Ohhhh this book was so good!! A huge story and an intense thriller. Definitely not one to miss at all. I loved every twist and turn in it.

I've just finished reading Sue Watson's "The Sister in Law" and really enjoyed that so I decided to jump straight into reading this one and it didn't disappoint. So thank you to Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

Hannah and Alex met on a dating app and went on a first date. Hannah learns that they have so much in common, in fact they have everything in common. Alex is the perfect match and it all seems too good to be true. However right from their first date there are little red flags with Alex that make you think he isn't as nice as he seems. Hannah clocks Alex pocketing her used napkin and spoon as they leave the restaurant on their first date but is so taken with him that she ignores her intuition about his bizzarre behaviour. Soon she finds herself in a serious relationship with Alex which quickly turns controlling and claustrophobic.

I love the way Sue Watson writes. She quickly draws you into her story and leaves you feeling dizzy with the many twists and turns she creates. You end up not trusting anyone's intentions. I did like Hannah and found myself telling her to listen to her gut when she believes what Alex is telling her when her intuition is telling her something is wrong. It just highlights how easy it is for women to become trapped in controlling relationships as Hannah did. Oh and that final few twists at the end were fantastic and I didn't see them coming.

I really liked The Sister-in-Law, so I was super excited to pick up First Date. The first third of the book was filled with tension and laid the groundwork for what could have been a few solid twists. However, after that, the plot felt a bit cyclical. The characters were trapped in a repeating pattern of events, and I felt my interest wandering. Ultimately, the ending didn't have the payout I'd hoped for getting through the middle part of the book. This one was a miss for me, but hopefully will be a better fit for other readers.

This is the first book that I have read by Sue Watson and once I started I just couldn’t stop. First Date follows the journey of Hannah who has started to date online after her horrible breakup up with Tom. After several dates with some unsavoury characters, she finally meets Alex. From the very first date there were a lot of red flags which Hannah seemed to ignore which drove me crazy. I think that she was so desperate to find love that she let herself be treated so badly.

Somethings that I liked were the storyline, the interesting characters, the suspense, the twists and turns.

Somethings that I didn’t like were Hannah, Hannah, Hannah, Hannah, Hannah, Hannah, Hannah, Hannah, Hannah, Hannah and Hannah.

The way she acted just made her a character which I couldn’t relate to, most of the time I was yelling at her and fighting the urge to shake her. I actually liked Alex more which is crazy.

This book is a prime example of toxic relationships and gas lighting. For example when Alex tried to poison Hannah against Jas and when he cries to make her feel bad. Even though at times the story was a little slow and everything seemed to repeat, I am really glad that I kept reading. Because OMG the ending was mind blowing and absolutely crazy.

I would definitely be interested in reading more books by Sue Watson.

I recieved an advanced copy for free, and this is my honest opinion.

Wowza! Page turner and a shocking ending you won’t see coming! I thought the whole book that it’s good but predictable. I was wrong. Didn’t see that ending coming! Enjoy. You won’t want to put it down till you finish the book!

Twisted psychological thriller that I could not put down. Hannah is thrilled when she meets Alex on a dating app. Alex seems like the total package until he becomes super controlling and more than a little bit of a stalker. Hannah has a very demanding job as an overworked social worker and is thrilled to find someone with the same goals she has. Excellent story of a toxic relationship with lots of twists and turns. This is my first book by Ms. Watson, but it definitely will not be my last. Highly recommend.

Hannah is a social worker and Alex is a lawyer. Their first date is perfect. A little too perfect. I loved this book, although the main character is a little unrealistic with her willingness to overlook some pretty major red flags. The book dragged a bit at times but made up for that with the last few chapters. I wasn't really surprised by the ending as I had my suspicions along the way.

Thanks to netgalley, Bookouture and Sue Watson for the arc

WOW! I read this in one-sitting!

This is an excellent book. Highly engaging and timely, especially with online dating being all the rage!

Well-written and evenly paced.

Highly recommended for fans of domestic thrillers!

Hannah cannot find her ideal man, she has tried online dating ( one of the experiences she recollects is hilarious ) and then she meets Alex, he is perfect, he wants to be with her and love her 24/7....but is this love or is it control?
Her friends are suspicious and think control but they say ‘love is blind’ and Hannah has waited too long for Mr Right and so she ‘lets a few things go’, however by the time she realises it’s too late....almost
And there I shall leave the plot before I give anything away aside from saying this is a book that builds and builds to a surprising and taut ending that is written to surprise and 100% does it’s job
I didn’t particularly like either main player but I dont think you were meant to
A well written pyschological thriller that did as it set out to do, shock!

9/10
5 Stars

Hannah has always done everything in her power to make sure that she is as safe and secure as possible, but after turning 36 years old she’s worried that she’ll spend the rest of her life single. After much persuasion by her friend, she finally agrees to create an online dating profile. This is where she meets Alex and her perfectly shielded life starts to unravel. There’s something that isn’t quite right with Alex, but now that she’s in his grasp is it too late to escape?
 
All I can say is wow, Sue Watson has truly outdone herself with this book. It is absolutely bursting at the seams with twists, turns, jaw-droppers and bombshells! I thoroughly devoured this book, if you’re a fan of mystery and thriller novels then I highly recommend you try this book!

