The Cover
Gonna be honest — really meh about this cover. However, after reading the book and realizing just how important the apartment is — I mean, it is like it is another character in the book — I get it. I think, more than the image of the woman in front of the open windows, it is the colors that throw me. The blues do not seem to work well together, for me visually, and that pop of red is almost too much. I probably would have passed on this if judging just by the cover…but I am one of those readers who will pick up any book with “girl” in the title, since I know I will be picking up a psychological thriller. I admit to it — I’m a sucker for it.

The Synopsis
This story is told from two perspectives: one slightly in the past, Emma, one in the present, Jane.

We start off with Emma, who had a traumatic experience in her current apartment she shares with her boyfriend, Simon. They had a break in while Emma was home and it was so much for her, that she needed to get out. They have looked at multiple places. Their real estate agent is starting to run out of options. Until he suggests One Folgate Street.

This place is an architectural dream. The designer, Edward Monkford, is well known for his minimalistic buildings. And his quirks. To even be considered for the place, Emma and Simon must fill out a 30+ questionnaire. These questions include listing every possession they deem essential for their life, choosing what/who to save in certain situations, as well as many statements for them to agree/disagree with.

Once they pass this part, they are allowed an in person interview with Edward himself. And after that, they learn that they get the place. This place changes people — specifically, Emma. With her story, we see her change as a person, her relationship with Simon change, and we learn the truth about that break in. We learn the truth about a lot of things as this story progresses.

In the present, Jane is looking for a new place. She, too, has had a traumatic experience: She recently had a still birth. She is having a hard time finding a place that suits her and her budget. Her real estate agent suggests trying One Folgate Street. Jane is immediately taken in. The minimalistic style, the complete change to what she currently is, is exactly what she needs.

As with Emma and Simon a few years prior, Jane must fill out the same questionnaire. Once passing that, she meets with Edward Monkford. Once passing that, she moves in.

Almost immediately after moving in, Jane starts learning about the past tenant who had died in that apartment. Another woman who she realizes looks quite a bit like Jane. Jane spends her part of the story trying to find the truth, talking to multiple people and piecing things together on her own.

Told from two perspectives of two vastly different women, we are able to piece together truth from fiction. One Folgate Street has an incredibly dark history. But which parts of the story are real?

The Review
I really enjoyed this one. I hesitated giving it four stars, as there were some parts that I found to be rather…ridiculous. I want to keep this as spoiler free as possible, but I will say right now that Emma is an incredibly interesting person, though I am not certain she is believable. The parts in the middle that stood out to me as not being realistic (mostly sexually related instances) made more sence once the story was complete, but still stood out as not as real feeling as some other parts. Jane was well written and I found myself enjoying her parts more as I felt that she was the one really taking me on this journey — Emma was the one who left the pieces.

Edward, as a character, is just…meh, to me. I thought he would be much more interesting but instead I found him to be incredibly unlikeable. Maybe that was the point. I also did not like Simon. I felt that both of these characters were too extreme (again, though, I think that was the point), and they both could have been better as more toned down. However, without them being so opposite and so extremely opposite, I do not think parts of the story would have worked out as well.

I would rate this as a 3.5 really, but I upped it to 4 stars because I thought the writing, overall, was incredibly well done. I was sucked into this one and found myself thinking about it and the characters when during work breaks. Delaney does a great job at using the two person story telling and I thought that this book was one of the more successful ones to do that.

Overall, I found the writing to be really good, the characters to be well developed, and for this to be a complete page turner.

I recently learned that this will become a motion picture, directed by Ron Howard. I think it will do well as a movie. I will be curious how this will play out in regards to the multiple points of view — that is always a concern for me when these types of books turn into movies. But I think it will play well on the screen. I’m already playing in my head actors and actresses that I think would fit the parts….

