Synopsis: Laura has a troubled past. A past that includes murder and abandonment. And those two pivotal moments have stunted her from developing genuine romantic relationships. But she’s set to change her ways. She has a therapist now, and she’s moved in with her sister, Rosie, for support. But one blind date has changed everything. Because now Laura is gone, and no one knows where she is.

If you haven’t read my reviews before, then here’s a fact - I am a sucker for good character development. And Wendy Walker did a phenomenal job. Every irk Laura described, I felt. All the trepidation that Rosie experienced, I winced. All the manipulations that “Jonathan” dealt, I cringed at. It was so well-crafted and so realistic that I couldn’t help but react toward.

But as for the story itself, I don’t want to give too much away. Because the book itself reveals a lot as you go through it. And to be honest, that made me apprehensive. I was thinking “shoot I’ve seen all your cards, what else is there for me?” But I was wrong. This was one of those thrillers where you “anticipate” something and then the opposite happens.

As a seasoned thriller-reader, there were some predictable parts. One of the major plot twists I saw coming, but for those of you who only pick up a few thrillers each year - THIS WILL BE GOLD.

It’s devious, deceptive, and delicious. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this copy.

What a great book! I loved that the description was so mysterious, and it had me hooked from the beginning. Lots of plot twists, nicely developed characters - I really enjoyed reading the book!

I have never read anything by this author and wasn’t sure what to expect. What I got wa a fast paced, action packed story that kept me guessing until the end. I didn’t want to put this one down. There was nothing that I didn’t love. I will most definitely be looking for more from this author.

Told from multiple points of view and time, Wendy Walker weaves the tale of a woman who goes from hopeful and anxious for a first date to fighting for her life in the basement of someone she would never have suspected! The Night Before leaves you on edge and scrambling to put the story together before it is too late! Highly recommended!

*I received an advanced reader's copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review!

Unfortunately I had higher expectations of this book. While I think it had a lot of potential, the reveals just didn’t live up to the anticipation, and it felt very average.

Another dizzying read that has a shocker of an ending. It really came out of left field for me eliciting a delicious surprise. This easy thriller can be inhaled quickly as it is compulsively readable. The beginning felt a bit slow but the plot ratcheted up the intensity very quickly. When Laura comes to live at her sister Rosie‘s house after another break up, Laura decides to try to look for a divorcée in the world of Internet dating. When Laura goes missing, family secrets are unearthed and relationships are tested while concurrently the sordid world of Internet dating is exposed. Excavated secrets about Laura‘s youth become clear and justice is finally avenged.

Let me just say that this book is banana pants! I thought the formatting was great, it was well written, and the author kept me guessing till the end. Overall a great psychological thriller.

Laura falls in love easily with bad men and tends to be a hot mess. After a break up, Laura goes to her hometown to stay with her sister’s family. Rosie has always been the good sister, worrying about troubled Laura. When Laura comes to stay with Rosie’s family, things are a little stressful. But when Laura goes on a date with a guy she met on the internet and doesn’t come home the next day, Rosie starts to worry. The strange thing is, Rosie is worried about what Laura might have done to the guy…

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for allowing me to read an advanced reader’s copy in exchange for an honest review. The Night Before will be released on 5/14/2019.

This story begins with a conversation between Laura Lochner and her therapist, Dr. Brody, in New York City, four months earlier than what follows. She feels as though the story of her past is still incomplete to her. She senses that she is forgetting some part of the night that has haunted her through the years that have followed, something that might make her feel whole. Make her believe she is worthy of being loved. Dr. Brody believes if she returns to her home, she may find the answers.

In the present time, Laura is living with her sister Rosie, her sister’s husband and their young son. She’s returned to the town she grew up in, Branston, Connecticut, and after some of Rosie’s persistent “persuasion,” has decided to try dating again, so she signs up for an online dating site. She doesn’t have to wait long before she is reading to meet a man she’s talked to online, a first date. You don’t need to have spidey sense for you to realize there is potential for danger; this is, after all by Wendy Walker. Still, even though I had some ideas of where this might be going, she always throws twists and turns in there that I don’t see coming. And even when I think I’ve figured it out, there are always more twisty, crazy turns.

Laura is a tremendously well-drawn character, desperately wanting to be loved, and yet feeling undeserving of being its recipient. The past still haunts her, leaving her unsure if she will recognize love when and if it finds her. But -- she has a good feeling about Jonathan, and so she agrees to meet him one evening.

This story weaves back and forth a bit, allowing for the story to conclude with an ending that felt as though it came out of nowhere. This is a compulsively readable dark tale that is more thrilling than thriller. I couldn’t, and didn’t, put it down.



Pub Date: 14 May 2019

Many thanks for the ARC provided by St. Martin’s Press

I had high hopes for this one but it wasn't as suspenseful as I hoped. I found it a little on the drawn out side. I didn't seem to connect with the characters and it just was too slow. I can see how others would enjoy this one, however it just wasn't for me!

The Night Before follows Laura, fresh off a bad break-up as she goes on a blind date with a man she met online. Meanwhile, her sister Rosie becomes increasingly worried when Laura doesn't come home from the date. Rosie isn't just concerned for Laura's safety, but also for the safety of Laura's blind date, due to Laura's history of violence.

Unfortunately, this one just didn't work for me. I felt the pacing was slow and while I normally enjoy multiple POVs, I felt that with a few exceptions, the chapters that were flashbacks to Laura's therapy sessions didn't hold much purpose. At the very least, that information could have been revealed in other ways. As I continued on in the story, I found that I wasn't as invested as I like to be for a mystery/thriller and that I ultimately didn't care what the outcome was because I didn't feel as connected to the characters.

