** I WAS GIVEN THIS BOOK FOR MY READING PLEASURE **
Copy received through Netgalley

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The Night She Died, by Jenny Blackhurst
★★★☆☆
368 Pages
1st person, present tense, single character POV; 3rd person, past tense, multi character POV
Content Warning: themes of suicide, cheating, drug use; suggestions of haunting; teen pregnancy, teen abortion, teen suicide attempt, and alcohol/drug abuse; bullying; mentions of mental illness, bipolar disorder, paranoia, mania, depression; catfishing; under-age (pre-17 years old) off-page sex; slut-shaming; taboo relationship, incest; blackmail; arson, death by fire; random mention of a husband being accused of rape (that has nothing to do with the story!)



The Night She Died is a story about the emotions that make us inherently human; jealousy, envy, and desire, that lead to betrayal and revenge. It's an exploration of a long standing friendship between two women and how it ended with the ultimate betrayal.

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The Night She Died is a story about two women:
Evie – Evelyn White / Evelyn Rousseau – is from a wealthy family, but troubled. After a childhood romance with James Allington went south, Evie's had a long history of failed relationships, family problems, alcohol issues, and a suicide attempt. Now, Evie stands on a pier on the night of her wedding to Richard, and jumps into the water...never to be seen again.
Rebecca is Evie's best friend, and the only one who knows why Evie jumped. As she comforts a grieving Richard, she walks through present day life trying to move on from Evie's suicide. She takes care of Richard, and fends off catfishing from someone claiming to be Evie online, while seeing her ghost all around.

The book starts with a bang. We see Evie – in her 3rd person, past tense POV – in the Prologue, as she decides to leap into the water. Then it switches to 1st person, present tense for Rebecca and...something is lost. There's no sense of excitement or mystery anymore, when we enter Rebecca's POV. She takes us on a long, boring journey of her and Richard's grief, a few mysterious texts from someone who claims to be Evie but isn't, and then even longer walks down memory lane.
Then, again, we get a switch back to 3rd person past tense POV to see the past through Evie's eyes. From the age of 6 all the way up to present day, her POV scenes are littered throughout the novel, interspersed with Rebecca's POV, and only a few side scenes from Richard and James' POV.

I probably would have stopped reading a few times, if it wasn't for this being a Netgalley read and wanting to prove my theory right. Even though I did that, I don't feel like it was an exciting journey. It's almost like that moment when you know something is going to happen, and you have this long boring wait to say “I told you so.” That's how I felt, when I finished reading.

Personally, I think this all stems from the characters. I didn't find either Rebecca or Evie to be likeable or relatable. There was the whole rich girl-poor girl dynamic, but it never felt genuine, because of Evie's desire to *not* be a stereotypical rich-girl. In the end, Rebecca came across as a rug that had been walked on one too many times, while Evie was a vapid sheep-leader, who fought against her wealthy upbringing but only in ways that were possible because of it.

When it comes to the men in the story, both Richard and James are described in the same opposite way. James is a dreamboat, from a wealthy family, with the world at his feet, who can do no wrong. Richard is the plainly-cute but dependable one, geeky but solid and “brotherly”. Neither came across as charming and charismatic, no matter how many times I was told they were.

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Sadly, while the idea itself was clever, the execution left something to be desired. I had a lot of problems with this story, particularly one big one being that it was predictable from the start. I can also think of three times this plot has been used in a movie or TV show, though one huge one springs to mind. But, I won't name it here, or that will give the game away. But, if you've read the book, you'll know the one I mean.

Unfortunately, it doesn't really become any more original than that. I loved the Prologue and Epilogue, but found that everything in between was unnecessarily long, drawn out, and lacked an ounce of the suspense or mystery I'd been hoping for. While I wanted to know how it ended, I could have easily given up at any point without caring, because it felt so predictable. The only reason I kept going was to see if I was right, and the Epilogue proved that. I'm sorry to say that all that stuff in between the good parts just felt like a long road to a predictable shortcut.
If I'm honest, I had the plot figured out almost from the start. And that's not a lie, because the author themselves plant the seed for my suspicion in the first 2%. So, I already knew what was coming, and I even foresaw the huge “twist” in the Epilogue long before the halfway mark. It was just hard not to see it coming.