This was such a fun read...like book-candy...a real treat. I was absorbed from start to finish. I just had to know the solution and couldn't drag myself away to do something productive. Fortunately, we were snowed in so I could happily spend all day reading it.
A famous and very eccentric architect has designed and built an impressive, but unusual house. He puts prospective tenants through an exhaustive application process and is very particular about the people chosen. He is quite obsessive and has an extensive list of rules that tenants must adhere to in order to stay.
The story follows two timelines with two sets of these carefully chosen tenants, alternating chapter by chapter, describing their experiences living in this peculiar house and relating to their bizarre landlord. The earlier tenants, Emma and Simon, experience a traumatic event there, an unsolved crime. The later tenant, Jane, is curious about the history of the house and investigates.
The organization of the plot was well thought out. Clues were presented in such a clever way that I was kept intrigued and never able to guess the solution. Right up until the end I had no idea who the guilty party was.
I recommend this book to those wanting a fast-paced, engrossing mystery. It would be a great book to read on vacation, on a plane or a beach. Of course you could take a mini-vacation and read it as I did: cozy inside with a cup of tea watching the snow fall outside.

50 Shades meets Gone Girl… no, really, this time.

Wowow. Where to begin? I’ve just finished The Girl Before and wanted to immediately run and write a review. It was just that good! I’ve had my eye on this one and when I saw that it was on NetGalley, I had to request it right away. It is a psychological thriller that has fallen into the category of “the next Gone Girl!” In this case, unlike The Girl in Cabin 10, The Woman Next Door, The Girl on the Train, etc…. I feel the comparison is warranted.

The Girl Before is told from two viewpoints, from Emma and Jane. The story centers on One Folgate Street, a state of the art minimalist house that was designed by an eccentric architect named Edward Monkford. The house has a lot of mystery surrounding it and if not for the stubbornness of the architect, it may have never been built. In order to move in, the tenant must sign off on and follow a list of over 200 rules, take a personality test, and interview with the architect himself. If you're able to suspend your disbelief, then this part of the plot works.

Emma is categorized as “Then” and Jane is the "Now". I thought the author did a nice job juxtaposing the two stories. You quickly find out that something terrible has happened to Emma, which is why Jane has the ability to move in in the first place. The stories are eerily similar. Both women have recently experienced trauma. Both have an immediate connection with the architect. Both start to fall under the spell of the home and subtly start to change. Then.... the stories diverge. As Emma's story unfolds, Jane uncovers clues that hint that something isn't quite right about this house, and I was racing through the chapters to figure out what actually went down. This book had me like NO!! THE CALL IS COMING FROM INSIDE THE HOUSE! DON’T OPEN THE DOOR! for parts of it. There was a definite creep factor.

Some of the criticism I’ve read so far from this book is from people wondering who would ever sign up for such strict criteria. To me, the story is plausible. Hell, rent is expensive.. More importantly, both women have recently had tragedies occur in their lives that would break anyone. People make a lot of extreme decisions when faced with tragedy, and we find out the two women don't necessarily make the best decisions in the first place.

My recommendation for this book comes with definite trigger warnings. I don’t want to spoil too much of the plot, but right from the first few chapters I had to take a break. The description of what the characters were going through was so vivid, and after finishing the book and reading the author’s note, it seems like the author has a personal connection to Jane’s story. The sadness she felt was especially palpable because of the authentic descriptions. The therapy scenes were also authentic. Jane eventually finds herself becoming obsessed with figuring out what happened to Emma, and I have to say I was surprised by the ending. Not so much by the end of the Emma chapters, but definitely by Jane's.

There is a 50 Shades feel to some of the parts that I could have done without. I started off liking both of the women, but by the end I was totally over one of them (it won't be hard to figure out who). In addition to everything else, there were a ton of moral dilemmas- medical malpractice, allegations of sexual abuse, abortion- but in the end all of the story becomes unpacked. It was very well written, especially from Jane’s perspective. There was a bit of an ambiguous ending that shocked me, so I'm excited for this book to be released so that I can talk about it with other people who've read it.

Fun fact- The Girl Before is going to be made into a movie directed by Ron Howard. I can’t wait to see what they do with the house! I picture Edward as Jude Law and Emily Blunt as Jane. I really hope they go more creepy, psychological thriller than 50 shades. Either way, get your hands on this book ASAP.

One Folgate Street is a home that you’d think you’d only ever see on the pages of a magazine but when Jane finds herself in a dark place in her life and looking for a new start she comes across the rental. Moving in even after finding a long list of rules to follow to rent the home Jane still believes this is the fresh start she needs.

