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.

Wendy Walker's latest book The Night Before started off strong. Highly suspenseful and somewhat unsettling, it was a story that kept me turning pages. Family secrets, family dysfunction and the perils of online dating. The plot build up was compelling and I was eagerly anticipating a thrilling ending but....it fizzled for me. The plot took a turn to ridiculous. The characters suddenly seemed cliché and shallow. The reveal came way too early. I was left feeling deflated and wondering why the story kept going? Surely it was best to quickly wrap it up now that we know?

3 stars because the first half had me hooked but the ending just didn't deliver.

Thank you to publisher for an ARC on Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

A blind date, an emotionally broken women and a murder from the past that won’t go away-what could go wrong?

That question and more are answered in Wendy Walker’s latest novel, The Night Before. Told in alternating voices and timelines we meet Laura and her sister Rosie. It is clear early on Laura is reeling from a breakup, so much so that she left her job in NYC and moves to her sister’s home in Connecticut-a town she is usually reluctant to visit let alone live.

Laura meets a man online and we are introduced to her brother-in-law Joe and best friend Gabe (who happens to live next door) while she’s getting ready for their date. Her sister is nervous that Laura is meeting a man-but not because something might happen to Laura.

The next chapters take us through a high school romance with a deadly end to a blind date where readers will be constantly questioning: just who is the villain? And why didn’t Laura come home after her date? How well do we know our family and friends?

The story’s pace picks up during the alternating timelines with the blind date and morning after. The anger Laura had as a child and her relationship with her sister and family isn’t as well developed as relationships in previous novels by Walker but it’s a twisty, quick read.

Thank you to Net Galley for a copy of this ARC.

I had to give this 3 stars. It was not bad, the characters were well written and the plot was enough for me to want to finish the book!
Laura moves in with her sister in Connecticut after going through a breakup in NYC. We are left with questions as to her last relationship, her growing up with her sister and some neighborhood friends, and most importantly, what happened to her after a date with a stranger from a dating site. I liked Laura’s mind, being very aware and noticing and questioning everything. I liked her sister’s point of view as well. I also liked the end. I just could not say I loved anything about this book. It didn’t fully suck me in, and it took me a while to read. The writing style was just not my favorite (although was not bad!)

As soon as I saw this cover I knew I had to try and get my hands on an ARC! So huge shoutout and thank you to Netgalley, St Martins Press and Wendy Walker for providing me a digital copy in exchange for an honest review. With how big online dating is in this day and age I thought that the author did a great job at portraying what it’s like. From the nerves before the date to questioning the other persons background/stories, etc. I felt on edge the whole time that Laura was on her date. For a while I felt like the book got kind of dry because I thought I had figured out what was going on, but I should've known that Walker was going to rip the rug from under us and stray away from the usual thriller clichés. With that being said, the ending to this book completely blew my mind. I did not see the twists at all until they smacked me in the face. I loved that the book description didn’t give too much away (I went in blind-didn’t read the description until after. I loved the cover that much).

This book was so WEIRD, but in a good way!It starts out with two sisters, one that has run home after a bad breakup. This same sister has a bad past that is slowly revealed throughout the length of the book.The thing is, throughout this entire book I could not figure out if Laura was bad or good. I couldn't figure out if Rosie was bad or good. I was utterly confused the enter time, and I found myself racing through this book because I had to know what was going to happen next.I could see where this book may frustrate readers, and at times I wondered what kind of road I was being lead down. But all in all this was a fun thrilled that I really enjoyed.

Just not for me stars

I hated the main character, Laura, a girl we are told was a tomboy, brave fearless, full of spit and vinegar and yet as an adult she grows to be a sniveling spineless, fall into bed with anyone bc LOVE is what she seeks. What??? She goes on a date with a man from an internet dating site, spills her life story to him, and then guess what??? she falls in bed with him!!! Months before, she falls in love with her married therapist ...and of course sleeps with him (a big no no for him in the medical field btw). He drops her and she never tries to contact him again after receiving the email dropping her??? Guess that is a good thing bc the guy is dead......but wouldn't you have at least tried to get in contact with the supposed love of your life? Wouldn't you at least spent a moment and not gone oh well, it happens all the time to me?

Then there is the ridiculous family who is not really the family we thought they were. Husband Joe who is really sister Laura's half brother and is married to Rosie who it turns out is now a half sister as well. So ridiculous!
Then there is the circle of friends and who couldn't figure out that one of them was the murderer.

To me it was so contrived, so inane, and totally off the scale in the eye rolling category.

I think I am on thriller overload.
I guess you now can guess this one was definitely not for me. I despise books that make a woman character lacking in common sense, some type of morals, and fessed out as being an idiot. Ugh!!!

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the advanced reader copy of the The Night Before. This might be the best suspense/thriller I've read so far for 2019. The Night Before is about Laura, a woman who recently experienced a break-up and moved home to be with her sister. Laura is also still suspected by some of murdering her first boyfriend in high school although she was not convicted or charged with the crime. Laura goes on a date with a man she meets online. It turns out he googled her despite changing her name and he knows all about her past and the crime many suspect her of. Laura has felt broken since some trouble in her childhood and is always chasing the wrong man. There are alternating timelines between the present, the hours of Laura's date and her therapy sessions while still living in NYC. This book kept hooked me at the very beginning and I did not want to put it down. There were so many twists and turns that kept you guessing the whole way. The ending really took me by surprise. This is my first book by Wendy Walker, but it won't be my last. I highly recommend picking this up on May 14th.

My review will be posted on www.instagram.reading.is.my.happy.place on May 14th

I was completely off when trying to guess the ending from the very beginning.
This story follows a young woman, Laura who has found tragedy or heartbreak with every one of her relationships and goes missing after an online date. She continues to blame herself for her dating issues and looks to a therapist for guidance. The story switches between present day where her sister Rosie is trying to find her and what transpired the night she went missing and in the days after from Laura’s perspective and months to weeks before with her therapy sessions and trying to find the truth in her issues. Towards the end of the book, she finds a family secret that brings to light her issues with her father and men in general. The ending of the book was a total surprise. Would definitely recommend.

I haven’t read any of her other books before so I can’t compare it to her other books. It kept me on edge and I love a good thriller!!

I loved this book until the end. I read a ton of thrillers and maybe the ending was too predictable for a seasoned thriller reader but perfect for a novice. It's hard to say. I loved the alternation between current and past conversations but as soon as the ending came somewhat forcefully, I was not interested. I expected a twist at the end and it just never happened.