"If you keep leaving the herd, the wolves will come."

The premise of Wendy Walker's The Night Before is certainly a fresh one, diving into the modern world of online dating and its potential scares. I really enjoyed that this book focused on something so common in this day and age, but with more twists and turns as well as deeper issues. The plot starts simple, a blind date and a nervous girl with a damaged, and actually infamous past. The book focuses on more than the blind date, going into the territory of mental health, self awareness, and challenging upbringings. That's all I really want to say about the plot itself, for fear of giving too much away, but just know its more than just a book about dating.

With that being said, I want to start out my review by saying that this blurb was PERFECT and should be a lesson to the whole thriller genre. The blurb was maybe five sentences, just enough to draw you in without giving a single plot line away. (Side rant: way too often I feel like I can basically guess the whole premise by just reading the long, drawn out blurbs and spoil the whole book for myself. Some blurbs give away the whole twist! OK end rant.)

As I said, I don't want to give too much away about the plot itself, but I do want to share my thoughts about the other aspects of the book. I've actually been pretty torn on how to rate this one, because there were some parts I loved and some parts that I felt had potential but didn't get all the way there. On one hand, I think the pacing was excellent and constantly kept me on my toes. This is going to be a huge hit this summer for the unique plot line and immersive writing alone. I actually had to force myself to turn off my Kindle and go to sleep- it's that thrilling. I was constantly wondering what was going to happen, and who the real villains were.

Unfortunately I do think I figured out the plot twist a little too early for my liking, and would like to have been more surprised by the end, but that's just personal preference. Some readers really love to use their armchair detective skills, so they would probably really enjoy this slow reveal. I think I just felt like the plot was a bit spoon-fed for me and tried to hard to make everything neat and perfect. Another possibility is that I read too much of this genre and can't be totally shocked by what I read anymore, which is also just a personal issue!

Although I liked the pacing and the alternating perspectives, the other aspects of the writing fell a bit flat for me. I didn't ever really connect with any of the characters, in fact, I didn't really like any of them at all. I think they could use some more flushing out, maybe by making the book a bit longer and diving deeper into each of their histories? I don't necessarily need likable characters, but I think I would have liked to see a bit more character development here. Although I do understand the book takes place in basically one day. Again, I really did love getting multiple perspectives on the same night and getting constant cliffhangers at the end of each chapter!

Overall, I think The Night Before is a fresh idea and I absolutely know it will be a hit this summer, I think it was just kind of middle of the road for me, and that's ok. It was still a very fun read that I finished in a few sittings and would still most likely recommend to my other thriller friends! I will definitely be checking out Wendy Walker's previous novels too.

Thank you NetGalley, Wendy Walker, and St. Martin's Press for the ARC of this novel and the opportunity to enjoy early in return for my honest review.

Wendy Walker has done it again! This book has some elements of her other books- sisters, secrets, psychological drama, and a thrilling resolution. I love how it kept me on my toes, not knowing exactlybwhat was happening or who to trust. Both sisters had conpemking voices and the timeline with past and present narration made it exciting!

I loved this one! It had a great mix of themes of some common thriller types which makes it unique the way the themes go together! It's a little missing person, a little social media and online dating, a little family history/mystery and a whole lot of different interlinked stories and backgrounds that you just have to keep reading to know and understand more and more!

I believe this is Wendy Walkers best book yet. It’s both suspenseful and intriguing and once I started reading, I was hooked and simply could not put the book down.

I loved Emma In The Night so I was so excited to receive an arc of Wendy Walkers latest! This book drew me in from page one and kept me guessing for most of the book. I definitely thought I had "figured it out" part way through the book, but boy was I wrong. Such a fast paced and fantastic thriller! I highly recommend it!

I received an advanced copy in exchange of an honest review.

Another great thriller! As good/if not better than her book "Emma in the Night". I was in suspense the whole time wanting to know what was going to happen. Definitely recommend.

2 sisters uncover long buried secrets when an internet date spirals out of control. What more can you want in a book than suspense! An addictive and gripping read that will keep you turning the pages. Fast paced and tension filled-- a fascinating read! Thank you NetGalley for an E-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I stayed up until the wee hours of the morning to finish--it was that good! Wendy Walker has a gift for writing psychological thrillers. I remember how completely unpredictable Emma in the Night was and this book was equally unpredictable. The story opens with a conversation between Laura (the main character) and her psychiatrist. I was immediately intrigued with this format and couldn't stop reading. The story alternates between Laura's POV, her sister Rosie's POV, and the snippets of conversation between Laura and her therapist. It was very interesting to see the same events through different perspectives. It's hard to talk about this book without giving something away so I will just say that if you like psychological thrillers, this one is not to be missed!!!

