Rating - 3.5 stars.

This is Jennifer Moore's first novel and I enjoyed it. The blurb reads

"A perfect home

When Fern and Paul move into the large, old house on Crenellation Lane, with beautiful high ceilings and a luscious garden, they think they’ve found their dream home. After the devastating loss of Fern’s twin sister, it will be a fresh start and somewhere to raise their first baby.

A destructive obsession

But as soon as they arrive, Fern starts having terrifying nightmares about the woman who lived there before. When the woman showed Fern around, they bonded over their pregnancies. Now, Fern can’t let her go. Paul fears his wife has relapsed, obsessing in the same way she did after her twin’s death.

A fatal secret

Fern questions the neighbours about the previous owner, but nobody wants to talk. It’s like the woman never even existed. Refusing to give up, Fern uncovers a shocking secret and now suddenly her whole family is in danger…"


The blurb read like my ideal book and I enjoyed the writing style of Jennifer Moore. The story somewhat lacked some depth for me, but that is my personal opinion and the repetition of the loss of Ferns twin did seem to pop up a great deal.

Main characters Fern and Paul have decided to move, after the death of Fern's twin sister she needs a new and fresh start. Fern is pregnant and when they move into their new home, what should be the most amazing time of their lives are firstly dampened with the loss of her sister and then secondly Fern is having awful, vivid nightmares of the woman who lived in the house before them. Both women were pregnant and seemed to have a connection immediately.

Fern starts investigating the woman who lived in the house before but know one wants to engage with Fern about her.

Thanks to Jennifer Moore, NetGalley and the publishers for allowing me a copy of this novel in exchange for my honest review.
There is a few twists in this novel and it was a good read.

It has been 5 months since Fern Croft’s twin sister, Linny, died when her bike was hit by a bus. Fern is pregnant and the loss of her sister has been devastating for her. She feels like she sees Linny everywhere and her husband, Paul, is worried about her mental health.

They have decided to buy a larger house and she is revisiting one that she and Paul like. The realtor had to leave suddenly but a blonde woman, also pregnant, and named Marte, is there to show her around. But after they buy the house and move in, no one seems to know who Marte is. In addition, Fern is convinced that Linny is close as she sees her often and finds little reminders of her. Asking around, Fern can’t find out who Marte is. When Paul has had enough of her imaginings, he leaves for awhile and his mother, Tina, comes to stay with her.

Oh my. This book was so tedious and down-right boring. I did not like Fern at all. She’s a weak little person who acts as if she’s the only woman who has ever been pregnant. Tina is a life saver for Fern and for the entire story. She is strong and proactive. I think the author was trying for a Gothic and ghostly book but it fell flat for me. I am going to be very generous and give this book 3 stars.

Copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

When Fern and Paul decide to make a fresh start before the arrival of their first child, they get more than they bargained for. Fern is visited by a dead previous occupant. Strange things happen and it isn't the fresh start that they were looking for. Despite the spooky happenings some good things come out of this move. Justice is served and finally they can be a happy family. I was hooked right from the beginning. This book was like nothing that I had read before. I didn't want it to end.

Wow ! What a read. I really enjoyed this twisty novel. It's a spooky tale of fern seeing a woman named Marte in her brand new house. Is she really there? What is she trying to tell her? You'll be turning the pages quickly trying to find out what is going on.

I really enjoyed the tie in at the end with Ferns deceased sister and the addition of her mother in law Tina. It had me laughing out loud at times.

This is a great change from the thrillers I normally read. Thank you to netgalley and Harper collins for this great read!

An enjoyable read.

Expectant parents Fern and Paul move to a new house for a fresh start after the premature death of Fern's twin sister. Right from the start things are strange with a mysterious pregnant lady, Marte only Fern has seen then the nightmares begin.
Is it baby brain from the pregnancy or is it something else? Fern and her mother in law Tina, my favourite character by far, decide to become detectives and track down Marte and discover .the secrets of Crenellation Lane.
For a debut novel it is a well written book and I believe the author will have a cracker of a second one. There was a few unanswered questions and I did get confused with some of the characters but all in all I would recommend it.

I would give it 31/2 stars.

