Creepy. Sordid. Chilling. Twisted. Watson writes a good thriller with many curves in the story. The biggest curve was the ending. I didn't see it coming. I thought Hannah was clueless and needed a good shaking. She was so oblivious to red flag after red flag about Alex. I liked her character the least. I liked Jas the best. She had the most common sense and pragmatism. The ending left me saying, wait! What will happen now that....
A good read, indeed.

Hannah has met the man of her dreams, Alex. Who knew that you could meet your significant other on a dating app!
Her best friend is trying to put the brakes on for her but she's not listening.
So he wants to know where she is all the time. It's because he cares so much. A tracking app on her phone is because he wants to protect her.
Hannah's office colleagues and friends are there to listen to her stories. They are supportive and happy she found a new man.
Her best friend and office manager can see red flags, or, maybe she's just jealous.
What are red flags to others are love, concern and protection to Hannah.
A great story with great characters.

What a crazy ride! First let me say that I was sure I had this all figured out just a chapter or 2 in...WRONG! Rich characters, a few quite unlikeable, drive the tale. Twists and turns galore! A Lifetime movie of a thriller!

Hannah is looking for a stable and fulfilling relationship after her last one that lead to a dead end. Her friend who is also her boss encourages her to try online dating. There she meets Alex who she deems as "perfect" and definitely puts on a pedestal from the get go. From the first date there was clear foreshadowing that something was off about Alex. From her coincidentally liking all the things Hannah likes (can you say stalker) and him even leaving taking the spoon Hannah ate off of (creepy, am I right?)

I really wanted to love this book and was encouraged when I saw all the great reviews. However, this book fell flat for me. Hannah's character never really resonated for me. I found her incredibly infuriating. Trust me, I understand people can become intoxicated in relationships, but this was a bit extreme. If all your friends are giving you warnings about a guy and there are clear red flags, would you really not listen time and time again? Maybe that is the case for some, but I just couldn't take it. But I'm also the friend who can't stand seeing their friends go back to the same guy again and again and thinking he won't continue making mistakes.

Thanks to NetGalley for providing me an ARC of "First Date" by Sue Watson in exchange for an honest review.

Hannah knew that Alex was perfect from their very FIRST DATE. 🍷
They both wanted a yellow Labrador, three kids and weekends in Devon.

Her boss, and best friend, Jas, recognized Alex for the man he was-
possessive and controlling.

But, all that Hannah saw was “love and kindness” and she ignored EVERY red flag, justifying his behavior, at every turn, no matter how outrageous or UNACCEPTABLE!!

I was EXASPERATED by Hannah!

She had to be one of the dumbest women that I have ever met in literature!
I could barely keep reading!

But, having enjoyed the author’s past work, I continued on, hoping there would be a big pay-off at the end.

I was satisfied with how it all wrapped up, with all questions answered, but it took perseverance to get there!

And, a few Porn Star Martinis! 🍸😉

Thank you to Bookouture for my gifted copy though NetGalley!
It was my pleasure to provide an honest review!

Available Oct. 16, 2020

First Date by Sue Watson kept me on the edge of my seat the entire time. I could not stop reading this. Anyone who has done online dating has had good dates and bad dates. However, has the perfect date ever turned into a perfect nightmare? This is what happens to Hannah,

Alex and Hannah hit it off immediately, it seems to good to be true. He is a solicitor, and her a social worker. They seem to have everything in common, or do they?

Hannah's co-workers are like family to her, they are not too sure of Alex. He is a controlling manipulative liar.
Suddenly Hannah is receiving threats, Alex goes as far as to putting a tracker on her phone to keep her safe.
Who is Alex?!?!?

First Date is a true thriller and highly recommended! Who can Hannah trust? Find out on October 16th

A big thank you to Netgalley, Bookouture and Sue Watson for letting me read this in return for an honest review!

Hannah is Me. I am Hannah. I see Red Flags everywhere and I am looking for more and hanging them up all over my office, home and anywhere else I go.

Hannah has found Alex on a website called *Meet Your Match* and they are on their first date. He likes golden retrievers and vacationing in Devon. So does she! He likes Merlot. So does she! It's amazing. They are a perfect match. Hannah, who wants to have 3 children and a dog, is 36 and feels her time is running out.

The first half of the book is Alex showing Hannah how crazy he is - double locking doors, tracking her on her phone, covering up huge lies, Making her homemade pistachio ice cream from a Haagen Daaz container, showing up everywhere she is, always needing to "protect her". And while Hannah's hackles are definitely up, she refuses to believe he is dangerous in any way.

