First Date

by Gemma Amor, Bronwen Price (Narrator)

In this gory thriller by Bram Stoker award nominee Gemma Amor, a couple of lonely misfits on their first date are kidnapped and held captive in the remote wilds of the Norfolk Broads... will they be able to escape?

Deciding to end years of loneliness, Amandine takes a leap of faith and enters the dating pool. After seemingly endless disappointments, it seems her luck has changed when she meets Connor, another lonely heart.

What starts as a dinner date ends in a night that will change their lives forever. For neither of them knows that they are being watched by a killer whose primary target is happy couples.

Soon, Amandine and Connor will find themselves fighting for their lives. Their only chance of survival lies in each other, but can they work as a team to escape before their time runs out?

And even if they do, will they ever be able to escape each other?

Genres: Horror

Audible Audio

Expected publication February 10, 2026

About the author

I'm a horror fiction author, podcaster, artist and voice actor from Bristol, in the U.K.

I write for the wildly popular NoSleep Podcast and various other horror fiction audio dramas. My traditionally published debut FULL IMMERSION is out from Angry Robot in September 2022.

Find me at @manylittlewords on Twitter and Insta.

Repped by Mark Falkin at Falkin Literary.

Reviews

[Chelsea Sherridan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Amandine has decided that it’s time to end her years of loneliness and have a go at some real dating. Herself and Connor, another lonely singleton, have been texting for a few weeks and finally decide to meet up for a romantic date night. Their date seems to be heading in the right direction, but little do they know there is a serial killer who targets happy couples eyeing them up across the restaurant. Could this be the date that changes their lives forever?

What an absolute sucker punch of a story this was. Gemma Amor has brilliantly crafted both a charismatic and witty tale, alongside a blood filled commentary of online dating, incel culture, and codependency. This book so easily draws in its reader with its honest writing when it displays the very relatable experiences of the modern realms of dating and the lived experiences of women. Despite this book being a complete blood bath and gore filled bonanza, it was easy to digest with its fast paced story telling. I almost felt like the inner monologues of Amandine read in a very Bridget Jones-esque manner - you know, if Bridget Jones was staring in the Valentine’s slasher Heart Eyes. I love when a writer is able to take a genre that’s purposefully bleak but still manages to use humour in a way that is as effective as this.

I was unable to put this book down despite being distressed on my journey through. I felt myself wanting to scream at these characters for so many different reasons, be it their actual personality or their way of navigating this horror. I really enjoyed how this book was able to elicit this reaction from me because it only made it all feel so much more human, I’ve always been a fan of a terribly flawed character because it makes it feel that much more real and relatable. These characters were not likeable, and that is what made this story what it is. Amor explores the toxicity of the human experience and the codependency that comes in many fraught relationships, it was an interesting dive into this social commentary and was beautifully backdropped with some real bloody violence.

I can’t talk about this book without praising the eerily atmospheric setting that Amor was able to display to us. Of course our serial killer was as ghastly and as awful as they come, but the setting around this nightmare is really what helps to set your teeth on edge. The way the elements are used within the story to add an extra bit of horror was a personal highlight for me, I think Amor is master of this dread filled craft. This book was just as frostbitten, damp, and isolated as the broads it was set amongst.

First Date publishes on the 10th of February, and if like me you are in need of a little horror for your valentines, then this might be the perfect way to spend it. Roses are red, violets are blue, a strange man in a restaurant may just be out to get you.

[Christina C · Rating 4 out of 5]

First Date by Gemma Amor is a horror novel filled with graphic and disturbing moments. The author does an excellent job vividly describing the gory scenes, making them feel intense and unsettling. However, the main characters make so many questionable decisions throughout the story that it often leaves you wanting to shake them. Despite that frustration, the book delivers effective horror and will appeal to readers who enjoy dark, visceral storytelling.

Thank you NetGalley for my ARC. 3.5 stars ⭐️

[Leanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

First Date is a brutal, atmospheric ride that takes the most ordinary of modern experiences—a slightly awkward dinner with a stranger—and twists it into something terrifying. Gemma Amor has a real talent for blending raw emotion with razor‑sharp suspense, and this story showcases that beautifully.

Amandine and Connor are such compelling misfits. Both lonely, both a little bruised by life, both hoping this date might finally be the start of something good. Their early interactions feel tender and real, which makes the sudden shift into horror all the more jarring. When they’re kidnapped and dragged into the wilds of the Norfolk Broads, the book becomes a tense, claustrophobic fight for survival.

What really elevates the story is how much heart Amor weaves into the gore and terror. The killer’s obsession with “happy couples” is chilling, but it’s Amandine and Connor’s uneasy, reluctant partnership that keeps you turning pages. Watching them learn to trust each other under the worst possible circumstances adds emotional weight to every frantic moment.

The setting is wonderfully eerie—isolated, damp, and full of the kind of natural darkness that makes you feel watched even when you’re alone. The pacing is tight, the violence is vivid without feeling gratuitous, and the final question—whether these two strangers can ever truly escape what happened to them—lingers long after the last chapter.