2.5/5 stars

5 amazing stars!!!

" I'm not worried about what he might have done to her. I'm worried about what she might have done to him."
This book has everything! Mystery, thrills, excitement. I thought the characters were amazing and the storyline kept me guessing the whole way through! Plus, It shows you the true horror behind online dating. Absolutely one of the best books I have ever read!!!!

Having read all of Wendy walkers books, I feel this is her weakest. I liked the plot and I liked the characters, but it felt a little unforgettable to be honest. It wasn’t a thriller that I was shocked when I was finished, and since finishing I’ve forgotten half of it. Not my favorite of hers but I will continue to read books she publishes because I do like her writing.

The Night Before by Wendy Walker

Twelve hours earlier, she was...
Hopeful.
Excited.
Safe.
Now she's gone.
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How’s that for a book blurb? Any time I’m in a reading slump, I automatically gravitate to a thriller. And this one grabbed me from the beginning and didn’t let go. I went into it completely blind and I’m glad I did because it kept me on the edge of my seat. Reading this was like riding a rollercoaster in the dark. I never quite knew which way it was going to go and I loved that aspect of it.
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Laura and Rosie are sisters but they couldn’t be more different. Rosie is the stable one. She has a husband, a young son and a nice home. Laura is pretty much of a hot mess when we meet her. She has left her job and her apartment in NYC and has moved home to stay with Rosie. Over a failed relationship. Laura dates the wrong men, a lot of wrong men. But she decides to try again after joining an online dating site. She meets a man named Jonathan and agrees to go out on date with him. Rosie lends her a black dress and a purse and some red lipstick.
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And that’s when things get crazy.
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The story is told from three different perspectives as it goes back in forth in time. Little by little, we find out more about the characters, their pasts and their present. Rosie and her husband, Joe. Their childhood friend, Gabe. And Laura. It intertwines and twists and turns. Just when you think you know where it’s going, you don’t. The writing is unique. The third perspective is told in transcripts from a psychologist. If you love thrillers, give this one a try. I will definitely be reading more of Wendy Walker’s books! Thank you to St Martins Press and Netgalley for my advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

This is my first book by Wendy Walker but it definitely won’t be my last. This was an enjoyable, fast paced thriller with plenty of twists and turns to keep me guessing throughout. I didn’t predict the ending which is rare. I’ll definitely be reading more from this author in future.

4.5 stars :) This is my first Wendy Walker novel and I will definitely be going back to read her others. I couldn't stop reading this book because it had two POV's- Laura and Rosie (sisters). Laura's POV took place the night before, on her date, and Rosie trying to figure out what is going on the next day, when she doesn't come home. It all comes together in the end with a big twist that will completely surprise you- it certainly did me! Some of the the things in the middle with Laura started to drag on for me, but I really loved Rosie's character and how much she cares for her sister now matter how strained their relationship has been. I like the quick conversations with her and her therapist that the author added. It added another outside perspective that also helped us understand the main character Laura. Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is the first book that I've read by Wendy Walker - it will not be my last. I loved how she alternated telling the story from the point of view of Laura and her sister, Rosie. I also really liked that the time periods alternated - one chapter would be about events that were currently unraveling and the next chapter could be about events or conversations from months ago. So as I read the book I felt like pieces of a puzzle were falling into place - especially in relation to the fateful night when Laura was 17...

I thought Wendy did an amazing job with Laura's character - the little girl with fists for hands that grew up and tried to find love with what she thought were the wrong kind of men.

This book kept my attention and had several surprises throughout. If you like psychological thrillers, I highly recommend this one!

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for providing a copy for review.

This was an enjoyable, fast read. I feel like if I thought critically about it, I could find some plot holes since some part of it just didn't fully "suck me in". However - I let go of all of that and let myself just enjoy the ride. There were definitely some plots twists and enough back-and-forth to keep me guessing. This was my first book by this author, but after reading this, I'll be checking out her other books.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to read an ARC of this one in exchange for my honest review.

I’ve read a lot of thrillers lately. A lot. This one stands up. Every single chapter left me wanting more. I didn’t want to put it down, no matter how heavy with sleep my eyes were.

I questioned everyone. I didn’t know who to believe. I wish I could tell you I predicted the outcome, but I’d be lying. Okay, I had a small hunch, but no solid proof until the end.

The Night Before was a cliffhanger until the very end.

This was an interesting book with some real twists and I enjoyed the quick read. You spend a lot of time in the heads of the characters and I was a bit uncomfortable with that. If I read one more “maybe”, I might have screamed but just at that point, things started to come together. Stories were put together piece by piece, a new revealation given every few chapters which kept me guessing and wondering.

This was my first Wendy Walker novel, and I do not think it will be my last. The book had all the ingredients for a solid thriller: an unreliable narrator, a mysterious past that we received breadcrumbs about along the way, and a limited cast of characters who could each have a motive to help (or make?) Laura disappear. I found this book easy to devour, and while I wouldn’t say it was the most panic-inducing thriller that I’ve read it definitely held my attention and made me want to find out what was coming next. I didn’t guess the ending, which is my #1 criteria for success with this genre of books.

The narrative alternates between Rosie in the present day, trying to figure out what has happened to/with her sister, and Laura “the night before” walking us through the events of the evening—a layout that I very much enjoyed. I would recommend this book especially to those who prefer a “stomachable” thriller where you don’t feel like you’re going to collapse of a heart attack the entire time. It was simply an enjoyable escape-from-reality mystery.