I love a novel with multiple character narratives and this one has plenty! Plus multiple timelines too. The story takes place in two main settings, the present day investigation of Alice into the mysterious disappearance of Ruth Walker (and how her husband may be involved) plus the past involving many of the main characters at university. We delve right back into the past to find out the circumstances leading up to the fateful night, everyone thinks that Ruth drowned but is that really the truth?

I sped through this book; it was easy to read but also because I wanted to find out exactly what had happened!

An intriguing start. Naomi watches her sister Ruth getting ready to go, out not knowing this may be the last time she will see her again.

The book is told from numerous people’s prospectives with different timelines. This can be either very confusing or very clever, but with this story it works perfectly.

Alice is married to George a television presenter who was formerly a politician, she has always known he was a ladies man and has often wondered about his previous relationships. They met at university where George was a
disliked by other students for his sense of entitlement and confident air.

Whilst on a train Alice thinks she sees Ruth, but Ruth went missing years before when they were at university and was presumed dead. Alice knows her husband knew Ruth but when asked he at first denies knowing her, then admits he did. Alice goes digging to find out more and as the story goes back in time secrets are revealed.

The time goes back to when Alice, George, Ruth and Kat were at university and leads up to the night that Ruth goes missing after attending a ball.

I couldn’t put this book down. I love books about friendships and secrets and this kept me guessing until the end.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy in exchange for a review.

The storyline for this book is one I feel has been written before but when reading this, it read like it's own story. That's hard to do so I'm pretty impressed with how this author was able to write this even with so many other authors attempting something similar. It wasn't predictable and I definitely couldn't wait to get to the end to see the outcome.

Fantastic book about love, life and friendship with a twist. Told from the perspective of three people both in the past and present time. The characters are realistic as are a lot of the situations in the book. I was gripped from the first page.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the ARC in return for an honest and unbiased opinion.

This one was ok for me, a little slow and dragged out and not really a “page turner” for me. Some of the characters i kinda just skimmed over.

This book was so cleverly written. I really enjoyed this.

It is perfect for fans of Girl on a Train, I think.

The plot was great and the storytelling was perfect.

It had me hooked and the characters were so convincing.

I read this in two sittings, it was such a great book.

I look forward to reading more by the same author.

This book was a very well thought out and engaging story, with enough intrigue to keep me turning pages.
Following a slightly slow start, the pace picks up considerably and becomes a twisty dual timeline story.
The ending doesn’t wrap everything up in a nice neat bow, it is almost a teaser. Some might find that a tad frustrating.
A fine holiday read for me.

A well written and compelling read which perhaps moves just slightly too slowly, making it a struggle to engage with at first. An enjoyable read, but with so many contenders for excellent reads in this genre it doesn’t quite make the grade.

Alice, a lawyer on her way back from a conference, in Edinburgh, sees a woman on the train who looks exactly like a girl, Ruth, who went missing in Uni, fifteen years before. The fact that the beautiful Ruth had been one of her husband's girlfriends, while at school, makes her anxious, Ruth believed to be dead, certainly not heard from, by her sister, Naomi, they were so close, and her Mother. Alice is not willing to let it go; she knows her husband is involved in some way, she hasn't figured out how yet, but she is determined to do so. This is not a keep the lights on thriller, it is an old fashioned what happened, who did what, where is she? I enjoyed some of it, being the snob that I am; I think they are all sleazy, disgustingly immoral, what did they expect? I hate books where everyone has sex with everyone on Campus; I don't like the lesbian tie in, my criticism is, what did they think all of the drugs, sex, petty revenge would lead too, if not rapes, and murder? You live by the sword, you die by the sword!

So chilling so multilayered had me on the edge oF my seat.An author to follow highly recommend make sure to luck your doors before you open this thriller. #netgalley #avonbooksuk.

The Girl Before You by Nicola Rayner........I was looking forward to read. However, I found it a slow burner, plus, I found it hard to get into. This book is written from three narraters and it goes back and forth between them. Sadly, I did get confused at times! about what time frame we were in and who was I reading about! I had to start to write things down! Hmmmmm.

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon Books UK fro providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a mystery that initially didn't draw me in, but once I was 30-40 pages in, I was hooked and read 3/4 of it within two days!

This was a tale about a mystery surrounding Ruth, a woman in university who mysteriously went missing, presumed drowned. Years later, we hear from three perspectives: Alice, Naomi (Ruth's sister), and Kat (Ruth's best friend). Alice is now married to George, a former MP turned TV presenter. Alice initially thinks she sees Ruth on a train coming back from Edinburgh, which propels her into digging into the past and her husband's secrets. Naomi is always haunted by what happened to her sister and Kat is haunted by never getting what she wanted out of life, the way she sees it, thanks to Ruth.