However, Jane finds herself becoming fascinated with finding out what happened to One Folgate Street’s former resident Emma. Finding that Emma died within the walls of her new home Jane can’t help but investigate to find out the truth for herself before she follows along in Emma’s footsteps.

The Girl Before is told from alternating points of view between Jane, the current tenant, in the present and Emma, the former tenant in the past. There are often times that there is no clear distinction with dialogue by use of quotations but this really didn’t bother this reader at all. I found the story to be immediately gripping and intense as I learned what brought these two women into this home.

Both characters in this story are coming from rough times in their lives and needing a new start. When shown the home at One Folgate Street they are told there is a long list of rules to live in the home anywhere from no books to no curtains or changes made to the home. Thinking that a new start is more important than possessions the contract is quickly signed by both and that is where the intensity begins.

Now while I didn’t quite find this a perfect read in my opinion as there were some things happening that I didn’t quite agree with being added into the story I still found myself quite compelled with this one to give it four stars in the end. I’d certainly recommend checking this one out to the thriller fans.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

From my blog: Always With a Book:

My thoughts: Lately there's been lots of buzz about all the great psychological thrillers that have been coming out and it's hard to not get caught up in all the excitement about them. It's also hard to not read too much about them ahead of time - you certainly don't want to have anything be given away. I'll do my best here to not give away any spoilers but at the same time share my thoughts.

This is a quick, engaging read with a somewhat different premise than we have previously seen. It's told from two perspectives, both in the present tense, though in two different times. You have Emma's section which is "Then" and Jane's section which is "Now" and both unfold linearly. What ties these women together is that they have applied to live at One Folgate Street - an incredibly technologically advanced house that is designed by one bizarre architect. There are rules upon rules and that application - it has 200 questions. Just this alone would turn most people off, but for some reason, both Emma and Jane are coming from bad places and this house seems to be the perfect change of environment for them.

The idea of obsessive, controlling, manipulative behaviors comes to the forefront when I think of what happens in this story. There's secrets and lies, devious behavior, and some really dark, creepy happenings. The characters are well-developed and while they aren't necessarily the most likeable of characters, they are certainly very intriguing!

As the story progresses, we come to see that nothing is really as it seems and we are led down one path after another as we learn who these characters really are. The tension builds slowly and the build up to the ending will leave you breathless as you try to figure out just what is going on.

This was a clever, intriguing read and kept me engaged from beginning to end. I've heard that this has already been picked up to be made into a movie...I'd definitely go see this - would love to see how it translates onto the big screen!

THE GIRL BEFORE is suspenseful, engrossing, and jam packed with wickedly delightful deceit.

As with many psychological suspense novels, the characters are what make or break the story. This is where this book exceeded my expectations. It is a true gift be able to read about the development of characters of Emma and Jane. These two women evolve in a way that keeps the reader's attention as the layers of lies and secrets are peeled away page by page.

If you think that all the hype for this book can’t possibly be true, think again. This book is dark and twisty. It will keep your interest and have you thinking about it long after you have finished. I loved the book.

Audio Book Note: The audio of this version is perfection. The multiple narrators didn’t distract from the story at all. In fact, it enhanced the depth of the suspense.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing for providing an ARC for an honest review.

After a personal tragedy takes a hold in her life, Jane decides to make a few changes. She leaves her job for another and decides to also leave her home, beginning her search for somewhere better. Upon house hunting, a real estate agent offers her a look into One Folgate Street, where the demands of the house are quite odd, but the house itself made architecturally stunning. Jane takes up the offer on the house and soon finds that there's something eery about a place that's too perfect. As she uncovers secrets from the past, she fights to save herself from having the same fate.

I'd gone into this story a little hesitant and unsure. There have been so many "girl" books as of late, that sort of always have the same plot and not much of just being thrilling.
However, once I began reading, I had a feeling this one was it for me despite not being able to pick up a thriller for quite some time.
Immediately, I was hooked. This story was fast-paced and intriguing, so much so that I found myself up late at night unable to put it down, for fear of not being able to catch up and find out all of the answers.

I enjoyed the story being told in Emma's (then) and Jane's (now) point of view. I did not find myself getting confused, even though throughout the book you find parallels between the two women and their lives. Though these women are both so different, you can see what similar decisions they make that lead them to ultimately begin living the same life.

