The Girl Nefore features two women, Emma (Before) and Jane, (After). They both move into a glass architectural designed home to live but they must abide by the rules of the architect. Jane begins finding secrets out about Emma and beware the many twists!

I liked this book because it kept me guessing, and flawed characters with secrets are totally my thing. Delaney did an amazing job of slowly revealing key pieces of information about each character. Near the end, I started to feel that the twists and turns would never end, which isn't a bad thing--but it got to be long for me. Even the title is a twist! I would read this author again.

Wow this got really, really dark.  It took me a llloooooonnnngggg time to get into this book.  When you start a book with nothing but unlikable characters, it's really hard to want to continue on with them.  Eventually it becomes more like a character study, or experiment and you can't look away.  This author is quickly becoming the leader on my list of supreme plot twist authors.  Everytime I think I know what's happening & where it's going, everything stops and reroutes itself.  I found myself yelling at the radio in the car when I was driving, listening to the audio book.  It was like screaming at your quarterback or something.  I was both reading & listening because at a certain point I couldn't be without the story so I read when I could and listened when I couldn't.  Very interesting plot, one I wouldn't have thought would work, but actually worked really well.  I can't give much plot description because that would give too much away and then there'd be no point in reading it.  Just read it!

A real page turner that will keep you guessing until the end! A great suspense filled thriller! The characters are flawed and intriguing. A great read for that cold winter evening by the fire!

3.5 stars
Thank you to NetGalley and Quercus for this free readers edition. In exchange I am providing an honest review.

A twisty-turny mind game story. Emma and Simon are looking for a flat and not having much luck. But things turn around when they find a very unique space that is highly guarded and accompanied by a long, literally, list of rules and standards one must follow to live in it. But they get accepted and move in. Jane is looking for a flat. She needs a fresh start after a tragic loss and this unique space her realtor has shown her makes her feel like this is the start she needs. It's wiped clean of personalization and warmth but it soothes her. The application to rent it is intimidating, and a bit confusing, but she pushes forward and to her great surprise, and relief, she is accepted and moves in. Edward Monkford designed a house that sits at One Folgate Street. It's high tech and built like a fortress. His perfectionism means the design is all white space, clean lines, zero clutter, and whoever lives in it must abide by all his rules - all 200 of them. They must also agree to be monitored and watched in the name of "research." But every occupant of the house thus far has had weird things happen - some of them tragic. When Jane moves in she starts hearing about Emma and soon she has to find out what really happened at One Folgate Street. 

This was a quick and interesting read. Delaney does a great job at keeping you wondering about what the actual truth of things is right until the very end. He also does a great job at laying out the case that everyone has a motive for something - whether they realize it or not.

When does this movie come out?  
Read this in one sitting and it blew my mind.  Did not see the twist.

Ugh, this book! I just didn't buy what the author was selling at all. The two women in the book are so far beyond too stupid to live that I had zero investment in the outcome. Sure, let us move into a creepy  house with a bunch of rules and have to answer a bunch of invasive questions before being allowed to rent. I mean it's hard to find a rent-controlled place these days, am I right? And the "love interest" (of course named Edward ugh) was just so bizarre. Maybe for fans of thrillers with Fifty Shades/Twilight undertones?

This book reminded me of Gone Girl with a twist.  The ending was not very surprising. however. With the clues in the book it was easy to figure out. The author came up with a very different idea for a  book. The immense list of things to just be excepted into the apartment was astonishing.  Dont always get what you want. The main character thought things would be easy but so would the next girl....

I'm not usually one to leave a GIF in a review, but if the shoe fits... (and then I put a GIF of the Grinch saying "hate, hate, hate, double hate, loathe entirely"). A lot of people loved this, and that's great, but it wasn't even close to being something I enjoyed.

The Girl Before took me by surprise. I thought it would be an OK book but it ended up being a great read. Emma and Jane were two different females at different times in the world. Both had a few things in common; Their looks, one Folgate Street and the creator of one Folgate. The events in this book lead to a great plot. Causing The Girl before to be a page turner. The book focused on both Girls, Emma then and Jane now. Emma was my least favorite of the two girls. 

If your looking for a great read with Suspense and a twist you won't suspect.... this is the book!

If you’re looking for a unique story that’s mysterious and set in a very unique place - a sterile, minimalistic rental home - I highly recommend this story!

A house is one of the main characters of this book.    Minimalism is the catch-word of the day, encouraging people to live with fewer material possessions.   This house fits the key!

We switch back and forth between Emma and Jane.   Both girls applied to live in this house.  In order to be accepted,  a series of psychological questions have to be answered.    Dozens of  rules for living here:  no wastepaper baskets., no coasters or placemats, no handrails.  

Every once in awhile, a question of "Would you do this or that.....?" pops up on the computer.  If the occupant doesn't immediately answer the question,  the shower water goes off and the house shuts down.  

Control.  CONTROL!

A wonderful book.  Could you live in this house?  I couldn't.    And at the end, I went "a-ha" when I learned who actually was The Girl Before.    Cleverly played, JP Delaney!

This story has potential for the right reader.  But I am not that reader.  I found too many plot points fortuitously coincidental to believe.  And over all a bit too paranoid.

The Girl Before is one sharp-ended story that reaches deeply into the slightly tilted minds of its characters. Not everyone has a solid handle on their secrets in this one. Appearances can be deceiving. "No one who lives in this house should expect privacy." And privacy was left on the curb just footsteps from the entrance of that solid front door.

