I was intrigued by the premise of The Night Before, but unfortunately I was left with a meh feeling overall. It was an okay read for me. Early on I figured out who was behind the disappearance. There were still a few surprises here and there to hold my interest though.

Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for this e-ARC in return of my honest review.

Two sisters tell the story from each other’s end. Laura, the youngest, tomboy in childhood, in search of true love is heading for date with a man from online dating site. Everything looks promising until Rosie, the oldest sister, now married and young mom, find Laura’s room empty next morning. The past horrible secret unifies both sisters and Rosie is on the quest to find her sister. Along she unravels mind-blowing secrets from the past.

The story was gripping at times, but I did not feel particularly thrilled. I could not connect with Laura desires and fears, as she wasn’t fully drawn until very last chapters. Readers get these pieces of information from her and her sister’s flashbacks from their childhood. I did not feel Rosie who lost any traces of communication with her sister. She got so caught up with her own family taking care of her husband and son, she kind of abandon her sister. Aren’t we all a bit guilty of it though? With work everyday, never-ending chores and making house a home? I should have liked Rosie more, but I was confused why she didn’t believe her sister when accident happened?

The plot was a little bit predictable, but there were few twists I appreciated. I think I should stop right here or I’ll spill something important.

Overall, good read

I read and quite enjoyed Walker's 2017 thriller Emma in the Night, so I was excited to read The Night Before. This is compellingly written and structured, with a propulsive but measured pace and alternating perspectives/timelines. It seems it's getting harder and harder for psychological thrillers to make a lasting impact—although this one was good, it wasn't particularly striking or memorable, a solid but ultimately middle-of-the-road offering. Based on the first 3/4 of the book, I expected this to be a 4-star read. However, the pace slowed way down toward the end, all the more frustrating because, by that point, it was perfectly clear to me where the ending was headed.

The Night Before was a twisty turny ride of a thriller. I thought FOR SURE I had it figured out the first third of the book, Little did I know......
I love how the book is told in three viewpoints alternating chapters. It's told from Laura's point of view in a timeline from the Night Before, Laura's dialouge to her psychologist a few months prior and Rosie (Laura's sister) the following day.
Perfect summer thriller! Be sure to throw it in your beach bag this summer!

I was so excited to get a copy of this to read, but I started this again and again and again and couldn't seem to get past the first few chapters. It got to the point where I had to put it aside for a few weeks until I tried once more and this time I pushed through. I'm glad I did, because it was much better than my initial impression, but I was really put off that it took me so long to get into despite the fact that it was one of my most anticipated reads of this year.

I found the characters difficult to feel sympathy for, I was unable to trust the main character and found myself sucked into the unreliable narrator trope. I don't dislike books because of an unlikable main character but this was a bit tough to get through. I also found the red herring to go on for too long during the book.

Overall, I didn't dislike this book, but I felt let down a little. I was hoping for more. I would continue to read more of Wendy Walker's books no matter what, I think she has something and this wasn't enough to put me off.

I received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

The relationship between two sisters with long-buried secrets always provides a compelling basis for a psychological thriller. And The Night Before is no exception..

Laura Lochner has come home. She's on the run from a broken heart (again) and has abandoned her Wall Street job and New York City apartment, hiding out in the home of her sister, Rosie, who never left the small Connecticut town in which they grew up. Laura's life has been defined by a tragedy that occurred in her youth, and opened her up to suspicion and gossip. She has never dealt with that reality. Rather, she has been involved in a series of relationships with the wrong men. Of course, Laura has not been forthcoming with Rosie about the details.

Rosie understands her sister and has always been her protector. So of course, she allows her to take up residence in the home Rosie shares with her husband, Joe, and son. Because Laura has not been completely candid about the reasons she gave up her life in New York City, Rosie is left to surmise and attempt to understand this latest chapter in her sister's troubled life.

But Rosie is supportive when Laura announces that she has a date with a man she met on an internet dating site. Rosie helps her gt ready and loans Laura her car so that she can meet the man for a drink, with Laura's assurances that she will behave responsibly.

So Rosie is understandably upset the next morning when she discovers that Laura next came home the previous night. Worse, Laura is not responding to calls or texts, and Rosie has no idea how to reach the man Laura was scheduled to meet. Rosie saw his photo on the dating website, but has no way of knowing whether that picture was genuine or if he provided Laura with his real name. All Rosie knows is that her sister is missing, Rosie's vehicle has been abandoned, and the only person who might be able to help is their mutual childhood friend, Gabe, who lives next door in his boyhood home. Gabe performs IT forensics -- sometimes tracking down cheating spouses -- and offers assistance tracking calls to and from Laura's telephone, as well as the telephone's whereabouts.

