Well, not a great read for me at all.. couldn’t wait for it to end to tell you the truth.  It moved slow for me and I was not interested in the story line.. 
I’m in the minority here so don’t go by my review if your interested in reading this.

I do however want to thank the publisher through Netgalley for the ARC.

A heart-pounding thriller with well-timed plot twists. Laura dresses up and goes out on a date, but does not return home before the next morning even though her transportation was a minivan borrowed from sister Rosie. Those close to  Laura begin to wonder who is in more danger? Laura or her date? Three threads make up our narrative: 1) Laura and "the Night Before" 2) Rosie and the search for Laura beginning the next morning 3) Transcripts from Laura's sessions with her therapist from months earlier. The last entry will break your heart. This will make a fantastic beach or vacation read for summer travelling. 

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I received an eARC through Netgalley from the publishers in exchange for an honest review.

A solid 4 stars.

A gripping thriller, although there were a few moments where it lagged, that is intriguing and keeps you guessing.  I was actually mad when I had about half an hour left and was done with lunch break and had to go back to work.  I loved the alternating chapters from mostly Laura and Rosie, along with a few small chapters about Laura and her psychiatrist.  

I loved the old buried secrets and the way they all unraveled.

Fantastic psychological thriller!!  The story went back and forth in time and narrators but it was always clear who was talking - and when.  The characters are complex and vivid and the story is excellent.  It seemed like every other chapter I was saying WHAT?! at one jaw-dropping revelation after another.

I love it when I can't guess the outcome in a thriller and can't figure out 'whodunnit'.  There were so many surprises in this book - things I never thought of.  I didn't have a clue!

A great thriller.  Bravo Wendy Walker!

Full of twists and turns, this was a fantastic story that kept me guessing.  Told in alternating perspectives and time periods, this is the story of two sisters, one who has disappeared after a date and one who is searching to find her the sister she loves.  Both characters are haunted by their past and the traumatic experiences they were involved in.  This is the second book I have read by Walker and I will continue to request her books.  Thank you netgalley for this arc in exchange for my honest opinion.

Laura Lochner is about to go out with a man from an Internet dating website. Still recovering from her last relationship, devastated by being dumped, is it too soon to try again?!
Leaving everything behind in New York City, coming back to her home town in Connecticut to live with her sister Rosie and her husband Joe and baby boy Mason. 
Haunted by a past traumatic event from a teenage romance gone wrong.
When Laura doesn't return home from her date the night before, Rosie knows something is really wrong. But is Rosie worried for her sister Laura, or the man she went out with?!
This twisty, intriguing psychological thriller will have you on edge as Rosie, Joe and childhood friend Gabe, follow the clues that lead back to Laura.
I didn't guess any of the stunning reveals at the end!
Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the free ebook in exchange for an honest review.

I loved Emma in the Night by Wendy Walker and the premise of this was intriguing - what happened to Laura? She went on a date and is missing. However, she also has a troubled past - something happened that kept her away from her hometown and is making it difficult to date. This did have an unreliable narrator - is Laura a victim, a murderer, or somewhere in between? It was hard to put together the past with the present and some of the past seemed to be repetitive (she needs to be loved, we get it). However, the mystery storyline was really interesting and the twists and turns it took were hard to predict. I thought I had it figured out but I was wrong! However, it did end well and everything was explained, which I always appreciate in a book.
Overall, I did follow the narration (jumping from the night before forward and the morning after forward) but at times it was a little tough to really grasp what was happening and how. I liked this book as a thriller because it was hard to predict and everything wrapped up in a way that made sense. I also couldn't stop reading and flew through the book, which is always a great sign as well.

Many readers may not have heard of Wendy Walker but with her upcoming publication, The Night Before, I am sure that she will soon become a name to remember in the Psychological Thriller category. This book had all the right ingredients of an alluring and nail-biting thriller and I was lost in Laura's world of confusion, distress and desperation. I was a little disappointed to find out that the author had decided to follow one of the latest trends in the industry with an unreliable female narrator but quickly warmed to Laura and her personality. The first few chapters flew by as I was immersed in her world and was keen to discover how her first date after the big break up would transpire.

I read the rest of this book in only one other sitting, eager to find out what had happened to Laura after she disappeared. Blaming her date seemed obvious but the rest of the characters involved appeared to be so distressed about her disappearance that it really left the field wide open for all other surprises. The author really delivered here as we were taken on a roller coaster of twists, riddles and mind games where all characters were involved.

