Makes total sense this one will be a movie. Has a good creep factor and it was anything but predictable.

Wow! I really loved this book and I'm glad I got around to reading it before the movie came out. I could not put it down trying to unravel what was going on. It was fast paced and grabbed my attention from the start. This book will keep you guessing at just who actually did it and when I did finally get to the twist I had that Aha! moment. Did not see it coming.

I liked how the book alternated between Jane and Emma and while the book was fast paced, the suspense gradually built. Overall I found it creepily good, and now I'm searching for more of JP Delaney's books. I really enjoyed this one!

This was such an interesting premise, but it was starting to turn into something quite different than what I was expecting. I tried a few times to pick it back up to see if I could get past some things I really didn't agree with, but alas I ended up just not finishing it. I'm not recommending it.

This book was really fast-paced. It kept my attention from beginning to end. I have read so many great psychological thrillers lately and this one will go into the pile of the ones I would recommend.

Two different women that are suffering emotional trauma move into a new apartment complex. The waitlist and screening process is very detailed in order to be accepted. I was shocked to hear they are expected to sign and follow over two-hundred rules. As the story progresses we learn about “the girl before” who committed suicide. Jane becomes obsessed with getting to know the back story on Emma.

I love how the story alternated between perspectives. I feel that always makes for a great thriller. The suspense is pretty mild and builds throughout the story. I loved how the author unfolded the whole story while not giving up too much information at once. My only complaint that caused this not to be a five-star was the ending. I will not give that away of course… I just thought it was pretty anti-climactic.

Thank you, NetGalley for the privilege of receiving an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was the book that introduced me to JP Delaney and I've read or wanted to read everything else written - without disappointment. This is an author to follow.

Thanks Netgalley. This is a great book. Told in a back and forth style, both women end up living in the same, modern, creepy house. They change the longer they live there. Didn’t figure out what actually happened, and I never saw the end coming!

I loved reading as I kid but struggle to find time as an adult. It’s often impossible to sit down to focus. This book helped reignite my passion for reading. Truly devious!!

I'm very sorry, but i really disliked this book. None of the characters were believable or likeable. Who would move into what should be a high priced London apartment that's actually affordable, but has all kinds of weird rules? Not me. It creeped me out.

Thank you #Netgalley for an ARC copy of this book.

I am not entirely sure how I felt about this book. I did find it to be weirdly disturbing. The main female characters felt gullible to me and I could not feel sorry for them. The connection they had with the architect was unbelievable at best. The plot did have a few twists but it was still a middle of the road read for me.

The Girl Before is a psychological thriller at its best. Between Emma and Jane and their stories in the fated house my mind was constantly reeling to discover what is next and will I comprehend and follow. It is a complicated plot and certainly a page-turner. The movie will be a winner. Delaney is one of the best.

The apartment is amazing. Right in the heart of London yet surprisingly affordable. It's a miracle of efficiency and smart technology, built on a minimalist plan. But not just anyone can move in. In order to rent it, tenants must be approved by the firm that built it and the architect, Edward.
There are rules that must be agreed upon by those who rent. Rules about keeping things cleaned and put away. Rules about no pets or children. Rules about agreeing to answer questions whenever the technology decides it's time to. Those who are accepted seem to fit a pattern. The women all have a tragedy in their backgrounds and are looking for a new start.

Emma had been traumatized in a break in at her former apartment. She reported to the police that she had been terrorized and raped by the criminals. Jane has also had a recent tragedy. Her pregnancy had ended not in a baby to bring home and raise but in a stillbirth. The two women share another characteristic. They each fall in love with Edward and are soon under his control. Jane is curious about her predesscer, Emma. She knows Emma died in the apartment at the bottom of the stone stairs. Was it the accident the police wrote it off as?

J.P. Delaney has written an intriguing mystery that has already been sold as a series on BBC One and HBO Max. The novel is told in the alternating voices of Emma and Jane and the truth slowly emerges. It has touchpoints in the author's own life and history. He has also written under the name Jonathan Holt. This book is recommended for mystery readers.

I could not finish this one. There wasn’t one character that I could stand. It was such an odd premise, moving into a house with a ton of rules and stipulations. Incredibly ridiculous.

