I received an ARC of this book in return for an honest review.

Date Night by Samantha Hayes is an exhilarating psychological thriller that had me on the edge of my seat from start to finish. Full of lies, secrets, and constant twists, this book kept me guessing with every page. The suspense is almost palpable as the story unravels, and the unpredictable nature of the plot ensures you’ll never quite know who to trust or what’s coming next.

The central character, Libby, is compelling and flawed, and throughout the book, I was captivated by the question of whether or not she was a murderer. The writing is sharp and well-paced, and the story only intensifies as it moves along, making it hard to put down. There were moments where I felt utterly lost in the mystery, surrounded by so many red herrings that it was nearly impossible to discern the truth.

The ending, however, is a true highlight. It’s one of the best conclusions I’ve encountered in a psychological thriller—satisfying, unexpected, and brilliantly executed. Date Night is a must-read for fans of thrilling, unpredictable stories with a shocking payoff.

This was a fun and thrilling read. Though I was able to guess some parts earlier than I expected, I really enjoyed the read overall

An anonymous note about a cheating husband and a date night gone awry. Fast paced and suspenseful with some great twists!

This was a real edge of your seat thriller, with so many twists and turns, you wont know which way is up! Fantastic and gripping read! I was literally unable to put this down and read it in one sitting.

I would firstly like to thank Netgalley and the publishers for allowing me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was the first book that I have read from this author, and it won't be the last!
Gripping, intense and kept me constantly guessing from start to finish!

To be honest I found it a bit confusing at first . References to post mystery and then writing in the present was a bit annoying but I persevered and it made the plot even more interesting. All sorts of scenarios were going through my mind during the course of reading but I didn't contemplate the ending as it was unique. I am a fan Congratulations.

What an ending! I did not see that coming! If you want a book that is unexpected and contains jaw-dropping twists, this one is for you!

Overall, I really enjoyed this book, Samantha Hayes is really good at writing great domestic thrillers/mysteries. She is an excellent writer that includes many unexpected twists and turns that are gripping. Every time I thought I had things figured out, a new twist took me down a different path to a new theory!

I will keep reading Samantha Hayes's books! Highly recommend. If you want to start with a 5-star Samantha Hayes book, start with The Liar’s Wife!

This was ok. I really loved Samantha Hayes last book. This one just did not do it for me. Very predictable and just not that exciting.

★★★ 3.5 stars

Someone has a date with fate...

This is my fourth outing with Samantha Hayes and with that is the realisation that her thrillers are predominantly slow burners. That's not to say that's a bad thing because she still draws you in and leaves little tidbits dangling along the way so you don't lose interest. But sometimes it can be little drawn out and you find yourself thinking "Enough already! Give me something I can sink my teeth into!" instead of being tossed about wondering which way is up. And yet by the book's end you are still left somewhat dumbfounded.

Libby believes she has the perfect marriage with husband Sean and the perfect life with their 4 year old daughter Alice in their perfect little thatched cottage in the Cotswolds village of Great Lyne. Sean is partner in a successful veterinary practice which sees him working long hours whilst Libby has her own catering business. One morning as Libby gets ready to take Alice to her grandparent's while she prepares for an upcoming event, she finds a note on her windscreen with five words that leaves her reeling...

"Sean is having an affair"

From that moment on, Libby tries to put it to the back of her mind whilst constantly finding herself on the backfoot and second guessing herself and Sean's motives. She begins to find fault in everything he does, questioning him at every turn, leading them to a crossroads of mistrust. In an attempt to get their marriage back on track and resolve their trust issues, they decide on a date night with a delicious meal at a local pub. But if Sean was to reassure the anxious Libby of his faithfulness and loyalty to her, then the plan backfired when his phone keeps exploding with an array of text messages and unanswered phone calls. This, of course, sets Libby on edge as Sean refuses to say who it is that's so intent on contacting him. They end up arguing, ending their night out early and going home. But nothing prepares them for what they find when they walk through the door...

Sasha, their babysitter they left in charge of their sleeping daughter, was nowhere to be found and the living room in which she'd been ensconced with her text books she'd been studying was littered with items from Sasha's rucksack which appeared to have been upturned on the sofa and the floor. But what was even more unsettling was that Sasha's phone lay amidst the rubble. And being seventeen, Sasha would never leave her phone behind. So where was she then? And why leave in such a hurry? And to leave Alice, a four year old child she'd been entrusted to look after, alone in the house? What if she were to wake up and find no one there?

Libby and Sean decide that she must go out and search the village for Sasha whilst he stays behind with Alice in the hope the babysitter might return. When Libby returns and there is still no sign of Sasha, they know the time has come to call her parents who are understandably shocked. Then the police are called and an investigation begins.

Things begin to spiral out of control for Libby fast as she continues to believe that Sean is having an affair despite his claims to the contrary. They are constantly arguing to the point neither trusts the other and suddenly the once happily married couple are poles apart. The police, who miss nothing, see the cracks beginning to form and continue their questioning until one day when Libby, in the barn kitchen they had built out the back for her business prepping for that evening's event, is arrested on suspicion of Sasha's murder. She is lead away in a police car for questioning as they endeavour to get to the bottom of the mystery of Sasha's disappearance.

By this time, Libby is already close to breakdown. She begins making nonsensical comments whilst under questioning as she finds herself in the surreal world of memories playing out on a loop in her already scattered mind. The police confront her with the second note written to reiterate the first one she'd received...the one that had strangely disappeared. Why didn't she just toss this one out when she had the chance?

Under intense police questioning, Libby maintains her innocence. "I've done nothing wrong" she states over and over again. "I didn't kill her" she claims. Does that mean she knows she's dead? And if so, how? But is Libby telling the truth? Is Sean? Is anyone? And what really happened to Sasha?