Author Wendy Walker relates the story of the desperate search for Laura through alternating narratives. She relates the details of Laura's sessions with a New York City psychologist, commencing four months earlier, along with Laura's present-day first-person account and a third-person present-day narrative told from Rosie's perspective. The result is extremely effective. Walker reveals details about Laura's life that she disclosed to Dr. Brody as readers go along with Laura on her blind date. The focus then switches to the frantic search for her undertaken by Rosie, Joe, and Gabe. Walker switches the story's focus as deftly-times intervals, compelling the story forward and keeping readers intrigued. Along the way she expands upon Laura's history and why she has always been the dysfunctional sister, Rosie's resentments about that and fear not that Laura has been harmed but that, perhaps, she has done something untoward to her date, and grants readers an unfettered look at Laura's feelings -- her self-recriminations, lack of confidence, and awareness of how her sister regards her.

Walker deftly keeps the pace moving, providing clues to Laura's whereabouts, some of which are valid and some that prove disappointing. The suspense builds to the point that Walker reveals what happened to Laura and her location, but the focus then switches to the desperate attempts to get to her in time. Walker includes a subplot involving Rosie's jealousy about the relationship Laura and Joe share which is ultimately resolved with the revelation of family secrets that impact all of them.

The Night Before is a creative, tautly-constructed contemporary thriller and exploration of a troubled sibling relationship. It's a smart, crisp mystery that proves first dates can be murder.

This book was a challenge for me.

When I downloaded this book, I had the impression that it would move to another course, which would be something more "hectic." But not. It revolves more around the protagonist's psychological than in the crime / drama genre. And that was GREAT.

In several moments I thought the villain was a certain person and in others I thought it was somebody else but in the end I was 100% deceived! It was a huge surprise.

The late kick made me feel uneasy when I played down the right side. It was explained why MAS was not convincing (for me).

Anyway, I recommend reading.

Laura has a habit of desperately searching for love in all the wrong places. She falls too hard and fast when meeting someone new. She is fresh out of a relationship and has decided to move back to her hometown with her sister, Rosie. Rosie is married with one kid and is happy to have her sister back home after so long. Rosie worries a lot about Laura, so she wastes no time trying to find answer once she doesn’t come home after a date.

What an interesting read this turned out to be. I had no idea what to believe throughout and Laura seemed to be too unstable and delusional for me to trust any of her thoughts. Everyone seemed to be manipulating Laura in some way which almost made me not trust Rosie and her family. Rosie came across a bit paranoid and over the top at times, so it made it difficult to trust her thought process as well.

I caught myself second guessing almost all of the scenarios put in front of us. I was so drawn into everything that was fed to me at one point that I failed to come up with my own thoughts.

Overall, I thought this was a really good read with great suspense. I was a bit shocked at the ending which to me equals a job well done.

Thank you Netgalley and st martins press for the opportunity to read The Night Before.

This was one of my most anticipated summer reads. I became of fan of Wendy Walker after I read Emma in the Night a while back. I think she does a great job of weaving a story into past and present until you get the full story at the end.

I really enjoyed this thriller. It had me holding my breath and nervous at times. I had a few guesses along the way but was pretty surprised with the outcome when it was all said and done. I really liked how fast paced the story went- there was never a dull moment.

I felt Laura was an interesting character- you knew there was much more to her then what it seemed. I felt myself rooting for her but also skeptical about her choices and what she may do next. I honestly did not know if I liked her or not.

I will definitely read more of Walker's novels after enjoying both this and Emma in the Night.

Laura Lochner has never been lucky in love. She falls too hard and too fast, always choosing the wrong men. Devastated by the end of her last relationship, she fled her Wall Street job and NYC apartment for her sister’s home in the Connecticut suburb where they both grew up. Though still haunted by the tragedy that’s defined her entire life, Laura is determined to take one more chance on love with a man she’s met on an Internet dating site. When Laura does not return home the following morning, Rosie, Laura's sister, fears the worst. As Rosie begins a desperate search to find her sister, she is not just worried about what this man might have done to Laura. She’s worried about what Laura may have done to him… review: This book was just "ok" to me. It kept me turning the page and was a quick read but I feel like it easily got lost in the sea of other thrillers. There was never a moment where I was totally taken aback or shocked and I think that's what this book was lacking compared to Wendy Walker's other books. If you like thrillers, I think you should give this a shot. It's not overly anxiety-inducing, but it does have a twisty factor that keeps you turning the page. rating: 3 out of 5 ⭐️

While I enjoyed this book and I was thoroughly entertained, it ranked only average to me. It wasn't bad by any means but it wasn't a stand out. I feel like these days with all of these "psychological thrillers" - which let me say I enjoy, I just think it is really hard to bring home an ending that is surprising or shocking. With that said, since I read so many books in this genre I also enjoy good character development and a solid plot with nice build up.

