Thank you Net Galley for an early copy for an honest review.
I enjoyed this book so much , I was tempted to peek at the end to see if I was right. I settled for reading it all night. GREAT READ.

Thanks to NetGalley for a Kindle ARC of The Night Before.

I have a love/hate relationship with Ms. Walker; I look forward to her books, hoping she will surprise me (in a good way) but I'm always left wanting (in a bad way).

The Night Before falls in this category.

Laura is a troubled young woman with bad luck in choosing men who goes on a blind date after a bad breakup.

At the same time, she is receiving threatening notes and wonders if her past is catching up to her.

In the morning, Rosie, Laura's older sister, realizes Laura never came home from her date. As she, her husband, and BFF set out to find Laura before its too late, Rosie worries that Laura may do something terrible again.

First, the suspense is seriously lacking. Not once did I wonder who the evil note dropper may be; there is a serious shortage of suspects.

Second, the blind date is torturously slow and meandering. I know what the author is trying to do; spook us and throw a red herring (or two).

Who is this dude? Why all the questions about Laura's past? Does he know her real identity?

As Laura and this dude banter, the narrative skips to the present and past as readers see how Rosie retraces Laura's steps the night before.

Third, there is a lot of repetition, not surprisingly when there is very little action or urgency in a plot.

How many times does Laura have to mention her 'fists for hands' and that she makes 'mountains out of molehills' and is looking for a man to 'look up to' like a little girl who is looking up at her daddy. Super Freudian gross, by the way.

Also, Laura keeps saying she has a 'bad feeling' about this blind date and yet she stays with this stranger. She doesn't leave!

Fourth, the plot is just boring. Boring characters I didn't care or sympathize with at all.

Fifth, everyone has been pulled out of Central Casting; Laura is the unruly younger child and an unreliable narrator. She makes poor choices because of her 'bad childhood" or so that's implied and is always looking for a man (daddy substitute).

Rosie is the good girl; she married a childhood friend and they have a beautiful son and cozy home. She is nearly convinced Laura is up to no good when she fails to return home after her date.

There is a shocking (not shocking) family secret that explains the daddy issues Laura has never resolved (but most of us never do).

The bad guy is an eye-roller. It took a lot for me to suspend disbelief to believe in this one but it really didn't matter because I didn't care about the story.

The writing is mediocre, poorer than I expected for the author and that might be due to the shifting timelines of past, present and childhood flashbacks.

The very brief excerpts of Laura with her shrink reads as just filler, useless data to pad an already flimsy story.

What I do take offense is using childhood abuse as a plot device and the shrink trying to explain away the horrible actions of this individual.

The trite explanation behind the perp's motivations offered by the shrink at the end, meant to tie everything up into a neat little bow, is so silly that you almost believe it, but that differs on each reader, depending on how calibrated your bullshit meter and suspension of disbelief is.

I'm a New Yorker so my meter is pretty on point.

Abuse is real and terrible, in any shape or form, whether you are an adult or child or animal, male or female but it does not alleviate responsibility, and just because someone was abused, does not make them abusive, insane or mentally ill.

This was my third book by Ms. Walker; looks like its going to be my last as well.

Wendy Walker is an accomplished author with a reputation for keeping her readers attention long past bedtime and everyone of them say they love her books. That says a lot about the author AND what to expect from this book.
In this day of online matchmakers and internet dates, what if you agreed to go out with someone that is not exactly sane? What if it's you who is the wrong person?
Laura has had some bad experience in her dating history. Her last date was actually murdered. She is seeing a therapist who recommends she start dating again. Laura lives with her sister, Wendy. Wendy worries about her sister but agrees she needs to start dating again. Well, she agrees until Laura does not come home from her first date....
An original twist on a not so original theme will add you to the list of Wendy Walker dedicated readers.

What a page-turning thriller!

