Thank you for the opportunity to read and review an e-arc of Date Night.

Unfortunately this book was not for me. I found it very slow going and was not a fan of the writing style. I struggled with it and gave up at the halfway mark. I am definitely in the minority with my opinion and I do wish the author every success with the book.

This book was very well written. Nice and easy to read and flowed well. Had me on the edge of my seat. Wondering which way it was going to go. Great mystery can’t beat it.

I’d like to thank Bookouture and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read ‘Date Night’ by Samantha Hayes in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

When a note is left on the windscreen of Libby’s car claiming that her husband Sean is having an affair she starts to disbelieve everything he tells her and in an attempt to smooth things over he organises a date night. They argue in the restaurant and return home early only to find their babysitter Sasha is missing and her belongings scattered around the room.
Although there’s no sign of Sasha apart from her shoe found in the woods the police arrest Libby and charge her with murder.

‘Date Night’ is a gripping and fast-paced psychological thriller with an involving plot and interesting characters. The chapters move from before the ‘date night’ to the present time and leads the reader to suspect several people who know more than they’re telling. At times I found Libby annoying as she wouldn’t answer her solicitor’s questions, not even to help secure her release, and Sean came over as a liar, controlling and unpleasant. The beginning of the book was exciting and grabbed my attention and although the middle part was a bit drawn-out the end finished with an amazing and unexpected twist that took me by surprise.

I just have thoughts more so than a review for Date Night. Samantha Hayes. I didn't really enjoy this book at all, but thank you to Netgalley & Bookouture for the advanced copy.

Very slow read. By 68% I was ready to give up completely. Very much going over the same things again and again but with an added twist that doesn't give much away.

The book is set in the now and then but even in the now it will mention back to before and being told in present tense not past tense. It's hard to keep up.

There seems to be too many names in the book, I usually follow these quite easily but sometimes forgot who was who, i.e. Matt, Jan, Dan or Phil. Either it was because there were way too many uniteresting people in this week, or where I was finding it hard to follow the book.


"the gun dogs scampering about eagerly – running off at the slightest scent, before turning back to their masters, tails wagging, tongues lolling, silky ears flapping." Sounds like something my 9year old daughter would write"

Everything is tied up in the final epilogue, even though the twist is finally revealed, it's a bit boring to have to wait for the final chapter.... I wish I had just skipped to the epilogue from when I got bored at the start. Would of saved myself a lot of time.
Sorry but even though I stuck with it, on this occasion this writing was definitely not for me.

Started out strong with a good premise. Jumped around in time a little too much which became confusing, but still kept me interested. A little too many side stories which really had nothing to do with the storyline & could have been left out in my opinion.

Thank you to Netgalley, the author and the publisher for this ARC.

What a really quick thriller, with a sad bust just ending. Samantha Hayes has a way of pulling you in and keeping you invested with her writing. I enjoyed this thriller and read it in two sittings.

Libby finds a note on her car telling her that her husband, Sean, is having an affair. Their planned Date Night is a disaster and when they get home their ordinarily quite responsible babysitter, Sasha, is nowhere to be found and Alice, the 4 year old, is by herself.

Libby is arrested for Sasha's murder and vehemently denies any knowledge of events but does she know more than she is saying?

This is a compelling story of secrets, lies and control; juicy and well-spun. It dragged a bit in the middle but concluded spectacularly, so 4 stars.

Thank you to Samantha Hayes, Bookouture and NetGalley for giving me this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Date Night by author Samantha Hayes is yet another great book! Such a solidly built plot as well as characters! There were parts you would assume to drag or be obvious but they really aren’t. The ending was awesome!!

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Sean and Libby plan a date night after a note was left on Libby’s car that caused her to doubt Sean’s fidelity. They come home to find that their normally trustworthy babysitter has completely disappeared. A police investigation takes place and a few days later Libby ends up being arrested on the suspicion that she had something to do with the disappearance.

This book grabbed my attention right away and continued to get more suspenseful. The author does a great job of keeping you guessing. I can’t pinpoint when it happened but it just started dragging. Nothing was happening. Another thing was that it would be the middle of a scene where, for example, Character A was talking with Character B. In the middle, it would randomly jump to something from the past that Character A was thinking about which had its own dialogue with someone else. It just got confusing and was the cause of a lot of rereading. The ending felt rushed and seemed out of place with the rest of the story.
So, I didn’t dislike this book enough to give up on it but it did fall flat in the end.

Oh my, my. Oh hell yes! I just finished it and am so happy. Synopsis tells you what you are getting into. I'm telling you... get into it! I liked all of this book then the author drops so much on you in the end and it's shattering in such a good way. I don't want to reveal anything other than I bought into all of the characters. I questioned and re-questioned all of the motives and opportunities and enjoyed being oh so wrong! Fun read. Wish it wasn't over for me. Hope Samantha Hayes writes something just as good for me to read soon. Thank you Bookouture/Netgalley for an ARC of Date Night. It was a mid-summer treat! Book drops Aug. 20th. If you love this genre, find it!!

