This was a true psychological thriller, very suspenseful, and creative. I was totally enthralled with this book from beginning to end. Just a great story. I highly recommend;!

My first observation is about the book blurb. The only book of those mentioned that might be similar to this that I have read was Gone Girl. I didn’t like Gone Girl. I didn’t like the characters and I didn’t care what happened to them. At all.

In contrast, I loved the characters in this book. Emma and Jane are wonderful characters that I cared deeply about. They both had serious personal problems that led them to the safe haven of One Folgate Street, a beautiful and cheap alternative to other available rental property, and they needed to move. They had different, but equally compelling, reasons to accept the “rules” that were part of their rental agreement. They just had to leave their current homes.

Then there is Edward Monkford, the architect and owner of One Folgate Street, the man who wrote the rules. The rules are bizarre. Edward is a minimalist, and he wants whoever rents his house to abide by his minimalist rules. I couldn’t do it, but the women in the book needed to get their lives back in order and thought divesting themselves of the clutter in their lives would be a good thing.

This story goes from “then”, which is Emma’s story, to “now”, Jane’s tale. I’m not always fond of flashbacks, but this worked really well as the two women began to have similar experiences. I kept wishing that they could see through Edward’s charm to the possible monster behind the mask. Is he a monster? If you want to find out, pick up a copy and… Enjoy!

A true page turner that keeps you guessing! I did find the end somewhat flat and predictable, but still a good read of the likes of Girl on the Train.

What if you had the opportunity to live in a stunning, state-of-the-art modern architectural masterpiece for next to nothing in rent? What if there were certain rules you had to abide by for the privilege? For two women, with two very different perspectives, the opportunity to live in One Folgate Street feels like a fresh start, far away from the recent trauma they’ve experienced. In The Girl Before we follow these women, the mysterious and controlling architect they love and the shocking consequences to the perfect life they seek.

I was lucky to have picked this book to break my mystery cleanse. It’s the spark I needed to get me excited about the genre again! The book is divided into sections by girl and even though they take place at different times, the book aligns their experiences and reactions. The events that take place with Emma, who is looking for a new house and a renewed sense of safety after the apartment she shares with her boyfriend gets broken into, take place about three years before Jane’s. When we’re introduced to Jane, we find out that she just lost her baby and is in a very emotional place. She’s left her high-power and high-paying job to work for a non-profit. Both women seem emotionally vulnerable and they easily convince themselves that the all-encompassing environment of the modern home is the perfect place to move on with their lives. Even if the 200 rules required for living there seem a little excessive.

I am so excited to share this book with you! It’s interesting to see how similarly or differently the women react to the same situations. I’m not the only one tired of comparisons to Gone Girl, am I? So here it goes, The Girl Before is not Gone Girl, it is not The Girl on the Train. It is an interesting book that can stand entirely by itself in the suspense and thriller genre. It's also so enthralling (seriously, try to put it down) that it is soon to be a major motion picture directed by THE Ron Howard. But, it won’t likely be the best book you read this year. It might be in your top five though. That said, the psychological twists in The Girl Before are artful; I never knew what was coming next. This one is definitely worth your time.

The story grabbed my attention and never let go with lots of twists.

Reading this book took me through a range of emotions from excitment, 'oh my, this can't be happening!!! ', to despair, 'oh no, this can't be happening'. It was an enjoyable read and kept me reading way past my bedtime. The characters were well developed and I even liked the bad guys. I received this from NetGalley for an honest review.

Look at here it’s another addition to the category of GIRLS GIRLS GIRLS And when Ron Howard buys the rights to your novel before it even gets published you don’t even have to pussyfoot around. This one gets compared in the blurb to both Gone Girl and The Girl On The Train. (Two stories which have absolutely nothing in common, but who gives a shit right? Those name drops sell themselves!)

Per usual when it comes to these “if you loved ______________, you’ll really love this” comparisons, I found this one to be just aiiiight and absolutely not at all like its predecessors.

