Laura has always had bad luck with men and her sister Rosie has spent most of her life worrying about her. One day Laura meets a man on a dating site and everyone's worse fear comes true - she doesn't come home after. Did she drink too much and stay the night? Or did something more sinister happen to her? To him?

The Night Before is a well written, fast pace psychological thriller told through alternative timelines and narrators. It's hard to speak much about it without giving too much away but it definitely had me hooked. I flew through this book in two sittings and could not put it down. It was everything I needed to pull me out of my recent book slump. I would highly recommend it to any thriller lovers.

Thank you St. Martin's Press for sending me an advanced copy for an honest review!

I will be posting a review sometime between 5/9-5/11 and another on publication day. I have featured the book twice in the links below.

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This book is captivating and pulls you in to the distress the main character is experiencing. The plot keeps you on edge until the very end. Enjoy! 📚

Wow, very suspenseful! I couldn’t put this down, and couldn’t believe the turn of events on the ending. Definitely recommend!

I NEED MORE, DAMN IT.

This was such a compulsive read. I did guess a couple of the big reveals, but there were so many small twists and turns along the way that I did not see coming at all, and they 100% made up for my predictions being correct. I don't want to say anymore and give even a tiny sliver of the plot away, so all I'll say is: read it!! You won't regret it.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the eARC! This review will be posted on Goodreads, and to Amazon's and Barnes & Noble's websites on the date of publication.

Wendy Walker hits it out of the park with her new book The Night Before. What a wonderful psychological suspense read!! With twists and turns galore, Walker keeps ratcheting up the suspense until the pages seem to turn themselves. I was ready to jump out of my skin wanting to know what would happen next; and the ending was awesome – I never saw it coming!!

The story focuses on four life-long friends (two sisters and two boys) who grew up on the same street in Branston, Connecticut. It is told through the voices of Laura, Rosie, and Laura’s therapist’s notes. Laura, the youngest of the four at 28, has just returned to Branston after living in NYC. She is temporarily staying with her sister, Rosie and her family (husband Joe and toddler son Mason) following a nasty breakup. Rosie, 30, has been married to their childhood friend Joe for 13 years. They live only one mile from the house Rosie and Laura grew up in. Gabe rounds out the quartet of friends. He now lives with his wife Melissa in his childhood home, next to the house where Rosie and Laura’s family lived.

Laura left town ten years ago following the post-graduation murder of schoolmate Mitch Adler. Though Laura was found standing over the body with a bloodied bat and wearing blood-spattered clothes, she was not charged in his death. A homeless man was found guilty of the crime and died in prison. This was not the first episode of violence involving Laura though, and she decided to move away to start anew where no one knew her name or her past.

Ignoring her pattern of bad decisions regarding men, Laura decides that the best way to get past the devastation of her recent breakup is to start dating again. She signs up with an online-dating service and much to Rosie’s dismay, is soon off on a date. But she doesn’t return. Who should we be afraid for??

This is a book you want to read. I give it 5 stars!

Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for allowing me to read an ARC of the book in exchange for an unbiased review. All opinions expressed here are my own.

If you have ever tried online dating then you should read this. This is everyone's fear come true, or is it? Laura feels worthless in the eyes of men. She just recently went though a break up. She then decided to move back home in with her sister Laura and her husband Joe. Its a cozy little family with a childhood friend that is always around, Gabe. All four grew up together in this little town, forever friends.

Laura scours on online dating site for what she feels is the perfect man. However during there date she is constantly looking for reasons as to why he may not be so perfect after all.


This book is very well written. Between Rosie's relationship with her sister and Laura being a bit off balance it keeps you on your toes. I enjoyed the book from start to finish. I recommend preordering this book, if you like suspense you have it here! One of the best books I have read this year!

This was my first Wendy Walker novel. I felt like the beginning was more engaging to me than the rest of the book, but overall this was a quick read. Thanks to Netgalley for this ARC.

This is a super fun thriller, that will have you turning the pages quickly to discover what really happened!

Laura is haunted by a past that she has never really been able to overcome! Having recently moved into her sister’s house to begin her life afresh, she suddenly disappears after going on a date with a man she met online. Desperate her sister, brother-in-law and close friend all do what they can to track down her whereabouts, but the past keeps haunting them all and the question that keeps coming up is: Who has potentially hurt who?

