I had to read this twice because 🤯🤯😱...

This is a tricky one as I hated the writing, liked the premise and themes, and LOVED the ending — how do you rate a book like that?

There's been quite some buzz around this debut and I can see why. I loved its exploration of grief, trauma, mental illness, motherhood and its pressures, as well as the stigma that SA victims face.

Unfortunately, I did not click with the writing at all. It was repetitive, extremely disorganised and at times inconsistent. How many times do we need to know that the protagonist's parents died in a plane crash? Just search 'plane' or 'crash' and you can see how many times they come up.

The story is told in dual timelines of past and present, but that isn't always clear despite chapter headings. There was also more telling than showing, with lots of gaps in the story (though later you'll realise it's intentional... but it's so stilted). As with most domestic thrillers that have a small cast, the whodunit was underwhelming and predictable. The characters annoyed me and I felt detached from the protagonist most of the time.

However, the ending was brilliant and freaking chef's kiss. It totally blindsided me and I was like, wait what?! I actually teared up and then went to read the book right from the start again.

So tell me how do you rate a book like that....

This was my first book by this author. I would definitely read another by this author. This was a great story if you enjoy mystery and suspense. It definitely kept me on the edge the whole book.

This is an amazing read that grips you right from the start. It is dramatic story and told with great sympathy for both Owen and Julie. Rape is a difficult subject to cover in a thriller but it is done with sympathy and respect for the subject.
We meet Owen and his wife Julie and their friends and neighbours. There is a party held by their nearest neighbours and something goes wrong for Julie there. She has to tell her husband what has happenedat the party right away.
She has been raped whilst she was drugged but things get worse when she becomes pregnant. It has to be the rapist’s baby. Owen is supportive husband despite what has happened. Julie tries to investigate herself and tells the police. When the baby is born Owen bonds with the little boy. Further on in the story you begin to think that the timelines are confusing. There is a shock for the reader at the end of the story.

I was interested in the book after reading the synopsis.
The first part of the book was decent, however toward the latter half it got weird and the story line was muddled and confusing.
Thst last part of the book ruined the story for me.
It was a miss for me.

I've never heard of this author and truthfully as I was reading it though ho hum..not much happening really other than the beginning. ...then I got to the end..and it kinda blew my mind as it was not what I was thinking at all!!!
Great writing style that is easy to read and make you want to read it.
Glad I never gave up on this one.
Would definitely check out more from this author.

Thanks to the author, the publisher and NetGalley for an early release of this book.

Julie and Owen had a wonderful life one night they invited to a party but Owen couldn’t go cause he had food sickness and so Julie attended alone. When Julie woke up in pain and he half naked and Liz and Marcus‘s tub with Marcus sitting next to the tub she didn’t know what to think all she wanted to do was go home. She knew something bad happened and she knew what but she was too tired to think about it. It wouldn’t be until two months later that she told Owen she was raped at Liz and Marcus‘s party but Owen loved Julie so he stayed. everything would be great until Julie gave birth early then everything changed. I thought this was such a clever book and I did not see the twist coming at the end but OMG what a twist. I would definitely read another book by the Sauthor and I can’t recommend this one enough it really was a good book in the end makes everything that was confusing in the middle, clear. What a brilliant ending. I received this book from NetGalley and the publisher but I am leaving this review voluntarily please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review.

Thank you to Wattpad books publishing and net galley for providing me a copy of this arc. I have never heard of this author but, if you like suspense this will be a new author to add to your growing tbr pile. It was a quick, intense read where you wanted to keep on reading.

4.25⭐️

This psychological thriller is this US authors debut novel. Interesting to see that it comes with several trigger warnings.

Life for Julie and Owen Dolan was idyllic until one fateful might when one turn of events changed everything.
Julie is the narrator telling the story in both the present and at the time of the event. It deals with some difficult subjects. It’s a bit of a mystery with the memory loss and trying to solve the puzzle. She is a likeable character.

I really enjoyed it, it’s quick read. i found it well written. It’s quite different. I found one revelation to be too convenient. I loved the ending, but feel it might divide readers.
I look forward to reading more by this author. If you fancy a psychological thriller /suspense that’s different give it a go.