I had to question more than a few of the author's choices, because there were parts that really didn't make much sense to me. For example, the entire conversation Rebecca and Evie had about crimes, where Rebecca randomly mentions her friend's husband being accused of rape – that can be really triggering to someone, even if it's only one line mentioned twice on one page. And it had ZERO bearing on the actual story. Why not remove it, and avoid that triggering conversation?
Also, I felt like Richard was supposed to be this wonderful, amazing but normal guy, but he came across to me as a doormat. He felt pathetic and spent about 80% of the book grieving so hard that not an ounce of his actual personality came through until we saw a flashback of him pre-Evie.

The timeline – this is my BIGGEST pet peeve. There is very little in way of actually tracking the timeline of the story. It flits about between past-and-present – both in terms of tense and the timeline. It wobbles precariously in some places, taking 2 pages of a new scene to tell you how old the character is at that time, or that it's been months since their last POV scene. While, sadly, other places lack ANY indication of when the events are taking place. The only time it's obviously in the present timeline is when it's Rebecca's POV and she's using 1st person. But, even then, she often drifts into reminiscing about Evie so often that the tenses and timeline slip away until you don't know where you are.

I think this was particularly baffling and irritating to me, because there were *some* events in the present timeline that were brilliantly labelled, such as “the night of the wedding”, or “four months before the wedding”. But, these seemed purely limited to the present timeline. If they'd been given to the past events as well, as a simple “Evie – 6 years old” or something similar, it would have helped a lot, with the confusing jump between events.

There are also quite a few editing issues, extending from missing hyphens to weird line arrangements, such as entire pages having 1-2 full lines then one line with just one word on it.

The author's name and book title were spread throughout the novel in weird places. I presume it was a footnote gone wrong, but I counted 32 in total, with 17 instances of the title, and 15 of the author's name. This felt excessive, even as I was reading, and often interrupted the flow of the sentence or the paragraph, and messing up the formatting, so that sometimes only half a line had text on it.

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Overall, I felt this was more of a character study of two opposite women with more in common than they realised, than a mystery novel. There was nothing mysterious or engaging about the plot, that kept me on the edge of my seat. I wasn't nervously anticipating the end, to see how it all played out, and I wasn't stunned or excited by any of the revelations that appeared in the middle.

The book left me feeling...flat. Lacklustre. Like I'd done it and now it was over, so move on. Not really to be remembered or thought about again. Not a stand-out or a clever plot hidden behind weak execution, either. It just fell flat in too many ways for me to feel anything but Meh! about it.

From the characters, to the switch in POV tenses, the lack of timeline notations, and the almost scatter-brained retelling of the past, it lacked the hints of a secret I desperately needed to unearth that I'd been looking for.

In the end, I'm giving this a 3 simply for the fact the author had the conviction to stick with the best ending. I've seen books like this before, where the ending was obvious but the best choice, and they shied away from making it happen. The author didn't shy away from the right ending – or some really weird plot points, either – and I give them credit for that. If the ending had been different, it would have left this a few more disappointing and weaker book. So...for the potential it had, and for sticking to their guns, it's getting a 2.5* for me, rounded up to a 3.

Great novel that kept me hooked throughout. I guessed one of the twists but some of the others truly surprised me. Thanks for the opportunity to read

This author is really great. I really loved this book. This tale was highly engrossing and highly recommendable!!

I loved the mystery and the backdrop for this story - how a bride died on her wedding day. I think that was and amazing choice. It had twists and turns and I liked the flash back and forward as I feel this was the best way to tell this story. I will say I was not prepared for the conclusion but that’s the mark of a good thriller.

Even though I did end up buying myself a physical copy of this book, I would still like to think Netgalley and the publishers for also providing me with a copy to read and review.

Another 5⭐ read from this author!
Jenny Blackhurst proves, yet again, that she is a highly talented author, whose writing is always clever, compelling, brilliant and tension-filled! I was captivated from the very first page!
No spoilers from me, but with characters that I loved, characters I loved to hate, plenty of shocking twists, and an truly excellent ending; I most definitely highly recommend this book! Absolutely can't wait to read her next!

