I found this book too dull and dragging. From the premise and the prologue, I thought the story would be about the missing case of Annie, but a major part of the book is just about Rachel and her troubles. I'm sorry but this book didn't
click with me.
Thanks to Netgalley and .Bookouture for providing a digital copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

When I started this book I wasn’t feeling like I could get into the story line. I kept with it and am so glad I did.
The Girl Before Me us a great read and even if you know “who done it” you still won’t want to put it down until the last word is read.
Can’t wait to read more from this author.

This novel is a slow burn deepening into a mystery about what has happened to the previous tenant in Rachel's apartment. The story is detailed, convincing and developed well. There is quite the cast of characters that are well drawn if a bit cliched at times but the dynamics are well enough developed to keep you guessing as to 'whodunnit'. I didn't see the ending coming and it felt a little rushed but overall a very enjoyable read.

When Rachel moves into a new apartment with her young daughter, Lily, it’s with a huge sense of relief. After escaping an abusive marriage, this perfect downtown fourth floor rental, within minutes from the lake, feels like the new beginning the two of them deserve.

This ARC was provided to me via Kindle, Bookouture and by #NetGalley. Opinions expressed are completely my own.

I truly appreciate a good mystery, suspenseful thriller and I was satisfied with The Girl Before Me.

After a messy divorce, single mom, Rachel moved to the city with her daughter Lily for a fresh start. She finds a great location, Lily has been accepted to a great private school and Rachel meets her friendly neighbors. When she gets a letter for the previous tenant saying that she is not safe in the apartment, Rachels mind starts to wander and she starts to question what is wrong with her new place.

Ugh. I wanted to love this. Dang, I wanted to just LIKE it. But alas, I could not. The writing is blah and monotone and drags forever. The dialogue feels so forced and blunt. Rachel’s character has absolutely no growth. The book is filled with so much stereotypical stuff that it makes reading it challenging. The gaps within time and events is just too much to try and work through. It’s pretty obvious what has happened throughout the whole book. While it was a pretty fast paced read, it just lacked in so much oomph! The potential was there and the idea was great, just the execution lacked.

ARC releasing 4/29/22. Rachel, needing a fresh start after a divorce from an abusive husband, moves into a perfect apartment where the girl before mysteriously disappeared. This was not good. It was extremely slow, passive, and boring. Rachel fell in love with her neighbor within a day. There was no character development or exploration, especially for the woman who disappeared. Packaged as a psychological thriller, but is definitely not one.

This book was amazing. The characters were very interesting and the plot I couldn't get enough of. There was everything a good thriller book needs, a plot that keeps the reader guessing and wondering through every twist and turn as was as the inability to put the book down at any cost. I loved the characters and I loved how the plot was nothing like I'd ever read before, it was amazing and I believe that it would make a great movie. The book starts out with our main character Rachel moving into her new apartment with daughter. Her apartment is everything she is looking for, large, cheap, and she is able to move in right away bonus right? or is it? It isn't until she finds a letter from a Julia to her sister Annie about her being worried about her and begging her to leave the apartment for her own safety, that Rachel starts to wonder what is really going on in her home.
She decides she must get to the bottom of things before its to late and whatever happened to Annie happens to her and her daughter. I was hooked on this book from the very first line and every one after that just kept getting better. I'm so glad that I got the chance to check out this story, because this is one of the best thrillers that I've read in a long time. There was not a single thing that I would change about this book. I loved the characters in this story but what I loved the most was the uniqueness of the plot. It was almost like watching a really good movie. The author did such a great job of describing everything but at the same time not giving away to much information to spoil the ending. I loved this book and I cannot wait to see what else Laura Wolfe has in store for her readers because if it is even half as good as this one I know that it will be a big hit
and I will be first in line to check it out.

This is my first book by this author but it certainly won’t be my last. What a talent she has for writing a fabulous book.
This is the perfect psychological thriller and I was hooked from Page 1. It’s creepy, intriguing with a fabulous plot. I’d strongly recommend it and it’s certainly worthy of 5 stars.

I couldn't get into this book. It had potential but sadly I don't think it was for me. The writing was really not my cup of tea and the story was kind of confusing.

This book was just awful in my opinion. The characters where one dimensional, Rachel was annoying and lacked common sense and fell for the first guy that smiled at her, after she got divorced.
The big twist wasn't really a twist at all i saw it coming way before it did.

Thought this was a great thriller & it kept me guessing until the last pages. I read thrillers nonstop so for me to not get my guesses right… wooo eee… must be a good one. There were so many characters to blame 😂 but could not pinpoint who was responsible. Definitely kept you on your toes the entire time.
•
Connected with the main character and the idea of a fresh start, loved that she had found a new home for herself and Lily. I would not be going into that creeptastic basement alone though! I had never heard of this author and will definitely watch for her books!

First of all, I do appreciate the arc and I feel terrible for the review. I really am sorry, but here we go...

This was one of the worst books I've read in a while.
Starting with the very beginning. Newly divorced woman with a kindergartner moves into an apartment and within a week has fallen for her neighbor. At one point she even states that he's such a good boyfriend and father figure to her daughter. Bruhhhhhh. I was a single mom for a long time, and I PROMISE you that not only was I not introducing my kids to my newest fling after a week, but I guarantee they absolutely wouldn't be called a father figure. She screamed stereotypical desperate divorcee, and it really bothered me--for the sake of her daughter.

