Member Reviews
This book is to blame for the sunburn that is now on my face! I certainly cannot resist a good domestic thriller and the screwed up fictional female protagonists that authors dream about at all hours of the day and night. Back in 2016, I devoured the author's All Is Not Forgotten and couldn't wait to get my hands on this little gem.
In The Night Before , Wendy Walker presents us with adult sisters, Laura and Rosie, each taking a turn with a narrative along with snippets that allow us to get a full picture of all the happenings before the dramatic event- Laura's fail to return after a date. Matching the book description, that's all I am going to say about the plot!
Walker dangles the carrot masterfully and like Jessica Fletcher on a cool summer day, I needed to get some answers. Overall, it was a pretty satisfying experience and even if others come along and claim that this book was majorly hyped up. In my court of personal opinion, I fell for Gone Girl, The Girl on the Train, The Woman in the Window, and will gladly ride this train over the mountains. Choo-choo!
Expected Publication 14/05/19
Goodreads Review 12/05/19
Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for a digital galley in exchange for an honest review.
The “The Night Before” is a psychological thriller which you would think would keep you enthralled. But, I found it to be a bit slow in the beginning of the book. I kept waiting for more to happen....and waiting and then things did pick up toward the end of the book. It did keep me guessing all the way up to the end.
I received a free copy of this ebook from NetGallery in exchange for a honest review.
Tension-filled, fast-paced, unexpected twists, addictive, interesting and a catching plot. All these elements that I always look forward on a thriller. I could not put it down.
This is the second book by this author I read. Was really excited to be approved for an early copy and was not disappointed. Wendy proved once more why I enjoy and like her writing very much. The characters, the pace, the twists, all the kept me invested and interested in the story.
Thank you St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for the free advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
Branded as unlovable by a hidden secret from the past Laura found herself dating the wrong men. Desperate to find love she joined an online dating site where her one night out a man became the catalyst for unlocking more secrets from her past.
Overall:
The tone and sharpness of worry coming from Rosie was suppose to cause alarm, yet I was saying, “who cares?” This story lacked suspense. What it had was too many speculations about Laura as an angry person.
This became a chore to read. I had to skim this book. While I appreciate the time and effort spent by the author to write a unique story. It just didn’t live up to the thrilling suspenseful story I had imagined.
With two points of view and conversations with a doctor I wasn’t sure what to make of this story when combined with the timeline. I struggled to make the connection when it should’ve been obvious. I contributed my lack of interest due to the execution and delivery of this storyline. Once the story finalized I clearly saw what transpired.
Thrilling stories should be fast paced with chilling revelations. The notes and texts didn’t give me the chills. I was curious about these pieces of information but not in a way that had me eager for the answers. I’m at the point where any new facts will be greatly appreciated but I’m not hanging on every word in anticipation of these answers.
Once the pieces fell into place I loved the concept,but the execution didn’t bring forth the thrilling conclusion I expected.
Wow, what a ride! This was an intense read! A thriller that checks out all the boxes for the genre! And I’m a sucker for those! The story is told in two timelines, the present day and the night before, switching between Laura and Rosie. For some readers, it might be a little predictable, but still... Loved. It.
The Night Before did one of my favorite things a mystery/thriller can do: It kept me guessing!
The story in this book unfolds in a couple ways: through flashbacks to Laura's time in therapy months prior, chapters detailing Laura's experience the night before, and chapters on the current hunt for her. Wendy Walker did a great job operating within this structure; the perspective-switching never felt too jarring or slowed the pace of the book.
Some parts were more believable than others for me (that's why I'm giving it 4 stars rather than 5), but the bottom line is that I was engaged throughout. The Night Before would make a great movie, and I'm absolutely excited to read whatever Walker writes next.
The Night Before is the latest novel of psychological suspense from author Wendy Miller. It's a dark and intense about two sisters and the complicated ways one of them attempts to come to terms with a long ago tragedy. The book is not for the faint of heart, but if you're a reader who loves visiting the darkest parts of the human psyche, this will be a book you won't want to miss.
Laura Lochner is pretty sure she'll never find true love. She's always managing to fall for guys who are looking for quick flings instead of long-term, meaningful relationships. She longs for a stable marriage like the one her sister Rosie has, but nothing Laura does seems to put her in touch with the right man.