The second half of the book, along with a very shocking twist, is where Hannah starts to figure out where this relationship is going and it is not a great place. As a reader, I consider myself an amateur detective and that shocking twist out of nowhere really threw me for a loop and made total sense. It was a gift from an amazing author.

The last page of this mystery will literally stop you in your tracks and you will breathe a sigh of relief.

This is my first Sue Watson book. I am so excited that I have found this author on NetGalley and can't wait to read more!

I enjoy a good Sue Watson book and this one doesn’t disappoint.

When Hannah meets Alex through a dating app, she is sure she has met her soulmate. He is looking for the same things that Hannah wants, what could be more perfect? But there is more to Alex than meets the eye and Hannah is left wondering just what she’s let herself in for. Throw a jealous best friend into the mix and you are looking at a recipe for disaster.

Brilliantly done with an excellent twist.

If you enjoy creepy, stalker novels then this is the book for you (and me!).

I loved the Sue’s style of writing, the way in which she describes the surroundings and events is very fluid and easy on the eye. Her style of narrative is engaging and I found this book particularly hard to put down because of it.

I thought Hannah was an odd character, she has had a really hard upbringing and works as a social worker for young kids/teens who are struggling with similar or sometimes worse conditions. With that in mind, I did find her personality a little strange as I would have expected her to be much less trusting of other and to be more street-savvy! Therefore I found her naivety was a little hard for me to empathise with. Growing up without a family will mean that her friendships are going to be a lot deeper (because of trust issues) and I thought her flippant questioning of her closest friend jarred with the narrative of her character.

All this aside, from the moment I picked this book up - I loved it! A fast paced, thrilling read with a few tricks up its sleeve for anyone not paying attention 😉

Thanks to NetGalley for my advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

A good, quick thrill ride! Lots of twist & turns, enough to get you dizzy! Lots of chills, thrills, and shocks! Well written, unputdownable, and realistic! Watson is one I trust, of looking for a quick, good thriller, she delivers in this book as well! Highly recommend to my fellow Watson fans, my fellow thriller fans, and those new to the genre! Clear schedule, will keep you up past bedtime!
Will buzz up and use lower Amazon reviewer number on Release.

I mentioned this book on Instagram recently; it was such a great read! First Date by Sue Watson kept me guessing from beginning to end. Sue is an author whose books I always read, I was thrilled when I saw this one and had to get it into my hands right away.

When Hannah meets Alex, she is so happy. He’s everything she wanted in a man! So what if he always wants to know where she is, what she’s doing. And its okay that he shows up everywhere she goes, he’s looking out for her. But who is sending her weird messages, is it Alex’s ex? Or Hannah’s ex? Maybe it’s Hannah’s boss who is always looking out for her but Alex thinks she’s overbearing.

Check it out:

She’s been waiting her whole life to meet a man like Alex. But he’s been waiting too. And once he has her, he’ll never let her go…Hannah has done everything to make sure her life is safe and secure. A long way from her unstable childhood growing up in foster care, she’s content with her sweet, little, messy apartment and her satisfying job as a social worker. She quietly worries that, aged 36, she might never fall in love. But otherwise her life is where she wants it to be.

Until, encouraged by her best friend to join a dating app, she meets Alex. He’s irresistibly handsome. He loves the same music as her. The same food as well. They both dream of travelling the world but agree they’d be equally happy escaping to a cottage by the beach in Devon. Both of them would love to own a Labrador one day. It’s like he’s made for her. It’s like he’s too good to be true. Hannah’s friends aren’t so sure about him. But Hannah thinks he’s perfect. Which is good. Because Alex knows she’s perfect for him too. In fact, she’s exactly the girl he’s been looking for…

And nothing Hannah’s done to make her life safe will ever be enough.

You can pre-order the book here, it will be out on October 16!

Once again Sue Watson has written an engaging and hard to put down story. I was suspicious of a few of the main characters at the start and I thought I had guessed the ending, I'm happy to say I got it completely wrong. Sue has definitely become one of my goto authors and I'm looking forward to reading her next book which hopefully we won't have to wait too long for. I wish I could give more than 5 stars lí

Another great book from Sue Watson . A nice steady build up not knowing who you can trust . Social worker , friends and ex wives all thrown into the mix . I did kind of guess the end but nevertheless it was a good book

Thanks to Net Galley, Bookouture and Sue Watson for the eARC in exchange of an honest review.

