Sandra Block (1)

To review this novel as the best thriller I've read this year is too mild. A reader’s hot sauce. The hottest of the hot. The height of suspense. Best. Thriller. Ever. Read. 🔥 🔥 🔥 🔥 🔥

Dr. Zoe Goldman is a psychiatry resident with 2 other physicians under the supervision of Dr. Grant at a hospital in Buffalo, New York. Medication keeps her ADHD under control. Zoe is hoping for more help from her psychiatrist as another part of life has remained elusive. She wants to piece together the puzzle of her recurring nightmare. Answers from her adoptive mother have always been limited, and now, with her mother in care, Zoe qualifies answers as BD or AD before or after dementia.

Mothers. The relationship between mothers and daughters is not lost on Zoe at home or work. Her latest patient, Sofia Vallano, has been in psychiatric hospital care for years for matricide. All of which influence her desire to locate her birth mother.

I loved every aspect of this well-written novel. Whether in the hospital, at home, in the coffee shop, or in the car, I was immersed and engaged by the descriptive writing. My top favorites:

"Raindrops squiggle down the window, racing each other."
"If Sam's office is a yacht, and the nursing home a Victorian tearoom, then the Coffee Spot is a funky bachelor pad."

And the description of Jean-Luc is one to luxuriate, revel, and bask within the words.

The story takes place over 4 months, from November to February. The vital clue to the mysteries of the answers Zoe is seeking is subtle. But then I must report it in that manner since the clue to it all was tucked in the story with care, and I flat-out missed the significance. At the reveal, I was in the first car of the roller coaster train approaching the tip of the top hat and then the drop. The track I thought the curves were taking wasn't even there. Shock! Adrenalin pumping, edge of my seat, gripping the rail with white knuckles, fantastic, extraordinary ecstasy. WoW! What a ride! 🎢🎢🎢🎢🎢

A Reading Group Guide and Discussion Questions are available at the end of the novel.… (más)

TRIGGER WARNING: If violence or abuse in any form unsettles you, I’d recommend skipping this one.

Dahlia is traumatized by an unspeakable act committed against her, causing her to have pseudo seizures. She’s angry that there are guilty people walking around with impunity. She’s also a suicide survivor, along with her best friend, Eli, who does all he can to protect Dahlia. Dahlia has a new friend, James, whose sister, Ramona, succeeded in taking her life. James and Dahlia are workmates but they truly meet at a support group. James has a secret about Ramona that’s hard for him to share with Dahlia. His father couldn’t bear Ramona’s secret, but James knows he has to tell Dahlia. James is internally tormented by his sister’s untimely death, and he’s attracted to Dahlia, but he has Asperger’s syndrome. Dahlia isn’t put off by his awkwardness, peculiarities and personality quirks. Together, they make a formidable team, and they have an idea that will make each and every person who’s responsible for Dahlia’s tragedy wish they were never born.

I liked the relationship between Dahlia and James. Both have personal challenges to work through and they unequivocally balance one another. Dahlia’s friend Eli, as well as others, support her on many occasions and in many ways, but is she certain that everyone can be trusted?

Parts of What Happened That Night are a brutal, but realistic, account of unspeakable acts committed against a young woman that affects her so deeply that she almost succeeds in taking her life. Thanks to her friends, family, and a new love interest, she works through it all, but she’s evermore determined to make sure all involved get what they deserve.

I figured out Ramona’s secret.

Although I’m not a proponent of revenge tactics, I can’t say I felt remorse for the perpetrators in this story. Dahlia and James were masterminds when it came to plotting and scheming; and after everything was said and done one must ask the question: was it all worth it?

This book was excellently written but I would not read another like it. Although the events are a depiction of true-to-life scenarios, nevertheless, it was a bit disturbing to say the least. The end gave me sentimental vibes though.… (más)

This is as far as I know the first time I have read a book with a psychiatrist as the main characters and that was a nice change because Dr. Zoe Goldman isn't out to solve a crime or anything. Instead, she is trying to help a young African-American girl who is discovered wandering the streets with no memory of who she is. But it seems that nobody knows who the girl is and Zoe decides to take matters into her own hands to find out who the girl is.

I really liked that Zoe is a psychiatrist with ADHD and during the book, is she visiting her own psychiatrist that she has been seeing since she was young to discuss her life, her mother's death, and her ADHD. It's great to read about a character in a book that has the diagnosis ADHD that have to take medicine to function properly. I have not read the first book, but I had no problems with getting into the story and would very much like to read the first book if I get the chance to it. Another thing, the ending was quite a surprise. Somehow I was just as blindsided as Zoe about one character in the book and that was both pleasant and depressing (I liked the character) to read. I think I almost felt as betrayed as Zoe did. Sandra Block really manages to create a very likable character and then turn the story around and suddenly you feel just as sad and disgusted as Zoe did.

I want to thank the publisher for providing me with a free copy through NetGalley for an honest review!… (más)