After a nasty breakup that leaves her emotionally devastated, Laura takes a leave of absence from her job in New York City and returns home to the small Connecticut town where she grew up, and where Rosie still lives with her husband and infant son. She's hoping for a place to lick her wounds, but even more important, she's hoping to lay the ghosts of a long ago tragedy to rest once and for all. Laura's high school boyfriend died under extremely suspicious circumstances nearly fifteen years ago, and while Laura was never charged with his murder, there's a part of her that wonders if she might have been responsible and blocked the events out of her mind. She's recently undergone some psychotherapy, and she's decided to try to remember what happened that fateful night in hopes of being able to let go of the numerous questions and half-baked suspicions that have haunted her for the past decade-and-a-half.
One afternoon, Laura logs on to a dating site, thinking she'll just browse around for a few minutes, but when she runs across the profile of a man who sounds absolutely perfect for her, she decides to take a break from the hard emotional work she's been doing and go out with him. Rosie, far more level-headed and responsible than Laura, is at first concerned for her sister's safety, but Laura eventually convinces her everything will be fine.The next morning, Rosie wakes up to find her sister's bed hasn't been slept in, and her mind is immediately filled with all the things that could possibly have gone wrong. She considers calling the police, but she's afraid they'll start asking questions about the death of Laura's first boyfriend all those years before, and Rosie isn't sure she wants to deal with all that. But as time passes with no sign of Laura, she is forced to accept the fact that something terrible might have befallen her sister.
We see things from the perspectives of both Laura and Rosie. Laura's chapters focus on the night of the date, while Rosie recounts events following her sister's disappearance. Each chapter heading contains a time and date stamp as well as the name of the narrator, so you'll have no trouble keeping things straight as you read. The chapters are short, but not in a way that makes the writing feel choppy or chaotic.Both sisters are well-developed characters, but Laura tended to get on my nerves at times. She's constantly jumping to the wrong conclusions about the people around her and then getting angry when she realizes she has made a mistake. Ms. Walker does a decent job explaining why she behaves this way, but it still got old after a while. Rosie seemed to be on more of an even keel, so I didn't find myself getting aggravated with her nearly as often.
I can't say I was necessarily surprised by the big twist when it was revealed and I had actually figured it out a few pages earlier. Even so, there were certain aspects of the plot I absolutely did not see coming; Ms. Walker is skilled at dropping little, insignificant-seeming clues throughout the story, things you don't think are important until much later, and I love this about her writing. It forces me to be a more observant reader rather than to just race through the book to learn the final outcome and actually pay attention to even the smallest details.
There is one really disturbing scene about three-quarters of the way through the story that completely turned my stomach. I can't say more without spoiling things, but fortunately, this was the only graphic content I came across while reading.
The Night Before is not my favorite of Ms. Walker's books. That honor still belongs to her début novel, but this is a solidly enjoyable thriller with a twisty plot that promises to appeal to most fans of the genre. I'm definitely glad I picked it up, and I'll be on the lookout for more of the author's work in the future.
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Told with alternating points of view The Night Before by Wendy Walker is an exciting, twisty, edge of your seat read! If you enjoy psychological suspense this book is for you. It was just supposed to be a first date......
Thank you Netgalley for the chance to read an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
𝖂𝖊𝖓𝖉𝖞 𝖂𝖆𝖑𝖐𝖊𝖗 𝖉𝖎𝖉 𝖎𝖙 𝖆𝖌𝖆𝖎𝖓
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! 🤯 Laura returns home to Connecticut after living in NYC for many years. Laura has a damaged heart. She is still getting over her last relationship and still scarred from things that happen when she was a teenager. Her sister Rosie is concerned, but happy when Laura finally goes out on a date for the first time in a long time. Happy that is until Laura doesn’t return...
The story bounces around between present and past, and Rosie and Laura’s perspectives. This is one of my favorite things, the changing of times and perspectives, and it was done brilliantly in this book. Each section was clearly labeled so there was never any confusion, additionally each character really had their own unique voice. The tension in this story was palpable, it really just seeped through the pages right into my bones. Do you ever find yourself reading a book and then realize that you have been holding your breath and your neck is all tensed up? That was this book. I was suspicious of every. Single. Character. I also had countless theories, all of them wrong. The pacing of this story was perfection. You were given clues and truths at the perfect pace. It kept me riveted and completely engaged throughout.
