Returning early from a disastrous date night with my husband, I know something is wrong the moment the wheels crunch the gravel drive of our home. Inside, the TV is on and a half-eaten meal waits on the table. My heart stops when I find our little girl is alone in the house and our babysitter, Sasha, is missing… my perfect little family, I’ll wish I had told someone about the threatening note I received that morning.
I’ll hate myself for not finding out who the gift hidden inside my husband’s wardrobe was for.
I’ll scream from the rooftops that I’m innocent – but no one will listen.
I will realise I was completely wrong about everything that happened that night…
But will you believe me?
Twisted and absolutely unputdownable, Date Night exposes what goes on behind the closed doors of a happy home and the dangerous truths we ignore to protect the ones we love. Perfect reading for anyone totally gripped by The Wife Between Us, Friend Request or Gone Girl.
Readers adore Date Night!
‘Wow!… I stayed up all night to finish this book. I’m all sorts of wound up… phenomenal!… easily one of my favourite books of the year. My jaw is hanging on the floor… I could not put down this book… I’m blown away… I’m going to need a couple days to fully process it.’ Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars
‘Wow, wow, wow! An ending I did NOT see coming… PHENOMENAL… a fast moving read with an unforgettable ending. FANTASTIC!!’ Netgalley reviewer, 5 stars
‘Wow, this book immediately drew me in and kept me concocting reasons to ignore chores so that I could race back to it… it had me glued to it. I’d even find myself waking up and reading a chapter in the night… Absolutely a winner for me!’ Pick a Good Book, 5 stars
‘Wow, what a jaw-dropping, can’t-put-down, wonderful book this was… such an amazing book with a shocking ending… a rollercoaster of emotions. I just couldn’t put down this book… I wanted more and more. I just devoured this… I absolutely loved this book.’ Blue Moon Blogger, 5 stars
‘This addictive mystery kept me guessing from the first page until the last… a fantastic, tense thriller full of twists and turns, with a jaw-dropping finale that left me reeling.’ Emma’s Bibliotreasures, 5 stars
‘Omg, I honestly didn’t see that ending coming, that was one hell of a totally unexpected, jaw-dropping twist. I was so shocked… shocking, chilling and heart-breaking… Exceedingly well written, packed full of unexpected twists and turns, gripping and enthralling… Very, very highly recommended.’ Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars
‘Believe me when I say that this really WASN’T A TWIST THAT I SAW COMING!… I didn’t have a clue until it slapped me in the face!… This book is AWESOME and I was addicted from the very first page!’ My Chestnut Reading Tree, 5 stars
‘One of the BEST thrillers I have read in YEARS! Exceptional and addicting.’ Goodreads reviewer, 5 starsmore
A very emotional ride. Just when I thought I had it figured out………..
Date Night – where do I start? I seriously couldn’t put this book down. Libby’s character had me intrigued from the off. Immediately plunged into her surreal situation, I felt my heart skipping a few beats as Libby’s nightmare unfolded.
I absolutely loved how the truth unravelled throughout this novel and I certainly had no idea who could be trusted. What a mystery! And the ending… I didn’t expect that at all. What a ride.
The full cast of characters all came across as suspicious, with jealousy being a central theme throughout. Everyone was under suspicion at some point which forced me to devour the pages at speed. I simply had to know what was going on.
If you love a gripping psychological thriller with lashings of mystery, then check this one out.
Member Review
Date Night
by Samantha Hayes
Pub Date: 20 Aug 2019
Review by
Dot O, Reviewer
Last updated on 26 Aug 2019
My Recommendation
#Date Night #NetGalley
Thanks to the author, Samantha Hayes; to NetGalley, and to Bookouture for my advanced copy of Date Night. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.
WOW, what a rollercoaster ride!! I really “felt” the thrills and excitement of Ms Hayes’s latest book, Date Night, as the plot developed and thickened. The story was original and fast paced, with each new page turning up another twist or devious turn! The characters were well defined and were relatable. Emotions, some good, and others not, are evoked as the reader understands the true nature of each person in the story. My feelings for most characters evolved as the story progressed, as motives, secrets, and deceptions were revealed. I will admit, I was very snookered by this novel. Many red herrings and surprises galore.
Date Nights are usually considered to be fun filled events, greatly anticipated, where happy memories are created. But the date night shared by the main character, Libby and her husband, Sean? NOT!! It was not only disastrous, but as a result lives were destroyed, there was a murder by the end of the night, and deeply hidden secrets were eventually revealed at a great cost to all. The end of the book was so shocking and unexpected that it hit me like a ton of bricks! Literally, I had to go back and reread the Epilogue to be sure I could believe my eyes. I definitely recommend this book to those who love a great twisty mystery, and love to be surprised! In my opinion, one of the best in this genre.
