Twelve hours earlier, she was...
Hopeful.
Excited.
Safe.
Now she's gone.

We've all heard the saying, "don't judge a book by it's cover", this is one book that is a prime example of this saying! Very exciting and thrilling book with alternating points of view, which I liked. The writing is excellent. Wendy Walker uses such beautifully descriptive words that just pulls you in to the story. An absolute must read!

Thank you # NetGalley for this ARC of #TheNightBefore by Wendy Walker!
Pub Date: 14 May 2019

An outstanding book! It hooked me within the first few pages! I continued my quest for answers, right alongside the other characters. Right up until the last pages I was kept guessing!
Thank you to NetGalley for providing me this advanced copy!

Wow, this was really a page turner! Everyone seems to be telling the truth, then everyone seems to lying. Just what was going on??? So much fun to have my predictions proved false over and over again. Seriously - very, very enjoyable!

The Night Before
By Wendy Walker
due May 2019
MacMillan

Doubt. Apprehension. The gnawing in the pit of your stomach. Your nerves in a knot. Your sweating. Certain details are not adding up. All the red flags. She only just met him on a dating site.....here she goes again.....jumping to conclusions....

Laura passes it all off as self-doubt. This is why she is staying with her sister, Rosie Ferro. To get over a bad breakup. To move on, and the first step is to stop doubting herself. Stop being so suspicious and blowing things out of perportion.Online dating is safer now, isn't it? Times have changed, and so has dating, right? Of course, there will be minor details that don't fit. There is a logical explanation, she doesn't really know him yet. No one is completely candid online. So stop doubting yourself. Laura.

Laura never returns from her online date. Rosie is beside herself with worry and guilt. Rosie begins to question and doubt. She wants answers. Where is her sister? Who is this man, Jonathan Fields, her sister has just met? Is he who he says he is and what he says he is? Is Laura? Is anyone?

A psychological thriller, told from dual view points and time lines: the hours leading up to Laura's disappearance, and her date with Jonathan Fields; interspersed with excerpts from sessions Laura had with her therapist. This really adds to the suspense and mystique, makes the story even more haunting.
This is great and will leave you guessing. Due in May 2019, a must read!
Thank you for sending this ARC for review.
#TheNightBefore #NetGalley

WOW!

Ok so this book deff has a "The Girl On The Train" feel to it and that drew me in. I will admit I got very frustrated with Laura and Rosie at some pointes, but overall I loved it.

This book is in two diff POV's Laura and one that is narrated, by who, we don't know. The writing is done wonderfully. The book is slow paced at first and towards the end, it likes you can't read it fast enough. Because it gets that good! Its filled with twists and turns and just when you think you have it all figured out, BOOM plot twists. I would deff recommend this book to a friend or family member because its that good!

Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for allowing me to read this ARC book and give my own personal opinion.
The Night Before by Wendy Walker, for me this was an ok book, it was an interesting read with a twist, although I didn't really come to care for any of the characters I had to finish this to find out what happened to Laura.

"I worry that my soulmate is on a different dating site." (Unknown)

Laura Heart is leaving the city of New York in her rearview mirror. Too many bad memories that just don't seem to heal. She's headed to the waiting arms of her older sister, Rosie, who still lives in the small Connecticut town that they grew up in. Rosie is married to Joe and has a young son, Mason. They live within walking distance of Gabe, another long-time friend from childhood. Still thick as thieves........

But Laura still feels the disconnect between herself and the town of Branston. Events of the past still haunt her. Strange how the very source of her unsettled mind is now the place that she reaches for. It's Rosie, though, that provides the softest place in which to land. Always has. Always will.

Laura confides in Rosie that she has a blind date with a guy she just met on a dating site. Pretty bold from Laura, but pretty much in the right direction of starting over. Rosie provides a killer dress for Laura to wear and Laura reaches for a bright red lipstick. All the better to hide behind........a bit of courage as she steps out the door.

It's here that Wendy Walker ratchets up the storyline. A handsome gentleman can bring out the best or the worst in us. Laura's night begins like a tightly wound spool of thread. As the night proceeds, the spool spins at a frightening speed. All is not what it appears to be. Walker hands you a box of chocolates and the only way to test the inner filling is to bite right in. There will be creamy centers, acrid fruity rinds, and believe me, plenty of nuts.

When Laura doesn't come home that night, Rosie will be in deep panic mode. You will, too, as the story takes on a past and present timeline. Gonna need a crane to lift those secrets from the past that are finally breathing down Laura's neck.

I received a copy of The Night Before through NetGalley for an honest review. My thanks to St. Martin's Press and to Wendy Walker for the opportunity.

THE NIGHT BEFORE
BY WENDY WALKER

Let me first say that Wendy Walker is brilliant and talented and her first psychological thriller "ALL IS NOT FORGOTTEN is one of the best books I hat I have ever read. I loved it so much that I had to buy it in hardcover so I can look at it and I paid full price also for the digital copy because I wanted to own both formats. I can proudly say that I plan on rereading it again and again. I did exactly the same thing with "EMMA IN THE NIGHT. Although they both are very different they are unforgettable and I can't praise them highly enough. You can imagine my excitement when I saw "THE NIGHT BEFORE," available to request. This again was a very clever premise and plot but I was disappointed that this one didn't enthrall me as much. I don't know if her prior work was just so incredibly captivating that my expectations were too high or if it had a young adult essence to it absent to it's predecessors..