This is a can’t miss thriller for all lovers of the genre. It has everything that a thriller lover loves, all those twists and turns that you don’t see coming. And even the twists that I did see coming still somehow surprise me. This is probably my favorite book from Wendy Walker. She really is a wonderful storyteller and I love how she brings so much psychology and authenticity to her stories. There really is no suspending of belief, and that’s what makes it so creepy... because this could happen to you!
*** many thanks to St Martin’s Press for my copy of this book ***
Wendy Walker's Emma In The Night is one of my all-time favorite novels so I jumped at the chance to review her most recent release. The Night Before is ah-mazing! The alternating chapters between sisters Laura (in the past) and Rosie (in the present) give the reader a very unique viewpoint from which to experience this twisty tale. Walker does her deception well as the story weaves the reader in and out of various whodunnit culprits while expanding the knowledge of Laura's history and how it affects the current situation. I enjoyed all of the characters and thought each one had a very unique voice. I identify most with Rosie because of similar backgrounds as elder sisters and her worry-wart nature (which is lifesaving here) but it's impossible not to be drawn to Laura as well. She's magnetic in a broken way and you love her all the more for it.
The prose is to the point but it's very emotionally evocative: fists for hands, hard to love, good at inventing things. In particular I really liked the repetition of that first phase throughout the story as they so perfectly encapsulate not just Laura's character but the life that made her into such a person. The pacing is, obviously, incredible and the build for each twist is perfection. Seriously the plotting in this is masterful! I'm not one to lose sleep over reading (I like to read but I *need* my beauty rest.) but I stayed up much later than my bedtime to finish this one; otherwise I would've just laid there wondering what happens next! Definitely recommend this one to any thriller reader or really just anyone looking for a good story. Just make sure you clear your calendar: once you pick it up you won't be able to set it down!
Note: I received a free Kindle edition of this book via NetGalley in exchange for the honest review above. I would like to thank NetGalley, the publisher St. Martin's Press, and the author Wendy Walker for the opportunity to do so.
The Night Before is my first Wendy Walker book and I thoroughly enjoyed reading it. It’s the kind of book I would have finished in one sitting if it weren’t for the fact I work full-time. I was engrossed in the interesting set of characters that Walker has created, as well as their complex relationship with one another.
This thriller takes place within the span of two days and yet it is quite the fast-paced read. The Night Before is told in three alternative points of view: Laura’s first person perspective from the night before when she went on a date, Rosie’s third person perspective during the present time (the next day), and finally, dialogues from Laura’s therapy sessions. These narratives are interwoven in such a way that they enhance the suspense without ever confusing the reader. The plot twists make sense and stay true to the characters and the story, unlike some of the thrillers I’ve read.
Overall, I thought that The Night Before was an engaging and solidly written thriller. I kind of wish there was an epilogue – things got resolved a bit too swiftly in the end. I’m glad to find out that Wendy Walker has published a couple of thrillers in the past because I cannot wait to eventually read them!
ZERO SPOILERS.......
Terrific Sleuthing Teaser...
Terrific Teaser sentences....and dialogue conversations, ( I have dozens highlighted)....
Terrific Teaser characters....[Laura, Rosie, Joe, Gabe, Dr. Brody...etc.]
Terrific crafting...story....storytelling....psychological suspense.....filled with HOLES to fill.
This one sitting thriller....maybe two.....is a delicious ‘blankie-snuggle-type’-read.
You’ll want to know which characters are safe and which are not.
You’ll want to know what happened long ago in the woods.
You’ll wonder what’s going on with date night.....a match connection from *Findlove.com*.
You’ll enjoy surprises.
A few fun notes to consider if going on a match blind date:
.....Consider tossing away high heels 👠.... on match dates.
And my favorite excerpt - one of MANY GREAT excerpts is:
“Driving your sisters minivan 🚐 is better than not shaving your legs to ensure abstinence”.
Utterly engrossing....filled with narrative ENERGY!!!!!
Thank you Netgalley- St.Marins Press ( so kind - requested it late last night),
and Wendy Walker
The Night Before by Wendy Walker was fantastic. It was told in three revolving settings. First it was a clip of Laura talking to a psychiatrist three months ago (and then two months, six weeks, etc); Laura's section, which was mostly The Night Before; and Rosie's section, which was the present day and time. The three sections were clearly labelled, so there was never sny confusion about when what was happening. The suspense definitely kept me reading through the whole book; I read it in less than 24 hours. I did guess who was behind everything; it was a fairly obvious guess, but wanting to know what was going on definitely kept me reading. All on all 4 stars, and i will deginitely be reading more by Wendy. Brava!