The writing and the characters were it for me. At times there was such dark writing as we get to see more of Jane's and Emma's history and what has brought them to One Folgate Street, and then we see this vivid writing with details of architectural work and character descriptions.
I even became slightly interested in architecture along the way, so props to that!
I very much enjoyed Jane, more than Emma, and found myself rooting for her towards finding answers and getting herself out of fate's way. She has this strong independence in her that you don't see in Emma, or in any other character, that I loved.

Overall, I had a really great reading experience and I highly recommend this book to anyone seeking a thrill. The writing, the characters, the mood will get you hooked and even you'll find yourself marveling at the odd wonder of One Folgate Street.

Holy twists and turns Batman! The Girl Before flashes back and forth between two women, both in a similar circumstance, but with VERY different agendas. It was one of the wildest rides I have been on this year! The back and forth was enough to make my head spin, but only in the best of ways! It was like one of those rides, the kind that scares you to death but won't let you close your eyes because you can't stand the thought of missing one second of the excitement.

“Never apologize for someone you love, he says quietly. It makes you look like a prick.”

Edward is a tortured soul. His life and habits indicate that, yet there is something about him that makes him irresistable to these women, such very different women. One struggling to move on with her life after a series of tragic events. The other looking to escape her grief. Yet it's not the circumstances of their past that make them so different, it's how they deal with the process of moving on. Both begin by moving into the house on One Folgate Street.

Let me pause right there. This is not just a house, in a book. One Folgate Street is as much a character as the living breathing people. It takes on a life and personality of it's own throughout the pages. Not literally, of course, this isn't science fiction, yet it's importance to the people, the plot, is one of the most important and unique dynamics to this mind bending tale.

While one woman's life spins wildly out of control, another tries desperately not to follow in her footsteps. Desperation may be the only thing these woman have in common, and it grew more and more palpable with each page. By the time I finished, I felt disoriented, overwhelmed, and sad that it seemed to be over all too soon. What a ride! ~ George, 5 Stars

The Girl Before is a thought-provoking psychological thriller with a whisper of techno-sci-fi. It's tempting to compare it with other books with "Girl" in the title, but if anything, it's more like Girl on the Train meets Black Mirror. The book's deliciously unlikeable main characters are broken in different ways, looking to the unusual house at One Folgate Street to impose the artistic ideal on their actual lives. Like One Folgate’s rental application, the Girl Before leads you down a twisty, turny path that’ll leave you thinking about the gaps between real and ideal, and what you believe versus what’s true about yourself. 4 stars.

I received an advanced copy of this from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This book is on lists everywhere as one of this years "it" books for thrillers. I enjoyed the book, but I also had some problems with it.
My husband is an architect so I could relate to much of the details in the story that were architectural and I appreciated that research went into those parts of the story to make it more authentic to the character. I liked the way that the story was told in alternating chapters between our two main female narrators. I thought it was very interesting and creative how the author would tell the stories that were parallel and different at the same time, without confusing the reader. The story itself was interesting and there were little easter eggs throughout the story that helped you figure out how the killer was. However you didn't really arrive at that until about 15% left in the book, although you may have suspicions you are never really quite sure who "done it." I also liked that there were multiple references to Breakfast At Tiffany's through the book as that is one of my favorite movies. I found the story to be engaging and interesting. I did get to points where I did not want to put it down.
There were only a few things that were off putting. The biggest was the author's overused phrase "he/she goes" when explaining about another characters talking to the narrator. Now, I read an unfinished copy so that could very well be edited out by the time this hits shelves. Another thing that bothered me is that when you get to about 50% in the book suffers from a lot of repetitiveness. It seems that we keep hearing the same thing over and over for some time before the story finally starts moving forward again. That slowed the book down considerably for me. To me it didn't seem that there was a purpose for the story to keep repeating the same information continuously. However once it started moving again, the story gripped you until the very end.
Overall I did enjoy the story and would read more by this author.

The Girl Before took me on a twisted ride that I wasn't prepared for and I thoroughly enjoyed every wicked turn it had to offer. And there really was quite a bit to offer.