THE NIGHT BEFORE sure was aptly named to the subject matter and very timely and relevant to our modern day life. Laura our main character goes missing after her first date with an online dating website. Laura has just fled New York to return many years later to move in with her sister Rosie and her husband Joe. Rosie and Joe were very kind and much more easy to relate too than Laura. I didn't like Laura with all of her pent up rage and immaturity until I got to the last pages of the book. I don't mind unreliable narrators or unlikable characters. In fact, that is what drives the plot into twisty turns we all love.

The ending or big reveal was prematurely introduced and given too soon made the ending drag a bit. Overall I gave this a generous four stars because of the unique plot and suspense driven narrative. I understand why the author chose to intersperse too much of Laura ruminating in between dialogue with her date, but it was distracting and bogged down the story for me. I really wanted to love this just as much as the above mentioned books. Two of my more talented reviewers and friends on Good Reads gave this 3.5 stars so I don't think it is just me. For some reason this lacked something that I can't quite put my finger on. Perhaps if Laura was a more sympathetic character I would have not been so apathetic to her and what happened. This is still above average writing and enjoyable and I am so glad that I read it. Time will tell if I purchase this. I really adore Wendy Walker and will read anything new she publishes. This is a finely crafted psychological thriller with an outstanding story that I hope readers will enjoy and purchase.

Thank you to Net Galley, Wendy Walker and Macmillan Publishing for generously providing me with my digital copy in exchange for a fair and honest review. It was an honor to read and review Wendy Walker

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and Netgalley for this ARC. The first half of this thriller gripped me, but around the halfway mark, it lost me. I couldn’t wait to finish. It was a lot of the same narrative, answered it got a bit repetitive. But I will say the twist had me, that I did not see coming. It was still a decent read and I will continue to look forward to new thrillers from the author.

I really enjoyed the author's Emma In The Night so assumed this one would be fantastic, too. And while the writing was still great, and the story kept you guessing, I didn't necessarily get pulled into the story or connect to the characters. There were a few interesting "twists" but the main one felt slightly forced and kind of left me scratching my head.

I liked this one a lot better than I did Walker's Emma in the Night. Here we follow two sisters as they tell us what happened the night before. All we know is that years ago something happened in the woods that left a boy dead. Some think that Laura had something to do with that even though someone else was accused of the crime. In the present, Laura is trying to move on with her life after a bad break-up. So she meets someone online and decides to go on a date. When she doesn't come home, her sister Rosie is concerned. Rosie sets out to find out what happened to her sister. As we follow Rosie's progress, we get snippets of what went on that night with Laura. There are secrets, always! Those will start coming to the surface because lies and deceit can never be buried too long. I enjoyed this, it was highly addictive and I almost had it finished in one sitting. I never knew what was going to happen and who was actually telling the truth. It was very well-written and I highly recommend:)


*Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I have read Wendy Walker's two previous books and enjoyed both of them. They were both interesting stories with sophisticated writing. While THE NIGHT BEFORE is highly readable, the outcome wasn't satisfying and was not particularly believable. But Walker did a great job of building suspense and gave us realistic characters that were easy to care about. But if you are a fan of on-line dating, this book will definitely make you rethink your options!

The Night Before ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️by Wendy Walker

This is my first read by Ms Walker. I really did not know what to expect. I found the beginning a bit muddled and hard to decipher who was who. I was almost at a point of calling it quits but I kept reading. I soon became spellbound by these characters.

The unpredictable paths the author took us on was astounding and thrilling. This was an ever changing story so deep and I revealing till the end. Very good read.

Thank you go St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

I give this 4 stars. I struggle with psychological thrillers because they all seem to have the 'gotcha' formula down pat and each book tries to outdo the last 'it' book in the category with ridiculous twists that sometimes come at the expense of the plot. The Night Before, by Wendy Walker, drops enough crumbs to make the twists believable and keep the reader turning each page in anticipation of what will happen next.

Since there is no cover art and a very brief description of the plot I went mostly by word of mouth from book friends and will keep this review brief so as not to spoil it for future readers! The story begins with Laura who goes out on a date with a guy from a dating site. When her family wakes up the next day, she is not home. Neither is the car she drove. Alternating between Laura's perspective of the date and her sister Rosie's race to find her, the reader is held captive reading how the events unfold with a nagging feeling that something isn't right. This feeling grows and grows and grows as you get nearer to the end. The pacing was great and I easily read this in one day.

This is definitely for fans of Wendy Walker, psychological thrillers and a perfect beach read!


I will post my review in April 2019 on my Goodreads/Amazon/Instagram/Facebook and Listy accounts.

Laura Lochner moves back to town after a devastating break up with her boyfriend. This is one of many failed relationships for Laura. Moving back to Deer Hill Lane stirs up plenty of emotions in Laura. You see, her boyfriend Mitch was murdered there and she was at the scene.

