A murder that followed Laura from her youth, a breakup via a text message, and a blind date.

All of these things and more had Laura having a difficult time coping and made her decide to move home to live with her sister and her brother-in-law.

After a few months, Laura decided it was time to date again so she joined a dating site, went on a date, and never returned home.

THE NIGHT BEFORE is told in alternating chapters of before and after in Laura's life. The before tells of the horrible incident that happened in her youth. The present tells of her blind date and things that happened before the date that Laura never told her sister.

We also meet Rosie, Laura's sister, as Rosie relives the incident from Laura's youth and still wonders what really happened back then. And we follow Rosie as she tries to figure out where Laura could be and hoping for the best.

THE NIGHT BEFORE pulls you along and into the story line because of all of the what if's and the question of who is really the one orchestrating all this drama.

THE NIGHT BEFORE was a difficult-to-put down, well-carried out psychological suspense that will have you guessing but not guessing correctly.

If you enjoy characters that you won't be able to figure out, secrets kept, and a shocking ending, THE NIGHT BEFORE needs to be in your to-be-read stack. 4/5

This book was given to me as an ARC by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to Goodreads for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I was very excited to read this book as it had been on several lists recommending it. I thought the book was intentionally confusing, and that bothered me a bit. There were quite a few surprises and twists in the novel, but I suspected someone quite early in the book, and I was correct. I didn't know the full extent of it, but it was clear to me that I was being given a lot of red herrings to lead me down a path that was meant to mislead me.
Overall, it was an interesting psychological study, but it wasn't the thriller that I was expecting.
Laura Heart Lochner has always felt unloved. She had a bad breakup and retreated into herself. She moved in with her sister, Rosie, and Rosie's husband, Joe. Laura, Rosie, Joe, and Gabe grew up together and have been friends forever. Now, Laura has met someone online and has a date with him. However, things about her date don't add up. When she doesn't come home, Rosie calls Gabe, an IT expert, to help find Laura. The book alternates between Laura's sessions with her therapist, Laura and her date - Jonathan Fields, and Rosie, Joe, and Gabe's attempt to find Laura.
When they finally involve the police, both Laura and Rosie come to terms with various things that don't add up - both in their past and in their current lives, as the story comes to its conclusion.
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