This was an unusual psychological thriller which kept me guessing right until the end and then some. Jane moves into 1 Folgate street, an amazing house designed by minimalist architect, Edward Monkford. She has to agree to a bizarre set of rules and frequently answer questionnaires about her life, moral choices and moods. Once selected by Edward as a tenant she has to follow these rules and the house adapts around her, controlling everything from the temperature of the shower to switching on the gas cooker. If she doesn't answer the questions the house stops working!
However the story opens with a previous tennant, Emma, who has lived there with her boyfriend Simon; the reader is not told what has happened to her but it is obvious that she is no longer a tenant.
The story slips between Jane's story in the present and Emma's in the past. What has really happened to Emma - it's obviously something unpleasant and the reader wants to know whether the same thing will happen to Jane? Edward is a controlling person as we see when he develops relationships with both women but is there something even more sinister about him?
Both Emma and Jane start to investigate his life in the different time frames and the story progresses from each of their viewpoints, told in the first person. But How trustworthy is Emma or indeed Jane. The book uses the unreliable narrator to full effect!
The house itself took on a life of its own; it really seemed to be another character in the book, nurturing and protecting Emma and Jane as well as punishing them when they do not do what they are supposed to do.
I liked the way that every so often there is a moral dilemma question added to the narrative, obviously part of the questionnaire the tenants have to answer. This made me think about the motivation of both Emma and Jane as the story progressed.
All characters in the book appear to be flawed as well as damaged in some way including Edward himself and this makes the story more interesting. Emma has been burgled and is suffering from post traumatic stress disorder after the break in. Jane has endured a stillbirth and Edward has lost his wife and child.
As the book moves along the author ratchets up the tension until the climax and there is even an unexpected twist before the end of the book when we find out who the girl before" really is.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this novel and it's five stars from me. I recommend it to readers who enjoyed The Girl on the Train or Gone Girl . I predict that The Girl Before will be a big success in 2017 and I will certainly be looking out for more books by this author. Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for my advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

When I received a free sample copy of this book I was completely hooked by the storyline. It's based on Emma (in the past) and Jane (present time) who both rent One Folgate Street, London - a minimalist house designed by architect Edward Monkford who has placed some extreme rules and requirements for any tenants he chooses to accept. The concept of the house appealed to me with its futuristic gadgets and controls. I also like the clarity of the 2 storylines of Emma in the past and current day Jane. It was written very clearly and at the end of the sample (about 20% of the total book) I was hooked and really wanted to read the rest.

At this point Netgalley kindly sent me a copy of the full story which I read in just over 24 hours but am now downgrading my 5 star opinion of the sample to 2 stars. Why? Well plenty of reasons but one big one is that about halfway through the book took a 'Fifty Shades of Grey' turn. Not that I've read FSOG but I know enough about the plot from friends and media to know I wouldn't enjoy it. I dislike the current trend of women thinking men controlling, overpowering and hurting them sexually is okay. While it remains an erotic fantasy for most books and films focussing on the topic are putting pressure on young people to think they should be going along with it even if they don't want to. And as for Edward Monkford lifting Emma's dress sticking his finger her vagina and bringing her to orgasm in the midst of a room full of people. Come on! Then there was the 'Yes Daddy' stuff. Yuk. I could go on about other distasteful sexual scenes but you get the message.

This is all a shame as the basic plot with twists and turns was good. Although every time either Emma or Jane got on the Internet in One Folgate Street to look something up I wanted to scream 'idiot' as it was completely obvious that everything they searched for was potentially being monitored by Edward so why take the risk even once let alone several times? Also with all the monitoring of Housekeeper (the house's online search/monitoring system) did the occupants not suspect that there were cameras everywhere too?

Most chapters ended with a moral dilemma question along the lines of "You can save your daughter from drowning or go and get help and save 10 people from drowning but possibly lose your daughter. What do you do?". Interesting dilemmas but I would have liked to know more about the mind of Edward Monkford, who was setting these questions as part of the house application process and ongoing assessment on tenants. We never found what answers he expected.

Very well crafted thriller with a superb plotline and, for once, an alternate timeline narrative that actually works.
The story concerns an ultra modern property rented initially by Emma and subsequently by Jane. The first tenant died in mysterious circumstances and the latter tenant's experiences seem to be charting a parallel course. How the story concludes is both interesting, intriguing .and quite moving. Unlike most offerings in this genre this is a treatise as much as a thriller and I would urge you to read it.