Emma and Simon who are in search of a flat are offered a rather unique property. And unique is putting in mildly. This property comes with a full application to complete along with a hefty and thorough set of rules that MUST be abide by. Any breach of these rules are grounds for eviction. They are approved for the property but the landlord and builder, Edward and they move in.

From there their relationship goes down hill and the incredibly strict, but handsome and smart landlord Edward moves in to insert himself into Emma's life to Simon's dismay. Accusations are thrown around, things get heated and tragedy strikes, leaving Emma dead at the bottom of the stairs in the apartment.

Jane is the next occupant on the property and it immediately taken with Lawrence and his charm and quirks of the house and his rules. The simplicity of it is endearing and fascinates her, but also makes her curious. And she also learns of Emma's death rather quickly, and then suspicion sets in. How did this happen, who was around, and is there more to her story. Her once clean and simple living space now feeling like a tomb and she's uneasy around Edward and his issues with control.

What was fascinating with The Girl Before is the mind games that can be played on multiple people with different tactics. The manipulation of humans and how they fall into traps and the simple fact of how easily we can trust is remarkably dangerous. But it's true. A simple smile can melt away any sort of suspicion or eerie feeling we have about someone in the blink of an eye. What you see though is not always the actual truth. Trust is something to be earned and Ive learned plenty of lessons from Jane and The Girl Before. Life is a game. But are you smart enough to know who the game is actually being played on?

JP's characters are great! They're soft and then a complete creep fest in the next moment which is something I love best! I really loved this book and I'd love to read more of her stories!!

4 out of 5 Dangerously Deadly Blushes

This book was a great read, with a newer concept. It did keep me pretty baffled and questioning who was the culprit the entire time. I really thought the concept of minimizing brought some real thought to the reader. The author gave a great amount of twists and turns, so as soon as you thought you figured it out, a new spin came about. The only thing I wish were different, was the ending, not because it was written poorly, but because I really was hoping that it would be a different choice on one of the males end! Great, quick, suspenseful, yet original read!

Although J.P. Delaney's THE GIRL BEFORE starts with an unbelievable premise (you can move into an amazing "smart" house as long as you leave all of your worldly possessions behind), the story is still compelling. Told in the alternating voices of Emma (the tenant who either committed suicide or was murdered) and Jane (the following tenant who becomes obsessed with the truth behind Emma's death) Delaney weaves a complex plot with plenty of surprises. After a few pages, I willingly suspended my disbelief and drove headlong into this intriguing story.

A novel by J.P. Delaney

Take one unforgiving, high-tech masterpiece of a house, add two young women in need of a place to live, stir in a manipulative owner/architect and voilá . . . You get a mess. This novel is lacking on several fronts: First, there is not one likable character in it. The suspense is almost absent. The sex is raw, in the case of the rape, and perfunctory elsewhere. Lastly, any two normal women would pack their bags and be gone from 1 Monkford Place as soon as they learn they were selected as tenants because they resemble the owner’s dead wife.

No, I did not finish reading it.

There being no justice in the world, this story has been picked up for the cinema, so save your eyesight and see the movie.

I received a digital copy of this novel from Penguin Random House and NetGalley in exchange for this review.

Loved this title. The story is full of interesting twists and the application questions peppered throughout the story is an added detail that makes it even more interesting. The house itself is a character and you always feel like you are on the brink of a new piece of information that takes the story in a new direction.

Fantastic read!

Set in England, The Girl Before switches between the perspectives of two women, both residents of One Folgate Street: Emma, the girl before of the books title and Jane, the current resident of the minimalist, high tech residence. What circumstances led to their becoming residents of this unusual space is the basis of the story. As with the cold, antiseptic space they have chosen to occupy, neither of the woman as well as members of the supporting cast, all of whom live in a world where the truth is relative, are really easy to warm to.

The owner of One Folgate is architect Edward Monkford, attractive and brilliant he is also a man with a penchant for perfection that that extends from the homes he creates to the lives of their residents. Author JP Delaney has been fairly successful is spinning a compelling psychological mystery whose questionable narrators provide the corkscrew plot twists

This book with its smattering of the manipulation found in Gone Girl liberally laced with the erotica of 50 Shades of Grey and the enough irony to make even Shakespeare blush is sure to keep you guessing.

