Wow That Night by Cyn Balog was such a wild ride. This book had me so twisted that I couldn't figure out what was happening. I was so hooked on it from the start but the ending had me so confused. There are something amazing about Cyn Balog and the way she writes that the story and characters stay with way after you finish the last page.

Title: that night

Author: Cyn Balog

genre: YA

Netgalley

pages: 320

book synopsis

Hailey wants to know the truth, but there are some secrets that are best left buried…



Hailey is determined to find out all she can about her boyfriend's suicide. She knows Declan wouldn't kill himself, even if she can't remember a lot of what lead up to that fateful night.



Kane, Declan's stepbrother and Hailey's best friend, wants to move past what happened—not dig up bad memories. But the more Hailey searches for information, the more she remembers.



As the truth begins to unravel, Hailey finds herself unveiling secrets she never could have imagined—secrets that have the possibility of ruining everything.


my thoughts

rating: 2

Would I recommend it : no

will I read any more by this author: yes

I was so looking forward to this one since I liked her other one Alone, but sadly it wasn't meant to be, right from the start it went from liking and felling sorry for Hailey to just plain not felling any thing for her , and all the time felling sorry for her best friend Kane and wounding why was he still friends with her, the more I read the more i started thinking what if Declan's suicide wasn't a suicide , what if it was murder , and I wanted to know if I was right or not, but the more I read the more I begin to see that Hailey wasn't a nice friend or even a girlfriend , and the end wasn't that much of a surprise with that said I want to thank Netgalley for letting read and review it exchange for my honest opinion.

I was so enthused to read this book - until I saw the writing style.

Wow, it was so slow and full of details we did not need.

I wanted some build up, some suspense, instead I got a boring story.

I received this from netgallery as an arc ebook. This does not alter my review.

A year after the death of Haileys boyfriends Declan. We follow her desperation into solving and understand the reasoning behind Declan’s suicide. Despite what everyone says about his suicide after finding a threatening photograph she is determined to prove to herself and everyone the happy boyfriend she loved would not kill himself.

The only issue she cannot remember the events leading up to his death and with the help Declan’s step brother and also her best-friend Kane. Her memories begin to piece together the events which unfolded. Sometimes knowing the truth is harder then being oblivious to it.

A true emotional roller coaster of a book. I like to think of this book as a puzzle, constantly trying to piece parts of the plot and secrets together. Although slow at first the more i read the more i realised how important the little details at the beginning of the book were and the further in the faster i pieced possible ending together.

Balog expertly never gave too much away and left you think you knew how the story would end yet you never did. A touching story identifying the struggles of mental health, and the trauma that faces people after losing someone to suicide. How it can shatter lives in a multitude of ways.

Compelling ~ Unpredictable ~ Engrossing

tl; dr: Teen falls in love and learns love might not be enough.

That night is like a teen romance novel written by Gillian Flynn. The book is part thriller, part YA, part mystery, part meditation on love. I don't want to give too much away. I actually hadn't even read the blurb when I picked up the book. I am so glad that I went into this book without preparation. The fast-paced plotting ensures you won't be lost long. Balog's writing is crisp and her character creation efficient. You immediately get into the story, and find a great desire to understand who did what. This page-turner has broad appeal, certainly, but underlying the thriller like plotting, the story is about the fragility of the heart of young women. Society makes girls feel love is a certain way, and that can bring many woman to the brink.

4.5

Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book was really good. Short but definitely kept me interested and I did not figure it all out as i was reading which made it even better. Hailey's boyfriend Declan, also her neighbor, killed himself a year ago and she is still grieving and really confused about the events around his suicide and why he did it. She has also best friends with Declan's step-brother Kane for most of her life before Declan's Mom married Kane's Dad a few years ago and they moved in. The book is written alternating between flashbacks to before Declan's suicide and Hailey's current senior year in high school. She spent several months in an mental institution because she was having trouble dealing with Declan's death. In the current day, Hailey is trying to piece together what happened leading up to the suicide because she can't remember most of it. In the present she begins to remember what happened slowly and the entire story comes out in the end, with many twists and turns--surprises in the plot that I did not expect. This was an interesting story because of how intertwined Hailey's life was first Kane and then Declan and how their relationship developed. I loved Declan--he had incredible character and morals which he tried to stick to regardless of what happened. Hailey was so in love that she was blinded and that kind of led to her downfall. Sad but a good look at high school love and how serious it is to those involved. Great book, short but definitely worth your time! Thanks to NG for the ARC!!!!