The Date: An unputdownable psychological thriller with a breathtaking twist

Louise Jensen returns with her fourth psychological thriller, The Date, and it is arguably her finest novel to date (no pun intended, but I'll take it) I'll be honest, going in to her latest novel, I had no idea what it was about. Having read Louise's previous three and having been thoroughly impressed and captivated by each unique story, I took the conscious decision to enter The Date being completely oblivious to the plot, confident from her previous work that I would not be disappointed by her fantastic skill at weaving an incredible, terrifying and engaging plot. And it's not often that I'm wrong, but I'm right again. Now I'm not going to going into the plot of this book, you can get the jist of it in the blurb, nor am I going to go into great detail as I don't want to reveal any spoilers or divulge too much, you really have got to experience it for yourself. Obviously. So, let me start with simplicity... The Date truly does grip you from the opening paragraph. It is exactly what you want from a novel in this genre to get you interested right from the off, and its quality and entrapment doesn't decline or release throughout it's entirety. Billed as an 'unputdownable thriller', these words really do ring true. Well, almost. I am human and need food and toilet breaks. Aside from that, I genuinely couldn't put it down and absorbed all its greatness in a single day. Just a matter of hours, in fact. One of the aspects that absolutely hooked me in, in The Date, were its subject matter. Although It is something that I do not fully understand, it is a subject that I find genuinely fascinating (yes, I am being vague). And so, it was a great delight for me, as a reader and a studier. That being said, this really didn’t come as a great surprise. As with The Sister, The Gift and The Surrogate before it, The Date is not just your stereotypical clichéd thriller, with subject content that has already been done to death. But it is in fact a brilliantly executed, researched novel with heart, determination, depth and meaning; a testament to Louise Jensen as an author. The characters are strong and well developed (again, I’m not going into detail or naming them as I really want you to find out for yourselves), and you find yourself easily invested in their particular roles. They are not just flat names and descriptions on a page, but solid three-dimensional people that you can clearly picture and even relate to in certain ways, depending on your own personal experiences. It's easy to have a genuine emotional reaction to certain characters and plot developments as they are written with such realistic creation and dedication. It's blindingly obvious that the author cares about what and who she writes, and that jumps out of the pages beautifully. In keeping with Louise's adept vision, the 'thriller' aspect of this novel is absolutely on-point. The amazing story is expertly crafted and leads you on a merry dance of thoughts and questions as you try (in vain) to solve it before it's all laid out for you in the outstanding climax. In that regard (for me) it is her strongest work yet, and I feel that her writing just gets better and better with each novel. I was absolutely hooked. There is no other way to put it. It is frightening, intelligent and heartfelt, and the pacing is just perfect. However, it's not all about being a thriller, The Date is also (as I personally perceived it) about connections. And there are some strong connections between certain characters in this novel. It is also a fantastic insight into a genuine condition, weaved perectly into an incredible thriller. If you are a fan of The Sister, The Gift or The Surrogate, then I can guarantee that you are absolutely going to love The Date. If you have not read any of these novels, then I really implore you to do so if you are a fan of the genre, or if you are new to it and looking for a great read. This incredible book will deliver all your need and requirements, and then some. The Date is yet more proo that Louise is one of the finest authors to date.

Wow, this book was a real page turner and kept me reading far too late into the night. Excellent read and the main character was so well thought out. Bravo 👏

So while I rate this book a 5 for me, I know it isn't everyone's cup of tea. All in all a good read, slight twist that I hadn't exactly pin pointed. I was able to read this book in 5 hours and felt thrilled most of the time. The only times I decided to skim were of just plain flash backs. Nothing of importance other than to know the main character. Though I'm used to lengthy disposition and descriptions so it wasn't at all a bother. I just needed things to move a little faster for my liking.