These days you’re hard-pressed to find a thriller that isn’t labeled The Next Gone Girl or Girl on the Train. Usually that’s enough for me to steer clear, but The Girl Before is getting so much buzz that, I’ll admit, I was curious and, when the chance to review a copy was offered, I couldn’t help myself.

Much like the other The Girl Before (which I also enjoyed!), the chapters alternate between then, which focus on Emma, and now, Jane’s story. After a break-in leaves her sense of peace shattered, Emma has convinced her boyfriend to look at other places to live. Each apartment, however, isn’t quite up to Emma’s newfound standards: for example, a window with access to the roof is practically an invitation for a burglar. Eventually the realtor offers an…interesting option. An architect famous for his minimalist style has a house to rent for cheap – very cheap – but there is a score of rules. No books, no photos, no children, the list goes on. Realizing this house, complete with the highest of high tech gadgets, could finally calm her fears and allow her to live again, Emma fills out the application and hopes for good news.

Two years later Jane is still reeling from the shock of a stillbirth. With a house full of baby clothes and a newly furnished nursery – not to mention her company brought someone on to fill her role during the maternity leave she no longer needs – Jane craves a fresh start, a place not bursting with hopes and dreams of what could have been. Her much tighter budget doesn’t allow for much, and it’s only as a last option that the realtor mentions a place she might be interested in. Granted, the owner is extremely particular and eventually has the final say in who gets to rent the place, but Jane goes along with filling out the application anyway.

From Jane’s initial chapters, it’s clear something bad happened to Emma, thus allowing the house to become available once more. She learns Emma tragically died, assumed to have stepped out of the shower and slipped down the steps. As Jane becomes more and more curious, she digs deeper into what really happened and discovered more than she bargained more. I’ll admit that I had a guess as to what went on the night Emma died and I’m pleased to say that, initially, I was wrong. It wasn’t until more details were slowly revealed or hinted at that I figured out the truth.

Right from the start Edward, the architect behind the house, is shown as a too-charming, super charismatic guy with a past. He had once been married with a young son and, sadly, both were killed. The coincidence of another death linked to Edward, combined with some seriously controlling tendencies easily labeled him the Bad Guy in the story. Honestly, the more I read, the more I likened The Girl Before not to Gone Girl and Girl on the Train, but to one of my top reads of 2016, Behind Closed Doors. Jack Angel is depicted as just that, an angel, to the world. Behind closed doors however, it’s another story, and that’s exactly the vibe I got from Edward. He charms his way right into both women’s hearts and his near-verbatim interactions with each one was fascinating and chilling to witness. He has a line he repeats several times: “This relationship will continue only for as long as it’s absolutely perfect” and more than once his dialogue ends with he says reasonably. As both stories are told from the women’s perspective, it was intriguing to watch just how effortlessly he was able to worm his way inside and manipulate them into seeing things his way, going along with his decisions.

Tech also plays a large role in the book. This house is truly a smart house. Instead of keys there’s an app to download that has a passcode in order to get through the front door. A waterproof bracelet learns preferred shower temperatures and automatically sets to those specifications depending on who is in the bath. The house has its own intranet – complete with certain restrictions aka no google searches here – and, occasionally, will shut off access to the computer/shower/sink/etc in order for the renter to answer questions ranging from how happy they are with their surroundings to who they would save first in an emergency (rescue their own child from drowning and save one life or run for help in order to save a group of children at the risk of losing their own). As the book wore on, housekeeper (the AI’s name) definitely had a more ominous feel that I could easily see being watered down a bit for a Goosebumps book! Super creepy.

In the nearly six years (eek!) that I’ve been reviewing books, I’ve come to learn that when I ramble it’s either because I really liked the novel or I really didn’t. I’m thrilled to say The Girl Before definitely falls into the former category. I tore through this book with ease, surprising myself even by how fast I got through it! After a record-breaking 200 books read in 2016, I wanted 2017 to slow down a bit and be more about savoring books. Whoops. I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough! It also helped that each chapter was amazingly short. If you’ve ever read a Dan Brown or James Patterson novel, you know what I mean: bite-sized scenes that are, at most, two or three pages.