Taking us on a twisted ride through domesticity, DATE NIGHT is filled to the brim with secrets, secrets and more secrets! There is definitely a lot of tension in this book which is what makes it so engaging, despite its slow burn and dip in pace in the middle. An interesting start to the story begins with Libby's arrest and from then on it is told in the BEFORE and NOW narratives of before and after the arrest, blending together seamlessly.

And then there is the jaw-dropping revelation that comes right at the end! I admit, while I was flummoxed throughout much of the story, the pieces did finally fall into place before all was revealed. You only had to pick up on some of the clues peppered throughout. It seems Sasha's disappearance wasn't the only mystery.

This is the second book by Samantha Hayes that has been something of a trigger for me with regards to my first marriage. The first was "The Liar's Wife" detailing the physical and emotional abuse and now this one with the Libby's former partner adamant that she had been having an affair...something my ex-husband accused me of constantly. It was harrowing to be accused of something you were not guilty of all the time and I found myself once again back there when reading Libby's account of life with David, albeit just a small part of the story. On another note, I have to say that it was refreshing to find a child in a story that is not a precocious brat but merely...a child.

DATE NIGHT is a slow burn ride that details a wealth of secrets, lies and manipulation that unfolds at a gradual pace to maintain a tension that is palpable throughout. It is perfect for fans of psychological and domestic thrillers who like them a little dark.

I would like to thank #SamanthaHayes, #Netgalley and #Bookouture for an ARC of #DateNight in exchange for an honest review.

Normally a date night should be a romantic event, and if you end up in jail, it should be for something adventurous like skinny dipping in the village pond..... but not for murder. This is a date night you won't forget soon! Recommended.

Libby finds a note on her car that says her husband is having an affair, when she confronts him he denies it and to allay her suspicion he suggests they have a date night. After an argument they arrive home to find the babysitter missing and their four year old daughter alone in the house...........

This isn't my favourite Samantha Hayes book. The plot is a bit slow in places but there are a few red herrings thrown in to keep you interested until the end. I disliked the characters and I was frustrated with them from the start due to the interaction between them. Although I didn't love this book I didn't hate it either so I am going middle of the road and giving it 3 stars.

Another exciting story about a couple that find their babysitter missing after a night out. We end up in a tale where nothing is what it seems. Samantha Hayes is firing on all cylinders. It’s to bad her books are not translated into dutch any more. Date Night a Masterpiece.

So that was stupid! It was ok until the end, the secret was just dumb and nasty. Don't bother with this book!

I was in the mood for a mystery and needed something that I could sink my teeth into as now and again to mix up my love of romance, I feel like I need something grittier. Now I knew this book would be a hit or miss as it is a UK fiction which tends to be a slower pace and I found myself enjoying it, however, I was a bit disappointed with the ending of this book when everything surrounding Sasha's disappearance unraveled. The book starts with Libby finding herself arrested for the murder of Sasha, then the book jumps back a few months earlier when the story starts with Libby finding a note on her car that her husband Sean is having an affair. Libby knew he had been working late and they had started to drift apart but she never considered he would be cheating. However, as soon as she reads the note, her suspicions start to get the better of her and she starts to notice holes in Sean's stories, etc. The couple then goes on a date night to try and get their marriage back on track as it has been a while since they spent a night out - just the two of them. They leave their daughter with the babysitter aka Sasha. When the pair arrived home though, they will be in for a surprise as their daughter is fast asleep but Sasha their babysitter is nowhere to be seen - yet her bag and phone are still here. Thus begins a mystery and investigation into Sasha's disappearance and Libby is made to look like the number #1 suspect but can she prove her innocence especially as the odds are stacked up against her? Will Sasha's disappearance is connected to an even older mystery as Sean's past is brought to light with his ex-wife and family? Find out in Date Night by Samantha Hayes. A good UK thriller that will have you trying to untangle the web of the police's investigation.

In an attempt to fix their broken marriage Libby sets up a date night with husband Sean to discuss his alleged affair and how they will move past it and grow together. However, after dinner doesn't go as smoothly as expected they return home to find their babysitter missing and their infant daughter alone upstairs. What is discovered as they try to piece together what happened that night is so mind bending and twisted you never know who to trust or what to believe. I highly recommend for fans of the mystery/thriller genre. The ending of the one was mouth-open shocking!

Absolutely enjoyed from start to finish, u didn't want the book to end. Highly recommended, if you like books that keep you guessing and on the edge of your seat.

A really good mystery. Twisty and turny and will keep you well hooked. I would really like to read more by this author. 4/5

What would you do if your world came crashing to a halt?
This book kept me on my toes from the first word! You would not think a simple date night could end up so disastrous. Or hope not anyways. You would like to believe nothing bad would happen with the person you left your child with and trusted with their well being. This story was a well written dark web of lines. The characters were easy to connect to. The story - dark and twisty.

Wow an ending I didn't see coming! This book kept me guessing from start to finish.

Libby finds a note left on her windscreen claiming her husband Sean is having an affair, When she confronts him Sean denies everything and they head out on a date to try and clear the air between them and measure her all is well with their marriage.

The date is a disaster with Sean receiving texts and unanswered phone calls all night while Libby tries not to wonder who is trying to contact her husband so desperately. They head home early after arguing and find their 4 year old daughter in the house alone and Sasha, their babysitter missing.

Libby is later arrested with the murder for Sasha, although she denies everything her story seems a little unreliable. What happened to Sasha and who was involved?

Thoroughly recommend this and guarantee it will surprise you in the end!

#NetGalley #DateNight #SamanthaHayes

I really loved this book! It gripped me from the very beginning and I found Libby to be a really relatable character. This book twists and turns and leads to a truly unpredictable ending!