book by Wendy Walker and I was definitely wowed.

The characters were so great and the plot moved quickly and kept me turning pages wanting to know what would happen next.

If you enjoy twisty, turny, psych thrillers or books with lots of family involvement in the drama, this one is for you. It made me think and caught me unaware several times. I'll now be checking out Wendy Walker's back list.

Thank you Netgalley, St. Martin's Press and the author for approving my request for an ARC. All thoughts are my own and freely given.

*** 4 Stars ***
Publication Date: May 14, 2019

My first Wendy Walker read and definitely won't be my last. I really enjoyed this. Very fast paced and quite suspenseful. I thought I had the twist figured out about half way through and felt disappointed with my predictions. As I continued on I soon found out I was thankfully WAYYYY wrong (this is my I'm not a writer). Go into this one with only the vague synopsis that Laura goes missing one night after a first date. You don't need anymore details, just sit back and enjoy this one! Highly recommend!!

Special thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for allowing me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is actually my first experience with Walker's writing - and considering how thoroughly I enjoyed this, I am thankful that I already have one of her earlier books already waiting on my To Be Read Shelf! This is a fast-paced read that reels you in from the very first pages. It alternates between Laura's point of view from the titular night before and her sister, Rosie's, perspective the morning after her sister doesn't return home from a first date with a man that she met through an online dating site.

While the events in both sections keep the action going, both women also reflect on their past. Laura, in particular, returned to her home town for the first long visit since traumatic events in her last year of high school, analyzes her past relationships and why she always seems to be choosing the wrong men. I think Walker especially captures a lot of dating truths amongst this genuinely thrilling tale that only heightened my overall enjoyment. The characters all feel real here, plus there's a steady building of ominous tension that culminates in some surprising plot twists. I really didn't see the ending coming - and when I finally did - I just didn't want this to end at all! I really enjoyed this and so thankful to have a new author to be following in the future - as well as catch up on her earlier books!

4.5🌟!

This was such a fun, twisted thriller. I loved Emma in the Night, Wendy Walker’s 2017 release, so I was pretty excited going into this. And as with EITN, this story has an unreliable narrator and plenty of psychological twists.

The story format was really enjoyable. There were three types of perspectives/chapters. Laura’s story from the night before, Rosie’s (her sister) perspective from the present, and a transcript of Laura speaking with her therapist in the past. They were woven together in a way that definitely increased the suspense while also unveiling the mystery at a nice pace. I didn’t find it confusing, either, which is always a risk when a thriller has this many storylines and timelines. Not an easy format to write effectively, but Wendy Walker pulled it off.

The twists were fun, numerous, and mostly surprising! I also loved the dynamics of Rosie, Laura, Joe and Gabe’s friendship - the group of four who grew up together.

There was one thing I wished was hinted at earlier as it ended up feeling like a bit of a twist that was surprising partly because it didn’t feel quite right. But overall, I found the book really enjoyable. Binged it in one evening!

Thank you to St. Martins Press and Netgalley for a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

(Review posted to Goodreads, Amazon, & Instagram at @anovelescape. The hype graphic will be kept in "Thrillers" IG story highlight, where I keep thriller recommendations.)

This was my first Wendy Walker book and I was excited for the opportunity to read an advanced copy, as I'd heard amazing things about her past works. I found this book to be a solid read, with good characters, an interesting plot, and a consistent pace.

From the start I was interested. This book felt a bit dark, with secrets hidden in the shadows and the potential for unreliable narrators. I was really interested in Laura and Rosie, both getting to know their characters and their relationship together as well as who they were apart as adults. I liked the mix of mystery with women's fiction, at least in the beginning. It felt dark as there were hints of Laura's past and her history with men.

I liked how the first half developed everything from backstory to character relationships and I could see how things were coming together and twisting for an impactful end.

