This book started so well and really grabbed my attention.

It is told from Libby's point of view in a "before" and " now" format. The problem for me began during Libby's police interview. She was answering a question then suddenly she is remembering a previous conversation or incident and it all gets very confusing.

The twists at the end were good ones and if you can keep things straight it is quite a good story. it

This is the second book from this author I have read and, although I didn't enjoy this one as much, I look forward to reading more in future.

This is the second Samantha Hayes book I have read. The first one, The Liar's Wife, I thoroughly enjoyed. The book starts out with Libby who is happily married to Sean finding a note on her car that Sean is having an affair. Of course Libby is suspicious and Sean denies everything. The pair go out on a "date night" to fix their marriage only to come home to find their babysitter missing. As we go back and forth between the date of the "date night" and current date we learn that what appears to be truth on the surface may be secrets held by people you don't expect. at times in the book I was a little confused by some of the things Libby was saying but in the end it all came together with a full blown twist I never saw coming at the end. Although I would have liked a little more in the Epilogue about Libby and Marion.

You think you go on a date night with your husband to save your marriage, but you could have never known it would end up destroying your life….

Libby and Sean are married and have a 4 year old daughter Alice. Sean is a partner in a thriving veterinarian practice and Libby is starting her catering business. Everything seems to go great in their marriage. But then Libby finds a note on her car window one morning stating “Sean is having an affair”. She couldn’t have known those 5 words spelled disaster.

When Libby confronts Sean with the note, he denies everything, but Libby remains suspicious. To try and work things out between them, they decide to go on a date night. Little did they know that night was going to end a life.

When they return from their not-so-great date night they find their babysitter Sasha missing and their daughter asleep in her bed. Libby calls the police to report Sasha missing. Eventually the police arrest Libby for Sasha’s disappearance.

Samantha Hayes tells the story from Libby’s point of view in both the “before” the date night, and the “now” after her arrest. This slowly reveals what happened that night and why the police arrested Libby.
The development of the characters is great. At the same time I don’t like their personalities too much. Sean seems pretty manipulative and Libby a little too naive at some points. There were times I just wanted to grab her and shake her while saying “can’t you see what he did there!”. With that said, that’s what, for me, makes a good book. When the main characters can make you feel something, whether that’s a positive or a negative feeling, that means they’ve got you hooked.

There are a few plot twists, some shake ups and some back stabbing all throughout the story. And up until the very end, I had no idea what happened to Sasha and who might have been the responsible party.
Although somewhere in the middle of the story line I felt it dragged on a bit. The pace seemed a little out of it for a bit there. A little further on though, we hit the ground running again, preparing for a finale I didn’t see coming.

If you think this is a romantic book about a date night, you better buckle up and prepare for murder.

Thank you bookouture for accepting my netgalley request to read and review “Date Night” by Samantha Hayes! .
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Publication date: THIS Tuesday, August 20th!🎉
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Libby and Sean go for a date night to patch things up after Libby finds a note on her car warning her that Sean is having an affair. When they return home they discover that their babysitter has gone missing. A few weeks later Libby is arrested for the murder, but she’s innocent- or is she really? Is Sean really having an affair? Is their babysitter really dead? .
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This book is set up in a “then” and “now” structure. The now focusing on Libby’s arrest and interrogation and “then” detailing the events leading up to the arrest. This book had me completely FLOORED. the cover calls this book “a gripping psychological thriller” and it could not have been more right! I literally had no idea what was really happening the entire time, in the best way possible. Every time I thought I knew where the book was going I was completely wrong.
I felt like I couldn’t trust the narration which ran parallel to Libby’s feelings throughout the book. As she was slowly loosing her mind trying to piece everything together I felt like I was doing the same. I inhaled this book in two days and I’m so happy I read it!

Another thriller that starts with an affair. Slightly different from the others but not by much. A quick read.

I have now read 4 books by this author and have to say I love her style!
This book builds up a complex twisty story about a missing girl, using alternating viewpoints: flashbacks to the night in question and current time, dealing with the search and events surrounding it. I really enjoyed not knowing and gradually filling in background, which kept me involved thinking and puzzling possible scenarios.
I had clear pictures develop in my head of the scenes, of the cottage and the farmhouse and the characters were very effectively portrayed, especially Libby who evoked great empathy from me.
There are so many unknowns and missing history / events, that are hinted at, that I kept reading avidly to uncover the full story. I would totally recommend this book with all its’ intricacies and sub-plots, but don’t expect to solve it until near the end, after many twists, when it all becomes clear!

STUNNED !! It is not often that a book takes a turn that I absolutely did not expect - and I LOVE IT!!

It all starts when Libby finds a note on her car telling her that her husband is having an affair...

...as the story unfolds and the plot thickens new clues emerge and the reader is left with deciphering each clue and how it relates to the story. What is true? Who is telling the truth?

Pick up this book if you are looking for a rollercoaster ride that will leave you hanging on until the very end!

