It's been a while since I've read something so laugh-out-loud funny whilst being incredibly contemporary in its stance towards women.

Brent is a sensational storyteller with a vibe that keeps you wanting more.

Holly Jackson meets Sophie Kinsella. It was a shame to have finished it.

My expectations were really high as her previous novel was so good and this one did not disappoint. Molly wakes up with a stranger in her bed and a starring row in a national "scandal". To rub salt in the wound her best friend/flatmate has also been found dead by her.
And so begins this dark twisted mystery which drew me in completely

If you suffer from hangxiety read this book because at least you’ve never done THAT on a night out ! After reading her first book ‘How to kill men and get away with it’ I knew I wanted to read more from this author and this book did not disappoint! This book is a dark humorous twisty murder mystery that you won’t be able to put down it had me gripped right to the very last page !

Thanks to NetGalley for the arc! The murder after the night before is out February 2024

Milly Monroe wakes up with the hangover from hell, a stranger in her bed and she’s gone viral for the worst reasons. She has no memory at all and to top it off, her best friend is dead. The police say it was a tragic accident but Molly is determined to find out the truth. It’s a fast paced read and you find yourself going through all the emotions with Molly’s character. She’s brash, funny, annoying but also addictive. Dark humour with a twisty murder plot, I would rate this book 4 stars. Thank you to NetGalley, HQ and the author for the chance to review.

Absolutely loved this book - was hooked from the start! It is filled with twists, suspense and humour! It had me guessing all throughout who it could be! Highly recommend!

Molly wakes to find a strange man in her bed, then sees a trending video of her being sexually abused, then finds her flatmate dead. Busy night before! Molly, 33, is a writer on a pre-teen magazine based in London, and last night was the staff Christmas party. She got drunk and emotional and more drunk after which it’s all a blank. At some point, and at some place, she was filmed in a seriously compromising position with an unidentifiable man. The video is now on Twitter, her reputation is in shreds, and she’s on ‘sick’ leave while her bosses consider her position. The strange man in her bed, Jack, seems to be a good Samaritan who found her collapsed in Vauxhall, taxied her home, and stayed in case she became ill while unconscious. Evidence for this is that she woke up fully clothed and so did he. Molly, of course, has no memory of any of these events.
She needs to talk everything through with her flatmate, and best friend since Uni, Poesy, also a journalist although in her case a rising star reporter of the investigative kind working for a prestigious national daily. But Poesy isn’t responding to phone calls or messages. Hoping to find some clue as to her whereabouts, Molly goes into Poesy’s part of the flat and finds her drowned in the bath. The police rule this as an accidental death, due to her falling asleep having consumed a bottle of wine. Molly suspects otherwise, but who will trust the views of the slut on the video? Poesy was working on the unsolved case of a fifteen-year-old girl who had disappeared a year ago, but who is believed to be OK despite no sightings and an apparent conspiracy to close down every attempt to trace her. Molly attempts to retrace this investigation, which she feels sure is the reason Poesy was murdered. For someone in Molly’s current mental state – anxious, grieving, border-line alcoholic – this is not a very smart idea, but then she isn’t behaving in a very smart way about anything. For example, who the Hell is Jack and why does she keep asking him to help?
This is a classic murder-mystery story – amateur investigator with a troubled background, police don’t believe there was a murder, conspiracy of silence, small number of suspects – but an above average example, with three crimes – the sexual assault, the murder and the disappearance – intermixed. Another positive is the writing style, which is blackly comedic, with Molly inclined to stumble, rather than methodically step, through events and discoveries. The plot unrolls very rapidly (this is a fast read) and seems somewhat erratic, but this is because Molly is erratic. Appreciating this, the plot is quite clever and the reveals (they aren’t really twists) are well managed. Late on we get a lot of background about Molly which casts a fresh light on why she is such a psychological and social mess. In most standard stories of this type we would get the detailed background drip fed throughout, so this strikes me as quite a bold act on the part of the author. Overall, I really enjoyed this book, despite being completely not in the demographic of the characters or the likely target audience. Getting an insight into that life-style was fun. There are a couple of flaws in the mechanics, but they didn’t interfere and will probably not be noticed by most readers. Being picky that has to be recognised in the rating, but I still get 4.5 which rounds to 5.

I would like to thank Netgalley and HQ for an advance copy of The Murder After the Night Before, a stand-alone set in London.

Molly Monroe wakes up with a hangover, no memory of the night before and a strange man in her bed. That’s before she learns that she has gone viral and not in a good way and finds the body of her best friend and flatmate, Posey Parker.