This book was utterly addictive, such a page-turner and I had huge trouble putting it down. I've read in so quickly! I liked the pace of the story, not to slow yet not to fast. The plot twist at the end is just wow! I cringed while reading the book on so many occasions due to the unhealthy relationship between Alex and Hannah. In fact, Alex is a character who uses Hannah's emotions to control her and make her feel bad. I have strongly disliked him throughout. 
I've been so frustrated by Hannah for being so forgiving and putting up with his behaviour.
If you love psychological thriller, I'd definitely recommend this book.

Unlucky in love Hannah meets Alex through a dating app. Encouraged by her best friend Jas, who is also her boss, she goes on a date with him. Alex is perfect and soon Hannah is swept off her feet.
Being a social worker she has a close bond with her coworkers and they are her friends as well as colleagues and soon little things about the way Alex speaks about her friends.
Alex is possessive and when it seems that she has a stalker he wants to keep her safe but maybe too safe!
I love Sue’s books and this was no exception. Sue builds such great tension in her books and the characters are always brilliant.
Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for this arc in exchange for my honest review.

Dating apps can be a minefield. Catfishing, ghosting, scammers and creeps! It's a wonder anyone takes the plunge and finds a decent, honest person that they can have a relationship with. Hannah, a social worker, has ended a relationship and wanted to start dating again. Her friend and boss Jas convinces her to download a dating app and see if she can find someone she is attracted to. She starts dating a man named Alex. He was perfect for Hannah. They had so much in common and similar goals for the future. Was Alex too perfect? As time went by strange things started happening to Hannah. Who was trying to scare her and why? The tension slowly builds as Hannah finds out more about Alex and who he really is. Reading this book I wondered why so people don't see the warning signs in a relationship. I realize we sometimes see the things we want to see and the red flags are ignored. . Even though I thought I knew where the author was going with the plot I was shocked to find out I was SO wrong.. What a wonderful build up and twist. A very entertaining read.

First Date by Sue Watson is a nail biter! We've all had our share of good and not so good first dates, but what happens when a perfect first date turns into a total disaster?

Hannah and Alex meet through an online dating app. He's good looking, has a great job, sweet, kind, wants the same things Hannah does. She is starting to believe that he's perfect. On paper they may be a perfect match - he's a solicitor and she's a social worker. They're both dedicated to their jobs.

Hannah's friends and workmates don't approve though. Alex is many good things, but he's also controlling, clingy and a liar. Big lies - not little white lies - shake the foundation of their growing love. Weird occurrences start to happen to Hannah - nasty notes, heavy breathing phone calls, car break-ins. Who is after Hannah and is it connected to Alex?

First Date is a real thriller - nothing is as it seems. Who is harmless and who is truly dangerous in First Date? You'll have to pick it up to find out!

This was just too much of a slow burn. I also felt this bok was a little too similar to "YOU" by Caroline Kepnes.

Holy what did I just read? I am sitting here looking through my notes about books I have read, and I haven't come across anything close to how I feel about First Date. Hannah goes on a first date with Alex. Hannah decides Alex is The One based on everything they have in common. Hannah's heart is broken when Alex doesn't immediately schedule a second date. Hannah is overjoyed when Alex calls. Hannah may have some ides that Alex is a little off on their second date. Hannah must be wrong because Alex is just so perfect. Hannah can picture her beautiful wedding to Alex, having children and grandchildren, and their wonderful life together...by the end of the second date.
This may sound simplistic, but Hannah had to be one of the most stereotypical characters that I have ever read. I could not believe that anyone could be that naive( after all she is not eighteen, and even then...sigh), and I guess desperate for a relationship. Warning bells were ringing around me, but even though they were deafening, Hannah apparently was well insulated living in my Kindle.
Then, things happened and I had to check to be sure my Kindle didn't switch my book. I didn't change my mind about Hannah, but the ending was maybe even a bit better than some of my favorite thrillers.
This is one of those times that I dislike having to provide a star rating. Most of First Date was just an okay read for me, but that ending deserved five stars. You might not think that Hannah is more annoying than having to stay at home for months, and the ending was fabulous.

This was a fantastic psychological thriller! I really enjoyed the pacing of this book, and it was so well written.

It was quite unpredictable, it had me shocked and needing to know the truth.

Sue Watson is an amazing writer and I can't wait to read more of her books!

Thank you to the publisher for providing me with a copy of this E-book to review via Netgalley.