Even though I was on a search for short books in my e-library that I could enjoy, I wasn’t keen on reading the book I’m about to review. I remembered this author from How To Kill Men and Get Away With It. and stopping the book at some point because the protagonist was making too many terrible decisions and I couldn’t help the irritation I felt at her actions.
Anyway, when I decided to read this book, I was not prepared for the whirlwind of emotions I’d be subjected to.
The Morning After The Night Before (2024)
This book was published on the 1st of February, 2024 by HQ. It is a psychological thriller and suspense-filled book written by Kathy Brent. It’s just about 336 pages on paperback. An adventure fiction novel set in London.
Summary of the Novel
Molly Munroe wakes up with a hellish hangover and a man in her bed that she does not know. With a dead phone and a fogged up brain, Molly trudges to work with the knowledge that her life couldn’t possibly get any worse. But after finding out that not just did she exhibit drunken behaviour at her work’s party, but a video of her performing a sexual act is viral, Molly is certain that her life which was barely put together in the first place is now irrevocably damaged.
But then it’s gets worse. On the same day, Molly finds her flatmate and best friend, Posey, dead in the bathroom. The Police dismisses it as a tragic incident but little clues left behind by her dead friend point to the fact that she had been murdered and that too because of a secret her journalist friend had uncovered. Can Molly Munroe bring this case to light as well as solve the mystery behind her friend’s death?
My Review and Rating
There were many things I’d been expecting, but being taken on the wild and exhilarating journey I experienced reading this book was not one of them. As an ardent fan of dark comedy and psychological thrillers, I was above and beyond astounded by how great this book was. I also didn’t expect to devour it that quickly.
I had a reason to stop, however, and that's because I had reached that point in every psychological thriller where you know that disaster awaits in the next page. I was scared out of my mind because Molly made quite a brazen and careless decision and I was positive she was going to face her waterloo. So, I paused and called my partner (who isn’t even physically present) to hold my hand and walk me through reading the next parts of the book. Lol. It took his genuinely enthusiastic replies as I explained the book and reading the part I dreaded out loud for me to get through it.
From waking up to not remembering the events that occurred the night before, the plot swung into motion. From beginning to end was filled with action and there were no tiresome and unnecessary scenes. Molly had no one to trust and she had to uncover the mystery of her friend’s death and remember what truly happened to her the night it all went down, while remaining strong in the face of all the internet bullying she faced. Reading it left me with that claustrophobic feeling that Molly no doubt was facing with her world crashing down on her like that.
I also love the realism portrayed, especially when it comes to the internet bullying. We know that we’re still living in a very patriarchal society where the woman is almost always faulted for sexual misdemeanour. So the slandering on Twitter and constant abuse all felt real. It truly brought the whole “trial by social media” thing to life, where people who barely know you declare themselves to be the judge and jury of your life. I liked that the author included excerpts of those tweets in each chapter of the story so it felt less of fiction and more like and every day event we experience.
The story makes you feel a lot of things. Joy, sadness, rage, angst, terror, and through it all, sweet old dark humour that just makes everything better. The fact that these emotions were explored in a way that alleviated the weightiness in the novel while still keeping us focused on what was happening was pure chef’s kiss by the author. And even though, I was still able to guess a tiny bit of the plot twists that were abundant in the novel, it was still a delight some read.
Back to Molly, and Brent couldn’t have created a finer protagonist. She was clumsy, chaotic, destructive, self-condescending, humourous, heavily flawed in short, but shining through it all was a woman with a fierce heart and even fiercer mind. She was the ideal protagonist to me and I was glad to have lived through her experiences. I would have loved to explore more of her life in the ending and maybe subsequently, but I have to be content with how it all turned out.
The Morning After The Night Before is fast paced, suspense filled, laced with dark humour and is sure to leave you with a weird satisfaction, even with the cryptic and eye-popping ending it was given. A sweet 4.5/5 stars from me. Duly recommended to every lover of thriller and dark humour.
Jhymi🖤
P.S: I just might go finish the How To Kill Men...book after all.
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