I was shocked to learn JP Delaney is actually a pseudonym for another author (there are rumors as to the true identity), but I am NOT the least bit surprised to hear film rights have already been purchased with Ron Howard directing. The Girl Before is hands down going to be THE book to read this year and I’m beyond excited to get in on the ground floor. While it doesn’t offer anything new to the genre that’s currently flooding the market (no complaints here!), it was, however, extremely gripping with an enticing plot and rapid-fire chapters. The moment I was finished I immediately sent out a text to my group of friends, practically flailing over this one and insisting they all read it once it comes out. Despite my hopes of taking things a bit slower this year, I’m thrilled to kick 2017 off with a bang and if this is how my reading year starts, I can’t wait to see where it goes next!

One Folgate Street, a property in London, was designed by award-winning architect Edward Monkton who is very peculiar about choosing the tenants he allows to rent his minimalistic but high-tech, smart home. Over 200 rules and regulations, questionnaires with intrusive questions etc.
Who would want to live in a place where you are constantly under the control of a third party? Emma, the previous tenant, and Jane, the current tenant, were both successful at completing the strange application process. The plot unfolds by swapping backwards and forwards between 'Now' and 'Then'. Both women had their own reasons for wanting to rent the place. There were eerie similarities between the two women, and when Jane starts investigating what happened to Emma, the tension builds up and the house seems to take on a life of its own.
I've been avoiding writing this review for weeks now because I feel conflicted about this book. It's already being adapted into a movie, there is a lot of hype, and most people seemed to love it. I wasn't a fan of the frequently changing perspective. The premise of the book - although seriously far-fetched - was unique and the plot really was intriguing. My main issue, I couldn't get excited about any of the characters. They all just left me feeling....pretty much nothing. The one scene that triggered some emotion was the one involving food (if you've read this, you'll probably know what I mean). Apart from that, I was quite impartial towards the whole thing. There are obviously several twists and turns, and I enjoyed the latter half of the book more while other reviewers actually seemed to prefer the first half. It's a worthwhile read because of its unique premise, but I wasn't blown away by any of it. Therefore, I've decided on 3 stars.
I received an ARC via NetGalley.

The Girl Before tells the story of two women who each went through a traumatic experience, prompting them to seek a new place to live because their homes carried devastating memories. The story is told from each woman's point of view, with Emma's story being 'Then', and Jane's story being 'Now'. Emma and Jane both end up choosing to live in the same house, located at One Folgate Street. They had to jump through some unusual hoops in order to live there, however.

Prior to being approved, anyone interested in living in the starkly minimalist house is required to fill out a form with some rather odd questions, and agree to live by a set of 200 rules, which includes having no books, photos, throw pillows, or anything else that is considered 'clutter' in the house. They must also include a photo of themselves, something each woman thought odd.

The architect and owner of the house is a man named Edward, who originally built the house for his family. After losing his wife and son, Edward never lived there, choosing instead to rent it out for an extremely low price to anyone who was willing to live by his stringent demands.

Both women become involved with Edward, and when Jane finds out that Emma—whom she closely resembles—died in the house, she becomes obsessed with finding out what happened to her. Was it truly an accident, or something more sinister that killed Emma? Was Edward involved? Despite being warned against it, Jane is relentless in her search for the truth, never realizing she was putting herself in danger... until it was too late.

The Girl Before is a deliciously creepy psychological thriller worthy of the genre. I devoured it in a single day... I just couldn't put it down until I knew who did what, and why. There were several surprises along the way, but the last one left me so stunned, you could have knocked me over with a feather. I'm not kidding. My jaw hit the floor and I kept shaking my head in disbelief because (and I know I say this a lot) I NEVER saw it coming.

Treat yourself and get a copy of this book when it hits the shelves. You won't be disappointed!

Mystery, yes thriller, okay maybe a little, but when you add a psycho guy spitting the words C you next Tuesday.... You lose me. No girl ever wants to hear or see that word!

Story was okay, it held my attention but really way to many rules and no one and I mean no one would be able to do that nowadays!! Now lets talk about the ending I didn't see any of that coming.

My thanks to NetGalley, the author and publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.