Expecting her first child and grieving the loss of her twin sister in an accident, Fern and her husband move into a large house out of town, but the moment they arrive Fern begins having nightmares about a mysterious woman and a baby. In addition, Fern seems to have inadvertently alienated her new neighbours, and her husband has invited her mother-in-law to stay with them, and she is prone to interfering. However, as her relationship with her husband becomes increasingly strained as he struggles to believe the strange events she says are happening in the house, she finds her mother-in-law to be a staunch ally...
An intriguing and gripping mystery which shifts in tone as the reader comes to realise which characters are telling the truth. A tense and exciting page turner.

3.5 stars rounded up

When Fern and Paul move into the large old house on Crenellation Lane, with beautiful high ceilings and a luscious garden , they think they've found their dream home. After the devastating loss of Fern's twin sister, it will be a fresh start and somewhere to raise their first baby, But as soon as they arrive, Fern starts having terrifying nightmares about the woman who lived there before. When the woman showed Fern around, they bonded over pregnancies. Now Fern can't let her go. Paul fears his wife has relapsed, obsessing in the same way she did after her twin's death.

This is quite a good debut novel but the pace is on the slow side, but it still head my attention throughout. There's a bit of paranormal creepiness throughout the book. Fern is a conflicted character. Her main support is from her mother-in-law, Tina. The characters are well drawn and they all have secrets. You can't help but feel a little sorry for Fern and all that she's been through. I took half a star off as i felt the ending was a bit abrupt.

I would like to thank #NetGalley #HQ and the author #JenniferMoore for my ARC of #TheWomanBefore in exchange for an honest review/

This is the story of Fern, a pregnant woman who moves to a new house with her husband. Fern has recently lost her twin sister in an accident, however she thinks she still sees her. In the new house Fern also sees a pregnant woman called Marte, but no one is able to tell her who Marte is. Is Marte real?
I really struggled to get through this book and breathed a sigh of relief once I was at the end. The characters were irritating and we seemed the go over the same ground endlessly. Was it really so difficult to ask neighbours or estate agents the straightforward question, who is Marte? There are only so many times a character can be struck dumb before they become annoying!
There are a few ghostly happenings, but they're not particularly scary. The only redeeming character was the mother in law, Tina. I found her quite entertaining.

What a fantastic debut novel. I couldn't put this down. creepy, atmospheric, it kept me turning the pages long after I should have been asleep. Fantastic.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and to the publishers for the advanced copy.

I was pleasantly surprised by this book. The beginning didn't quite capture me...truthfully, I was quite confused for a bit, but as soon as I understood who all of the characters were, it was like a snow ball effect for me. After that, I couldn't get enough and needed all of the answers. The plot isn't entirely the most riveting or unique per se, but it was still a satisfying mystery/thriller nonetheless. I will admit that it was a challenge for me to rate this book because I thoroughly enjoyed myself for the majority of the read and I found myself unable to put the book down, turning page after page way too late in the night. However, there were several parts that I felt really needed cleaning up. Some of the repetition was tedious rather than enhancing the story and there were a few areas that were quite muddy (without giving any spoilers away...what happened with the Rochesters and all of the previous owners? And ugh the husband...). Even still, I enjoyed the book and look forward to reading more from this author.

Fern and Paul, who are expecting their first baby, have just moved into a new home on Crenellation Lane for a fresh new start. But all is not well. Having recently lost her twin sister in an accident, Fern is deep in grief. Lines between what's real and what's not are blurry and she keeps looking for her sister everywhere. And there's something off about this new house - Fern is seeing and experiencing things that other people aren't. Has she lost her mind? Is it the pregnancy hormones? Fern tries to talk to her new neighbors about the previous owners, but it seems that everyone's reluctant to talk or acting like they have no idea what she's referring to. Determined to prove that she's not lost her marbles, Fern begins to uncover secrets that people are dead set on keeping buried, and she soon finds herself in danger.

Thank you #netgalley and HQ for an ARC of The Woman Before which releases tomorrow, July 13, 2022!

I really did not enjoy this book. I would categorize it as a cozy mystery, which I usually love. I wanted to like it and it felt as if there was so much potential but for me, it didn't hit it's mark. Fern is dealing with the devastating loss of her twin sister, she is about to have her first child, and she's moved into a new house. She becomes obsessed with a woman she swore she met. But did she actually met her? Or was her mind betraying her as it has been known to do?