The Murder After the Night Before is an interesting read, even if I’m not the target audience, being too old and unadventurous nowadays. It has a modern day heroine with a nice touch in humour, a good crime story and some biting digs about social media and influence peddling in general.

I like the way the story gradually unfolds both in terms of Molly’s investigation into Posey’s death (she is the only one who thinks the death is murder rather than an accident) and her personal development where she gradually comes to terms with her past and her failings. Molly has a drink problem and low self esteem, but the reasons for this are not revealed until the end. She and her lifestyle are easy to identify with but not so much with some of her less smart decisions. Still, she’s fun and the recapturing of her reputation is karma of the highest order.

I don’t want to discuss the plot too much as it involves Molly carrying on Posey’s work. There are thrills and twists to the story and it held my interest throughout. Molly is like a terrier with it and the reader lives all the highs and lows with her, like how she gets into a locked phone, which is clever but very dark and made me laugh.

The Murder After the Night Before is a good read that I have no hesitation in recommending.

@currentlyreading__
Book 4 of 2024

Thank you to @NetGalley, the publishers and the author @but_katy_did_it for the advanced copy of ‘The Murder After the Night Before’ ahead of publication on 1st February. I absolutely loved Katy’s first book which I was lucky enough to receive in 2022 and I loved this just as much.

Molly Monroe is our heroine and after a night out and an ill-advised episode on the streets of London, she goes viral. Molly is devastated by what she has done whilst extremely drunk and wants some advice and sympathy from her best friend and flatmate Posey. But Posey is dead in the bath and Molly finds herself at the centre of an investigation into Posey’s death and also very much embroiled in Posey’s discoveries about a missing girl.

Katy’s writing is full of emotion - there are twists and turns, clear social commentary on misogynist behaviour, abuse and media usage. It is an absolute page-turner - at times darkly humorous and an ending which makes the jaw drop.


#bookstagram #bibliophile #bookworm #book #booknerd #bookstagrammer #kindle #instabook #reader #bookobsessed #bookstagramuk #themurderafterthenightbefore #katybrent

Molly Monroe had a night to absolutely not remember. And she doesn't. Not much, anyway. She wakes up with a massive hangover and a strange guy in her bed. By the end of the day, she's internet-infamous and involved in a death that only she believes in suspicious. In trying to solve the mystery of one death, she unravels stories of a missing girl, a dark-web conspiracy theory, and a murder-suicide.

The Murder After the Night Before is a novel that definitely keeps you guessing -- and when you think you've figured it out, you haven't...completely. Molly's character and situation keep you reading, though her character can get a little frustrating at times. The pacing of the novel slows a bit in the middle and the information we're given in a lump-sum at the end were things I feel like the story would have been richer for telling us as it went, but it's a good story that is going to keep you trying to figure it out until the end.

Molly Monroe is a Viral Slut-sation, the definition of an adulting mess and investigating the death of her friend with copious amounts of white wine and I'm living for it.

I had such high expectations for this book after being such a fan of How To Kill Men and Get Away With It and it did NOT disappoint. There was so much that I didn't even anticipate and there were so many twists and turns that just built upon the mystery. This book left you guessing until the very end and it was so intriguing that I couldn't put it down. What I love about Katy Brent is that her writing is based in London so I can place myself in the settings and feel comfortable as I settle into the shoes of her characters. Although I don't feel it was necessarily intentional, one of the most british things about this book was the sheer volume of tea that was consumed by the characters no matter the reason there was always a tea brewing.

Molly Monroe was a character who you couldn't not fall in love with, she was so real and she was relatable for so many different reasons. I loved seeing her character arc and how she transformed herself throughout the book and became the woman she was in the end.

One thing I love about a thriller is that you are always left guessing and that you can never truly know the story until the very last page. Katy Brent's books fit into this so well but they still remain lighthearted and they are definitely thrillers set in the harsh light of day. This book although focusing on dark topics was able to counter this with humour and comic relief and left you feeling as though there was no one left you could trust. I was so caught up with the story that I didn't even notice the passing of hours until I was finished. There were so many tangled threads in this book and it was so addictive watching Molly attempt to unravel them whilst downing Baileys and wine and a ridiculous amount of tea.

Getting to the end of the book allowed the reader to truly understand Molly as a character and I was already in love with her as a Main Character by this point but it was so revealing to discover her backstory and how this played into the character she had become. Whilst the book didn't take the direction I had expected I was not upset by the path it did go down. I loved the social media tie-bits that were at the start of each chapter and how the world was viewing Molly and how this was gave the reader insight to a very difficult topic and the views of people and how damaging social media can be under certain circumstances but also the power that social media can play.