There was an element of the Me Too movement within this novel that was nicely laid out and made the readers ponder a lot of things regarding such behavior. A great discussion piece within the novel.

Without giving anything away, this was a compelling mystery that left me wanting to know if Ruth was alive or not. The ending was satisfying and although there were some loose ends regarding Kat, Richard, and Alice, it wasn't too much where I was dissatisfied with the ending. The only reason I gave a reduction in stars is because I wasn't drawn in from the beginning, had I been, this would have been a solid five stars. What a great debut novel! Highly recommended for anyone interested in the mystery genre.

Thank you to Netgalley/Avon Books UK for my copy and an honest review.

I really enjoyed this book! The pace was very fast but, in my opinion, not at all confusing. I feel like Rayner did a great job switching between past and present in the storyline. There was good character development and the characters were believable. I was left guessing as to what really happened right up until the end, which is always a big thing for me! I would definitely recommend this book.

I have a dilemma as to whether to give this book 1 or 2 stars and as I actually completed it I've given it 2. While I liked the story I felt it was too drawn out. There was too much going back to the past which I understand has to be done to tell the story but it was too long-winded and could have been much shorter. There were parts of the book which were unnecessary. Spoiler alert - okay Alice has decided to leave George but we didn't really need to know that as it didn't actually happen in the book. I felt the book could have been much shorter. To be completely honest I got bored half way through and had to force myself to finish the book just to find out what happened. Would I recommend? Sorry, but not really.
Thank you Netgalley for letting me ready for an honest view
Review posted on Amazon Stowv55

I just couldn't get into this book and abandoned it at 20%. i tried a couple of times and may try again later. Sorry!

Unfortunately, this premise is used a lot in psychological thrillers. I was hoping to love this book, however, there was nothing about it that made it stand out for me. I was also a little deflated by the ending.

While THE GIRL BEFORE YOU gets off to a slow start, it picks up speed about halfway through. From that point on, the narrative twists and turns, resulting in one startling revelation after another.

The mystery behind a girl's disappearance is intriguing, yes. But the most interesting (and unsettling) aspect of the novel is George's complex character. In many ways, he's akin to someone we all know: charming on the surface, entitled and selfish at his core.

In other ways, of course, he's unknowable.

After him, Kat and Richard are the most intriguing characters. Their storylines kept me engaged and interested (as they had some angst to them), while Alice and Naomi's dragged a bit for me.

The novel's close is perfect: it provides closure in some areas, yet leaves enough open-ended that readers still contemplate and question the material long after its been consumed.

For fans of psychological thrillers, THE GIRL BEFORE YOU is an entertaining and worthwhile read!

This book was confusing with all the different points of view...and I normally like a couple of different POV. It also kept skipping back and forth in time which didn't help. I thought the storyline had promise and was hoping it would hook me, especially as it's been compared other books I've enjoyed, but it didn't. I didn't particually like any of the characters and the ending was so meh, I'm not really sure what happened. Did I miss something? I'm not sure if it was just too mixed up and not straight forward enough for me to get stuck in to...or if it just wasn't good?

When I finished reading The Girl Before You, it left me in a hypnotic state. Brilliantly written with only a handful of characters and an amazing story.

The story centered on Ruth who disappeared 15 years ago. Ruth’s disappearance tied Alice, Naomi, and Kat together. We hear (or read) the story from their perspective & it shuttles between past and present.

Most of the setting is in the college (past) and in the present Alice is the one feels disturbed and has a nagging feeling about her husband George.

Even though there are three unrelated women telling the story, each of the narrative’s merges with no gaps. All their retelling ends with a mystery after every chapter.

The writing was not just easy it was entrancing. The author candidly explored the feelings of teenagers and also how it changes as we grow up. In retrospect, as adults, we try to analyze why took certain decisions.

Naomi and Ruth were sisters and there’s a passage (read below, it’s not entire passage) where Naomi describes her relationship, is so relatable for anyone who has a sibling.

“How to put it? When I try to access my first memory without her, there isn’t one. There isn’t memory without Ruth. She was the one person to whom I could say: ‘You know that ballet teacher?’ And she would know whom I meant, or ‘Remember that boy on holiday in Crete, with the with the burnt skin?’……….”

The memories you create with your siblings, the secrets you share with your bestie or a roommate has been described aptly by the author.

The author eloquently wrapped up the mystery and the parallel characters in the end.

For a debut novel, the author did an admirable job.

I would recommend this book for all the mystery book fans.

A heartfelt thank you to NetGalley and Avon Books UK for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

My Rating for the book is 5 stars.

Brilliant story of love and loss and friendships that span the years.

Secrets will always come out even if it takes what feels like forever.

I really enjoyed this read.