Dare you live in One Folgate Street where there are rules for everything and consequences to breaking them ?! First you will have of complete the most bizarrely strange questionnaire to vet you on your suitability !
Told in alternating chapters in the.voice of Emma the previous successful applicant and Jane the new tenant, this book is a real page turner ! I thought ,whilst reading it , it would make a good movie and I find that this is indeed on the cards .

Thoroughly enjoyed this book 4.5 stars from me with my thanks to netgalley and the publisher for my arc which I have chosen to review. Look forward to reading more from this author

The Girl before ..The story revolves around One Folgate street. Two girls Emma and Jane. The reason for both landing in One Folgate street designed by an famous Architect.
Each chapter switches between Jane who is the current tenant and Emma the girl before. I must say that i loved the book because you could not guess what was going to come next. I read it very quickly as the suspense kept me wanting to keep turning the pages (admittedly kindle pages). To describe the story would spoil for readers as there are twists and turns every other page.
A hit movie in the making.

Having read the sampler for this novel (something I never usually do, but I was really intrigued by the premise), I knew I wanted to read the full version as soon as I could! It really hooked me in – and the book did exactly the same.

Now I do love the kind of genres that The Girl Before fits into – mainly mystery, suspense, psychological thrillers – so this might not apply to people who don’t, but I really enjoyed this book. I raced through it in record time. It’s easy to read, well-written and has plenty of twists and turns!

The characters are intriguing but largely annoying, though that is no doubt JP Delaney’s intention. I found Edward quite annoying as a person, due to his controlling nature and the way he seemed to pray on the (mainly) vulnerable women that live at One Folegate Street. He was rude, overbearing and a bit of a d*ck really. So, not someone I’d like to meet myself, and I can’t see why all these women would be throwing themselves at him (though I guess it happens all the time in every day life) but his character was obviously serving a purpose, and he was hard to work out, as a reader and for the house’s inhabitants themselves.

The two women, Emma and Jane, weren’t hugely likeable, and had their annoying habits. Emma especially got on my nerves, and some of her phrases to Edward (“Yes Please, Daddy” in particular) were particularly cringe-inducing. There were parts of their personality that you didn't know whether to trust... I won’t give too much away about either of them as I don’t want to ruin anything, but as a reader you really feel like you have to question every character. No one is quite as they seem, and I love books that make me suspect everyone!

Then, of course, there’s the house itself as a character almost in its own right. I could definitely conjure up a real image of what I imagine it to look like, and with news that the film rights have already been snapped up by Universal, with Ron Howard directing, I will be eager to see how it all translates onto the big screen!

This is definitely a riveting read that I got completely absorbed in – I raced through it in a day! It’s a little different and has a very interesting concept which I really enjoyed reading about. Definitely recommended!

Thanks to Net Galley & Quercia for an ARC of this book.
A web of lies & secrets.
Emma has told so many lies to so many people , , her boyfriend Simon, her friends & work colleagues and then to Edward her landlord and lover.
Jane is the new tennant in Edwards strange house, she is curious as to how Edwards wife and child died- were they murdered by Edward, she is further curious about Emma who also died in the house under suspicious circumstances. She discovers she bears a striking resemblance to Emma and she too is now also involved with Edward.
Jane can't let go of Emma's death and decides to investigate herself. This involves upsetting Edward who likes everying in his life to be perfect and contacting Emma's ex boyfriend Simon.
Both Edward and Simon seem to have been obsessed with Emma. Was her death an accident or was she murdered? , A well written story of suspense with many twists and turns right to the end. Well deserving of 4 stars.