A tense, gory, and unexpectedly moving thriller that fans of character‑driven horror will devour.

With thanks to Gemma Amor, the publisher and netgalley for the ARC

[Catharine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Graphic. Gruesome. Gripping.

“First Date” really should have been shelved under Horror as well as Mystery & Thriller. I wouldn’t have touched it had it been—and that would have been a mistake. An entirely self-protective, sensible mistake, but a mistake nonetheless.

I got no enjoyment whatsoever from reading most of this book, but damned if I could stop. This is the literary equivalent of watching something through your fingers while whispering oh no every few pages.

Gemma Amor has an unpleasantly effective gift for putting the reader exactly where they don’t want to be: in the Broads, on the jetty, in the car, steeped in that sour, creeping smell of wrong. Her descriptions are visceral to the point of rudeness—graphic, relentless, and absolutely not interested in your comfort. My stomach turned more than once, and not metaphorically.

I am not a Horror reader, and nothing here has converted me. What it has done is make it abundantly clear that Gemma Amor knows precisely what she’s doing. This is horror wielded with confidence and control, and that’s arguably worse.

Deeply unpleasant, ruthlessly effective, and proof that Gemma Amor knows exactly how to ruin your evening.

My thanks to NetGalley and Datura for the DRC of “First Date” by Gemma Amor.
“First Date” is due to be published and available on Amazon 10 February 2026.

[Megan Magee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Amandine and Connor start this book out going on their first date together- and let me just tell you, neither of these people are ever particularly likeable. When they find themselves at one of their town's most top-rated couples restaurants, they're extremely put off by a leering weirdo watching pornography in public. That is the total vibe through and through this one, and I think I'd have personally enjoyed it more if it were marketed as more extreme horror/ slasher fiction? It didn't hit for me as a "thriller" because the descriptions were horrific and the prose was undoubtedly VERY crass like covering all 3 characters really? I'm all for that, but it certainly felt jarring in what I expected to read as a thriller. Either way, buckle up and view this as a super demented February/ Valentine's read like I did and you'll probably have a jolly time! This is unhinged in the highest order of depravity in the best way. Thank you so much to Netgalley, Gemma Amor, and Datura Books for the advanced digital copy. All thoughts are my own.

[Patricia · Rating 3 out of 5]

My main takeaways from this book are:

1. I felt cold the entire time I was reading it
2. No one could have survived what the two MCs went through
3. [Spoiler alert]: I am so grateful the author saw fit to dispense with the Lone Diner in the way that she did!

Even with some distance between reading the book and writing this review, I am unsure how I feel about it. The torture of the poor main characters went on and on. It was excruciating to read, and maybe this reader's discomfort meant that I identified with Amandine and Connor. The feeling of being out in the cold was vivid, especially as I read this as the temperatures dropped outside. It's a great read for snuggling with under a blanket.

If you like your suspense intense, your horror gory, and your characters a little bit (well, a lot) flawed, this one's for you!

Thank you to NetGalley and Datura for an advance reader's copy.

[Sam’s Book Space · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not my usual type of thriller, I’d say this was definitely more of a dark romance/suspense novel. Right from the first page there is foul language and sexual content, which caught me off guard a bit! 🫣 Some of the scenes are quite graphic as well, so definitely check trigger warnings.

One thing I did enjoy were the short, punchy chapters, that kept me gripped. I couldn’t put it down! There weren’t really any twists, so don’t go in expecting this type of thriller. I still found it to be addictive and suspenseful though, and the writing was good. The ending left me wanting more from the story! I think a sequel could definitely be beneficial, to find out what happens next for Connor and Amandine.

Overall not a bad book and this was something a little different to what I’m used to reading. A huge thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC.

[Ruta · Rating 3 out of 5]

First Date is a tense and fast-paced domestic thriller, but for me, it lacked the signature evocative descriptions I’ve come to love from Gemma Amor. ​Compared to her previous work, the prose felt more direct and less atmospheric. While it’s a decent page-turner, I missed the haunting vibes that usually make her books so immersive. However, if you’re looking for a quick, "popcorn" style thriller to knock out in a weekend, this is still a good one to pick up.

Thanks NetGalley and Datura Books for the ARC!

[Sarah Bloomfield · Rating 5 out of 5]

Many thanks to netgalley, the author and Datura books for approving my request to read this book.

First Date is a gripping, unsettling and suspenseful read that had me frantically turning the pages to see how it ended.

The characters really intrigued me particularly Amadine and I it was interesting to discover how flawed each of them were. I loved the unsettling plot, you could practically feel what they went through and the Lone Diner definitely made me skin crawl.

I'd definitely recommend this book if you enjoy a good, creepy horror read.

[Adam Allen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gemma Amor is back with an absolute howl of anger and pain. This book made me so angry in the best ways. It is a brilliant look at the infuriating double standards that women face in society, trying to find someone to relate to, to love, to just get along with, and how men. :even well meaning ones, add to this systemic culture of oppression and misogyny.

It is brutal, it’s gory, it’s incredibly suspenseful, and just a masterclass in social horror.