3.5 stars

This creepy, clever novel is divided between the points of view of two women: Jane, the woman now, and Emma, the girl before. The story unfolds at a deliberate pace, and there are many unexpected twists that will keep the reader guessing as to the identity of the villain, or if one even exists at all. Delaney's book is fast-paced with a compelling, unique plot.
Emma is violated after a break-in at her apartment, so she and her boyfriend apply to move into One Folgate Street. It is a house designed by a reclusive architect and has multiple pages of rules that must be complied with in order to live there. The space is secure and designed to help transform those who reside within. Jane suffers a still birth and needs a new space to heal. She moves into One Folgate Street, and as she gets to know Edward Monkford, the architect, she also starts to learn things about Emma, the girl who lived in the house before her. As disturbing events begin to occur, Jane feels threatened. What exactly happened to Emma, and is Jane safe in the house?

I first read this book several years ago and somehow forgot to publish a review until I reread it this week. Oops!

The Girl Before definitely deserves a full review, because it's a rollercoaster ride from start to finish. I've tried to make this review as spoiler-free as possible but if you'd like to see 'em, I've posted a full review with spoilers on my blog and on Goodreads. Now buckle up!

The Girl Before is short enough to read in one sitting but it packs the punch of a larger novel. From page one we're swept along on an increasingly taut thrill ride as we try to figure out the mysteries of the sleek "smart home" at One Folgate Street and its inhabitants.

The book alternates POVs between Jane, moving into the home in present day, and Emma, the previous tenant. Shattered by personal traumas and looking for a fresh start, both of the women see One Folgate Street as a refuge. But as they embark on suspiciously similar journeys, including relationships with the home's mysterious architect, they instead find themselves in increasing peril.

The quietness and the proud look of it. Nothing very bad could happen to you there...

And if that doesn't sound intriguing enough, it gets better: not a single character in these pages is trustworthy. Oh, you like unreliable narrators? Delaney ups the ante with not one but multiple narrators who are not what they appear. Why does everyone in Emma's life seem to know a different version of her? And Jane--how far would she go to overcome her own loss?

Then there's the architect, Edward Monkford, a minimalist genius who seems to have a lot of skeletons tucked tidily away, including a dead wife with an eerie resemblance to both Emma and Jane. I have to say right off the bat that I generally dislike the trope of the rich, hot, demanding man with peculiar and expensive tastes. There are so many carbon copies of Christian Grey running around the literary world that it's gotten a little tiresome. (Also, these men just grate on my nerves!) But in this case, it works. Edward may have his quirks, but the women he's romancing have their own unsavory agendas, as well.

I do have a couple of small gripes about the book. For starters, the narration from Emma and Jane is practically identical. I had to keep flipping back to the start of each chapter to figure out who was "speaking".

Second, the ending wasn't really a surprise, though I could chalk that up to oversaturation in this genre. Not much catches me off guard anymore!

Finally, I'm including some content warnings because this book does touch on a lot of very sensitive subjects. So be aware: the plotlines include sometimes graphic discussions of a violent home invasion, rape, assault, eating disorders, drug & alcohol abuse, animal cruelty, miscarriage, debate over whether to abort an at-risk pregnancy, stalking, filming intimate moments without consent, and domestic violence. I know that is a lot to wade through, hence the CW!

Overall The Girl Before was an extremely solid read and I flew through it in one sitting. I did knock off one star from my rating due to the small issues I mentioned above. Those aside, this book is impossible to put down and I’m definitely looking forward to reading more from this author!

Loved this thriller - a sharp and sinister story! I was engaged the whole time and wanted to figure out what was happening and keep reading this book. It makes you feel uneasy throughout the reading experience and left me reeling when it ended. Highly recommend!

The house at One Folgate Street has seen many young women come and go. They all look surprisingly similar and have all suffered from a recent trauma. A very detailed and intrusive questionnaire must be filled out by prospective renters and only a luck few are chosen. One Folgate Street is a special house, a house of the future, a minimalist’s dream, and wired throughout with fancy technology to recognize its inhabitants. The Girl Before is written in two voices: Emma (then) and Jane (now). How the fates of these two young women are wound together unravels in the short alternating chapters. Will Jane suffer the same sad fate as Emma? Is the genius architect, Edward Monkford, responsible for the tragedies that have occurred at his prize winning creation? This super-fast psychological thriller is sure to please fans of Gone Girl and The Girl on the Train.

No more books for me with "girl" in the title

There are too many stories that are actually stories that have already been written and published before

I have got to do better

Suspenseful and edge of your seat drama.

Thanks to the publisher for the ARC. I read the paperback.

This was my first JP Delaney book and won't be my last, the way the story twists and turns is a page turner. To read that this will be a movie---how exciting!!

Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this!

I think the plot was good and the story definitely kept my interest. I normally would have given it five stars because it was a book I found hard to put down. I gave it three stars because the sex scenes were too graphic.