Overall, I couldn't put this book down and would highly recommend it to anyone who is in the mood for a mystery and lovable mess of a main character. it was everything that I needed it to be and so much more.

I have previously read ‘How to Kill Men and Get Away with It’ so looked forward to this novel. And so glad I did! I actually think this book takes the combined subjects of comedy and thriller to another level. Excellent writing and would recommend both books to anyone.

Thanks to NetGalley for providing me with an advanced reader copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The Murder After the Night Before" by Katy Brent is a captivating read that earns a solid 5-star rating from me. As my first venture into this author's work, I am eager to explore her debut novel and add it to my reading pile.

Brent's writing style is nothing short of compelling, effectively immersing the reader in the narrative from the very beginning. The book grapples with intense themes relating to trauma and sexism.

Amidst the chaos in Molly's life, the discovery of her best friend's apparent accidental death adds another layer of mystery to the plot. Molly's skepticism leads her down a dangerous path to discover the truth of what happened leading up to the night her life spiralled out of control.

I highly recommend this book and I eagerly anticipate picking up anything else written by this talented author in the future.

This book kept me up all night.
Absolutely loved it and managed to finish it in two days which is super fast for me.
Five stars.

An interesting mix of thriller and comedy that is difficult to put down so no surprise I read it in a day. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to ARC.

A page turning, addictive feast of confusion, humiliation and a murder mystery set in today's modern world using the genre of twitter hashtags to move things along.
This book had me from the cringe worthy office party at the start (that everybody has attended!), to the hangover the next day and the horrific lack of remembrance accompanying this.
A compulsive read, as you journey with the main character and discover exactly what happened the night before!! Thoughtful prose also about the drawbacks of today's society and our obsession with online stuff and how it can impact your life.
Would highly recommend!

omg.. this book was everything i wanted it to be and more! My jaw was open during the majority of the time while reading it!! It will have you hooked and will take you on a journey of many bends and twists you really do not see coming!!!! I was lucky enough to read this prior to the realise date, thanks to net gallery! and i just LOVED every page, it had me reading from the moment i forced myself to self to sleep and from the moment i woke up! I love the style that katy brent uses in her writing, such an easy read but it’s still giving you everything you want in a thriller!! cannot get enough! a VERY easy 5 starts, if i could give more i would!

Katy Brent instantly become one of my favourite authors after I finished her debut so there was no question in my mind that I would A- love this and B- LOVE THIS!

The way Brent writes woman’s stories, about female relationships and is able to make it all ring true, whilst being funny, having heart and adding in a touch of disturbing; is, in my opinion, beautiful.

I’d already pre-ordered the audio book before getting this ARC and, as it’s by the same narrator, I still plan to buy it

Wow. Wow. WOW! What. A. Book! This one kept me awake until the early hours because I just couldn’t put it down!

It was fast-paced, full of drama (in the best way) and filled with characters that you don’t really like but who somehow change your mind entirely by the end! Katy Brent’s books always seem to veer slightly on the “outlandish - that wouldn’t happen” side of the scale BUT in such a way that you don’t care because you’re too drawn in and invested in the story. If anything, it adds to the narrative in the best way.

I loved How To Kill Men And Get Away With It but this one was even better! A must-read for Katy Brent fans!

The Murder After the Night Before was my first 5 star read of 2024!

If you liked Katy Brent’s debut novel, How to Kill Men and Get Away With it, then you will absolutely love this.

This fast paced and addictive murder mystery will make you laugh, (Brent, in my opinion, is a Queen of dark humour), make you cry, and sometimes piss you right off! Oh and there a few good plot twists, and who doesn’t love a good plot twist?!

Unlike Brent’s first book (featuring a Dexter-like female serial killer - I also recommend), this one felt a little bit more realistic. However, just like she did in HTKM, the author still manages to call out the misogynistic bias women still face in a ‘forward thinking’ society. Which happens to be a BIG pet peeve of mine.

I’d recommend this book to anyone who enjoys true crime and murder mysteries, with a giggle or three thrown in for good measure.

Huge thanks to NetGalley, HQ, and Katy Brent for the ARC copy in return for my honest review!

Initially I thought this wasn't going to be for me, but had a quick look at the reviews and realised it changes. From about a quarter in it really deals with toxic social media, elements of thriller. Yes some of the premises are a bit out there but it is escapism.

I really enjoyed it, I just couldn't help cringing for my daughter. Life is so different now that there is social media.

I was given an advance copy by netgalley and the publishers but the review is entirely my own.