Started out strong with a good premise. Jumped around in time a little too much which became confusing, but still kept me interested. A little too many side stories which really had nothing to do with the storyline & could have been left out in my opinion.

Thank you to Netgalley, the author and the publisher for this ARC.

What a really quick thriller, with a sad bust just ending. Samantha Hayes has a way of pulling you in and keeping you invested with her writing. I enjoyed this thriller and read it in two sittings.

Libby finds a note on her car telling her that her husband, Sean, is having an affair. Their planned Date Night is a disaster and when they get home their ordinarily quite responsible babysitter, Sasha, is nowhere to be found and Alice, the 4 year old, is by herself.

Libby is arrested for Sasha's murder and vehemently denies any knowledge of events but does she know more than she is saying?

This is a compelling story of secrets, lies and control; juicy and well-spun. It dragged a bit in the middle but concluded spectacularly, so 4 stars.

Thank you to Samantha Hayes, Bookouture and NetGalley for giving me this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Sean and Libby plan a date night after a note was left on Libby’s car that caused her to doubt Sean’s fidelity. They come home to find that their normally trustworthy babysitter has completely disappeared. A police investigation takes place and a few days later Libby ends up being arrested on the suspicion that she had something to do with the disappearance.

This book grabbed my attention right away and continued to get more suspenseful. The author does a great job of keeping you guessing. I can’t pinpoint when it happened but it just started dragging. Nothing was happening. Another thing was that it would be the middle of a scene where, for example, Character A was talking with Character B. In the middle, it would randomly jump to something from the past that Character A was thinking about which had its own dialogue with someone else. It just got confusing and was the cause of a lot of rereading. The ending felt rushed and seemed out of place with the rest of the story.
So, I didn’t dislike this book enough to give up on it but it did fall flat in the end.

Oh my, my. Oh hell yes! I just finished it and am so happy. Synopsis tells you what you are getting into. I'm telling you... get into it! I liked all of this book then the author drops so much on you in the end and it's shattering in such a good way. I don't want to reveal anything other than I bought into all of the characters. I questioned and re-questioned all of the motives and opportunities and enjoyed being oh so wrong! Fun read. Wish it wasn't over for me. Hope Samantha Hayes writes something just as good for me to read soon. Thank you Bookouture/Netgalley for an ARC of Date Night. It was a mid-summer treat! Book drops Aug. 20th. If you love this genre, find it!!

Very enjoyable book and I certainly didn’t guess how it was going to end. Some of the characters weren’t very likeable but that just added to the atmosphere and left me not knowing who to believe!

Just like the previous Samantha Hayes’ book I’d read, this had me hooked from the outset
There are plenty of twists & turns to keep the reader’s attention.
I felt though that it ended just a little abruptly. Maybe a little explanation would have been good as to what happens to the characters.

I have to admit, I'm not normally a fan of books like this. I find people who've been falsely accused are often really boring, and the so called twists are seen coming from Mars.

Fortunately, this was totally different. I was surprised to find that I was totally gripped from the start, and while there were times where it slowed a bit and became a bit of a drag, it always picked back up again and got better than ever.

The twists were shocking but believable, and the writing was brilliant - I loved Libby, and couldn't wait to find out the truth of her situation!

What should have been an ordinary date night to help mend a fragile marriage, turns into anything but. Loved this book and the main character Libby. Plenty of twists and turns to make you want to keep turning the pages and a good ending too.

Nailbitting thriller.

Such a perfect paced, engrossing thriller after so long.
I was on the edge through out the book.
The pace was absolutely as I like, not too fast and not too dragging.
The characters I felt needed a bit polishing but I couldn't help admire how Hayes managed to keep me guessing who was the murderer.
Even though I figured out who it was, I coukdn't help but love how the author built up for the climax.


Loved it.

Wow. This has to be way up in my top reads ever. I was totally gripped from first page and on the edge of my seat until the end. Full of twists, turns and red herrings. I cannot recommend this book highly enough.

