For fans of erotic thrillers, I think "The Women Before You" might be a good fit. Currently, it is tagged as a thriller - which it is not. The book is fast paced and the plot moves quickly. It wasn't what I expected/would choose to read based on the description. I think if it is more accurately marketed, it might have a real audience!

This is a refreshing thriller with well-built characters that have you guess what's coming up next and glued to the edge of your seat.

Oh dear. Having received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review I felt obliged to read to the end. I wish I hadn't bothered. Nasty manipulative characters, no real plot, no resolution in its weak and confusing ending. I kept waiting for the title and strapline to actually have any connection to the story. They never did. Not recommended unless you are looking for erotica - sexual content just for the sake of it.

I would love a profile picture that looks like this cover.

Amazon lists this book as Psychological Thriller, Suspense...
It's more of an Erotic Thriller than anything else.

It starts really slow with a bunch of backstories that's completely unnecessary for this sort of book, in my opinion. Doesn't add to the build-up at all.

Then there are a few steamy parts that don't really lead to anything bigger.

And then the disappointment starts...hard to describe it not giving anything away (there isn't much, but still).

I think it's a good book but for an EROTICA, not a psych thriller. So most people who've read it probably did so because they were expecting something more along the lines of a deathly chase with plot twists etc. Just list it right and you'll attract the right audience.

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Although I like this genre to read found the story line difficult to digest and a little unbelievable.
It was easy to read but all the while wondering where it was going.
Disappointing ending.

A intriguing readable thriller. I would recommend this novel to anyone who enjoys thrillers. It was quick read that was written well.

This novel is not match the description. Not a thriller at all. Cheesy erotica that I gave up on.
Thank you, netgalley, for the e-review edition of this book.

Sadly I just couldn’t get into this one. Not sure if it was the subject matter or the writing style, but I couldn’t finish it.

The blurb for this book is misleading. This is not a suspense thriller but thinly veiled erotica. And not even enjoyable erotica. This book is disturbing and not my cup of tea at all.

Isobel is a failing actress and bored with her life. She works at a mattress store and has a creepy boss. She starts to use Tinder and other dating apps as a way to fight boredom. She goes out with man after man, using her acting skills to pretend to be his perfect woman then deleting the contact after one date. It makes her feel powerful. Until she meets Matthew. Matthew is a man with bad past. He's done some things that he isn't proud of, and spent years pretty much failing at life. Then he met Val....an actor and rich man who likes to play games. Matthew works for him and has been instructed to find a woman....a woman he can make do anything he asks. He finds Isobel. And the games begin.

I didn't like either of the main characters in this book. Isobel wants to feel powerful and like she has control over her life. But she falls for a man she knows is using her without any show of strength at all. He tells her to do things....and she does. She makes no attempt to sever the relationship or say no. Seems pretty weak and stupid to me. And Matthew.....he's completely lying and using this woman at the bidding of his sick, manipulative employer. For me, they both came off as vile, weak human beings. Ugh.

The plot for this story seems to be cheesy set ups for these two messed up people to almost have sex. Almost. Lots of weird foreplay and games.....it's all a giant mind-F.

The blurb used to describe this book has nothing to do with this story. There is no sinister plot....other than manipulation and sick mind games. There is no love story here. And this book is nowhere close to Dangerous Liaisons or a story that should be touted as "the most shocking thriller you'll read this year.''

This book disappointed me. The cover looked promising. The plot blurb sounded interesting. But, neither actually goes with the book. This was a waste of my time. I feel misled. Very disappointed.

**I voluntarily read an advance readers copy of this book from HarperImpulse via NetGalley. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.**

Not bad but got incredibly silly and nonsensical at the ending. The ending, in addition, really leaves you hanging and unfulfilled. Some endings can keep you wanting more. This one wasn't like that. I was glad it was over. Lukewarm, all in all. A good beach book.

This book was a pretty good book. Im more of a psychological thriller person and i feel this was more of an erotic thriller. It does have twists and turns which i like and it brought me a little out of my normal reading zone which is good as i like to expand my genres. If you like hot thrillers its definately the book gor you

Fifty Shades of Lies and Sexual Manipulation

The plot summary is extremely misleading. This is not a thriller. It's erotica - plain and simple.