Could you live in a house where no clothes could be left on the floor? Where the shower had to dried after each use? Where the architect has the right to evict you at the drop of a hat for violating one of over 200 rules? But what if the building were an architectural masterpiece, with cheap rent, entirely operated via voice commands, light and temperature cues, and a bracelet personalised to you, could you do it? 1 Folgate Street is the brainchild of eccentric architect Edward Monkton, to develop a minimalist, futuristic dwelling.
Following the birth of her stillborn child, Jane is looking for a place to start fresh, and what can be better than signing an agreement forbidding you from keeping all of your clutter? However, she soon finds out things are not as they seem. Edward's wife and child are buried beneath the building, the previous tenant, Emma committed suicide in suspicious circumstances, and the house seems to turning against her. As Jane tried to discover the truth behind Emma's death alternate chapters cover Emma's story. Following a home invasion, Emma craves security; moving to 1 Folgate Street to try and rebuild her life.
That's not the only thing the two women have in common though...
I read this book in a single day, and couldn't put it down. The two storylines interwine, with a fair amount of repetition, which serves the story perfectly. Scenes are repeated between the Jane and Emma characters with slight differences, and the unreliability of the narrators adds to the claustrophobia of being trapped inside the house. It's a psychological thriller which really messes with your head. Despite the lengths some characters go to, the story is not far-fetched, and the disgusting things that occur could easily happen in real life. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Told in two time frames Emma and Jane both get the opportunity to live in an architectural masterpiece. There are restrictions and regulations and limitations galore and the selection procedure is relentless and ruthless. Both women consider themselves privileged to get the opportunity to
live there.

The house is in itself rather strange, rather peculiar. Very modern in concept and design it is considered secure and unable to be broken into. Everything is digitally controlled and seems almost antiseptic in its design - not just structure but even furniture and fittings.

What follows when living in the house forms the crux of the story and what happens to Emma is both twisted and macabre not the least to do with her own personality and the relationship which developed between the architect and herself. The repetition of the story with Jane draws parallels and you begin to wonder whether history is going to repeat itself.

Alternating between the two women, very soon you realise that this is not going to end well and it is that, that keeps the reader on edge.

Goodreads review up on 10/1/2017. Amazon is not accepting reviews as yet. Review on my blog mid May 2017

I haven't had a genuine "can't put it down" book for a couple of years but this is one and possibly THE one. I read it in a day, missing out lunch and hours of sleep. I couldn't relax until I knew how the captivating tale was going to end...

I am on the fence about this book. I enjoyed reading it - it was gripping and exhilarating, but it also got under my skin in quite a negative way. 1 Folgate Street is an ultra-modern, minimalist house, full of cutting edge technology. Those who want to rent the place must submit to intense questioning about their lives, and why they want to live there.

Controlling men. Why must we continue to suffer them? Edward Monkton's display of toxic masculinity is right on point. It seems as if 50 Shades of Grey has normalised the controlling (read: abusive) relationship. [Spoiler alert] It transpires that Monkton had slept with both Emma and Jane (and probably others), embarking on casual relationships with them, before suddenly moving in, and slowly taking over their lives. The typical abuser, Monkton uses money and power to control these women.

Both Emma and Jane are troubled, having suffered from some kind of trauma. All is not as it seems, and I won't delve too far into this side of The Girl Before, but it's definitely intriguing, and the twist surprised me. I'm just a bit fed up with reading about men taking advantage of women, especially when it's romanticised.

Also, a very good point has been made about books with the word "girl" in the title. The Girl On The Train, Gone Girl, Girls On Fire... while all of these are great works of fiction, the use of the word "girl" when really they mean "woman" (maybe not in the last one) is an example of the denigration of women. Reducing us to girls strips us of our adulthood.

I gave The Girl Before 3 stars, because I really can't make my mind up whether I loved it or not. The story was thrilling, but aspects were really disappointing, and, at time, infuriating. Read it and make up your own mind, if you can.

Epic !
In all honesty I had lost the love of the genre of thrillers before reading this book and this has just blown my socks off.... I felt like I was was being thrown back and forth between the two characters and I loved every minute of it...like I was on a roller coaster of a ride shrieking OMG,NOOO and i Wasnt expecting that at all..
The Girl Before is a genius masterpiece so cleverly written full of twists and turns and on the edge of your seat page turners ...I thank you kindly for letting my love for thrillers return

I was looking forward to reading this book, and it actually took me on a different journey than I was expecting which turns out to be good. Emma and Jane have never met, but they share a few things in common. They have both lived in the same house One Folgate Street at different times. The house is a house like no other, a minimalists dream with very strict rules and guidelines for applicants who wish to live there. Jane is the current occupier and she finds out more about Emma who sadly died in the house. What was her story? Did she die of natural causes or was it more sinister? The book is told from Jane and Emma's perspective and was very easy to read. I really enjoyed the book and was kept guessing right until the end.

The Girl Before is certainly a page turner. I was able to download the first chapter of this book before it was available to request and I read it in one sitting. I was hooked, I had to know more. And now I do!