Sean and Libby have a good marriage Libby thinks, until she gets a note that says Sean is having an affair. This novel was suspenseful, but it dragged in too many places. By the time I got to the end, I didn’t really care about any of the main characters. I was surprised by the ending however, so that made up for the rest of the novel taking forever to get to the point

Omg,I honestly didn't see that ending coming,that was one hell of a totally,unexpected,jaw dropping twist. I was so shocked,I ended up sitting in my comfy chair,doing a very good impression of omg cat for at least five minutes.

Libby hadn't thought that her day could get any worse,first she had found a note on the front windscreen of her car,informing her that her husband Sean was cheating on her. Then a date night that Sean had organised ended up being a unmitigated disaster. Instead of repairing their relashionship,they had ended up having a massive argument and returning home in stony silence. Only when they got back to their cottage,they had discovered that their four year old daughter Alice was all alone and their babysitter Sasha had disappeared.

Days later,Libby is arrested for Sasha's murder. She insists that she is innocent but does she know more than she is letting on?

Where is Sasha? What really happened that night?

In this twisty tale of secrets,lies,families,control and manipulation,nothing is what is appears to be and when the truth is revealed it is shocking,chilling and heart breaking.

We witness events from Libby's perspective as she takes us through her life before,during and after the disastrous date night and her interviews with the police. Libby was a complex character who had some major issues due to events in her past. These issues caused her to be anxious and lack trust in Sean,so obviously she would have been very upset after receiving the note. Adding to Libby's problems was the constant interference from Sean's perfect ex wife and his domineering mother. But because we only see everything from Libby's perspective,the reader is never sure wether Libby's versions of events and her interactions with other characters are reliable of if she is cleverly manipulating the police and the reader. Many of the vivid,realistic characters were not very likeable but was there underlying reasons behind their behaviour and actions.? I loved Chestnut Cottage where Libby and Sean lived,the thatched roof,the old key that opened the front door,Libby's kitchen in the converted barn.

I love Samantha Hayes thrillers,they are always exceedingly well written,packed full of unexpected twists and turns gripping and enthralling and Date Night is no exception. The truth of what happened that fateful night is revealed gradually,the reader being drip Fed little hints and clues as the story unfolded before your captivated eyes. Another amazing,brilliant thriller from a very talented author who doesn't get the recognition that she deserves. Worth far more than five stars. Very Very highly recommended.

I have read Samantha Hayes’ previous books and enjoy her style of writing. This book certainly did not disappoint.

Libby and Sean live happily with their young daughter until the day an anonymous note is left on Libby’s car windscreen suggesting that her husband is having an affair. This leads to suspicion as Libby obsessively doubts almost everybody Sean has dealings with. He suggests a date night to get their lives back on an even keel but on their return from their evening out their babysitter, Sasha, has vanished. The rest of the book deals with the repercussions of Sasha’s disappearance and the police investigations.

I was completely drawn in to this story and struggled to know what I believed had happened. i could not put it down until I had finished it. Highly recommend.

Well it takes A LOT to shock me but believe me when I say that this really WASN’T A TWIST THAT I SAW COMING! Yes I have always said that I detest that tag line used by publishers as I always guess their “unguessable” twist but with Date Night I didn’t have a clue until it slapped me in the face! But I should have known that if ANYONE was going to be able to pull the wool over my eyes it would be Samantha Hayes. I’ve long been a fan and recommend her books to many readers who have never read her before but Date Night is definitely one of her best ever books right up there with Blood Ties and You Belong to Me. This book is AWESOME and I was addicted from the very first page!

This is a psychological thriller that works best going into it blind-the blurb above tells you all you need to know really! Which makes it EXTREMELY difficult to explain exactly why I found it such a brilliant read. Let’s just say if the idea of unreliable narrators who make you so frustrated that you think you could burst from not knowing what the hell is going on appeals, then this is the book for you! Told in a “Now” and then making sure you are flashed back to a “Then” to balance the narrative and try to fool you with possible clues, this is a full on “who, what, when, where and why” thriller that keeps you guessing until the final few pages.