This was my first time reading a book by Wendy Walker. The description had grabbed my interest and I really wanted to read the book. I was more than happy to get an advance copy. The subject and plot are really interesting and make you want to read more. As far as the plot goes, it feels like something that could happen in real life, to a very unfortunate person. The structure of the book really worked: some elements are revealed, yet you know there is so much more going on, and you keep on reading in order to find out exactly what happened. However, I had a hard time liking the characters. As much as I tried, I just could not like the main character Laura. While I wanted to know what happened to her, I felt detached at the same time. I am not sure if I will read another book by the author, I do hope that the character development will be different in future books.

Wendy Walker did it again!

Absolutely thrilling read with believable characters and interesting premise.

Thoroughly enjoyable read. Didn’t have any idea where it would go and it was a startling ending!

I’m glad to see The Night Before getting a lot of great feedback - but unfortunately, I did NOT like this novel.

Premise: Laura goes on a blind date. She promises her sister, Rosie, to have the car back in a few hours. But Laura never turns up and Rosie freaks out. She recruits her husband Joe and their friend Gabe to help find her.

The setup of the story seemed unrealistic to me. The people closest to Laura made it seem like “if a guy lies to her and she finds out, who knows what she could do to him, aka possibly murder.”

I thought the ending was great and not at all predictable, but the hasty setup of the novel was just something I couldn’t get past.

Wendy Walker has a gift for writing about how childhood trauma manifests in adult life. Her debut novel All Is Not Forgotten, published by St. Martin’s Press in 2016, offered a particularly brutal look into the difficulties young sexual assault survivors’ face in carrying on with normal life, especially those who suppress their memories of the event. Her sophomore book, Emma in the Night, released in 2017, explores the life of a young woman who endured trauma in the form of mistreatment by a parent. Walker’s upcoming book follows much in the same vein, telling the story of a woman who, decades after witnessing the murder of her high school boyfriend, struggles to connect with men in appropriate ways.

While thematically The Night Before is quite similar to Walker’s past works, it struggles to live up to its predecessors. Where All Is Not Forgotten and Emma in the Night were fast-paced and full of daring twists and turns, The Night Before is much more introspective and slow, lacking the imaginative plots of Walker’s past two novels to drive it forward.

The novel unfolds for the most part over the course of one evening as Laura, a young woman who has recently moved in with her sister after a bad breakup, tries to venture back into the dating pool by spending a night out with a man she met online. Her sister, Rosie, struggles to understand her erratic behaviour. When Laura doesn’t return on time from her date, Rosie becomes increasingly concerned about her wellbeing. Rosie’s neurosis about Laura is the result of a traumatic event that took place when the two sisters were in high school. At an end of year celebration party, Laura was the sole witness to her boyfriend’s brutal murder, and became one of the main suspects in the criminal investigation. The crime rocked both girls’ lives, and sent Laura on a spree of dating terrible men and refusing to form lasting relationships.

The Night Before is told in alternating points of view between Laura – whose plot line takes place on the night of the date – and Rosie, whose story covers the day after the date and the search for Laura. While marketed as a suspense novel or psychological thriller, The Night Before doesn’t properly fit into either of those categories. There are moments of mystery and suspense, but for the most part the novel reads as a surface-level character study of a woman who’s never recovered from the trauma of her youth.

It would be unfair to call Laura a completely boring main character. Her history and life experiences are quite interesting, but have manifested in rather irritating ways in her character. She over analyzes the actions of each person she meets and spews an inner monologue of arm-chair psychology and self-pity. Her past is undeniably upsetting, but her present day over-compensation feels forced and unnatural. Her inner dialogue doesn’t translate well into written word. Making it more difficult to like her is the fact that she’s never described in any great detail. Laura’s character, while central to the story, is somewhat hazy and generic.

The Night Before’s plot is equally as lacklustre as its main character, revolving more around a bizarre first-date scenario than around a mystery. With no character to root for and no real twists and turns, the storyline fails to hold attention. If you are going to read Walker’s work – which I highly recommend you do – start with something other than The Night Before. It’s not a terrible read, but in comparison to the brilliance and excitement of Walker’s past novels it just isn’t as compelling.

The Night Before by Wendy Walker is a psychological thriller full of secrets from a past nightmares are made of. Laura Lochner has 'daddy issues' when it comes to falling in love, she can't seem to find the right guy. After a devastating break up, she finds herself back at her sister's house in Connecticut with her brother in law and nephew. Laura turns to an internet dating site, as she is getting ready to leave, she assures her reluctant sister she will be home that night. When she doesn't return, Laura's sister Rosie is fearing the worst...what has happened to Laura, or even worse...what could she have done this time?