Her daughter just so happens to get a scholarship to a prestigious elementary school (which for whatever reason, she felt the need to tell all other moms within their first conversation) and she gets a deal on a Chicago apartment because someone else broke their lease. It's just all too convenient.

This book has most stereotypical characters. Desperate single mom, bubbly neighbor, "emo" neighbor, rich older neighbor who loves your daughter, and hot neighbor. Don't even get me started on how often tattoos were used when describing the characters we weren't supposed to like.

Also the descriptions reminded me of a YA novel, not an adult psychological thriller. See example:
"Bridget stood in the hallway, her berry stained lips smiling toward us, and a bottle of Chardonnay gripped in her hand. Designer jeans hugged her legs, tapering down to trendy ankle boots. Her eyes popped beneath Smokey eyeshadow, and silver bracelets clinked on her wrists" 😵‍💫

And to top it off--the entire plot?! Woman disappears and NOBODY thinks to search the apartment? So like nobody filed a missing person? Cops didn't immediately get involved?

There were parts where I honestly thought this might actually be satirical. I hated the characters we were supposed to like, and Drake (the "emo" neighbor) was consistently my favorite, lol. Holes upon holes in the plot, but morbid curiosity kept me reading until the end.

With all of that said, i did enjoy the overall story. It has the double twist that we all love--and even if you guessed what happened, i don't think anyone would've guessed the double twist.
The Girl Before Me sort of gave me The Paris Apartment vibes. It has similar pacing and a slightly similar story.

I bet the author would write a very good YA thriller. Unfortunately this book was just not for me.

WOW....This is simply wow for me.

Rachel Gleason moves into an apartment with her daughter, Lily who is about to start at en elite school. She is freshly divorced after having an abusive relationship with her husband Keith. When she moved into the apartment and checking the new mail box, she finds a letter from Julia in Australia addressing to her sister, Annie who used to live in the same apartment as Rachel right now. In the letter Julia has asked Annie to leave the apartment. When Rachel tries to dig in, Annie had left the apartment suddenly, taking away her furniture and everything. No one in the building knows what happened to Annie. But Rachel is determined to know more about her previous occupant.

To me, this was actually a fast paced thriller that will keep you on the edge of the seat. This was quite unputdownable and there were some twists and turns in nearly every chapter. What I liked about this book was there are so many suspects who may have been involved with Annie's disappearance--the principal at the school Rachel's daughter Lily is attending to, Rachel's new lover Alex, Rachel new friend Bridget...the list goes on and on. The ending was unexpected. The author's writing was really good and did a good job of hooking the reader into the story and making the reader feel like they are a part of the story. Overall, I actually enjoyed reading this thriller!

If you like an unputdownable, fast paced thriller with twists and turns that will keep you on the edge, then this book is one for you--worth five stars!

Many thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for the ARC. The review is based on my honest opinion only.

I remember when I was younger we had a basement and it was divided in different rooms. We kept some supplies down there and sometimes my mom asked me to go and pick something up. That was the core I hated the most. There were a lot of dark corners and I always thought someone would be lurking in there.

I guess, that more than once, I broke the world record running up and down. 😊

I totally felt how Rachel felt when she had to go there.

The prologue of the book hit bull’s eye straight away and set the pace for the rest of the book.

I really had no idea who I could trust and Rachel had the same problem. She was constantly between, a rock and a hard place. When she put her trust in some people, she started doubting her decision a bit later because she found things out that were carefully trying to keep hidden. But you know how it goes when you lie… Sooner or later the truth comes out and we sometimes cannot understand how we could have misjudged some people so badly.

I loved the storytelling; I loved the characters. There is one thing I need to say to one of them. ‘Really, Rachel’s mother? You so not deserve that title!’

Great book. 5 stars

Thank you

The Girl Before Me had me trying to piece together every little bit of information to figure out the mystery.
Obviously I had a hunch for a couple of people, and I was really hoping I was wrong. (It was a bit of a mix)
I was hooked throughout the entirety of this book. It was the perfect amount of creepy, mystery and that reminds me - the clues, the ‘clues’ and the stalker-ish behaviour, it was all done so perfectly. The more I talk about this book, the more I realise how well crafted it was.
Its all catching up to me now - I’m terrified and so glad I don’t live alone. THIS is a psychological thriller and I can already hear myself raving about it to my friends, family, EVERYONE.
Although obviously please do not read if you currently live in an apartment and are already scared for your safety because… read the synopsis, you’ll understand.

This book has twists until the very end. You think you know what’s happened at different moments in time. I was hoping to be more captured by the story and characters.

Well developed characters and intriguing story. I was hooked early on and wanted to know what happened so I read this every chance I got. Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book.

Laura has became an an auto read author for me. I've read A bit of her previous books and they were all amazing, intriguing, interesting reads. The Girl Before Me by Wolfe was exactly what I was expecting coming from her. A fast paced, compelling, wild ride.
The way her characters are formed, her writing is amazing and her stories are always on point.
I will read anything from her.

Bookouture,
Thank You for this approved eARC.

Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for an early copy of The Girl Before Me. This was a good read, many twists trying to figure out the villain. It kept you thinking BUT then it became soooo far fetched, the ending was absolutely ridiculous. The last part of the book ruined the whole book I’m sorry to say.