I enjoyed this book very much, it was a bit different. There was an overwhelming sense of menace about it, but it was quite subtle menace.
I felt that it was one of the best modern novels I had read. I did not like the constant changing between then and now, but that is my only criticism. Why do all novels seems to be doing this, straight narrative would be so much better please.

This was good! A brilliantly creepy and intriguing story told in alternating chapters, Emma in the past and Jane in the present. The tension built up wonderfully, such a creepy, spine-tingling atmosphere in this book it kept me up very late, I got to the end of each chapter and just wanted more.
J P Delaney has crafted an incredibly absorbing psychological thriller with an ending I totally did not expect, The Girl Before grabs you from the very first chapter, one to be missed! I'm sure this will be a best-seller in 2017.
Thank you.

A perfect home, a chance to restart your life and a mysterious landlord who makes your heart skip a beat. What could be better?
I loved this book! I particularly enjoyed the way Emma and Janes stories were told simultaneously, letting us see how Edward creates identical relationships with them. There is a growing sense of unease with the women that I really enjoyed and twists to the story that I did not see coming. I raced through the book in a day and I will certainly be recommending it!

A real page turner. Gripping, tense; be prepared to be awake reading in the early hours.

Then: Emma.
Now: Jane.
Two women, one house, one man and a whole load of twists, turns and surprises. This is a really good psychological thriller that will keep you guessing until the very last page. Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for the advance review copy.

The book centres around One Folgate Street; an exclusive, award winning property designed by Edward Monkton. Edward is a possessive, dominent control freak and also an obsessive perfectionist. The book alternates between two women Emma, the previous tenant of the property and Jane, the current tenant. The two women lived in the property two years apart and both have had relationships with Edward. The story alternates between them, however, as their stories near enough mirror each other, the story becomes confusing and convoluted. I spent the entire book, flicking backwards and forwards, constantly reminding myself whose voice, 'before' or 'now', I was reading it through. That said, the story itself was actually a good one and kept me reading on until the very end.

I chose to read this NetGalley ARC for which I have given a voluntary and unbiased review.

This is a first rate book that I really enjoyed. Architect Edward Monkford designed a house known as One Folgate Street. To be able to live there you have to go through a series of questions, some seem quite strange.
Not long after Jane moved in she found out that a girl called Emma had lived there before and had died after falling down the stairs. She became intrigued and went out of her way to find just what had happened to her. Each chapter goes between Jane and Emma. As you get in to the book you not only learn about Jane and Emma's lives but what happened on the fateful night that Emma died. You also learn about Edward Monkford and Emma's ex boyfriend Simon. There are plenty of twists and turns and just as I thought I had it all worked out found that I was completely wrong. I would highly recommend this book

Having read a sampler I was hooked and couldnt wait to find out what happened next. I was not disappointed, the tension builds throughout. It will make a good film, providing you haven't read the book! Recommend you read it

This was very good. Kept me on edge the whole time, I never quite knew what would happen. You could tell there would be plot twists, but not what they would be - it was very unpredictable. Highly recommend.

I got a free sample from Netgalley for this book and I so enjoyed it..
I liked the writing style of the book about two different girls that move into the same house but in different times Emma and Jane ......Emma being to former tenant and Jane being the present but it is not any old house this house has lots of rules before you can even live in it its clutter free and with smooth lines a house to help emma get over a burglary and Jane to get over a miscarriage.

I so want to read the full version of this book if I am lucky enough to get it fingers crossed I am. Pretty Please I need it.

Thank you Netgalley the Author and Publisher for this sample.

UPDATE
I was lucky and got the whole book to review and so glad i did I loved this book.Emma turned out to not be the person you think she is and the ending was superb never thought it was going to end the way it did......
Another Author to add to my other ones that I have to read...
Well Done a great novel....

I like minimalist and the fact that the house had a lot of rules intrigued me. Plus a mysterious thriller to read, I was so keen to read this book. I imagined white rooms with stainless or brushed steel fittings and bare floors. I'm wondering about the rules though, what are they?!

The book follow two timelines, one for Jane and one for Emma. It is easy to follow as all the sections start with either "Then:Emma" or "Now:Jane". Both Emma and Jane have had trauma in their lives (as have many people, but in their case, it is relatively recent) and need to move on. Finding somewhere suitable to live at an affordable price can be a challenge, when you need to feel secure in your home environment. Their estate agents offer to show them One Folgate Street as a final last ditch attempt to find them somewhere that fits their requirements. Both Emma and Jane are advised that the terms of the lease are strict, and unusual. Plus there is an involved application process with no guarantee that they will get through to the final hurdle, a personal interview.