The story is told from the point of view of Jane, who is the current tenant at One Folgate Street. In order to be chosen as the tenant, Jane had to complete a very detailed questionnaire and abide by a set of rules. She had to keep the house immaculate at all times and open it to the public for viewing. However, The Girl Before Jane, tenant in the same house, was Emma, and the story switches between her and Jane’s view points.

This book has everything in it from rape, to psychotic relationships, to miscarriages and murder. It certainly covered a lot of things. The mystery was around who killed Emma and Jane retraces her steps, delving into the history behind the story and uncovering all sorts of things she shouldn’t have done.

This book certainly kept me on my toes. As soon as I thought I knew what was going to happen, there was a twist. I had no clue as to the outcome of the story at all and was very surprised by its ending. I’m so glad I got to read a copy and I will certainly be recommending it.

At the tail end of last year I did a preview of The Girl Before as I had been given the opportunity to read a sample of the opening chapters. I was really excited by how the book opened, it had developed a sinister twin timeline narrative, two characters were introduced both keen to rent the same property and both very similar in nature and appearance.

The property in question was One Folgate Street. An unique house designed by an award winning minimalist architect who placed many stipulations and caveats on the property rental agreement which made the house very hard for prospective tenants to display their suitability. Jane is keen to take on the lease and bends over backwards to meet the rental caveats but once she moves into the property she learns that the house has a dark history and that her suitability may not just have depended upon the answers she provided on the pre-rental agreement questionnaire.

As I indicated above, this book had a cracking opening and a fabulous premise but I found that half-way through the story it lost me a tad. Events took a turn away from sinister and embraced an unexpected “50 Shades” feel. By the time I reached the end of the book I was able to appreciate why it all got a bit hot and heavy in places but it didn’t sit comfortably with me at the time.

The mystery of One Folgate Street was enough to keep me reading and I was quite pleased with the endgame (and a couple of the surprises which JP Delaney worked in to the final third of the story). Having seen mixed reactions from other readers over the last few days I suspect that this will be a story which you will either fully embrace or one which will leave you slightly underwhelmed. It is being turned into a motion picture with uber director Ron Howard taking control so you can expect to hear a good bit about The Girl Before in the coming months.

I am glad I had the chance to read it before I heard any spoilers and I think it has enough of a thrill factor to do well…but not for me this one.

Firstly I'd like to thank NetGalley and the publishers for providing me with an advanced copy of this book.

I found myself riveted to this book pretty much as soon as I started reading it. Nothing much happens at first but the writing style captured my attention and emplored me to read on.
The story is full of twists and turns and I thoroughly enjoyed it, right down to the last page.
I would recommend this book if you are a fan of a psychological thriller and are looking for something slightly different from the genre.

Fabulous well deserved 5 stars. A one sitting read. A real page turner. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

An unusual book. About an obsessive and controlling man, who designs a house to be minimalist and whoever lives in it can have few possessions. Emma is the first person to live there. She is traumatised from a burglary where she was sexually assaulted. Her relationship with her partner Simon is affected. She falls to her death in the house. Was it an accident, suicide or murder? Jane is the next to live in one Folgate street, London. She has had a late miscarriage and is mourning the death of her daughter. She becomes interested in what happened to Emma. Both have a relationship with Edward who is the House owner/Designer. Perhaps would have worked better as a short story? However I enjoyed it and liked the way it ended.

Well this has to be one of the most disturbing books I've read in a while! A bit weird as well - well very weird. It started one way and then got a bit muddled in the middle - or maybe that was me. I was too busy following the rules perhaps and answering the questions from the owner of Folgate Street. Jeepers why these women didn't just say no to moving in, I don't know.

If you are thinking about renting a flat or moving in to a new place this is going to freak you out. READ THE SMALL PRINT on the lease! And if the owner sounds like a freak, run like the wind.

I can see the allure of the book and for most of the novel I was dying to find out what happened next, the premise is certainly one of the most unique I've read in a while. And I loved the fact that the house of One Folgate Street was the main character throughout. What power do our surroundings have on us as people? Interesting indeed.

There were just two many unbelievable and unsavoury bits to this for me - a bit of Fifty Shades mixed with Gone Girl mixed with the very heartbreaking and very real subject of stillbirth and downs syndrome. This jarred for me as I it just seemed wrong on so many levels.

The overall idea however of a house with restrictive rules and how environment and others can control behaviour is a neat premise. It draws you in, but it left me feeling as empty as that house.