Although I enjoyed the premise of this book, I was slightly disappointed with how it ended and in particular the way in which Laura's disappearance was handled. At first the events seemed a little far-fetched, especially considering how the characters were originally portrayed, but it slowly started to make sense and all came together in the final few chapters. I would have preferred a different ending but looking back at all the hints the author left, I can understand why and how she chose to develop the plot the way she did. Tense, suspenseful and captivating, The Night Walker is a must read for all Psychological Thriller fans.

The Night Before will be out to buy on 14th May!

Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing a free advanced reader's copy in exchange for my honest review.

I should have liked this more, but I just couldn't get into it. I didn't feel particularly engaged with any of the main characters. I didn't find anyone to be particularly likeable. It also just feels like the author is trying too hard to be twisty. It's not bad, just not great.

Ah, yes! I have been waiting since the exceptional Emma in the Night, Wendy Walker's previous novel released in 2017, for her follow-up. I had much trepidation as The Night Before like it's predecessor is based around the relationship of two very different sisters, Rosie and Laura, and because recently I had lost interest in reading family-based thrillers due to many of them being practically identical. But I must say, for all intents and purposes Ms Walker has renewed my faith in domestic thrillers based around the family dynamic and the secrets inherent in each household. 

The author plays on the fact that siblings, despite being from the same genetic gene pool, can be as different as chalk and cheese; I enjoyed this a lot as it slowly built up the tension but it was also believable as I can vouch that my brother and I are both incredibly different and in the spirit of Rosie and Laura, opposites in some cases. Once all of the threads to the plot seamlessly combine and I looked back at the planning involved I was in awe of Ms Walker's genius.

Based around the idea that two siblings may have spent the entirety of their formative years together yet know little to nothing about each other's true characters, the story unravels with a series of stunning and surprising twists, each more mindblowing than the last. Walker is one of the very best thriller writers out there and this is nothing short of a page-turner with bags of suspense, a clever plot, plenty of pace and engaging characters. A dark, disturbing and compulsive must-read and one I enjoyed immensely. Many thanks to St. Martin's Press for an ARC.

Love this book and this author! I haven't read a book by Wendy Walker that I haven't really enjoyed! The story was suspenseful with just the right amount of twists and I love a good "can't put it down" book. I wanted to find out what happened with each of the characters, and I thoroughly enjoyed trying to predict what would happen next.

Laura has always had bad luck with men and her sister Rosie has spent most of her life worrying about her. One day Laura meets a man on a dating site and everyone's worse fear comes true - she doesn't come home after. Did she drink too much and stay the night? Or did something more sinister happen to her? To him?

The Night Before is a well written, fast pace psychological thriller told through alternative timelines and narrators. It's hard to speak much about it without giving too much away but it definitely had me hooked. I flew through this book in two sittings and could not put it down. It was everything I needed to pull me out of my recent book slump. I would highly recommend it to any thriller lovers.

Thank you St. Martin's Press for sending me an advanced copy for an honest review!

I will be posting a review sometime between 5/9-5/11 and another on publication day. I have featured the book twice in the links below.

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This book is captivating and pulls you in to the distress the main character is experiencing. The plot keeps you on edge until the very end. Enjoy! 📚

Wow, very suspenseful! I couldn’t put this down, and couldn’t believe the turn of events on the ending. Definitely recommend!

I NEED MORE, DAMN IT.

This was such a compulsive read. I did guess a couple of the big reveals, but there were so many small twists and turns along the way that I did not see coming at all, and they 100% made up for my predictions being correct. I don't want to say anymore and give even a tiny sliver of the plot away, so all I'll say is: read it!! You won't regret it. 

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the eARC! This review will be posted on Goodreads, and to Amazon's and Barnes & Noble's websites on the date of publication.

Wendy Walker hits it out of the park with her new book The Night Before. What a wonderful psychological suspense read!! With twists and turns galore, Walker keeps ratcheting up the suspense until the pages seem to turn themselves. I was ready to jump out of my skin wanting to know what would happen next; and the ending was awesome – I never saw it coming!!

The story focuses on four life-long friends (two sisters and two boys) who grew up on the same street in Branston, Connecticut. It is told through the voices of Laura, Rosie, and Laura’s therapist’s notes. Laura, the youngest of the four at 28, has just returned to Branston after living in NYC. She is temporarily staying with her sister, Rosie and her family (husband Joe and toddler son Mason) following a nasty breakup. Rosie, 30, has been married to their childhood friend Joe for 13 years. They live only one mile from the house Rosie and Laura grew up in. Gabe rounds out the quartet of friends. He now lives with his wife Melissa in his childhood home, next to the house where Rosie and Laura’s family lived.