This is my first Wendy Walker novel and I devoured it in one sitting. This novel is about two sisters, Rosie and Laura. Rosie is married with a child and has the perfect life. Laura can’t seem to escape her troubled past. When Laura goes on a blind date and doesn’t come home, Rosie starts to worry about her and wonder what has happened. Was it Laura’s date that was dangerous? Or is Laura the dangerous one? You’ll have to find out!

I loved the writing and how it was written in two timelines, the night before and after. At about the halfway mark, I thought I had it all figured out until I didn’t. I was genuinely shocked at the twists near the ending. It was not what I expected at all!

Thank you to the author, NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an advanced reader’s copy in exchange for an honest review!

Wow!! This one hooked me right from the beginning. It took me all of 24 hours to finish because I needed to know how it ended up. I thought I had predicted the end, and although I did guess some parts, there were still lots of twists and turns I didn’t see coming. This was a great fast paced read.

This was a quick read, which is just what I was looking for. This book has twists and suspense, leading to an ending that takes you by surprise.
Laura leaves her job and life, blaming her need for a change on a break-up with her latest boyfriend. Having a tendency to choose the wrong men, she escapes and takes up residence with her sister Rosie and her family. With her sisters encouraging her, Laura finds a date on an online dating site. When she doesn’t return the next morning from her blind date, Rosie knows something bad has happened to Laura. Rosie, with the help of her husband Gus and childhood friend begin the search for Laura. What is uncovered will shock them all. The present and the past will reveal unexpected secrets.

“Part One--choose a man who can’t love you.
Part Two--reconstruct him into a man who will love you.
Part Three--make him love you by any means.”

Run of the mill psychological thriller about a blind date that goes awry.

The premise is intriguing. Laura is getting ready to go out on a first date with a man named Jonathan she met on a dating website. Laura builds a fantasy around Jonathan and this date. She craves love, and as result, she has a tendency to fall for the wrong men. You see, Laura has a dark and dangerous past: She may or may not have killed her first love when she is a teenager. Dark rage is buried inside of her, and her anger can come out at any time. She is determined to squash her past and find true love. In order to do so, she creates stories inventing the perfect man. Unfortunately, her stories make her vulnerable to those who can hurt her most.

The guys she is on a date with may be deadly. But not to worry, because Laura can fight back.

When she doesn’t return home the night of the date, her sister Rosie investigates.

The narrative switches perspective between Laura and Rosie. Also, we get some insight into Laura by reading her past “sessions” with her psychologist.

The Night Before held my attention and had me flipping the pages. It is a fast-paced and easy read--I was able to get through it in one sitting. On the other hand, I found Laura and Rosie’s voices to be flat. While both had some layers to their characters, they didn’t have enough depth to hold my curiosity. I really was hoping to witness an evolution to Laura’s character but it never came. My biggest issue was that there was too much telling and not enough seeing. It was only the idea of what Laura might be that kept me interested. I was waiting for the payoff but none came.

I went into this with high expectations. I love Wendy Walker’s previous work and I had read a slew of rave reviews. Sadly, I found The Night Before to be a letdown. It has the right elements, but the premise didn’t match the execution.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley and St. Martin's Press in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for this ARC of The Night Before.

This book was a page turner! I thought I had everything figured out within the first few pages, but I was wrong! Then, when you think you figured it out again, BOOM another twist. There were a couple of times thr book pulled a bit, but then in picked back up quickly.

The Night Before has quite the creepy edge. At times it feels like you're waiting for this giant elephant in the room to finally be unveiled and, just when you think it has, another twist happens.

Laura has a past, a seemingly dark one too. She is fragile and guarded Following a rough break up, she moves in with her sister, Rosie, and brother in law, Joe. They've all been friends since they were born. Laura is attempting to pick up the pieces and move on with her life. She meets a man online and plans a date with him, but Rosie isn't sure Laura should be going. Allowing Laura to borrow her van, Rosie has a bad feeling. When Laura doesn't come home, Rosie knows something bad has happened. Has Laura's past come back to haunt her or is something more sinister brewing?