Loved it. Loved it so much. The whole edge of a cliff setting was brilliant and the characters suited it down to the ground. Jenny really outdoes herself with each book. Brilliant.

Woweeeee I have had this on my kindle for a while and after making the girls pick random numbers for me, we landed on this. I cracked it opened and before I knew it I was 20% of the way through and I was hooked lined and sinkered with this!

Opening up to a story of a woman jumping off the cliffs on her wedding day. The happiest day of her life…..so why jump? So many questions I had running through my mind when reading this and I can safely say I did NOT see these plot twists coming! It was epic!

The Night She Died is generally told through the point of view of Rebecca, the best friend, in the present day and Evie, the bride, in the past until the everything collides in such a fantastic explosion! Rebecca is hiding a secret from us and Richard the grieving widow. We know more than he does and with flashbacks to Evie’s life we know more than Rebecca, and doesn’t she just hate that! These two ladies met at university, both slightly obsessed with each other and both letting each other into their lives like no one else before. A true friendship, or so they both think, it is, however, a flawed one and one where there are just too many secrets. They are addicted to each other and do everything with each other, well until Richard comes along. Richard turns up in Rebeccas’ life but only because Evie went home one weekend, and this weekend becomes the catalyst for the catastrophic events to follow.

I was hooked on this book, I don’t know why it took me so long to pick up, I mean I do but why!!! I devoured this book, not literally, and I was constantly looking forward to my next fix of reading it. The writing is exquisite, the chapters are short to entice you to keep reading and with all the too-ing and froing between past, present and other characters it is a recipe for disaster if you think sleep is on the cards.

I seriously could not guess why the events in the past happened. When I got there, my jaw dropped and it really was the biggest game changer I’ve read in such a while. It floored me, the rug was pulled out from under me so far it hurt my head! Kudos to Blackhurst, she created such a tightly woven story that just gave nothing away. A feuding family, star crossed lovers, obsessive friends and death. So much is packed into this book it’s unreal. But if you think it ends there you would be sorely mistaken! Just when you think nothing else could happen, when you think right the dust has finally settled…hello!! Blackhurst has decided she’s not done toying with us and hits out with another blow which I kind of guessed was coming, but at the same time just left it wide open and left me chomping at the bit for more! When I got to the end, I was like ‘Nah this can’t be it, there has to be more’ but reading the acknowledgements I knew it was the end! Dammit! I want more! I would love to see a follow up to this! It was pure ecstasy of escapism, indulging completely into the worlds of money, love and betrayal by these women.

I can not wait to read more by Ms Blackhurst, I have a taste for her writing! She absorbs you into her books and she knows how to play it so you stay hooked onto the book. I mean seriously work should take into account not only a lunch break but also a reading break. It was a pain to have to keep putting it down urgh!

So did I love the book? What do you think? This for me is a contender for my book of the year for sure! It was riveting, everything worked for me and the twists were so clever and enjoyable I just want more!

What a clever tale Jenny Blackhurst has created here. It twists and turns and leads you up so many blind alleys that your imagination staggers from place to place. I never once ended up with the real answer however and the final denouement is a totally shocking revelation. Evie and Becky's friendship is a real attraction of opposites but they appear to compliment each other perfectly. Evie's new husband, Richard, is a gentle soul and in the spaces between believing him to be secretly evil, I felt so sorry for him. All the characters are entirely credible and it's hard not to have empathy for Evie the child at her difficult and tumultuous upbringing. The story as a whole is an inspired and unique piece of writing, which will keep readers up until the wee, small hours of the morning trying to work out 'whodunnit'! Highly recommended.

An uncomfortable premise to begin a book, however it is a good read and you will be compelled to get to the end to find out the reasons why!