It's about control, lies, and sexual manipulation. Not BDSM and only slightly consensual - mostly because Isabel is so desperate to be loved, adored, admired (whatever) that she allows herself to be used time and again. She *thinks* it's all consensual, but all the deception takes true consent out of the picture.

The only real mystery is why all this is happening. And, unfortunately, the reason is completely unexciting and ridiculous. Really. The entire book would have been avoided by someone hiring one prostitute. (Not kidding.)

2 stars because I managed to finish it, but I absolutely would not recommend.

Full of manipulation, lies, betrayal, false identities and mind games, The Woman Before You was shocking. Shockingly not interesting.

The most manipulative set of characters ever. I didn't like one bit of all that manipulation. Felt sad for the protagonist. Argh, frustrating book. Those mind games. Gosh. This book, its characters—it was infuriating.

I didn't like this book. But that's only me. This book was clever and sadistic. But I'm not in the mood for that. I skim read almost all of it just to end it. So yeah.

Special thanks to NetGalley and the Publishers for this review copy.

The woman before you is definitely an erotic thriller than a psychological thriller as there was far more sex than I thought there would be, but to be honest this is the first book i've read where the blurb doesn't really belong to this book.
Isabel has moved to New York but has found that isn't as great as she thought it would be, she is in a dead end job and has no hope of realising her dream to become a great actress. Isabel has suffered abuse in her past so makes her perfect for Matthew and his boss. Isabel is I think made out to be a player as she adapts herself to what she thinks her date for the night would like her to be, so never revealing the true character she is intact a victim and although she is this I couldn't warm to this character at all. The book is split into alternate chapters of Isabel and Matthew leaving you wondering at the end of each chapter who is deceiving who?
The ending was a little weird and to be honest I didn't truly get it but I have rated this 3 stars due to it not really being like the blurb and my inability to like the two main characters.
I would like to thank Netgalley and HarperCollins UK for this ARC I received in exchange for an honest review.

I hate to be negative, but I feel the blurb was very misleading. I believe this book is not marketed to the right audience and hence will receive a lower star rating than it would get if advertised to a different market. The book did have a certain appeal and an interesting premise but content was unexpected.

Review: This is an incredible dark tale with a hint of 50 shades about it. 

Two very strong characters meet and once they get their claws into you will be hooked until you close the book on the last page. We follow Isabel and Mathew who fall hard for each other but like to play games. Although there a dark moment there is relief in this story to. 

It is truly gripping with fascinating characters!

I loved it!! Easy read, you can never guess what’s coming next! I wasn’t quite sure what to expect when I started this book. It didn’t go the way I was thinking but that’s okay.

Even though I disliked both protagonists in this chilling game playing thriller, I still kept turning the pages, carried on guessing what the endgame was and hated the controlling antagonist. The writing is good, and the characters are complex, the plot keeps it surprises even if they are not as earth-shattering as the blurb suggests.

Rather than a player, Isabel comes across as a victim. Abused at school and bullied, she doesn't tell and wants to be popular, so glosses over the abuse she suffers; if she doesn't think about it, it isn't real. Her New York life is a flop, in a dead-end job with the abuse she has already suffered she is perfect grooming material for Mathew and his boss.

Isabel and Matthew tell the story from alternative points of view, but who is honest and who is lying?
Based on control rather than love, the relationships are shallow and sinister. The ending is strange, in-keeping with the book's ethos. Questions remain, perhaps for a sequel?

I received a copy of this book from Harper Impulse via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

2 stars because it was okay. Truer words...

The premise is we have Isabel, who is a bored, actress without an acting job, that works in a mattress store. Enter Matthew, the handsome, devilishly charming rascal whom she meets online. From the beginning, Isabel knows that Matthew is certainly playing some sort of game with her. At some point I stopped feeling sorry for her and realizing that she is bringing it upon herself. She keeps going along with it all and she KNOWS he is using her.

It was a very unsettling novel. But it wasn't a thriller or a mystery just unsettling. It was okay. I am not sure if I would recommend it to any of my reader friends. I did enjoy the back and forth points of view. I always tend to feel like I get more of the story, even though I know that is not true.

Thank you to the publishers and netgalley for a copy of this book.

Despite being warned about this - I still gave it a go! Big mistake! It was weak, drippy erotica at its worst - 50 shades of unoriginality!!