I have to admit I nearly stopped reading this book several times. Hannah meets Alex on a dating app, he is too good to be true. After their first date, Hannah and Alex are talking marriage with 3 kids, a golden labrador and holidays in Devon. However there are so many warning signs that Alex is a lying sociopath which Hannah seems to ignore after some good sex or a great meal that I was exasperated! I just found that he was too blatant with his creepy controlling behaviour that an intelligent woman like Hannah would have walked away.
However, I am glad that I kept reading as the book did not turn out as expected. There are quite a few twists near the end which brightened up the story but I felt they were all just too unbelievable. Hannah had quite a power over men! The main characters all seemed a little superficial, they were displaying bizarre behaviour which you were expected to accept without any real background information as to their motivations.

This author's previous book was really good but this one was just cliched. The main lead was pretty dumb. She cannot take decisions of her own.

Is this book a thriller - yes. Is it a mystery - no. I could figure every part of the plot. Like i was saying this is just heaps of cliched characters and twists.

Looking forward for this author's next book.

While I mostly enjoyed this book, I was perplexed by the character Hannah. She was this independent, strong, intelligent woman but I saw none of that in her relationship with Alex. She was rather quite annoying. Nevertheless the story line was good and mostly believable. I didn't see the ending coming and that made the entire book for me. I'd totally recommend this to my friends.
Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for the arc!

This was a struggle taking a really long time to get anywhere with some really irritating characters however the last three chapters were five star edge of your seat brilliance.

Wow this book is not to be missed! One of the best of it's genre this year and a must for any psychological fiction fan. I read his book in just two sittings. Another author I shall look out for in the future.

Thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for my copy. 3.5*

Hannah is desperate to find the love of her life and appears to have found him in the guise of Alex. On their first date they find they have so much in common, the dog, the future family, their favourite holiday destination, the list goes on.

Hannah is smitten but should have run for the hills when she sees him pocket her used napkin. Any other woman would have thought ugh creepy but not Hannah. There were so many red flags about his controlling behaviour but she overlooks them amidst the cocoon of love bombing.

Hannah's best friend and boss is also an odd character and is quite controlling and seemingly unstable. A lot of the behaviour of the characters is put down to childhood neglect and abuse which is understandable to a point.

The end for me was the best bit of the book and something I never saw coming. This is a solid thriller but Hannah definitely left me frustrated with her behaviour.

I really don't know where to begin with the review for this book - really gripping storyline but with a cast of frustrating characters.

Hannah, is looking for love, she goes on a first date with Alex, from the moment she saw his pocket the napkin she'd been using from their meal, she should've been out of there, Hannah is happy to accept the 'plausible' excuses Alex gives for his increasing bizarre and controlling behaviour - if rearranging her kitchen cupboards doesn't scream 'Sleeping with the Enemy', I don't know what will!

The we have Hannah's best friend, Jas, who is a bit of a know it all and hard to warm to, Hannah just wants her BFF to be happy for her, Alex thinks Jas is just jealous as he works at breaking their friendship up.

There is a supporting cast of Hannah's workmates and also one of Hannah's cases in her role as a Social Worker.

I really wanted to shake Hannah, she ignored all the red flags with Alex, especially given the role she does, but maybe that was the author's intention, she's clearly intelligent and can deal with emotional issues but can still be blinded by love.

The surprise twist at the end did give this book the extra edge.

Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to review this book - this is my honest opinion.

It’s pretty good. The characters are pretty decent, descriptive wise, there is a kind of believable friendship group. What I find hard to believe is the ending, the relationship and how it all unfurls and just about most of the story. It felt a bit too naive and a bit tip toeing around swear words, sorry to say but that work place did not sound at all believable. The male vs female bit I found annoying as all hell.... this felt too cliched and nothing new. I didn’t really feel for any character certainly not for the main, it was just a bit dull sorry to say I think this book will be good for other people and might find it’s way in the charts, for me it’s just a bit bland and lifeless

This was an enjoyable read for me in spite of the lead character being so annoying , I really wanted to give her a good shake and tell her to get a grip !!! I agree with another reviewer that it is very similar to " You "
Hannah meets Alex on a dating app and she cannot believe her luck , he seems to want everything that she does right down to the golden Labrador .Of course when someone seems to good to be true they usually are , he starts taking over her life , trying to turn her against her friends and literally will not take no for an answer ...
I did find Hannah too ready to believe everything he was saying and in this day and age that just didn't ring quite true . That being said it was a good read and an unexpected twist at the end that I had wondered about , but wasn't completely right

I am a fan of Sue Watson’s books but this one was a bit of a let down for me.
First Date is the story of Hannah. Let down by boyfriends in the past she goes on a date with Alex who she meets through a dating app. He likes the same holidays, food, drink and wants the same for the future - he’s too good to be true.
Unfortunately and most frustratingly for me Hannah ignores the HUGE red flags. Every time Alex does something that would have me running for the hills Hannah seems to believe his rubbish and he wins her over with a cooked meal or a seriously questionable story.
She is supposed to be a social worker and able to spot red flags with the kids she manages but misses the coercive control of Alex every single time.
I can’t say too much about the ending as I will never post spoilers but as much as I didn’t see the ending coming because the rest of the book was a let down the ending didn’t wow me either.
This won’t stop me from reading other Sue Watson books as all of her others I have really enjoyed but, for me, this one is not one of her best.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for gifting me this ARC in exchange for an honest review.