4/5*
From the moment I picked up The Night Before, I knew I wouldn’t be able to put it down until I got to the very end! Although I found the switching between tenses suspenseful and engaging, it was sometimes a bit confusing. I thing that this novel is very topical as we live in a digital age and internet dating is really a cultural norm at this point. To take something that is so normal and twist it into this psychological thriller is an incredible feat by Walker.
We all want that one big twist in a book, right? Because what are suspense thrillers without a grand-finale-type ending?! Brace yourself, because this isn’t a one off, wait til the end, I’ve got this figured out type story.
Twisty, with lots of “wait a sec” moments, Wendy pulls out all the tricks in this book!
Clever & perplexing, twisty, and ex-trEEEEEm-ely hard to put down!! I started recommending this addictive read when books came up in conversation (which happens often for us bookworms!) before I was even one-third along in it. I have a very strong feeling it is going to be among the top thrillers this summer!!
The Night Before by Wendy Walker is certainly a page turner, although at times I would put it down in pure frustration with Laura Lochner.
from description: Riveting and compulsive, national bestselling author Wendy Walker’s The Night Before “takes you to deep, dark places few thrillers dare to go” as two sisters uncover long-buried secrets when an internet date spirals out of control.
Definitely twisty and told from two points of view--Laura's and her sister Rosie's--also partly through excerpts from Laura's conversations with her therapist.
Events in the past have influenced Laura's life in ways that prevent her from interacting in a healthy manner, especially where men are concerned.
A lot of folks are going to love this one, but Laura's behavior was frustrating and her running conversations with herself became tiresome, slowing down the action.
The Night Before has an intriguing premise, but felt a bit too contrived. It isn't that the book didn't hold my interest; I definitely wanted to find out what actually happened, but Laura's self-destructive behavior annoyed me.
NetGalley/St. Martin's Press
Psychological. May 14, 2019. Print length: 320 pages.
Honestly from the moment I saw this and I requested. I knew it screamed out read me . Which when it happens I know I’m going to enjoy it. You’ll love me and be engaged with me. It engaging and interesting. Laura was interesting character , it was awesome to see how psychologically stuff can just impact someone. This goes for every character. It was twisted and the writing made me want to keep on reading. I’m so glad that I read it. I have no regrets on doing so. I could definitely read this over and over again just to see if I could have found more clues on what lead up to the ending. Definitely amazing read.
This is the first book I e read by this author and definitely the last. Her writing style is superb at keeping you turning the pages when I should be doing more productive duties. The story was full of twists and turns and leaving me questioning each character. It would be unfair to mention anything else of the story in my review because this is the type of story that reads great going in with no expectations. I’ll be adding more of Wendy Walker’s books to my TBR shelf immediately. Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for introducing to this author.
*4.5 stars rounded up!
An exciting thriller from start to finish that is very well constructed. It starts off with a short conversation between Laura Lochner and her therapist in NYC four months earlier, then switches to the present evening as Laura prepares for a first date, the connection made through an online dating service.
She is currently living with her sister Rosie and her family in Branston, CT, after a bad relationship break-up. It is sort of like returning 'home' as she is surrounded by old friends and old memories.
Laura has a troubled past and in many ways, has stayed trapped in her childhood. She has always felt unlovable and seems to make life choices that reenforce this belief, causing her to make the same mistakes over and over.
She borrows her sister's minivan to go off on her date and promises to be back later that night but the next morning, her sister discovers that Laura hasn't yet returned and fears the worst.
So the story unfolds in three ways, three timelines: through Laura's first person recounting of the evening of the date, through third person pov as Rosie desperately searches for her sister, and through tidbits of Laura's conversations with her therapist that are interspersed.
Along the way, the reader begins to wonder if Laura is an unreliable narrator as more and more lies and secrets are revealed. Is she the poor girl who cannot find true love no matter how hard she tries or is she a violent murderer? For in her search, Rosie uncovers some startling family secrets as well. There are many layers to this story!
I received an ebook arc of this terrific thriller from the publisher via NetGalley for my honest review as well as a paper arc from Jordan Hanley @St Martin's Press. Many thanks!