Laura moves in with her sister Rose and her husband Joe. They have the perfect marriage, or do they? It seems like Laura and Joe are pretty tight. Staying up late into the night after Rose goes to bed. Friends since childhood, is Joe just being a shoulder to cry on?

Laura signs up for a dating service findlove.com. She meets up one night with a charming older guy Jonathan Fields. Laura seems to be drawn into self destructive relationships that never work out. Is that why she is attracted to Jonathan? Is it because his story seems riddled with untruths?

Laura never comes home from the date....the end...just kidding but that is the end of my summary. You will have to read the rest for yourself!

I read this book with a group of my Traveling Sisters. The general consensus was that we loved it! I have never read a Wendy Walker book before and I loved her writing style. I flew through this book in less than a day. The unique and interesting thing about this book is the way the author leads you on. I literally had no clue as to how this would pan out. All my predictions at the half way point of this book were 100% wrong! If you want a book that will hold your interest, make you change your mind half a dozen times and still be wrong- this is the book for you!

Thank you so much to Wendy Walker, St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for this fantastic ARC.
6 likes

A pretty exciting, twisty novel. I only gave it 3 stars because I deduced who the bad guy was before it was revealed, but still, a creepy read!

The Night Before by Wendy Walker has very little information out about it. I mean, just looking at the 5 lines that are the synopsis tells you only that a girl is missing and we don't know why. With so little information going into this one, I wasn't sure what to expect - but I knew that I was immediately intrigued. Well, let me tell you - what follows is a twisting, layered and complicated story that in the end not only threw me for a loop but I genuinely enjoyed the ride to get there.

"...Laura had been hard to love, the little girl with fists for hands. With rage inside her. But maybe they had created that rage-all of them. She knew this now, having her own child. How easy it was to damage them with nothing more than words. Or indifference."

Laura Lochner has a sordid past, a sordid present and a seemingly sordid future. She's not your typical protagonist in a mystery / thriller who has a seemingly perfect life she decides out of no where to implode. No, Laura has been dubbed impossibly difficult to love from birth. Laura's difficulty finding and feeling love becomes the foundation of who she will become as an adult. She's constantly searching to belong, to be wanted and cared for in spite of her own failings and this leads her to be attracted to all the wrong men.

We're given snippets of Laura's past here as well, having been found holding a bat over the bloodied, dead body of her first love. What we don't know - is what happened, if she had anything to do with it and who the real culprit might have been. As we're given little pieces of Laura's past, we see her present unfolding from her perspective as well as her sister Rosie's. It gets a bit complicated as Rosie is living out the present day, searching for Laura who after moving home and going on a date has gone missing, and Laura's perspective of her date the night before. However, despite having all of these shifting timelines, Walker did a phenomenal job of developing all the story lines.

"I see Mitch and remember the swirling together of warm, lusty bliss and red-hot rage. Danger waking me from the illusion of safety. Fight-or-flight instinct taking over. My hands in fists at my sides, but a smile on my face because I knew how to win that fight. Or, at least, I thought I did."

Laura is absolutely your unreliable narrator trope and while I don't generally have a problem with it, I do sometimes feel it's mishandled. However, The Night Before was a masterclass in the unreliable narrator. Laura was still a layered, complex and genuinely likable character that I think anyone who has struggled with self esteem issues would find something to connect to. The secondary characters left a little to be desired by way of development but I still felt like they were solid and based in reality instead of being too far-fetched.

"Laura Lochner, men don't love you in spite of everything you give them because you are unloveable."

All in all my take away from this was a really quick and fun read. While there were some things I saw coming from the get go, there was a lot I absolutely couldn't have guessed. Past that, even though I knew some of the outcome it didn't detract from the shock factor or how enjoyable the read was. I think Walker crafted a really fun little thriller here and anyone who enjoys the genre would do well to pick it up!

This book had me at page 1. Laura is getting ready for a blind date. She lives with her sister, her brother-in-law and nephew, moving in there recently after a bad break up. Laura has had a hard time. When she was younger she was involved in mysterious incident where here boyfriend ended up dead and a homeless man charged with his murder. Never was it clear what actually happened. The current story picks up fast with Laura not returning from her date, her sister Rosie worrying and trying to track her down with the help of her husband Ben and their best friend Gabe. The story moves quickly and there are many plot twists that kept me completely intrigued. The less said the better but the story is suspenseful & exciting and the twists surprising. Definitely worth reading!

If you are a fan of psychological thrillers, you will want to put The Night Before on your to-be-read or pre-order list for next Spring. St. Martin’s Press sent out some teaser advanced reading copies with very little description and got me hook, line, and sinker. I don’t want to give away too much of the plot too early, but you can expect twists and turns and lots of the psychological part of psychological thrillers. While I am most excited about the Anonymous Girl psychological thriller coming out in January, The Night Before is one to look out for as well.

Fantastic psychological thriller! I was fully engrossed from start to finish. This is my first Wendy Walker novel, but I believe I have Emma in the Night, so I’m thinking I might want to check that one out now too!