Having completed the form and gone through the hoops, the tenants are introduced to the house and it's systems. The house looks after its occupants, the occupants keep the house clutter-free and clean, and "obey the rules".

Over the course of the book Jane's story unfolds and Jane, in turn, unravels Emma's story as she settles in to her new home. In doing so Jane begins to wonder if her own life is in danger and races to find out what happened to Emma in order to save herself.

I read this book in one day and thoroughly enjoyed it. It has stayed with me as snippets have popped into my mind from time to time. It reminded me ever so slightly of an old film I've seen, where the technology of the house comes alive and wants to stay that way.

A fast-paced storyline that quickly draws you in to the world of Emma and Jane, both of whom have suffered a recent trauma and believe that moving into the minimalist, even austere, property at One Folgate Street will help them recover. The story is told from alternating perspectives, as Emma preceded Jane by three years, and you watch in horror as history seems about to repeat itself and all your worst fears are about to be realised - and then you start to discover that the characters are not all you first believed. This book will draw similarities to Gone Girl or The Girl on the Train (where are all these 'Girls' coming from?) but I personally found the end unsatisfactory- although I'm not really sure who I wanted to turn out good and bad!

I was very excited when I read the first few chapters in the sample of this book and couldn’t wait to get my hands on the whole thing.

Sadly, after a great start, with so much promise, it went downhill for me. I was initially fascinated by the enigmatic, award-winning architect, Edward Monkford. While he was obviously a narcissistic, control freak the rules he required people to adhere to in order to live in his award-winning house, One Folgate Street, were extreme.

Then there were the two women, Emma and Jane, who were both, at different times, tenants of One Folgate Street. Each was looking for a fresh start for different reasons and each was prepared to give up a lot in order to live there. I had to suspend my disbelief that both these women would really give up so much of their privacy and so many of their personal possessions in order to live in this house.

The story follows the alternating, parallel stories of Emma and Jane and of their similar relationships with Edwards Monkton to its climax, with a number of twists along the way.

The book was well written and I enjoyed some of it, but I felt it lost its way and never reached its potential. Instead of having a clear identity of its own the book morphed into a sort of thriller version of 50 Shades of Grey, albeit much better written. That said, I’m sure lots of people will love it and it will be hugely successful.

The Girl Before grabs your undivided attention from the get go! I remember reading a sample of this book, and being blown away by its fantastic opening thinking I can't wait to continue reading this book! After days of wondering what happened to Emma, how did she die, did the technology in the house kill her or was it the architect himself, does the same fate await Jane? - So many questions! As soon as the full book was made available to me, I dropped everything to finish it.

It's not easy to become a resident of One Folgate Street; first there's a long list of rules to abide by, second there's a lengthy application form - not many make it that far, but if you do, you have to past the interview stage of the application process. However, once you're a tenant, you get to reside in an ultra-minimalist house run by tomorrow's technology, designed by a world leading architect.

Two narratives run side by side in this book - Then & Now. Then was Emma, the former tenant, who died under mysterious circumstances, while living there. Now - Jane, the current tenant. From the offset, we know that the two narratives were going to become entwine and I loved the clever way they did.

Aimed at fans of Gone Girl, this book does have the unlikeable characters, yes, but other than that I believe this book should stand alone as when I was reading this book, I had no thoughts of any other book, I was so wrapped up in this story. You do start off liking both Emma and Jane, but as the story progresses Delaney, shows us the true characteristics of both these women, and let me tell you, I was not prepared for their deceitful, vindictive nature; at times, some of their actions literally made me cringe. As events unfolded, I was shocked and pulled deeper into the story as I had no idea what was to come; the alternately chapters between Emma and Jane made this book so addictive, each narrative left you wanting more, this book kept me turning pages at great speed.

I don’t even know why I bother to guess how books end anymore, or who the guilty party is, as again, here, I made my prediction, and I was so far off the mark, I’m not even going to say anymore. Overall, this book is fast-paced, thrilling and thoroughly addictive, I highly recommend it and I’m sure you’ll fly through its suspenseful pages just as I did.

Thank you to Netgalley for the opportunity of reading this book as an arc.
Well this certainly was an intriguing book! First Emma and her partner, then a few years later Jane, move in to a unique rental property. The house has been designed by a mysterious architect and he only rents it out if the tenants can meet a stringent list of requirements and adhere to his frankly bizarre list of rules. We learn from the outset that Emma has died in an apparent accident, with Jane determined to find out what actually happened to her.
Plenty of twists and turns here to keep the reader interested and I certainly enjoyed the book. Everyone has their own secrets and you don't know who to trust throughout. However, I felt the two women were extremely annoying and they both seemed to fall under the creepy architect's spell a bit too easily.
A good enjoyable read which fans of psychological/domestic noir genre will love.