/ 5
Well color me surprised! Date Night by Samantha Hayes was frustrating to read, but completely brilliant!
What it’s about: Libby and her husband Sean go out for a date night and leave their daughter Alice with their babysitter Sasha. But when they get home, Sasha is gone and Alice is upstairs sleeping in her bed. A few days later Libby is arrested, but she swears she didn’t do anything. But why does no one believe her, and why did her husband give an additional statement contradicting what she’s said about that night?
Date Night is twisty, surprising, and has an ending that I certainly didn’t see coming. A lot of the book was frustrating for me because of Sean and Libby’s relationship, and I don’t think I liked a single character in the book. I am ok not liking characters though so my biggest issue was Sean and Libby. Libby wasn’t a strong enough female lead for me but I know they can’t all be strong! The plot of this book is what kept me going and it didn’t disappoint.
Date Night was also a super quick read – for all you ‘I like books I can read in one sitting’ people out there. It took me just over 3.5 hours which is amazingly quick for me so for some people it might be even less.
Song/s the book brought to mind: Ghost by Ella Henderson
Final Thought: This was the first time I have read a book by Hayes and it will definitely not be my last! I highly recommend to people that love a good mystery with an unreliable narrator.
Thank you to the publisher for providing me with an advance review copy of this book via NetGalley, all opinions are my own.
I love a book like this! Almost like a roller coaster; twists, turns, peaks and valleys. A peak at the end that I didn’t see coming. Answers come to nagging questions that were building throughout the book. Characters are well developed, writing is fast paced. Enjoyable mystery/thriller! Curl up in your favorite chair or pull up a beach chair! Chapters are the perfect length…easy stopping and restarting.
Libby and Sean have a happy marriage. Or so Libby thinks, until she receives a note on her car warning of an affair. Odd family dynamic with Sean’s parents and ex-wife. In an effort to set things right after the note, Sean and Libby set up a date night. Unfortunately, this does not go as planned and they return hime to find their 4 yo daughter left alone and their babysitter missing. Story will take you thru the search, police call and investigation, arrests and suspects.
Thanks to NetGalley, Bookouture and the author for this ARC. Opinion is mine alone!
Ok This one was cray-cray but in a good way..There are so many lies and betrayal and secrets..So we meet Libby who has gone out on well a date with her husband and they were trying to have a good night since they have been having some problems. Libby had gotten a note stating that Sean (her husband) had been having an affair, Sean of course denies it and tells her she is the only woman..They get home and their babysitter is not there and she had left there daughter alone and that is when everything goes to hell. Sean is supposedly helping her she trusts him, where is Sasha? Is Sean having an affair..Libby gets blamed and no one is believing her..But the ending, yeah suprises you
Date Night is not going so well for Libby and her husband , Sean. Receiving a note that states her husband is cheating on her isn’t real conducive to a romantic evening. Even though Sean denies there is anyone else, why does his phone keep pinging with texts and he doesn’t even look to see who it’s from?
Returning home early from the disastrous date, they find that their babysitter is missing. Their young daughter is safe in bed asleep … but where has Sasha gone? She would never leave the child along. Her things are still there .. backpack, laptop, text books, phone. TV is still on. But no Sasha ….
Days later, Libby is arrested for Sasha’s murder, although no body has been found. She tells them she didn’t hurt Sasha .. but no one is listening to her. What did happen that night?
This psychological drama is told in Libby’s voice. It starts with being arrested, and then returning to events leading up to date night. But is what she remembers what really happened? Turning to current events again, the ending is explosive … and unpredictable. I never saw this coming!
DATE NIGHT is well written, full of suspense. Lies are wrapped around dark secrets. The characters are finely drawn, with no hint of what is to come. I thought I had it all wrapped up halfway through … I couldn’t have been more wrong.
Many thanks to the author / Bookouture / Netgalley for the digital copy. Read and reviewed voluntarily, opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.
First, I want to thank Samantha Hayes, Bookouture and NetGalley for providing me with this book so I may bring you this review.
WOW!! Samantha Hayes is the queen of jaw dropping ending twists. She is a brilliant storyteller so much so that I could not put the book down till I knew Sean’s big secret. I thought I knew but nothing prepared me for the truth that I was to find out! Samantha kept the best and biggest secret for last!!!