This is told from two POV’s – Laura and Rosie’s and I loved that – You got to see the situation from both sides, and the doubt and fear that they both posses based on the past. This is definitely a book that its great to read going in mostly blind!! I had so many opinions and none of them were correct – which is always the best! So just read it!

Laura Lochner has returned to her hometown, a bit disgraced, after falling in love with the wrong man yet again. This is a pattern with Laura--always seeking the wrong guys. Her last breakup has hit her particularly hard, causing her to leave her job and apartment and return home to live with her sister, Rosie, Rosie's husband, Joe, and their young son, Mason. Rosie has worried about her sister since they were kids. Laura's always been a little angry and damaged. Both Rosie and Joe feel protective of Laura, especially as she leaves to go on a blind date with a man she "met" on a dating website. So when Laura isn't back the next morning and not responding to texts or calls, Rosie jumps to the worst conclusions. Rosie and Joe begin a frantic search to find Laura. Are they too late?

So this wasn't exactly what I was expecting, and I have to admit, it was a slightly strange and weird--almost trippy--read. The book alternates between Laura and Rosie's viewpoints, with Laura's leading up to and covering her blind date, while Rosie's cover the "after" period, when she searches for her sister. No matter what, I will emphasize that the book mainly held my interest, and while I didn't love it as much as many other reviewers, it was an interesting read, for sure. It's different, too, which is always fun and sometimes hard to find when it comes to thrillers. I just wasn't as "wowed" as I'd hoped, based on some of the reviews I'd read.

The premise here is that Laura has a horrible track record with men. And that she has a bit of a history with violence and unpredictability. The first part you will certainly get, as it's hammered over and over. And over. A bit too much for my taste. We get it. She has bad taste in men and makes poor choices. The second part--her unreliability and potential for violence--is a bit more intriguing. Instead of Rosie thinking that something might have happened to Laura, she almost fears Laura might have done something to her date. I liked this premise: it goes back to the fact that the book was different. A lot of this stemmed to Laura's past and a mysterious encounter with an old boyfriend, which was slowly revealed.

"It was in my hand. The weapon that killed him. But that night didn't change me. That night made me see what I've always been."

There are definitely some interesting twists in this one. Some, eh, while others were very unexpected. But, more in the far-fetched unexpected realm, versus whoa!, which led to a little bit of my letdown feeling. I wasn't particularly impressed with the big reveal of whodunnit and had no real attachment to any of the characters, including Laura, which was a bit disappointing.

Still, as I said, this one definitely held my interest, especially in the last 1/2 - 1/3 of the book. It's different and a little weird and dark. Some of the twists didn't really do it for me, but there are a ton of people who really liked this one, so take my review with a grain of salt. I'm still glad I read this book, and I will definitely continue to seek out Wendy Walker's books, as they are always a fun read. 3+ stars.

2.5/ 5 stars


This is my first book by this author. I had such a hard time getting into the story.

The Night Before is a mystery/thriller. The book is told from the POVs of two sisters: Laura (1st person POV) and Rosie (3rd person POV). Also we have two time periods (the days before and the present). Also we get some sessions with Laura and a Dr. Brody.

I struggled to connect with either of the sisters. Laura has returned to her hometown after years of staying away. So there is the mystery of why she stayed away for so long. Plus Laura now goes on a date and does not come home. So there is the mystery of what happened in the present.

The book started off just okay for me. I did not particularly care for the characters and was not overly invested in the mysteries.

There were a few interesting twists and turns in the second half. And the end was definitely more interesting to me. The last part of the book was the strongest. But overall I was disappointed.

A very enjoyable mystery! Some great plot twists as well. Kept me on the edge of my seat until the very end. Looking forward to reading more by this author.

Though this was a pretty typical suspense/thriller, I still found it pretty interesting and quick to read. Laura goes missing after an online date and her sister, Rosie, is a wreck trying to find out what happened. The thing is that Rosie doesn't know if someone did something to Laura...OR if Laura is the one who did something to someone else. Laura has a bit of a past with men and bad things happening to those men. The twist was not all that surprising to me, but the story was told well.