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys thrillers with a strong female lead and stories that center around one character's past and how that impacts her present situation. There's good tension, puzzle elements to keep readers guessing, and a good balance of Laura and Rosie's point of view.

Publishes today!

A fast read that had me decidedly nervous for the main character for a good 50% of the book, and then surprised me with some twists at just the right moment.

My thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for an advance copy of this book.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an advance copy of this suspenseful book in return for an honest review. Chapters were told from the perspective of Laura, excited and nervous as she gets ready for a first date with Jonathan Fields, a man she met on an internet dating site. She finds him handsome, polite and charming. Later that night she ends up in his apartment. Although she feels a strong attraction to him, she is suspicious since some things about him do not match his online profile. These thoughts are pushed aside because he is so interested in learning about her unhappy past. She doesn’t return from the date.

Laura has a psychological profile of bad relationships with men, starting with her father and regards herself as unlovable. She feels guilt for the death of a boy she loved in High School. Then she believed she found an intense love away from the town where she grew up. When he abruptly ended their relationship by text she returns her hometown devastated. She is staying with her sister, her husband and young son and is also comforted by a childhood friend, Gabe. Laura, her sister, brother-in-law and Gabe were all childhood friends.

Some short chapters are based on notes by Laura’s psychiatrist. Chapters are also based on the viewpoint of Rosie, her sister. She becomes worried and then frantic when Laura fails to return home during the night or the next day. Rosie, her husband and Gabe are determined to find what happened to her. Are they afraid she might be harmed by her internet date, or that she might do him harm?

I won’t go into the rest of the plot, so as not to spoil the suspense and many surprises for readers. I think many will find the story highly enjoyable. I usually love unexpected twists and secrets revealed, but there were so many that it finally became tedious for me. Also, Laura’s psychological problems made sense within the story, but her thoughts, emotions and the repetition of her past traumas made my sympathy for her change to a feeling of annoyance with her behaviour and neediness. I am reluctant to express these misgivings, as much of the plot is suspenseful and surprising and will appeal to many readers. 3.5 stars

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.

Wendy Walker has written a psychological thriller that grabbed me from the start and never let me go. It was a rollercoaster ride throughout.

The story is told from the point of view of two sisters. It gives insight into the characters as you observe their thought processes. The simplest statement elicits analysis. One sister is torn by her love for her sister and her suspicions about her.

Clues are dropped along the way, but be careful you aren’t misled - there are many twists. I was on the edge of my seat waiting for the outcome. The tension was building with the turn of each page.

Wendy Walker has written another amazing book. I highly recommend it.
Thank you #Netgalley and #StMartinsPress for approving my request . The opinions expressed in this review are solely my own.

Wow! In Wendy Walker’s new book, The Night Before, the story moves from Laura’s story of an evening where she leaves for a date with someone she has met online. She recently moved into her sister Rosie’s home to overcome the break-up with her boyfriend Kevin. What happens the night she goes on the date will be up to the reader to discover. When Laura does not return, her sister Rosie and husbandJoe along with a childhood friend Gabe try to find her. Just when I thought I figured out what happened, there is a twist..then another...This psychological thriller will keep the reader searching for the truth! Thank you to St. Martin’s Press for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Genius Move! Wendy Walker entices us with such delightful little tidbits of information throughout this novel that we actually feel as though we are figuring it out; only we are not. This is everything a psychological thriller is supposed to be and more!
Laura is going out on her date. With Jonathan, the man she met online. Her sister Rosie is helping her get ready, but she is nervous because Laura has a history that may make this night not go quite so perfectly. She is still hopeful. Laura is also nervous because of that same history. Her mind is wandering. Does this man stand a chance? Or, Does she?
Told from various timeframes only heighted my suspense. There was so much to tell, this was perfect.
The ending was miraculous.
So, I highly recommend that you join Laura as she chooses Johnathan Fields on findlove.com and go on the date with her.
I promise you will not regret it.
Oh, and Dr. Brody. You must meet him.