An excellent psychological thriller that keeps readers engaged and guessing until the end. A must-read for genre lovers and readers look for works with strong female characters.

The Girl Before was an interesting idea - to live in a house made by an architecture designed with certain and specific traits.
Yet, you must realize the low price comes with an odd twist- the house will record your data tracking your every waking move.
In addition, the lease has specific requirements with clauses specifying no books allowed and or nothing is to be left on the floor.
Are you serious?
To add insult your mind will be tested, if you don't pass the test, the appliances will mysteriously shut off.
Ok , door please....
The perfect house designed for those seeking the ultimate in true perfection at One Folgate Lane...
Yes, well no Thank YOU
Emma and Jane were the occupants. Emma died prior to Jane moving in. The woman share stunning similarities and taste in men including their connection with the architect Edward Monkton .
Oh and did I fail to mention they also bear a striking resemblance to his former wife!
Ok, door please...
No truly the deceased wife? This is NUTZ! 
Now Jane wants answers about Emma after being kept like a prisoner in her own home....
This had a fab premise but the execution was lacking for me.
I had high hopes and perhaps your opinion will be different.

The Girl Before seems to be a normal novel, at least at first. Two different women at two different times live in the same home. The women are overcoming difficulties in their lives, finding strength in a home that requires an unconventional style of living. There is a contract, there are rules, there is a handsome architect that demands attention. Emma wants the house to protect her and she welcomes the changes it forces her to make. Jane too wants a clean slate and a house that encourages one to be better, but when her life takes on a similar path to a previous tenant she can't help thinking that the house is out to get her.

Nobody is what they seem in this novel, not the girl before, not the girl now, and definitely not the secondary characters we spend many chapters interacting with. The Girl Before is told in alternating chapters, Then's Emma and Now's Jane. Both women are seeking affordable housing in London. They each have high expectations for the neighborhood, for the safety, for the fresh start it will allow them. The house itself, One Folgate Street, is a secondary character itself, with lights coming on set to the mood and time of day, the water running only for those with a bracelet, and Housekeeper, who checks in on your stats and state of mind before allowing the house to function again. Of course, everyone but Jane knows about the woman before her, Emma the beautiful, pale woman with the dark hair, who looks suspiciously like her, and a concerning relationship with the architect. Jane attempts to think nothing of this, she too is attracted to the architect and his perfect ways, but Emma weighs heavily on her mind. Especially as Emma's former partner, Simon, presents Jane's with her concerns. 

"Oh, hasn't he told you? The ones before. None of them last, you see. That's the whole point."

Edward Monkford, the ladies' architect, is handsome, controlling, and as narcissistic as he comes. All signs point to bad guy, but Emma and Jane only find this more attractive. As each falls victim to his charming words, lavish gifts, and lust-filled attention they become increasingly paranoid that the house and maybe even Edward is out to get them. The Girl Before is filled with twists and suspense, the reader is left wondering which narrator is reliable and who really is at fault. We all know my favorite type of books feature unreliable narrators, so I was thrilled to find that both Emma and Jane are very secretive with their truths. I couldn't imagine myself wanting to answer the odd, psychoanalytic questions that the house requires of tenants, but they definitely made me think. It puts you on edge, heightening your awareness, giving us the feeling that both Emma and Jane must have been feeling as well. Is someone watching them? Is Edward what he seems? What is the truth about the girl before?

I admit, this book gets a higher rating due to my personal enjoyment. The writing, the twists, make it a four star read, but I love myself some unreliable narrators and twisted novels that don't really end happily. Both Jane and Emma were weak in many ways, unable to decipher normal protective mannerisms versive controlling mannerisms. Emma, of course, has her own dark secrets and those were fun to uncover, but I ultimately had no sympathy for her. Jane is stronger, smarter, and much easier to root for. I found her charming and worried for her situation as she fell deeper into the trap, of course the twists involving her are what keep this novel exciting. I did think the ending, the chapters that lead to the novel wrapping up, seemed rushed and didn't quite fit my expectations, but they didn't take away from my enjoyment.

"The house wants me to know, I'm sure of it. If walls could talk, One Folgate Street would tell me what happened here"

This book is not like one I've read before and while it isn't quite a thriller, at least in my opinion, I think it's definitely a psychological fiction. The author feeds you this idea of perfection, but is perfection really attainable or even safe? What measures must one take to reach that level of perfection and is the control one must have to be perfect concerning? The Girl Before makes you question everything and I love a good book that leaves me unsure and uncomfortable.

Looking for something like "Gone Girl" that's really like "Gone Girl"? This is the book for you. There are twists and turns at every corner. Told in two voices -- the "girl before" and the girl now -- this is a tight mystery about control and murder (?) and the pitfalls and dangers of falling in love. Throw in a few comments on technology and our dependence on stuff, you have a modern engrossing suspense story that will keep you turning pages. Well done!

Thank you to the publisher for providing a copy of this book. I really wanted to like it, especially after reading the synopsis. Psychological thrillers are one of my favorite types of stories to read, but I didn't feel like this one lived up to the comparison to Gone Girl and The Girl on the Train. It's a bit strange and not in a believable way. I liked parts of the story, but overall I can't say I liked the book enough to recommend it to anyone I know.

The premise was interesting, but I couldn't connect to the story or characters at all. I'm still not quite sure if this was a case of it's-me-not-you or if this story just couldn't hold its own.