A gripping thriller with a shocking and unforgettable twist! Highly recommended by me!

It was supposed to be their night out - a night for Libby and Sean to relax, laugh, and hit the reset button on their marriage.  When they return home, however, their babysitter Sasha has disappeared, and their 4-year-old daughter Alice has been left home alone.  What happened?  Where is Sasha? Did she run off, or was foul play involved?  And does this have anything to do with the mysterious note Libby found?  

This book grabbed my attention from the prologue didn't let it go. I loved the slow-building confusion, how things kept growing murkier until I felt as if I were trudging blindly through a fog, trying to make sense of things, not sure who I could trust.  Without saying too much, I would have liked to see a little more closure at the end - to see how characters' lives are playing out a few months down the road.  All in all, though, this was an addictively fun read, and I will be looking out for more books by Samantha Hayes in the future.

A fabulous read that I couldn’t put down and one of my favourite books of the year.
The book is fast paced and addictive. The ending is great and brought everything together that had been happening. I loved it and it’s definitely worthy of a big fat 5 stars.

Great book will be reading other books by this author.
Will also recommend this book to others.
Great read! 5*****

Wow, this book has just completely blown me away. As I was reading it, I was convinced since about 7% in that I knew who the bad ‘guy’ was! Absolutely no questions, convinced! I even woke in the middle of the night and was like yeah it’s definitely so and so, this is the reason why and this is what they’ve done! Chattering away to myself about it all at 4 am!
So when it wasn’t, and I hadn’t guessed anything correctly, I was gobsmacked. I like being taken by surprise like this. Complete twist after twist and shock after shock, brilliantly written to keep me in suspense like this. I’m so glad I took a chance on this author via NetGalley and tried this book.
I tried to think about how I would react if a note were put on my car warning me that Morgan had been up to no good. Libby was in an impossible situation, as was Sean. If he was innocent, there was no way he could prove it; only Libby could determine if he was guilty. However, by pushing the matter she was driving him and herself insane, but how could she ignore it? An impossible situation, no matter how much trust you think you have if have you get a note like that you are bound to have doubts regardless.
After receiving the note, Libby’s life literally turns upside down. We follow the story back and forward in time. Starting off at the end and then the ‘before’ chapters interspersed with the ‘now’ catches up to itself at the end. It was all very cleverly executed. The ‘now’ sections weren’t as often and at the end f each one you would be left with a mini cliffhanger, leaving you panting for more but having to wait what felt like ages to get back to the ‘now’!
This was a real thriller whereby you didn’t know what direction the story was going in and you didn’t know who to trust. It grips you, and it was so hard to put it down to get some sleep, even though it ended up keeping me awake just thinking about it anyway. I may as well have kept reading!
Thoroughly enjoyed it and will most definitely be checking out the author’s other books!

The book started in an interesting way with the arrest of Libby Randell on suspicion of murder. The story was told from Before the arrest and Now and there were a few occasions where I was a bit confused but those queries resolved themselves as events unfolded. Libby was suspicious that her husband was having an affair and Date Night was an attempt to patch things up and that was obviously the point at which things in their lives spiralled out of control. Some of the characters were likeable such as Fran and Alice , I felt neutral about Libby as she needled Sean her husband at times (although I understood why) and I disliked him as his behaviour was unpredictable to say the least. I was intrigued throughout as there were events in Sean’s past that were mysterious and his relationship with his father Fred was strained. All these questions were resolved in the surprising end of the story and all the contradictions in the Before and Now narrative were explained.

I thought the book got better and better as it went along. There were times when you genuinely didn’t have a clue what was going on, where was the truth as there were so many false flags. It was an easy read and I gobbled it up in one sitting!