Themes of grief, loss, and guilt are sensitively interweved through this book. I enjoyed the protangonist teaming up with her mother in law to solve the mystery as this is a different take on the normally 'demon' MIL. I didn't find the twists particularly surprising but overall enjoyable easy read.

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for the arc ebook.
Overall I'd give 3.5 stars, it's a well paced, fairly quick read. It's just that there's questions bought up throughout the book that seem to get forgotten about and are left unanswered by the end.

I can’t believe this is a debut novel! Flew through it in one night!

Pregnant Fern and her husband, Paul, are buying a new house. Fern isn’t doing so well; only a few months ago she lost her twin sister, Linny, in a tragic car accident, and is seeing her spirit everywhere.

On top of that, on Fern’s first viewing of the house, she is met by the also pregnant owner of the house, who looks almost identical to her and her sister – but isn’t Linny. Her name is Marte… and when a few days later the owner of the house is pointed out to Fern in the street, she looks nothing like Marte. Who’s Marte? What was she doing in the house?

The house owners leave for the US before Fern manages to speak to them and Fern’s repeated efforts to find out Marte’s identity come to nothing. Paul dismisses the mystery, saying it was probably a cleaner. But Fern starts having horrendous nightmares involving Marte and Fern’s unborn baby… And now someone’s sending Fern threatening messages.

I really enjoyed this one! The writing is good, it reads easily and smoothly, the suspense is kept up and there are several mysteries going on that’ll keep you turning the pages. Fern isn’t your stereotypical unreliable narrator & you root for her from the very beginning.

The nightmares are so well written – there may be a future in the horror genre for the author!

Unexpectedly for a mystery/thriller, there’s also character development. We see Fern and two other characters evolve as we go along. However, in case of one of the characters it seems unrealistic (too good to be true! But maybe it’s just my cynical old self) – and that’s the main reason I rated it 4 🌟 and not 5.

1 more observation: thriller covers in blue and yellow, with big lettering, are getting REALLY boring now. Can we have something more original, please?

PLEASE NOTE THAT WHEN I TRY TO SELECT "Post review to Goodreads" this message pops up: Unable to find book with ISBN "9780008535384" on Goodreads. I will post the review on Goodreads manually.

Pregnant Fern and her husband Paul move to a new house to try to escape the memories of her dead twin. However once in the new house, strange things begin to happen which drive a wedge between the couple.

This is an interesting psychological thriller, involving all the residents of the new street. The only thing I didn’t like was how all those involved in the story lived in the street which seemed too much of a coincidence. Although I guessed fairly early on who Marte was, I enjoyed the way the author revealed her identity to Fern.

I received a free copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Loved it ! The writing was well done , and the story plot was fine , but I kind of wish it had ended differently.

If you like a mix of mystery blended with creepiness then this is the book for you. Our central character who was very close to her twin sister keeps seeing her everywhere. When she and her husband Paul decide to move to a new house for a fresh start it's only the beginning of their problems. Why is there a baby monitor that keeps sounding in the attic and why are they suddenly subjected to the cold shoulder from their neighbours together with attacks on their property. Read on to find out.....

This book grabbed me from the very beginning. It held my attention throughout and kept me on the edge of my seat trying to guess what would happen next. A tense and chilling read.
A must read for thriller fans.

I really struggled to finish this book and breathed a sigh of relief once I’d got to the end. Maybe I was having a day off, but it seemed to go on forever. The characters got on my nerves and I got sick of hearing about Linny. If I’d known it was a ghost story rather than a thriller I wouldn’t have requested it. The writing was good but in my opinion it’s the only thing that was. Others have different views so I’m sure it will do very well. Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the advanced copy.

I gave this book 3.5 out of 5, rounded up to 4.
I read this book very quickly, as a pretty easy going holiday read.
The story focuses on Fern, who is pregnant and has recently suffered the loss of her twin sister. It follows Fern and her husband Paul as they move into a new home and encounter some very strange happenings.

It started off very well but as the story developed and Fern and her mother in law tried to figure out the ghost goings-on, it did start to drag slightly. I had also worked out one of the ‘twists’ pretty early on, won’t go into more detail as I don’t want to do a spoiler, but it was an obvious outcome really and so not a surprise at all when revealed towards the end. All in all, this was an ok read but not particularly special.
Thank you to the publisher and Net Galley for providing an advance copy in return for my honest opinion. I have also published this now on Goodreads.