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mikayla_shamblin's review against another edition
4.0
We all want that one big twist in a book, right? Because what are suspense thrillers without a grand-finale-type ending?! Brace yourself, because this isn’t a one off, wait til the end, I’ve got this figured out type story.
Twisty, with lots of “wait a sec” moments, Wendy pulls out all the tricks in this book!
Twisty, with lots of “wait a sec” moments, Wendy pulls out all the tricks in this book!
hollidayreadswithme's review against another edition
3.0
For more of my reviews, check out my book blog at www.readingreckless.wordpress.com.
Once again, I’m reading about emotionally wrecked women.
The Night Before is about a woman who is down on her luck, after leaving her high paying Wall Street job and life in Manhattan over a guy, sets to put herself back out there on the dating scene. She goes on a date and doesn’t return to her sister’s home the following morning. Worried that something might have happened, Rosie tries to find her sister and discovers more secrets than she could have ever imagined.
The perspectives of the chapters shifts from sister to sister and from the Night Before to the present day. A couple of times we get transcripts from sessions of Laura with her therapist, but they are just inserted in and we have no context for them.
Several times Laura is lured into a car with a man she doesn’t know well, including going back to his place ON THEIR FIRST DATE. Everything in me was screaming for her to get out of there. Everything in HER was saying get out of there but her inability to love herself makes her stay for the glimmer of a possibility that finally this man will think she is “enough”.
All of this behavior screams that she is a love addict. Her constant reassurances that the men she is with are well meaning, creating a tableau in her head of what they might be instead of who they really are.
The second half of the book came quickly and as a shock with reveal after reveal after reveal and then an over explained version of events in the last chapter. As if we could not infer what was going on from the last chapters.
I did love the sibling dynamics explored in this book. It’s possible to have a family and really not have a grasp on who they really are. It’s worse when they are struggling with the question for themselves. I think everyone knows what it feels like to be lost.
I enjoyed the complexity of the plot; using miscommunication as a plot device is also a pet peeve of mine but it was executed well here.
Overall it’s a good travel read. It’s quick and twisted.
Once again, I’m reading about emotionally wrecked women.
The Night Before is about a woman who is down on her luck, after leaving her high paying Wall Street job and life in Manhattan over a guy, sets to put herself back out there on the dating scene. She goes on a date and doesn’t return to her sister’s home the following morning. Worried that something might have happened, Rosie tries to find her sister and discovers more secrets than she could have ever imagined.
The perspectives of the chapters shifts from sister to sister and from the Night Before to the present day. A couple of times we get transcripts from sessions of Laura with her therapist, but they are just inserted in and we have no context for them.
Several times Laura is lured into a car with a man she doesn’t know well, including going back to his place ON THEIR FIRST DATE. Everything in me was screaming for her to get out of there. Everything in HER was saying get out of there but her inability to love herself makes her stay for the glimmer of a possibility that finally this man will think she is “enough”.
All of this behavior screams that she is a love addict. Her constant reassurances that the men she is with are well meaning, creating a tableau in her head of what they might be instead of who they really are.
The second half of the book came quickly and as a shock with reveal after reveal after reveal and then an over explained version of events in the last chapter. As if we could not infer what was going on from the last chapters.
I did love the sibling dynamics explored in this book. It’s possible to have a family and really not have a grasp on who they really are. It’s worse when they are struggling with the question for themselves. I think everyone knows what it feels like to be lost.
I enjoyed the complexity of the plot; using miscommunication as a plot device is also a pet peeve of mine but it was executed well here.
Overall it’s a good travel read. It’s quick and twisted.
apreziuso's review against another edition
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
bookish_emily's review against another edition
3.0
Laura has recently returned from New York City to her small hometown in Connecticut to stay with her sister after a bad breakup. Her sister encourages Laura to get back out there, so she agrees to go out with a man she has met through a dating website. As the date progresses, she notices things that lead her to believe this man is not who he seems, and trauma from her childhood resurfaces to complicate matters. The next morning, her sister discovers that Laura never came home from her date.
The Night Before is a fairly typical psychological thriller. It alternates between Laura's perspective from the night of her date and her sister's perspective the next day. The format and storyline pull you through the action, and there is a pretty good twist at the end. It's a fun, quick read for fans of this genre.
The Night Before is a fairly typical psychological thriller. It alternates between Laura's perspective from the night of her date and her sister's perspective the next day. The format and storyline pull you through the action, and there is a pretty good twist at the end. It's a fun, quick read for fans of this genre.
redvelvetpenguins's review against another edition
5.0
This book took off running and was still easy enough to follow along and the twist came out of literal no where, the author kept you off the scent of it very well.
readingwithbrian's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
3.75
natasha0410's review against another edition
challenging
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
sophia_konrad's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
namitakhanna's review against another edition
4.0
After a bad breakup Lara has moved in with her sister Rosie and her husband but now she is ready to enter the dating world. She signs up on a dating service online and goes out on a blind date but never returns home. Rosie begins searching for her sister but soon discovers that she didn't know all her sisters secrets after all.
The Night Before by Wendy Walker is a fast paced psychological thriller with a clever engaging plot. Told in different POV’s and alternate timelines with a few twists and turns and in depth characters makes this a compulsive read
I would like to thank St. Martin’s Press & NetGalley for providing an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest and fair review.
This and more reviews at https://chloesbooksblog.wordpress.com/
The Night Before by Wendy Walker is a fast paced psychological thriller with a clever engaging plot. Told in different POV’s and alternate timelines with a few twists and turns and in depth characters makes this a compulsive read
I would like to thank St. Martin’s Press & NetGalley for providing an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest and fair review.
This and more reviews at https://chloesbooksblog.wordpress.com/
leoxegg's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0