I really enjoyed this book and I have never read one quite like this before. About half way through, I started shaking my head and wondering what the heck, but it led to a brilliant ending.

Julie and her husband, Owen, were invited to a party at the neighbors, but Owen got sick so Julie went alone. During the party, Julie was drugged and she woke up in the bathtub naked from the waist down with Marcus, the host of the party. This book definitely was a page-turner!

Thank you NetGalley and Wattpad Books for the eARC of this fantastic book.

Ummmm, WOW. Just wow. If I could rate this book 10 stars I would. I feel like I need to read it again following that amazing twist. This book had me guessing to the very last pages! I went through so many thoughts, ideas and emotions with this one, from sadness, to anger to shock. I couldn’t put this one down, it’s a rare gem, so far a new favourite. I 10/10 recommend,

Holy crap, this book was intense. It hit especially hard because I have a deep fear of pregnancy, and dealt with sexual trauma when I was younger. I had a hard time continuing after the SA but it was well worth the read

Night Forgptten

I sat down two hours ago to just get a start on this book, but excuse me while I pick my jaw up off the floor, as I just finished it. WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?! This is seriously a debut? If so, what a start…

The synopsis lays out really the only part that can be said without spoilers. Long story short, Julie went to a party at a neighbor’s house, and after only a couple glasses of wine, woke up in their bathtub, naked from the waist down. I don’t normally put trigger warnings in my reviews since I review horrors and thrillers, but this book does deal heavily with rape and the struggle of said rape conceiving a child. It’s written delicately but rawly, without sensationalism or bias, and I commend the author for that.

Julie doesn’t want to believe it, but it’s clear she’s been sexually assaulted. She decides to keep it from her husband and the police, since she has no memory of the assault and her many wounds can be explained away. That secret was hard to keep though, once she realized she was pregnant with her rapist’s child. The current abolishing of Roe vs Wade and American states making abortion illegal, even in cases of rape, makes this extra timely (though the author was careful to not make this political). What do you do when you want a child, but it was delivered to you in such a fucked up way? Mentally, how does one deal with that?

The author takes you through not only this delicate situation, but through a page-turning psychological thriller. I sped right through this, and since it wasn’t excessively long, it was a very quick read. The whole book was fantastic, and I was wavering between 4 or 4.5 stars rounded up for being a debut … then I read the ending, and all I can say is this is a solid five-star book. I’m still reeling. I can’t believe such a great thriller about domestic and neighborhood relationships also delved into a thoughtful subject that most authors probably wouldn’t touch. I loved it, and cannot wait to read more from this fantastic writer.

(Thank you to Wattpad WEBTOON Book Group, Meghan Joyce Tazer, and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my review. This book is slated to be released October 31, 2022.)

The plot of this book caught my eye: happily married Julie and Owen are eager to have a baby when Julie discovers she is pregnant as the result of a vicious assault. This could have been a real thriller, but unfortunately the book didn't deliver on its potential.

I found the narrative of the story confusing, as I couldn't always tell whether I was hearing about "before" or "after" the baby's birth. Some plot points did not make sense as they happened, although there is a big twist near the end that explains some of the confusion. The pacing of the story was uneven and not very suspenseful. The characters of Julie and Owen were not developed enough to care about them in a meaningful way.

I may cautiously recommend this to some readers who like thrillers.

Thank you to Wattpad Books and NetGalley for the e-arc in exchange for my honest review.

3 Stars!

This one starts off strong. Julie and Owen seem to have the perfect life, a young couple living in an idyllic town, in their renovated farmhouse. Until Julie goes to the neighbor's holiday party and wakes up bloody and bruised in their bathtub, with no recollection of what happens to her.....and then she finds out she's pregnant.

I feel like the middle feel a bit flat. I hated Julie and her wishy-washy-ness. Her indecisiveness and unwillingness to stand up to her mother in law and Owen drove me nuts. It all makes sense in the end if you can get there.

A special thank you to NetGalley, Wattpad Books, and Meghan Joyce Tozer for providing me with an ARC.