After reading a sampler of The Girl Before a few months ago, I was desperate to read the whole book as I was so intrigued by the chapters I read. Unfortunately although I really did enjoy The Girl Before it didn't turn out to be the "thrilling" read I was expecting. The story is told by two narrators Jane who moves into the perfect house, or is it? There are so many rules and regulations (200 in fact!) some of which are bizarre to say the least, and then other chapters are told from Emma’s POV whose mysterious death, becomes central to the plot. As the past and present become entwined you really can’t help wondering where the plot is heading. One Folgate Street is not a place I would choose to live in that’s for sure, with an obsessive and controlling landlord you just know things aren't going to end well.

The characters in The Girl Before aren't the most likeable characters I've come across they are manipulative, selfish and self absorbed, but I must admit I was eager to learn more about them, and to see how the connection between characters would pan it. There are so many lies and half truths surrounding the two protagonists I found it difficult to know what to believe, but it certainly made me dislike them even more when the author reveals them. As Jane realises her life is running parallel to the tragic Emma's events take a dark and sinister turn. Interestingly One Folgate Street takes on a life of its own and becomes a central character in the story, which sounds strange but it actually adds a sense of malice and claustrophobia.


Although I read this book in a day, and the plot is highly original personally I found the ease that the two women fall for their landlord less than credible, some scenes read more like 50 shades than a psychological thriller! When I picked up The Girl Before the first couple of chapters hint at the malice and darkness that surround the house, so I was expecting at least a few OMG moments, but unfortunately they never materialised. Don't get me wrong it was an easy book to pick it up and read in one sitting and I'm sure it will have legions of fans, but even after the big reveal I was left feeling slightly disappointed as I expected so much more

This review maybe altered slightly and edited prior to publication on my blog at.....http://thebookreviewcafe.com

Different and creepy - I really liked the two women's stories happening in parallel. The story took a direction I wasn't entirely expecting and the ending was very satisfying. A compelling read. Really enjoyed it.

Another “Girl” book with promises of Gone Girl that I just couldn’t help but read!
The Girl Before is a book told in alternating chapters between Emma (in the past) and Jane (the present). Both are young women who have suffered a tragedy – one a burglary at knife point and possible sex attack, the other a recent stillbirth – and both are looking for somewhere new, secure and safe to live in London on a budget. Shown a smart home of the future designed by architect Edward Monkford that’s minimalist to the extreme and comes with a set of restricting rules longer than your arm (right from no pets to no pictures on the walls and no books), they jump at the chance but first need to pass the landlord’s test – a psycho-analysis style questionnaire to question their morality and a face to face interview.
From the very beginning, we know that “the girl before” died in the house, and Jane, the current tenant, sets out to find out just how it happened in case she suffers the same fate.
This was a really good read that kept you guessing – I thought I’d figured something out but turned out to be wrong, and I love when a book proves me wrong! The idea of the house itself was fascinating and I thought the characters were brilliant, plus the storyline on top of it was gripping too. With the Gone Girl parallels being drawn already, it’s bound to do well in 2017 but it deserves to stand on its on feet too. Plus they’ve already got movie rights for it, so keep an eye out!

Update at the end - having since read the whole book!

I feel my review will be heavily influenced by the ‘sample’ that I read. I was kindly given a ‘sample’ of the book via NetGalley, it was clearly pointed out that it would be a sample and not the whole book so I can not claim to have been short changed. Having read the ‘snippet’ I feel as I have been played by the marketing department. I read a few chapters – then when the first big ‘hang on’ moment comes along, the ‘sample’ ends – presumably I am meant to rush out and get the rest of the book. But I can’t as it has not been published yet – and I am not sure that by the time it becomes available I will still have any ounce of curiousity left.

Anyway rant against marketing over! How do I feel about the book?

Well it ticks all of the boxes that publishers must be looking for – female protaganist, split ‘then and now’ timeframe, strange men/technology/houses, the word 'girl' in the title – and presumably some great twists (however as you know from before I can’t comment on them).

As I can’t rave about the story I can only focus on the prose which frankly is pretty basic. It does seem to follow the downward trajectory started by ‘Gone Girl’ which was well written to ‘Girl on a Train’ which was enjoyable if a little Sixth Former-ish. Weirdly the author seems to have dispensed with speech marks for the ‘Then’ part of the story, anyone got any idea why this should be? Again I can see what the publishers are after; a page turner, easy reading with not too many taxing words – and on this front ‘The Girl Before’ delivers.

Update!!!
I have now read the whole book and it is better than I expected. I was gripped and wanted to know what happened. My reservations about the title stand - surely the reading public can be convinced to read a book that does not contain the word 'girl'? But if you are after an easy thriller this book will do it for you.