This was a very good thriller. Four friends who went through tragedy when they were young are tryin to live a normal life and Laura, who was at the center of the tragedy is going out on a date and disappears. Her firends are doing everything to find her and the story goes on like this. Very captivating, a good page turner. I liked it and it can compare to other very good mystery these days.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for a digital ARC of Wendy Walker's The Night Before. I loved Emma in the Night (got it as my Book of the Month last year) and was thrilled to read her follow up!

Being that the book is scheduled to be released in a few months, let me just say it was a great read! I don't want to give too much about the plot away only because there is a lot going on which I think was the point.
The book is written from narration from Laura who is getting ready for a date and her sister Rosie. Laura disappears and Rosie is searching for answers.

Yes, I realize this sounds like almost every other thriller out there, but trust me, if you have never read one of Walker's books before, this one is different!

Great Read!

Ok, so something happened a long time ago and a guy died. Did Laura kill him? All the awful men in her past, starting with her dad and continuing like an addiction, makes it seem like she looks for bad guys, maybe thinks that is all she deserves.
Her sister Rosie was always looking out for her. Did she pick another wrong guy this time?
I got tired of the carrot of "what happened back then" being held out as a tease and decided I didn't care enough to keep reading.

I had no idea what to expect going into this. The description was super vague so I was pleasantly surprised when I read it! My sister's name is Laura and my best friend's name is Rosie so I liked the names a lot, too.

Laura has returned to her hometown after a devistating breakup. She is staying in the attic of her sister’s home, where her sister Rosie, her husband Joe, and their son Mason live. Rosie, Joe, Laura, and Gabe (who lives in the neighborhood) were all friends as children, and being back home, is both nice and hugely challenging. It’s great to re-live the good times from her youth, but she is also constantly reminded of her childhood traumas which have shaped her life and caused her to believe she is broken and unable to be loved. None of this stops her from trying to find a man to fill the hole she feels inside. Today, she has a date with Jonathan Fields, a man she met on-line.
As the story unfolds, the reader gets snipers of the past, from therapy sessions Laura has with Dr. Brody, along with Laura remembering and talking about incidences from her past with Jonathan, or the 4 childhood friends discussing bits and pieces of what happened years ago. You also have chapters that go back and forth between the present as Rosie discovers that Laura is missing, and the night before, when Laura goes out with Jonathan Fields. Are you confused yet? Just wait until you read the book. You will want to know what happens... but, if you are at all like me, you will have to seriously suspend your disbelief to read this book. There are simply too many hairpin turns and things did not seem to add up for me. Despite that, I had to stay up late last night until I finished reading the book. Even thought I kept telling myself that the twists were too far out there, I also needed to know what Walker did to wrap the whole thing up.
Good book, if you can put aside all the impossibilities within the story.

I have not read any Wendy Walker but I plan to read much more after this! Laura is a woman looking for love in all the wrong places. She makes bad choices and they lead her to bad places. But she's trying to right her wrongs. She's moved in with her sister and is trying to start again. A first date with a new love prospect leads to Laura going missing. Rosie, Laura's sister, begins her journey to track down her sister. Does Rosie know Laura better than she knows herself? This book kept me engaged, reading past my bedtime. The ending was a bit predictable, but I still think the book was fantastic and I would recommend it highly!

“The night before... and the nightmare after.”

Can Laura save the men she dates? Can the men Laura dates save her? Can Laura save herself?

My head is still spinning from this one! I can usually get a read on the woman in peril/unreliable narrator trope, but it took me until at least three quarters of the way through to even kind of suspect what was happening. It was like, a kiddie roller coaster ride in the beginning, but once things started unraveling, it turned into one of those bungee rides that just shoots you into the stratosphere.

I received an advanced digital copy of this book. Thanks to Netgalley.com and St Martin's Press for the opportunity to read and review.

Ms. Walker has written a well crafted thiller that could easy make it's way to the big screen, so long as they change NOTHING about the story. The Night Before is a twisting ride which asks the question how well do we really know ourselves and more over how well do we know the people we love and trust.