4.5/5

I loved this book!! It didn’t disappoint and kept me guessing right to the very end, even though I was certain I knew what was going to happen. Thank you for letting me read and review this book

WOW! This was a truly great psychological thriller which I devoured in mere hours. I was breathless, talking out loud at what I was reading and racing on and on to find out just who was guilty of the crime.
The setting is a beautiful village in the Cotswolds and everything at first seems idyllic and tranquil until a note claiming Libby's husband is having an affair is left on Libby's car. Everything in Libby and Sean's lives unravels from that point onwards, mistrust, deceit, wrongdoing, paranoia woven around and protecting long buried secrets. Suspicion is cast on practically everyone and as the story develops you just aren't quite sure what exactly happened and who did what.
Why did Sasha the seventeen year old babysitter disappear and where to? Why did she leave 4 year old Alice alone? What is going on between Sasha's parents Jan and Phil and is Sasha's boyfriend to blame in any way? There's Marion and Fred, Sean's parents and Sean himself. Is he having an affair? Has he got back with Natalie his ex-wife and why does Alice call her the bad lady?
Shocking, gripping and very entertaining, Date Night is a thoroughly brilliant read.
Thanks to Samantha Hayes, the publisher and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this. I'm off now to read more of Samantha Hayes books.

After Libby finds a note on her car's windshield accusing her husband of having an affair, they plan a date night to try to get their relationship back on track. The date doesn't go over as planned and the night just keeps getting worse when Libby and Sean come home to find that their babysitter, Sasha is missing. Not long after, Libby is accused of her murder. What really happened to Sasha?
I was so excited to get the opportunity to read Date Night! I'm a sucker for a good thriller and the summary for this really caught my interest. I absolutely loved it! The author keeps you guessing all the way through the epilogue, which I really appreciated. I feel like I can normally gather some sort of a "guess" for what happened, but Date Night really threw me for a loop! Just when I started to think one thing, new ideas were presented all the way through to the end. The ending was very satisfying, all of my questions were answered and it left me thinking. I can't wait to read more by Samantha Hayes!
Thank you to Netgalley and Bookouture for the ARC of this book. This was a voluntary review.

I received this early Kindle copy from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review. I appreciate their generosity and am sorry I can’t recommend the book to others.

This book was written in the current format of “now” and “then”. Some of the chapters were in the first person and some in the third person, but there was no consistency in that.

Our protagonist, Libby, is a total basket case - maybe looney tunes, maybe schizophrenic, but definitely not “normal,” although she is pictured as being the very responsible owner and chef for a successful catering business. There are way too many inconsistencies in the storyline and also in the characterizations to give credence to the plot line or even plot points or the characters. For example, Libby has two very important dinner parties lined up to cater. The first she talks about canceling a day or two before (although we don’t know whether she did or not) and the other she didn’t bother to cancel, she just didn’t show up.

Obviously the author and her editor know NOTHING about catering dinner parties!

The actions of the characters did not make sense.

The Big Reveal at the end and then the conclusion were the pits – just awful.

I’m sorry, but I can not recommend this book to anyone and will not be looking for further offerings from this author.

The night that Sean and Libby Randell go on a date night to try to resolve their marriage problems, Marion, Sean’s mother, is unable to babysit because she has a previous engagement to honour for her church. Sasha is an excellent stand in though; she is a mature 17-year-old who often helps Libby when she caters for dinner parties. Best of all, their 4-year-old daughter Alice knows her well. They leave Sasha in Chestnut Cottage with her maths homework confident that she is reliable and competent to do the babysitting.
The date night is a total disaster and ends early with Sean, fed up with Libby’s suspicion, jealousy and constant questioning, storming out of the restaurant leaving her to pay the bill. Libby catches him up outside and they start their awkward taxi journey home, arriving just after nine. The house is ominously silent – Alice is fast asleep in her bedroom and Sasha has left her home alone, leaving behind her phone and all of her belongings. Libby drives around their village, alarm bells ringing in her ears, but there are no sightings of her. Eventually Libby phones Sasha’s home number and breaks the news to her mother, who comes over straight away. A police investigation is inevitable.
Baffled by the circumstances, a missing person’s investigation is immediately started. Within a few days Libby is taken in by the police for further questioning with a charge of murder a very distinct possibility. She is adamant that she is innocent and is in shock at being arrested. This is Libby’s story, narrated in dual time frame, chapters alternating between now and then.
‘Date Night’ is full of mystery and suspense with an absolutely unexpected and jaw-dropping conclusion. I raced through each chapter eager to find out what happened next. Samantha Hayes has a huge talent for writing psychological thrillers and I always enjoy her new titles. I didn’t like any of the main characters in this story about secrets, lies, jealousy and manipulation. I thought Libby was asking for trouble and baiting her husband. He was very evasive and I didn’t trust him from the very start. Ahead is a rollercoaster of activity, action and red herrings. I really enjoyed reading this novel and am happy to recommend it as a good read within this genre.
I received a complimentary copy of this novel from publisher Bookouture through my membership of NetGalley. Thank you for my copy sent in return for an honest and unbiased review. I was totally invested in this complicated but cleverly managed story, so it’s a 4.5* review from me.
Punchy psychological thriller with an amazing twist at the end 4*

This is one really great read. I was hooked from the first page and read this until I finished at 3.30 in the morning. There are more twists and turns in it than on a rollercoaster. If you like a good psychological thriller this is one book you should definitely read.