Laura left town ten years ago following the post-graduation murder of schoolmate Mitch Adler. Though Laura was found standing over the body with a bloodied bat and wearing blood-spattered clothes, she was not charged in his death. A homeless man was found guilty of the crime and died in prison. This was not the first episode of violence involving Laura though, and she decided to move away to start anew where no one knew her name or her past.

Ignoring her pattern of bad decisions regarding men, Laura decides that the best way to get past the devastation of her recent breakup is to start dating again. She signs up with an online-dating service and much to Rosie’s dismay, is soon off on a date. But she doesn’t return. Who should we be afraid for?? 

This is a book you want to read. I give it 5 stars!

Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for allowing me to read an ARC of the book in exchange for an unbiased review. All opinions expressed here are my own.

If you have ever tried online dating then you should read this. This is everyone's fear come true, or is it? Laura feels worthless in the eyes of men. She just recently went though a break up. She then decided to move back home in with her sister Laura and her husband Joe. Its a cozy little family with a childhood friend that is always around, Gabe. All four grew up together in this little town, forever friends. 

Laura scours on online dating site for what she feels is the perfect man. However during there date she is constantly looking for reasons as to why he may not be so perfect after all.


This book is very well written. Between Rosie's relationship with her sister and Laura being a bit off balance it keeps you on your toes. I enjoyed the book from start to finish. I recommend preordering this book, if you like suspense you have it here! One of the best books I have read this year!

This was my first Wendy Walker novel. I felt like the beginning was more engaging to me than the rest of the book, but overall this was a quick read. Thanks to Netgalley for this ARC.

This is a super fun thriller, that will have you turning the pages quickly to discover what really happened! 

Laura is haunted by a past that she has never really been able to overcome! Having recently moved into her sister’s house to begin her life afresh, she suddenly disappears after going on a date with a man she met online. Desperate her sister, brother-in-law and close friend all do what they can to track down her whereabouts, but the past keeps haunting them all and the question that keeps coming up is: Who has potentially hurt who?

This is told from two POV’s – Laura and Rosie’s and I loved that – You got to see the situation from both sides, and the doubt and fear that they both posses based on the past. This is definitely a book that its great to read going in mostly blind!! I had so many opinions and none of them were correct – which is always the best! So just read it!

Laura Lochner has returned to her hometown, a bit disgraced, after falling in love with the wrong man yet again. This is a pattern with Laura--always seeking the wrong guys. Her last breakup has hit her particularly hard, causing her to leave her job and apartment and return home to live with her sister, Rosie, Rosie's husband, Joe, and their young son, Mason. Rosie has worried about her sister since they were kids. Laura's always been a little angry and damaged. Both Rosie and Joe feel protective of Laura, especially as she leaves to go on a blind date with a man she "met" on a dating website. So when Laura isn't back the next morning and not responding to texts or calls, Rosie jumps to the worst conclusions. Rosie and Joe begin a frantic search to find Laura. Are they too late?

So this wasn't exactly what I was expecting, and I have to admit, it was a slightly strange and weird--almost trippy--read. The book alternates between Laura and Rosie's viewpoints, with Laura's leading up to and covering her blind date, while Rosie's cover the "after" period, when she searches for her sister. No matter what, I will emphasize that the book mainly held my interest, and while I didn't love it as much as many other reviewers, it was an interesting read, for sure. It's different, too, which is always fun and sometimes hard to find when it comes to thrillers. I just wasn't as "wowed" as I'd hoped, based on some of the reviews I'd read.

The premise here is that Laura has a horrible track record with men. And that she has a bit of a history with violence and unpredictability. The first part you will certainly get, as it's hammered over and over. And over. A bit too much for my taste. We get it. She has bad taste in men and makes poor choices. The second part--her unreliability and potential for violence--is a bit more intriguing. Instead of Rosie thinking that something might have happened to Laura, she almost fears Laura might have done something to her date. I liked this premise: it goes back to the fact that the book was different. A lot of this stemmed to Laura's past and a mysterious encounter with an old boyfriend, which was slowly revealed.

"It was in my hand. The weapon that killed him. But that night didn't change me. That night made me see what I've always been."

There are definitely some interesting twists in this one. Some, eh, while others were very unexpected. But, more in the far-fetched unexpected realm, versus whoa!, which led to a little bit of my letdown feeling. I wasn't particularly impressed with the big reveal of whodunnit and had no real attachment to any of the characters, including Laura, which was a bit disappointing.

Still, as I said, this one definitely held my interest, especially in the last 1/2 - 1/3 of the book. It's different and a little weird and dark. Some of the twists didn't really do it for me, but there are a ton of people who really liked this one, so take my review with a grain of salt. I'm still glad I read this book, and I will definitely continue to seek out Wendy Walker's books, as they are always a fun read. 3+ stars.