I really liked this book so much! Initially it started out as a romance novel and while I enjoy those, it's not my favorite genre. This had it all! There was a mystery that really I could not figure out until the very end. The characters were multi faceted and complicated. It really had everything! I highly recommend it and would love to read another book from this author! I hope they're more to come.

The Hangover meets Sex in the City ! A quick if eventful read, that will appeal greatly to those who like domestic detail in their crime novels. The lives of the girls are critically examined and at the heart is a murder

Read it and find out what happens

Best book I’ve read all year. Couldn’t have enjoyed it more!! I lost some sleep, because I couldn’t put it down

Honestly, wow! This book not only follows the murder / crime storyline, but it intertwines so many other genres within. Dealing with both love, lust & relationship drama and family, friendships & hard truths; and all the while fighting hard to solve a crime that truly shocks this circle of friends.

It was refreshing to read a murder mystery novel without being solely focused on the creepy / murderous themes. I felt myself rooting for so many of the main characters and was really invested in their somewhat side storylines.

I thoroughly enjoyed the point of views that the chapters were written from and thought the book was ended in such a way that all loose ends were tied up in a unique way, that's definitely worth the read.

2 of 5 stars = It was ok
I received an Advance Readers Copy (ARC) of this thriller from NetGalley.com. This book begins with one heck of a bachelorette party. The tag line sounded intriguing: “Six friends. A bride to be. One murder. Too many secrets.” There are so many of these types of stories and nothing in this one will make me remember it for long. Also, there were way too many characters to keep track of easily.

I received this book "The Last Night Out" from NetGalley and all opinions expressed are my own. What can I say about this book? For one, it's a DNF for me, which gets you a 1 star rating. I really tried because I liked the description of the book. There are so many books in the world and I am not going to read and "hope" it gets better. You need to have my interest from the beginning and keep it.

"I wonder how many outcomes have hinged on such cringe-worthy moments: how many lives have been indelibly changed as a result of one misstep? Whether by choice or by deflection, the consequences of the alternate path can be dire."

Set in Chicago in the late '80s, Ms. O'Connell's novel about murder, secrets, betrayals, and friendship is full of suspense, regret, and transformation.

Maggie is about to destroy her dream marriage because of a one-nighter. Carol Anne is a mother of three and wife of a man with secrets. Kelly is living by the skin of her teeth trying to recover from her mother's, now Angie's death, and her reckless past. Suzanne is independent and having an affair with a married man. Natasha is living a life of luxury with a controlling husband.

And, Angie. She's dead. Murdered after a night out with her friends. 

This character-driven story is intense and extremely addictive. One can relate to the women's imperfections and secrets while they put up a front that everything's fine... until it isn't. The flow of the story is well done and told by many different points of view. A difficult feat to accomplish.

The suspense of finding out who killed Angie is palpable and the way all of the clues and people are intertwined is clever. The ending caught me by surprise which is hard to do for someone who has read so many mysteries in my lifetime.

If you have a gaggle of close friends and would do anything for them, you will enjoy this story.  One of my favorites this year. Highly recommend!

Thank you to Ms. O'Connell, Black Thorn Publishing and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to review this book with no expectations of a positive review given.

I enjoyed reading this book. It had a good story to it. I liked the variety of characters in it. It is my first book read by this author. I hope to read more books by this author.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for giving me the opportunity to read this book for my honest opinion.
My suggestion to you first off is to take notes because you are going to need them. This story has so many twists and turns that you will get dizzy and confused. It involves six friends. They are out celebrating at a Bachelorette party and things end up in the worst case scenario.
I was going to give up on this book because it just went on and on and was kind of boring but I never truly give up on a book.
However, it is somewhat drawn out especially at the end. It is like the a just refuses to give up on the book and has so much to say.
After about the middle of the book, it is a captivating read and I could not put it down. You have deception, betrayal, love, heartbreak and new beginning. This book has everything you need in a book.

Not my usual type of story, strange but very intriguing. Well worth persevering to the end, the climax of which finalises the lives of these six friends. Clever writing left me wondering whether this story was based on fact.

The Last Night Out is a pager turner that will keep you on the edge of your seat. The characters are diverse and well developed. This plot has more twists and turns that will keep you guessing until the end.

Well, this was a wild ride!! I was hooked from the start. I would think that I had it figured out, then along came a new twist! This is a fast paced physiological thriller full of mystery and suspense. The plot was very well thought out and entertaining I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving this review

A girl should look forward to marrying the man that is so perfect, that is until she cheats on him after her drunken hen night. Her best friend is killed that same night and someone that she knows might have done it. Her circle of friends all hang out with each and have known each other for years. They all have something to hide which all comes out later on in the book .Maggie lies to keep her little infidelity quiet but truth will come out in the end.. I really enjoyed this book and look forward to reading more from this author.

This fast-paced thriller would make a good holiday read, However, I found the characters unconvincing, and the writing style a little irritating. I'm not sure that the reader needed to know how everything turned out for all the characters; sometimes it's fine to allow us to write our own endings.