Libby and Sean seem like a happily married couple, Sean is a local vet and Libby runs her own catering business, they have a four year old daughter Alice. Everything seems great, until one morning Libby finds a note on her windscreen telling her Sean is having an affair. Libby is distraught. She calls her best friend Fran and they meet up and she tells her about the note. Frans advice is to behave as normal, because if she starts throwing accusations at Sean and nothing is going on it will show a lack of trust and will destroy their marriage. The problem is Libby doesn’t do normal. She asks Sean about the note, and he dismisses it saying it’s probably kids messing around. He talks Libby round and they decide to go out for a date night. Normally Marion Sean’s mum will have Alice but she has something on at the church the night they are going out. So they ask Sasha who has babysat before and also sometimes helps Libby out with the catering. Natalie, Sean’s ex wife and mother of Dan their fifteen year old son, constantly pops up.

When they come home from date night it’s to a quiet house there is no sign of Sasha her phone and schoolbooks are still on the table. Libby rushes upstairs to check on Alice who is fast asleep. Everything is then a panic. Not knowing what to do, Libby drives round the village to see if she can see Sasha. But nothing. They message some of her friends but nothing. Then call her mum Jan to see if she has gone home, Jan says no and that she was waiting for Sasha to phone her as she was going to pick her up. She gets in her car and drives over looking for Sasha on the way, but again no sign of her. It’s then they decide they need to call the police. Because it’s not normal behaviour for Sasha the police come out straight away and start an investigation headed by Detective inspector Doug Jones.

Is Libby hiding things? Why is Sean lying or omitting bits out of his statement? Why does Alice say Natalie is a bad lady? What secrets does Marion have about Sean from when he was younger? Something happened when Sean was fifteen, his dad hardly speaks to him! Is Sean having an affair? If he is who is it with? Who is the gift wrapped up and hidden in the wardrobe for from Sean?

The book is written in first person narrative and jumps from before and after Libby is arrested. Which happens in the first scenes of the book. It is so well written there are several characters I really didn’t like and others that you sort of rooted for and believed in them. But the ending is one I just didn’t see coming. I normally try and guess who I think the villain in the story is but this one got me, I just never saw it coming.

A brilliant book one I can very highly recommend. Thank you netgalley and Bookouture for an ARC of this book all opinions are my own and unbiased.

A good thriller with twists and turns until the end. What starts off as a family drama (is the husband having an affair?) rapidly becomes a missing persons case, with the wife, Libby, arrested for murder. We have an unreliable narrator, which becomes clearer as the story goes on, and always makes for an interesting read. There are two very big twists at the end, one of which I saw coming, one I didn't. Overall it's a fast read, thank you for my chance to review this book.

Very good psychological thriller! Libby suspects her husband is cheating on her, which she overreacts to, and then discovers the long-buried defuerv

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.

I liked this book but it had about a million red herrings. Too many twists and too many possibly evil characters takes away from the story. Without spoilers, the gist of the book is a small town veterinarian and his wife and daughter. Seemingly a nice family and happy until the wife finds a note on her car saying “your husband is having an affair “. Behaviors changed and I was left without caring who he was with. I just wondered why he was suddenly such a jackass!

After receiving a note that says her husband, Sean, is having an affair, Libby is distraught. Adam denies it, and a few days later they decide to have date night to clear the air and move forward in their marriage. They leave their 4-year old daughter, Alice, with the teenage babysitter, Sasha, who they have used before and has also worked with Libby in her catering business.

When they return from the disastrous date, Sasha is missing...seemingly out of thin air. Through a series of events, the police think she has been murdered and that Libby is the culprit.

This was a so-so book from an author I truly enjoy, so I was a bit let down. The story didn't really grip me, and I found myself thinking the characters would never lack so much intelligence in real life to go down the paths that they did in the novel. There were some nice red herrings though, and I definitely didn't suspect the ending, although it seems to take quite a long time to get to it. Author Samantha Hayes is a true talent, and I am a huge fan even though this particular book wasn't my cup of cappuccino. I eagerly await the next one, which I have no doubt will be a vast improvement in my opinion.

Thanks to Samantha Hayes, Bookouture, and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Date Night by Samantha Hayes

A note left on Libby’s windshield about her husband Sean drives this story, which will be difficult to review without spoilers. Let’s just say that this note is the catalyst for suspicion, police questioning, searches for a missing person and secrets not revealed until the very end.

All the drama begins when an intended date night dinner to discuss said note ends badly for all, particularly Sasha, Libby’s babysitter for daughter Alice. The author gives you parts of the story, filling in with new information in later chapters. I very much liked this writing technique, as things you believed had happened turned out to be much more complicated.

The characters are good, the writing is good and the story is good, but I’m not sure there was enough tension to call the story a psychological thriller. It was good enough, however, to get 4 stars from this reviewer.

This is consuming dark tale of lies.
The characters are well described and on the whole they are believable
There are many twists in the book which add to the suspense
A good book