A must read, not to be missed. Add this to your TBR immediately.

Laura, Rosie, Joe and Gabe. Two sisters and their life-long friends. There are secrets they share and sooner or later, all secrets will test you. Laura....getting ready for her first date after a disastrous love-life in the city....and meeting someone she matched with on-line. Rosie, more than a little nervous about Laura going on this date.......Laura has always been difficult......has always had anger issues. Joe, the now-husband of Rosie, worried about them both since Laura has moved in with them. And Gabe, newly married to a woman who his friends cannot seem to take a liking to. Laura meets with her date, and while something doesn’t seem “quite right”, she is anxious to begin a relationship. The next day......where is Laura? Rosie, Joe and Gabe hesitate to phone the police....do they worry about Laura or do they protect her past? The story leads us from the date, to the day after when Laura doesn’t come home, unraveling secrets and the past as the story progresses. Does Laura need protection.....or does her date? The story has some twists that keep you guessing. I read it pretty quickly because i wanted to see what would happen next! Worth a read if this is your genre! I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley, the author and publisher in return for an honest review, which this has been. #TheNightBefore

Thanks to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for a review copy in exchange for an honest review.
Having never read Wendy Walker, I can say I'm now a fan. The Night Before is a thrilling story with so many twists and turns. It leaves you guessing and demands that you keep reading. It's a great overall read.

Thanks NetaGalley for the chance to read this in exchange for an honest review. This was my second book by Wendy Walker and I have one more for this challenge. This book grabbed me from the beginning. I liked all the characters and how it was told from multiple PVS and past and present tense. The closer I got to the end the more I needed to know what had happened. Then all of a sudden you are hit out of nowhere with all this new information. I had my suspicions all wrong. and I guess that was the authors intent..well mission accomplished! I cant wait to read the other book by her.

Laura is getting ready to go on a blind date. The first date she has gone on since her boyfriend dumped her by text months before. Taking her sister, Rosie’s minivan, she goes on the date. When Laura doesn’t come home, Rosie isn’t too worried. Then Rosie’s van is found but Laura isn’t there. Going to the police does nothing. Rosie is soon on an all-out desperate search for her sister. Where is Laura? What has Laura done?

I am a huge fan of psychological thrillers. So when I saw that Wendy Williams had another book up for review, I jumped on it. I was a big fan of Emma in the Night. I figured that The Night Before would be as good. And guess what, it was.’

When I first started the book, I wasn’t a fan of the dual timelines. But, as I got into the book, I started liking it. It grew on me. This is going to sound weird, but it made sense by the time Laura went home with Jonathan Fielding.

This book had so many twists and turns, it wasn’t even funny. When I thought one thing was figured out, the author threw another monkey wrench into the mix. I will say that the after plotline got the most monkey wrenches thrown into it. I felt bad for Rosie. She had a whole lot of information, true and false, thrown at her. If that were me, I would have been in a tailspin.

Laura was a broken person. It came across the pages during the before parts of the books. I liked how the author chose to have her therapy visits highlight the beginning of her chapters. I will admit, I did think the same thing as Rosie at one point during the book.

I did feel for Rosie during the book. She was a mess, as she should have been. There were certain scenes in the book where I wanted to hug her. I also would have acted the same way if I thought what she thought about her husband.

The end of the book was a mind screw. I couldn’t believe what was happening when I read it. All I kept saying was “No way, no way, NO WAY“. I still can’t believe. The author did a fantastic job of keeping everything under wraps.

I would give The Night Before an Adult rating. There is sex (not graphic). There is language. There is violence. There are triggers. They would be stalking, attempted sexual assault, child abuse, and mental illness. I would recommend that no one under the age of 21 read this book.

I would reread The Night Before. I would also recommend this book to family and friends.

I would like to thank the publishers, the author, and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review The Night Before.

All opinions stated in The Night Before are mine.

**I chose to leave this review after reading an advance reader copy**