Date Night is a must-read book for so many reasons! It captures your attention on sentence one and won’t let it go til the very end. The story is incredibly suspenseful, drama filled, lots of big secrets, questionable infidelity, accusations, missing persons, violence, adorable little girl, not so nice ex, etc.
Samantha breaks this book up into today and in the past when all this happened. This way you the two sides of the story.
The one thing that bothered me about Sean’s character is he kept denying that he was having an affair on Libby. I have been in her shoes before where they try to hide it and deny it. So, I felt for her when she knew in her heart he was lying. The main question who was he cheating on her with?!
There were so many amazing side stories within the main story that the other characters were a part of.
In a warped kind of way there is a lesson in the book. That family will do what they can to protect eachother.
Alice the little girl in the story pulled on my heart strings. She was adorable.
Samantha says she got the idea for writing this book when she saw a woman’s cry for help after she’d been sent an anonymous note stating her husband was having an affair. Sadly, it was on many similar public posts on forums about break-ups.
What Samantha loves most about writing psychological thrillers is that nothing is ever quite as it seems. People in ‘real life’ don’t fall into neat categories, and neither should they in fiction.
A big 5 out of 5 stars!
Thank you to Netgalley and Bookouture for allowing me to read an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I am just going to say that I totally loved this book! Samantha Hayes really knows how to create an atmosphere.This book is set in a small little Village in the UK and you really can picture every detail from the cottage that the Libby, Sean and their 4 year old daughter live in. The book takes place in the Fall and you can actually FEEL the Fall all around you as you read. Okay, enough of me ranting about how much I enjoyed this!
Libby believes she has the perfect life. She lives in an adorable little cottage with a renovated barn that has been turned into a kitchen for her growing catering business. She has a wonderful husband who is a Vet, an adorable little girl and a sweet stepson. On a chilly October morning things change as she finds a note on her windscreen telling her that her husband is having an affair. It changes the way Libby sees everything. She begins to suspect everything that Sean does. Who is calling him? Is he really working late? She even begins to question her best friend thinking that perhaps she is the woman Sean is sleeping with.
Sean begins to lose his patience with Libby so they decide they just need a night out. A romantic dinner in town without Alice. Just to catch up and light the spark they feel they have lost. Since Sean’s Mom is busy that night they call Sasha who is not only the sitter but also someone who helps out Libby with her business. The date night that seems innocent enough ends up destroying everything Libby had thought they had built together. When Libby and Sean return home early after the date ended in a bad way only to find Alice is alone upstairs and Sasha seems to be missing yet her items are strewn all about.
I have had a very good year when it comes to reading books but this one was just kind of special. Every night when I would crawl into bed I was excited to pick this up and read. Date Night is a psychological thriller but there is more to it than that. You really feel for Libby, you want her to be happy. When she cries you feel bad for her.
I also loved the way that Samantha Hayes revealed the secrets, one by one. The twists keep coming all the way up the a block buster ending! And the ending? Wow! I don’t think this is so much about who did this. It is more about why they did it. There is much more to the story. Don’t sleep on this one.
Libby and Sean are married and parents to 4-year-old Alice. Libby finds a note under her windshield wiper that tells her Sean is having an affair. Lots of arguing occurs as Libby is very jealous and insecure. Sean decides to take Libby out for date night to a nice restaurant to try and get back on track. They ask Sasha to babysit as she is their usual babysitter if Marion, Sean’s mum, cannot babysit. While at the restaurant, more arguing occurs as Sean seems to be getting a lot of texts and finally a phone call all of which he does not take. When they get home, Sasha is gone. From there, the story takes on a lot of twists and turns with an ending I never imagined. I really liked this book and I love the way the author developed the personalities of the characters as the story progressed. Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for the ARC of this fantastic page turner. I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves a good thriller with lots of surprises.
This was certainly a page turner! A very fast read which at times was a bit confusing just because of how it was told. I certainly wasn’t expecting that ending! Thanks to Netgalley for the early copy
I don’t know what to say about Date Night; except put it on the top or your TBR pile !!
Secrets, secrets, secrets !!!
Family secrets tend to be more destructive. !!
I wanted to believe and suspect others ; didn’t get me far !!
I wasn’t even close at guessing the ending of Date Night.
I am a big fan of Samantha Hayes and her books just keep getting better and better.
Thank you to NetGalley an Bookouture for another great read !!
The prologue will grab you and the story doesn’t let go. As it unfolds, little tiny clues in the form of memories come through out of nowhere but start piling up to a fuller picture. Very well done psychological thriller that will keep you reading on and on!