This one arrived on my desk a couple of weeks ago and I loved the classic thriller cover. Thrillers have such a distinct style of cover and I opened this one and I was like ‘yep thriller’ before I even got it out of the package.
Author, Wendy Walker, has written a few other thrillers and her latest one, The Night Before, has had a ton of advanced praise and is popping up all over my social media! I was intrigued mostly by the cover because I thought it was eye catching, but the summary sounded promising and interesting.
While there is a summary for the book—it’s short. It doesn’t really give you a whole lot to go on, and for the most part it sounds pretty basic—-girl goes missing. Blah. Except that it leaves you feeling like wait, that’s it?! So basic but yet I want to know more, because thrillers are anything but basic right? That’s exactly how this one hooked me in. Even the press package gave me only the slightest hint of what this book was about. The summary was brief and tantalizing and left me wanting to know more.
Summary
Megan Miranda Rosie and Laura are as different as two sisters can be. One is stable and has the perfect family. The other struggles to break free from her troubled past. When Laura disappears after going on a blind date, Rosie takes matters into her own hands. But as Rosie begins to search for her sister, her greatest fears come to the surface. Could Laura be more of a danger than the stranger she meets, or is the night before her last night alive? Told in dual timelines–the night before and the day after–The Night Before is a riveting thriller about family loyalty, obsession, and what happens when the desire for love spins out of control” (summary from Goodreads).
Review
This book was a bit sparse or dry when it come style. While it read quickly for me, there were times when it was almost impersonal. I believe I am in the minority with that opinion, but for me the narration seemed a little dry. That’s not to say it was dull—-because it was anything but dull! I read this story rather quickly and felt that the duel timelines helped push me forward in the story and faster than I anticipated, but I did feel like I was put at a distance. Which for me was fine, because thrillers are suppose to make you feel a little uneasy or like an outsider in a nightmare, right? I enjoy that feeling.
I also understand why the description was so sparse. Any more than what is listed here will give away little clues. No spoilers from me by the way! Let’s just say that the premise for the book and the subsequent narrative that unfolds, kept me on my toes and questioning everything. It was a great thriller.
There were so many twists in this book that I wasn’t sure what way was up or down after a while. I enjoyed trying to keep up and it kept things very interesting right down to the reveal and ending. I felt very satisfied with this one.
I also felt that the topic was important and modern which many readers will relate to. Online dating. Fortunately I have never done online dating. I met my husband through a friend and thus I never had the chance to online date—and that was 15 years ago, so online dating wasn’t what it is now. Now I see many of my friends online dating or trying sites like Tinder, and it is intimidating and you better believe if I was meeting someone from the internet, I would totally look them up on Google! I think a lot of readers will find this topic very relevant and intriguing.
In the end I went with a 4 star rating! Great thriller for summer!
The Lit Bitch 