The Night Before

by Wendy Walker

'A dazzling hall-of-mirrors thriller: ferociously smart, furiously paced, and - best of all - honest-to-goodness surprising. All hail Wendy Walker.' AJ Finn

Rosie Ferro and Laura Heart are sisters, but as different as it is possible to be. One is lucky in love and has a conventional family: a husband, and a small son. The other has a troubled past she is still struggling to break free from.

When Laura disappears after going on a date with a stranger she met online, Rosie, her protector since they were young, springs into action to look for her. But as she slowly uncovers more about the situation, Rosie begins to fear that her sister might have been more of a danger than the man she went out with.

Told in duel timelines - the night of and the night before, Wendy Walker's new novel is a riveting examination of family loyalty, obsession, and how just how far we will go for love.

'I raced through The Night Before, another page-turning cracker from Wendy Walker. You're in for a treat!' BA Paris

• ISBN10: 1250198674
• ISBN13: 9781250198679
• Publish Date: 14 May 2019
• Publish Status: Out of Print
• Out of Print: 22 September 2023
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: St Martin's Press
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 320
• Language: English

Reviews

[Molly J(Cover To Cover Cafe)]

I can't begin to sing high enough praises for Wendy Walker and her book. I am a contemporary romance lover but what I love just as much (sometimes more!) is a wonderfully written, edge-of-your-seat, late into the night physchological thiller. Wendy Walker's novel is all of that and so much more! The intensity of the story is epic, bringing a past to clash with a present and creating a heart pounding, unforgettable roller coaster ride.

Don't think that this one will be an easy one to figure you. It's full of twists and turns, and amazingly chiseled characters, and it kept me up way past my bedtime trying to figure out the whos and the whys and the hows. Just when I thought I had Laura's story figured out about her past,Walker hit me something new and bam! I had to rethink and try to figure it out in a new way. That's amazing talent!

I won't get into a lot of detail because if I do tell you more about Laura and her story, I might spoil it! So, what I will tell you is this: go get a copy of this novel now. It will keep you guessing, you'll be cussing at the book because what you think you know about it.....you won't really know. It's definitely a keeper and worthy of high praises! But be warned! Once you start this, you will not be able to put it down, you will lose sleep, and you'll absolutely be wanting another novel yesterday!

*I received a complimentary copy of this book from Publisher and was under no obligation to post a review, positive or negative.*

[chymerra]

Laura is getting ready to go on a blind date. The first date she has gone on since her boyfriend dumped her by text months before. Taking her sister, Rosie’s minivan, she goes on the date. When Laura doesn’t come home, Rosie isn’t too worried. Then Rosie’s van is found but Laura isn’t there. Going to the police does nothing. Rosie is soon on an all-out desperate search for her sister. Where is Laura? What has Laura done?

I am a huge fan of psychological thrillers. So when I saw that Wendy Williams had another book up for review, I jumped on it. I was a big fan of Emma in the Night. I figured that The Night Before would be as good. And guess what, it was.’

When I first started the book, I wasn’t a fan of the dual timelines. But, as I got into the book, I started liking it. It grew on me. This is going to sound weird, but it made sense by the time Laura went home with Jonathan Fielding.

This book had so many twists and turns, it wasn’t even funny. When I thought one thing was figured out, the author threw another monkey wrench into the mix. I will say that the after plotline got the most monkey wrenches thrown into it. I felt bad for Rosie. She had a whole lot of information, true and false, thrown at her. If that were me, I would have been in a tailspin.

Laura was a broken person. It came across the pages during the before parts of the books. I liked how the author chose to have her therapy visits highlight the beginning of her chapters. I will admit, I did think the same thing as Rosie at one point during the book.

I did feel for Rosie during the book. She was a mess, as she should have been. There were certain scenes in the book where I wanted to hug her. I also would have acted the same way if I thought what she thought about her husband.

The end of the book was a mind screw. I couldn’t believe what was happening when I read it. All I kept saying was “No way, no way, NO WAY“. I still can’t believe. The author did a fantastic job of keeping everything under wraps.

I would give The Night Before an Adult rating. There is sex (not graphic). There is language. There is violence. There are triggers. They would be stalking, attempted sexual assault, child abuse, and mental illness. I would recommend that no one under the age of 21 read this book.

I would reread The Night Before. I would also recommend this book to family and friends.

I would like to thank the publishers, the author, and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review The Night Before.

All opinions stated in The Night Before are mine.

**I chose to leave this review after reading an advance reader copy**