A well thought out storyline with a twist as to “who done it” I was not expecting.
The characters took a while to gel and I felt after a while they were overtaking the plot but then things started to make sense and I loved it. I was almost ready to change my mind when the epilogue threatened to make things too nice and tidy but then I realised there was method in this madness too.

“The Last Night Out” was a fantastic thriller! I loved that it was set in the 1980s which was a special time for me. I was enthralled in this slightly seedy, dark story from the outset.

Catherine O'Connell had a particular writing style that kept my undivided attention throughout. The characters were well drawn and I was invested in each of them. The story-line was well paced with many themes circulating around violence, drugs and sex.

I would like to read more by this newly discovered author, Catherine O'Connell. Highly recommended for anyone who loves the genre.

I received a complimentary digital copy of this novel at my own request from Black Thorn via NetGalley. This review is my own unbiased opinion.

6 friends, 1 is getting married, 1 party, only 5 survive the night which leaves 1 massive mystery and the 5 friends trying to come to terms with what has happened and find out what really happened
As always with stories like this it takes a bit of time to ‘set the scene’ and ‘meet the players’, find out about them and get to the place where you can, as a reader, say ‘right, I know who you all are and what you have been doing, lets figure this out’, unlike some books I found this build up to be anything but a chore as the 6 have such secrets and lies interwoven in their lives it was exciting and tbh quite shocking!
Once you get to know them you are then led to solve the mystery in this fast paced psychological, action, at times humourous, reflective book, the style of writing and narrative changed with each character, at times it was like reading a Jackie Collins, other times it reminded me of a Lousie Candlish, it could have been confusing and ‘too much’ but imo it wasnt, different yes but the author brought it all together and the ending ( where you find out ‘whodunit’ ) is explosive and then ends with a sentence that changes everything.......only then to, surprisngly, have another chapter that shakes it all up again!
There are ‘Americanims’throughout and some American slang which made me grimace but a few words to ‘get over’ are 1000% worth it to be immersed in this at times frantic yet other times touching delight of a book, I loved it
9/10 5 Stars

The Last Night Out by Catherine O'Connell

It's Maggie's last night out on the town with her friends before her upcoming wedding. She drinks too much, wakes up to find a stranger in her bed and then receives a phone call to tell her that her friend Angie is dead - her body has been found in the park. She was murdered after they parted ways the previous evening.

The first half of this story is relatively slow paced delving into each of the five friend's characters, histories, faults and motivations. As the story unfolds we discover that all the friends have secrets in their lives. As the clock ticks down to the wedding day more secrets are revealed and the murderer zero's in on another one of the girls. Can the killer be stopped before there is another victim?

Although the story takes a while to get up to speed there is enough suspense and twists to keep you turning the pages to find out how it is all going to end. All in all a quick enjoyable read with a surprising ending. I would definitely read more by this author.

Thank you to Black Thorn, Netgalley and the author for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 ⭐️ rounded up to 4

Not the usual type of bachelorette party. It was fun and games until the bride slept with someone else and one of the bridesmaids was found dead in the woods the following morning. The police investigation reveals that the women are hiding information revelent to the case, and more and more secrets are revealed. The killer also has secrets and is stalking them. The police need to find out the truth in this twist filled plot before someone else from the group of women is saught out by the killer. This is a fast paced and well written YA story. I very quickly read this book as I wanted to find out just what had occurred to make the killer strike.

I would like to thank NetGalley, Black Thorn and the author Catherine O'Connell for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Title : the last night out

Author: Catherine O'Connell

Genre: Mystery /thrillers

Pages:296

Pub date: May 2,2019



Another books by this author:Well Read and Dead, Well Bred and Dead, and Skins.


Book synopsis


Six friends. A bride to be. One murder. Too many secrets.



After drinking too much at her bachelorette party, Maggie Trueheart wakes to find a stranger in her bed. To make matters worse, a phone call brings the devastating news that her friend Angie was murdered some time after they parted ways the night before.



Kelly Delaney, who left the party early, is the first of Maggie's friends to face questions from Chicago homicide detective Ron O'Reilly. After taking a closer look at the other women who attended the party, O'Reilly concludes that at least some of them are lying.



As the clock ticks down to the wedding day and more shocking secrets are revealed, the murderer zeros in on another one of the girls. Can the killer be stopped before there is another victim?


My thoughts:

rating:2

Would I recommend it ?no

Would I read anything else by this author?I would give her a second try

First off I do have to it its slow going and that it takes a while for it to build up, plus not a single character was likable , and I do mean not a one, everyone had secrets that they wanted to keep, and their lies just kept building and building, but while the story is slowing and the characters are all dislikeable, it did keep my interest throughout the book, and made me want to know more of everybody dirty little secrets. In fact it was only the dark secrets that kept me reading it even though there at the every end you get the answers there still felt like something was missing . With that said I would like to think Netgalley for letting me read and review it , exchange for my honest opinion.