"Twelve hours earlier, she was.....hopeful. Excited. Safe. Now she's gone."
This information is all you need to tantalise you into a story that in my opinion rocketed along with twists and turns, creating a remarkable and entertaining thriller I couldn't put down.
"The Night Before" by Wendy Walker is a perfect example of a psychological thriller at it's best. Multiple points of view, family drama, tension, paranoia, distrust, deception and a life and death conclusion. Brilliant! I loved it!
Although the storyline is far fetched and the events rather impossible - typical of the psychological genre - it was a roller coaster ride that I enjoyed from the first page. I was keen to discover what happened 'back in the woods' and actively following the details through Laura's narrative as events unfolded 'the night before' were compelling and intriguing. The constant red herrings and twists and turns often caught me out as my train of thought was sent completely down the wrong track. I liked all the characters especially Laura's sister Rosie and because there are only a few main characters to the story you feel connected to them all. A gripping denouement that was tense and exciting, rounded off a satisfying end.
I haven't heard of this author before but understand she's written other successful books previously, which I am now going to seek out and read. I'd happily recommend "The Night Before" and look forward to more by Wendy Walker in the future.

Thank you to St Martins Press for a free copy of the book in return for an honest review.

4.5 stars rounded up to 5.

Quick read. Certainly a page turner. I really didn’t see the twist coming at all. I didn’t connect with or care about any of the characters but they were all fine. This book definitely left you guessing the entire time.

This book centers around Laura, a young woman who has been unlucky in love. After making the decision to quit her job and move in with her sister, Laura decides to give online dating a try. She connects with a guy and quickly sets up a date with him. She leaves for the night with the promise to come back, only she never shows up in the morning. Told in alternating points of view, we learn the sisters stories, both past ans present, in this psychological thriller.

In the beginning, I had a hard time getting into the book. However once the plot got moving, I was addicted and finished within a few hours. The characters are relatable, the action was ongoing, and the twists and turns kept coming.

I had high hopes for Wendy Walker’s latest thriller after her previous book, All Is Not Forgotten, blew me away. Unfortunately, this one wasn’t as impressive. I think the plot was decent but the characters weren’t developed fully enough to make me care what happened to them. I figured out the twist pretty quickly so most of the book was just read to see how she revealed everything. I’d suggest passing on this one and reading ‘All Is Not Forgotten’ instead.

Thank you for the advance copy.

✨BOOK REVIEW✨
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Thank you to @netgalley #partner for my ARC of The Night Before by Wendy Walker which is set to be published May 14.
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This book hooks the reader from the start! Laura is in a session (dated four months ago) with her therapist discussing a night from years ago that she can’t remember fully. All she can remember is holding the weapon that killed someone and she is scared of going back into the recesses of her mind to unlock more details.
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Throughout the book the reader will be taken through several different times in Laura’s life but not in sequential order. Random psychological sessions, and past memories, will integrate with the present as Laura finds herself going on her first date since recent heartbreak.
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When Rosie, Laura’s sister, wakes up the next morning she feels something is not right. She soon discovers that Laura never returned from her date “The Night Before” and she begins to play detective to figure out exactly what has happened to her sister.
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But...Is Laura in danger? Has she put her date in danger? Or, is Rosie in danger?
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This book contained most of the classic elements for a fantastic thriller and I wanted to love it, lots of twists, turns, and surprises, but for some reason it fell short for me. I enjoyed it but I think it lacked the quick moving timeline I expected and for that reason I give it ⭐️⭐️⭐️

After a deviating breakup, Laura moves back to her hometown into the home of her older sister and brother in law. We gradually learn that Laura has secrets in her past that may be effecting her present.
This book was full of twists and surprises that kept me turning the pages. While my heart was never racing, I did feel quite entertained and I would definitely recommend this one if you enjoy a good domestic thriller.

This was a very rapid paced thriller, and I enjoyed how the story was told in multiple points of view. I think the author did an excellent and effective job of telling this story and pulling it all together at the end.

This book Is amazing 👏❤️ so angsty and you Can't trust anyone. The characters are well written and you just care for all or them. Wendy Walker Is an amazing writer and this book Is so fast paced that you just Can't put it down. I loved it!