While reading Night Forgotten (Meghan Joyce Tozer) there were times I wanted to shake Julie, the main character, and knock some sense into her! After being raped while drugged and remembering nothing, Julie manages to do everything wrong. Night Forgotten is an interesting story, but it seems painfully slow at times, and at others time seems to have sped by. By the end of the story things make sense. I want to thank NetGalley and Wattpad Books for an early copy to review.

Before . . .
Life is idyllic for Julie Porter and her husband Owen. They've bought their dream house in the Berkshires; their careers are on the upswing; and they have the world at their fingertips. They've never been so in love. They've never been happier. The only thing that's missing is a baby but Julie's got a plan, and they're right on schedule.
Until Owen falls ill with food poisoning, leaving Julie to attend a neighborhood holiday party alone. When she wakes up, half-naked in her neighbor's bathtub, Julie doesn't know how to tell Owen, the police, her friends anyone that she has been sexually assaulted. So she keeps it secret until she realizes that she's pregnant with her assailant's baby.
After . . .
Life is unmanageable for Julie. She can't function in the world with a newborn, and she's unable to be present for her husband, her family, her friends. Desperate to solve the mystery of what happened to her, Julie's driven to more and more erratic behaviour, until the truth about that night is revealed. Afterward, no one will be the same ever again. Not Owen. Not the baby. And especially not Julie.
Really enjoyed this book totally recommend
Thank You NetGalley and Wattpad Books
I just reviewed Night, Forgotten by Meghan Joyce Tozer. #NightForgotten #NetGalley

Thank you Wattpad Books & Netgalley for an eARC of Night, Forgotten by Meghan Joyce Yozer. WOWZA.

Julie Porter & her husband Owen are living their ideal lives and have never been so in love. The only thing that’s missing for them is a baby, but they’ve got a plan. That is, until Julie attends the neighborhood holiday party by herself when Owen is sick. She wakes up, half-naked in a bathtub and doesn’t know how to tell anyone the truth that she knows in her gut - that she’s been sexually assaulted. When she finds herself pregnant from the assault, she realizes she has to tell her friends, family and the police.

After the baby is born, life is unmanageable for Julie. Desperate for the truth, Julie’s driven to erratic behavior until the truth about that night is revealed.

I expect to see polarizing reviews on this one - But I absolutely loved this book and am WOWed by the ending and how the author pieced everything together. It’s not what I expected going into it, but that made it even better for me. This book is extremely well written, powerful, and gut-wrenching at times. Given the subject matter, also very emotional as well. Definitely please consider the trigger warnings prior to picking this one up. This story will stay with me for a long time.

Oh how I wanted to like this book. It started off soooooo strong. The middle fell flat for me and then that ending ruined it for me. I hate to leave a bad review but this book didn’t do it for me.

A young couple with everything going for them, Julie and Owen are living their best lives, renovating their dream home and looking forward to starting a family. Owen gets food poisoning and Julie goes alone to a neighbor's party. The night is a blank between her getting there and drinking wine and waking up bruised and bloody and naked from the waist down in her neighbor's tub. She has obviously been sexually assaulted. She doesn't react the way I believe I would in those circumstances, but I know that there is a wide variety of reaction to rape. When she discovers she is pregnant after the rape, she and her husband have differing thoughts but end up going forward with the pregnancy. This is a well-written, emotional and suspenseful tale, but I can't rate it higher because I really disliked the big twist. When I suspected that was where things were heading I was hoping against hope I was wrong, but alas, no.

Night, Forgotten - Meghan Joyce Tozer

Julie Porter goes to neighbour's party, and wakes up muddy, bloody, bruised and half naked in their bathtub. She believes she's been raped, and with the resulting pregnancy she knows she has.

So, some dark and bleak subjects. I have read some similar plots, but without the pregnancy, which together with Julie and husband Owen's reaction and relationship development kept it feeling quite original.

The character writing and scene setting is good, but I would have liked a little more pace and plot. After the the dramatic start it felt a little slow in the middle, but it held my interest.

Not bad at all, but not one I can get really excited about.

Thanks to Netgalley and Wattpad Books