This book was awesome! I really liked how the characters all had their own equal parts in this book. They each had secrets they kept from one another, yet all truths are told in the end. Laura is such a flawed person, you really feel sorry for her. Her past just sucks, she can't find a decent guy, her family life wasn't great...except for her sister, so that made up for it a little bit.

The ending will definitely surprise you and keep you turning the page. I would like to thank Netgalley and St Martin's Press for an advanced reader copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Definitely a solid 4-4.5 stars! This is a must read of the Spring!

Outstanding 5 ⭐️ read!! My new favorite book so far this year. Great psychological thriller that kept me guessing until the final chapter.

The story alternates between the perspectives of two sisters, Laura and Rosie, plus transcripts of therapy sessions. Their family suffered many tragedies and it left Laura with extreme feelings of self doubt. A specific diagnosis was never given. She was definitely anxious and I wondered if she was either bipolar or had multiple personalities.

This was a quick read for me and I strongly recommend this book!Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

The Night Before is a deliciously thrilling and suspenseful novel. It moves between the perspectives of sisters Laura and Rosie and they are equally strong. Laura is an incredibly compelling character and Walker does an excellent job of defining the differences between the sisters. While the pace did get a little slow in the middle, The Night Before was primarily fast-paced and full of twists and turns. There is more than one shocking moment and my jaw dropped more than once! Many thrillers have a tendency to be implausible; The Night Before is a great novel because it is both believable and creepily relatable. The concept of internet dating gone wrong is not new but Walker manages to make it feel fresh and exciting.

I really enjoyed The Night Before and want to read Walker's other books!

I couldn't put this down. The dual timeline was done very well and I did not guess who the culprit was until right before it was revealed. I would recommend this to anyone who likes thrillers!

This book is an intense gripping thriller that had me hooked from Laura Lochner's first therapy session. The story begins with Laura Lochner who is out on an internet date for the first time after a breakup with the man she thought loved her. Laura left her NYC Wall Street job and after many years is back home living with her sister Rosie, in CT where haunting childhood memories start to surround her again. Rosie is scared, she is beside herself, Laura is not home from her date and it is almost dawn. She knows Laura's deepest desires and fears she has made a terrible mistake. Alternating chapters go back and forth with Rosie and Laura narrating as deep dark family secrets emerge and threaten to change the history everyone thought they knew. Obsessions and attachment disorders darkened the mystery and the twists and turns were hard to believe as the plot thickens. There were many hidden clues but the shocking ending was one I didn't see coming. I love Wendy Walkers writing and look forward to reading more.

I found Walker’s new book to be a middle of the road novel. While there were red herrings, I guessed the outcome very early on, leaving me turning the pages to see if I was right. I had a difficult time believing that the characters could really be that deceived for so very long. An interesting premise, but could have been executed better.

Three weeks ago, Laura Lochner, reeling from a split with her current boyfriend, took a break from her job as a financial analyst in New York City and relocated to a small town in Connecticut to moved in with her sister Rosie and her family. Laura has a lamentable tract record when it comes to men as well as the accompanying emotional baggage. With Rosie’s encouragement Laura has gathered her courage and accepted an invitation for a first date from a man she met on line.

Now Laura is missing and Rosie has not been able to get the police to act. She, her husband Joe and their trusted friend Gabe take it upon themselves to investigate and track Laura’s movements the previous night.

As author Wendy Walker spellbindingly spools out the evening’s events the more revelations and insights into Laura’s life are divulged until the reader is caught up in this psychological roller coaster ride of secrets, misdirection and multiple timelines culminating with an ending you didn’t see coming.

This is the first book I have read by this author and though I did not love it, it was not horrible either…just really different and not really my reading style. The premise was intriguing and enough to pull me in to give it a try; it was just not one that I would rate as memorable. With that said, I was still flipping pages because I really wanted to know the outcome…did Laura or didn’t she? It was a complicated, suspenseful thriller told by multiple (both sister’s) POV’s and also included some flashbacks into Laura’s psychologist’s sessions, which added a bit more insight into her character. There were also a couple of twists and a surprise thrown in that I was not expecting, nor did I see coming. If you are a fan of this author and really enjoy her work, I am sure you will probably be happy to add this one to your list.

*I received an advanced copy via the publisher thru NetGalley and I am providing my honest review. All thoughts/opinions are strictly my own.