The book is told in dual POV's of two sister's, Rosie and Laura. Rosie is the stable one. She married her high school sweetheart, Joe and they have a baby. Laura on the other hand is prickly and flighty, can't hold down a relationship and at this point is living with Rosie and Joe. Laura uprooted her entire life from NYC to move into her sister's attic after a traumatic break up and another failed relationship.
Rosie's POV is what is happening in the present and Laura's POV is in the past. While I love this type of story telling I felt like in Laura's POV I didn't gain any real insight to Laura and therefore, found her very one dimensional and found it hard to understand her.
The plot stems from one incident that happened when they were all teenagers. Laura was there and never could definitively give any real answers as to what really did happen that day. For year's there was a lot of suspicion towards her from the families involved, and her inner circle. Due to this, when Laura goes out on a blind date and doesn't return home, Rosie worries about what kind of trouble Laura could of gotten herself into again. While Rosie goes in search of Laura, old secrets come to the surface about what really happened all those years ago and what happened to Laura the night before.
As I said, it was a solid read. While I felt some characters were under developed and certain things just seemed a little unrealistic, the book was entertaining enough to over look that. The buildup to the ending was a little unsurprising and predictable. I enjoyed Emma in the Night and would pick up more titles by this author.

This was a suspenseful thriller that was easy to read and kept me wanting to read.... even when it was time for bed. Definitely a great thriller that will keep you wondering what will happen next.

The Night Before is the story of Laura, who goes missing after being out on a date with a man she met online, and Rosie, her sister who is desperately trying to find her. The story is told in dual POV, alternating between Laura's date and Rosie's search for her sister.

Wow, this story is captivating and the twists definitely managed to surprise me without being too out there. I feel like I could have figured them out, but I was busy looking in the other direction. There's definitely enough going on in the plot to keep you interested.

The only problem I had was I wasn't sure I really cared about the characters. I found Rosie's babying of her sister annoying and I didn't believe the narrative Laura had in her head about how she sought out men who couldn't love her since she felt unloved by her dad. I think this is in part to the way that some of her background is revealed and had I learned things in a different order I would have understood Laura better. (Sorry, but Rosie is still annoying.)

This was my first book by Wendy Walker and I'll definitely be reading more from her.

Thanks to St Martin's Press and Netgalley for my free copy in exchange for an honest review.

Thought the pacing on this one was fantastic - I literally could not stop reading. Two twists at the end that I didn't see coming at all. Very much enjoyed.

The story follows the sisters Rosie and Laura who don't seem to really know each other. You can feel the tension between Laura and everyone from her past, sensing there is something about Laura. Wendy Walker managed to keep the suspense very well throughout the entire book. I did have a feeling about the outcome towards the end, though that was right before the author revealed the 'villain' of the book. Overall I'm quite satisfied with the development of the story. There were a couple of twists as well that I didn't see coming.

By throwing two different situations together, Wendy Walker created a sublime mystery mix. You are pushed towards one way, while the actual dangerous action is happening right the other way. Walker managed to intertwine these stories well.

The settings and characters are limited in number. This felt good to me, having this little clique in which the story unfolds. You get to know each character a bit more thorough and get more familiar with them, which makes you get better engaged in the story.

Thank you to Net Galley and St. Martin's Press for an ARC of this title in exchange for my honest review. I'm intentionally not giving spoilers, but I highly recommend this book. This book takes you on so many twists and turns, and alternating voices. I can't recommend it enough.

DNF. I am sorry to say that after trying my best to like this book (I swear I tried) I had to stop reading it altogether. I am just NOT into girls/women who are on the verge of desperation to prey on any man/all men that happens to be available/or not. I promised myself to steer clear of this kind of book in the future and use my time to read better things. NO, thank you! Not for me.
Thank you Netgalley for the free digital copy in exchange for an HONEST review.

I absolutely loved Wendy Walker's last book, Emma in the Night, so when I saw she had a new one coming out I had to read it. And while it didn't quite live up to my expectations, I was thoroughly entertained and kept in suspense. It was a fast read but I didn't quite connect to the characters like I did in her previous novel. If you're a fan of suspense and need a quick but gripping read, pick this up!

I can't remember the last time I read a book that felt so tangled (in a fantastic way) I had SO many guesses as to where this story was going, which made it a ton of fun to read. There is family drama, murder, first dates, basically everything you could ask for in a twisty fun novel.
I didn't expect the ending until it was already happening. Such a fun, enjoyable read.

Laura returns to her hometown to stay with her sister, Rosie, for a while after breaking up with a boyfriend. Laura has avoided her hometown and changed her last name due to a traumatic adolescence. When she was in high school, police responded to a crime scene at a party where they found Laura’s boyfriend dead and Laura holding he murder weapon. Laura was not found guilty, but people still suspect it may have been her... even her own sister.

Laura takes a chance and secures a date using and online dating site. She borrows her sisters car, but does not return the next morning. Rosie and her husband are afraid to co tact the police due to Laura’s past. They worry that something went wrong on the date. Did the date hurt Laura, or could Laura have hurt her date and be on the run?

An interesting read with a different concept, but it was a little slow moving. I enjoyed the book, but it wasn’t an earth shattering read that I couldn’t bear to put down at night. It took me a few days to read this book.