This is my third Jenny Blackhurst book and the third I've felt is a five star novel. This uses the classic but often overused he said, she said formula (or in this case she said, she said, and him as well and someone else puts their tuppence worth too). It starts on a wedding day, one with tears not because the maid of honour had too much prosecco but instead with the bride throwing herself off a cliff. That's one way to get rid of lingering guests I suppose....but seriously it's a great opener. It's the down to the husband and best friend to work out why. Of course nothing is straightforward, there are many secrets and betrayals that will be uncovered. Was it murder or suicide? Is it that simple. Nope of course not. It wouldn't be such a excellent read it it was!

If you like psychological thrillers you'll love this.

A wedding with lots of guests, a happy event until the bride jumps off the cliff. So what’s going on here then? Why would anyone do that, let alone a bride on her big day? Main characters are the bride, Evie, groom, Richard and best friend Becky and we see the events unfolding from their points of view. Yes it was predictable but I enjoyed this story of secrets and friendships despite the unlikeable traits of most of the people. I was intrigued from the first page and my attention was held the whole way through. It would make a perfect holiday read!

Absolutely loved this book, couldn't stop reading! It had me gripped from the very start. Some great twists and turns along the way and a brilliant twist for the ending. Highly recommended!

A tightly plotted story with good, relatable characters. Unexpected twists. An engrossing read. Recommended.

The book was a gripping read, from beginning to end. I've always been a fan of Ms Blackhurst, and once again she did not disappoint. Recommended!

This book had me at the prologue. This was the best psychological thriller I have read in the last year. If you liked Gone Girl you may like this book better. That’s how good it is. There was not one dull moment in this book. Start to finish and everything in between was the edge of your seat thrilling.

All of the characters were likable in their own way. The writing style was excellent. I will be looking for more books by Jenny Blackhurst. There were twists and turns up to the last page. I highly recommend this book.

I received this galley from NetGalley.

On her wedding night, the mysterious Evie White jumps from a cliff to her untimely death. Why would a woman who has everything do such a sad thing on what should have been the happiest day of her life?

The narration switches between Evie in the past and Rebecca (her best friend) in the present.. I loved the changes in the narration as it helped to really build a sense of who Evie was and Rebecca is. I especially loved Evie, she was the classic woman who has it all but is hiding dark secrets.

This book was a rollercoaster full of enigmatic twists and turns. I've loved Jenny Blackhurst's other novels and honestly, I was worried this would not stand up to the others, but thankfully she did not disappoint! Another brilliant psychological thriller that kept me hooked until the very end. I'd highly recommend it.

I would like to thank NetGalley for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This is a difficult book to review without spoilers but suffice to say this is about Evie, who we feel empathy for as her story unfolds. Yes, she is privileged but has a difficult family life. Then there is Rebecca who does not have self-esteem but becomes Evie's Best Friend. The tale flicks from past to present filling in the gaps of what has led to the suicide of Evie on her wedding day, shortly after the service. I feel sorry for Richard for much of this book, but was he punching above his weight??
Mixed feelings about the book in general, although it was an easy read, hence 3 1/2 stars, sitting on the fence. Will definitely read more by this author.
Many thanks to Netgalley/Jenny Blackhurst/Headline for a digital copy of this title. All opinions expressed are my own.

A book that drew me in straight away and I couldn’t put down! I loved the foster child and loved this!!!! Thanks!!

This book was a mixture for me - there were parts when I was totally gripped and there were twists that I didn't guess but there were also times that I found it a little slow. Overall I enjoyed it: I do like multiple narrators and timelines and it is a clever plot. Rebecca and Evie are well-drawn complex characters and I was never quite sure whether to trust either of them; although I found Evie's parents extremely frustrating! (deliberately I am sure :) ) I have previously enjoyed Jenny Blackhurst's other books and will definitely look forward to her next. Thank you to NetGalley and Headline for the ARC of The Night She Died.

Evie and Rebecca are both brilliantly written. As always Jenny Blackhurst manages to keep the pace racing ahead and kept me scrolling left, late into the night.

Yet another great read from this author, she never disappoints. Ticks all the boxes - pace - tick. Credible storyline - tick. Tension - tick. Plot twists - tick and even though you know they will be there, I loved that they still get me every time and literally leave me thinking - what....

Great read - If you love Blackhurst, read it. And if you've never read her before - try, I can assure you, you will again.

#TheNightSheDied #NetGalley