Very enjoyable book and I certainly didn’t guess how it was going to end. Some of the characters weren’t very likeable but that just added to the atmosphere and left me not knowing who to believe!

I enjoyed this plot, its pace, characters and twists. Things go from bad to worse for Libby Randell after she receives a note that says her husband Sean is having an affair. Their date night that was meant to fix the problem ends with their babysitter Sasha missing. The story goes back and forth between the present day when Libby is arrested and the events leading up to her arrest. I love how the author kept me guessing all through and I couldn't put this book down.

There were a few things that didn't quite make sense to me. For example, it was strange that despite being together for several years now, Libby has no idea about the details of the accident in Sean's youth that left him with a limp. Why had she never really tried to ask him more about something that impacted him in this way? However I enjoyed the book and would recommend it to fans of this genre.

Just like the previous Samantha Hayes’ book I’d read, this had me hooked from the outset
There are plenty of twists & turns to keep the reader’s attention.
I felt though that it ended just a little abruptly. Maybe a little explanation would have been good as to what happens to the characters.

I have to admit, I'm not normally a fan of books like this. I find people who've been falsely accused are often really boring, and the so called twists are seen coming from Mars.

Fortunately, this was totally different. I was surprised to find that I was totally gripped from the start, and while there were times where it slowed a bit and became a bit of a drag, it always picked back up again and got better than ever.

The twists were shocking but believable, and the writing was brilliant - I loved Libby, and couldn't wait to find out the truth of her situation!

What should have been an ordinary date night to help mend a fragile marriage, turns into anything but. Loved this book and the main character Libby. Plenty of twists and turns to make you want to keep turning the pages and a good ending too.

Nailbitting thriller.

Such a perfect paced, engrossing thriller after so long.
I was on the edge through out the book.
The pace was absolutely as I like, not too fast and not too dragging.
The characters I felt needed a bit polishing but I couldn't help admire how Hayes managed to keep me guessing who was the murderer.
Even though I figured out who it was, I coukdn't help but love how the author built up for the climax.


Loved it.

Wow. This has to be way up in my top reads ever. I was totally gripped from first page and on the edge of my seat until the end. Full of twists, turns and red herrings. I cannot recommend this book highly enough.

Sean and Libby have a good marriage Libby thinks, until she gets a note that says Sean is having an affair. This novel was suspenseful, but it dragged in too many places. By the time I got to the end, I didn’t really care about any of the main characters. I was surprised by the ending however, so that made up for the rest of the novel taking forever to get to the point

Omg,I honestly didn't see that ending coming,that was one hell of a totally,unexpected,jaw dropping twist. I was so shocked,I ended up sitting in my comfy chair,doing a very good impression of omg cat for at least five minutes.

Libby hadn't thought that her day could get any worse,first she had found a note on the front windscreen of her car,informing her that her husband Sean was cheating on her. Then a date night that Sean had organised ended up being a unmitigated disaster. Instead of repairing their relashionship,they had ended up having a massive argument and returning home in stony silence. Only when they got back to their cottage,they had discovered that their four year old daughter Alice was all alone and their babysitter Sasha had disappeared.

Days later,Libby is arrested for Sasha's murder. She insists that she is innocent but does she know more than she is letting on?

Where is Sasha? What really happened that night?

In this twisty tale of secrets,lies,families,control and manipulation,nothing is what is appears to be and when the truth is revealed it is shocking,chilling and heart breaking.

We witness events from Libby's perspective as she takes us through her life before,during and after the disastrous date night and her interviews with the police. Libby was a complex character who had some major issues due to events in her past. These issues caused her to be anxious and lack trust in Sean,so obviously she would have been very upset after receiving the note. Adding to Libby's problems was the constant interference from Sean's perfect ex wife and his domineering mother. But because we only see everything from Libby's perspective,the reader is never sure wether Libby's versions of events and her interactions with other characters are reliable of if she is cleverly manipulating the police and the reader. Many of the vivid,realistic characters were not very likeable but was there underlying reasons behind their behaviour and actions.? I loved Chestnut Cottage where Libby and Sean lived,the thatched roof,the old key that opened the front door,Libby's kitchen in the converted barn.

I love Samantha Hayes thrillers,they are always exceedingly well written,packed full of unexpected twists and turns gripping and enthralling and Date Night is no exception. The truth of what happened that fateful night is revealed gradually,the reader being drip Fed little hints and clues as the story unfolded before your captivated eyes. Another amazing,brilliant thriller from a very talented author who doesn't get the recognition that she deserves. Worth far more than five stars. Very Very highly recommended.

I have read Samantha Hayes’ previous books and enjoy her style of writing. This book certainly did not disappoint.

Libby and Sean live happily with their young daughter until the day an anonymous note is left on Libby’s car windscreen suggesting that her husband is having an affair. This leads to suspicion as Libby obsessively doubts almost everybody Sean has dealings with. He suggests a date night to get their lives back on an even keel but on their return from their evening out their babysitter, Sasha, has vanished. The rest of the book deals with the repercussions of Sasha’s disappearance and the police investigations.

I was completely drawn in to this story and struggled to know what I believed had happened. i could not put it down until I had finished it. Highly recommend.