The Girl Before is told both in the “Now” and in the “Then.” The “Then” focuses on Emma and the “Now” features Jane. Both women had some sort of superbadawful they were trying to get over when an opportunity to reside at One Folgate Street presented itself. While each woman’s first instinct was to be wary of a landlord who made them answer an invasive questionnaire and would still probably turn them down, they each opted to do so for personal reasons – which eventually had them answering the question . . . .

“Do you know what a restrictive covenant is?”

To which I replied . . . .

UGH! Because I deal with that shizz errrry day and it’s boring as hell. Luckily this story wasn’t as boring as my job. One Folgate Street was a home designed to take care of all of your creature comforts via a smart program known as “Housekeeper” but it was also a house with some skeletons in the closet . . . or at the bottom of the staircase/buried in the backyard, if you will. The Girl Before definitely isn’t anything that’s going to change your life, but it was an o-kay mystery thriller with some fairly decent twists and turns. In fact, things were going along swimmingly until the point where this happened . . . .

“Yes Daddy. Yes.”

Ick. 2.5 Stars it is.

Book #10(?????? I think) in the Library Winter Reading Challenge – “Read to Reel.”

ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you, NetGalley!

I loved it!. It's suspenseful until the end (a real plus) an features a protagonist like I've never encountered before. If you like suspense - add this one to your library!

Excellent thriller! The story jumps back and forth between Emma in the past and Jane in the present. Most other characters appear in both time zones. Including the house at One Folgate Street, which is modern and simplistic and requires a lot of rules to live there. Both woman jump at the chance to live there to help them adjust to overcome a big issue in their lives.

I really enjoyed this book. It took me a few chapters to get used to jumping back and forth between the two woman and I occasionally got confused because of similarities between them, but overall once I got into it, I couldn't put the book down.

I really loved this story! Superbly and wholly unique. I heard it is going to be turned into a movie and I think it could be a really suspenseful and thrilling film if it is done right.

I have mixed feelings about this book. I enjoyed the psychological thriller part of the book a lot. You will get a lot of surprises, twists, turns, creepy vibes, etc. while reading. However, I think I found the whole premise of the plot line to be such a stretch that I wasn't sure why anyone would put themselves in that situation anyway. I know the author had to set up some bizarre situation, but it is hard for me to believe anyone would choose to live in this sterile home with a cold landlord and a laundry list of rules. Overall, an okay book, but not quite up to par with the other books this has been compared to.

This book was an intense ride. It’s like a puzzle you’re trying to put together, and even when finished, you’re not sure you can see the whole picture.

But it’s good – very, very good.

The main “character” of the book is a unique home called One Folgate Street. The book follows two women who lived there, Emma in the past, and Jane, “now.” Both women had to agree to the overwhelming list of rules put in place by the eccentric architect that built the home. We know from the beginning that Emma died in the house, and as things start to get weird, Jane realizes she may be the next tragedy at One Folgate Street.

This book was great in that is shows the parallel lives of the women in the house unfolding, without revealing exactly what’s going on. There’s a lot going on and it’s difficult to figure it all out. I’m still not completely sure I have it all figured out.

I normally don’t like books like that, which leave me with questions, but in a way, it felt right with this book. The whole book has an air of mystery and it feels ok to leave something on the table.

This is also the kind of book where no one really comes out looking great. It’s difficult to tell who is a “bad guy” and who is a “good guy.” Everyone had issues, and that’s part of what brings them together, and ultimately, tears them apart.

I really liked the suspense of it all. It had so many moving parts, but it wasn’t overwhelming. I couldn’t wait to see how it all worked out. And when it was all revealed, I thought to myself, “Dang.”

I highly recommend this book to anyone who lives a psychological mystery/thriller. It’s the type of book that will keep you up late reading it.

As soon as I read the description of this book I knew I wanted to read it, I needed to read it. Lucky enough to have received an early copy thanks to the Publisher and Netgalley.

Oh God. What a book. I understand comparing it to other books such a Gone Girl helps to attract more readers, maybe?, but in this case no need of it because this book is unique on its own.

Want to be in a place, in specific this house which has the most unimaginable "rules" for the people who want to live in and still wishing you can get it? That is the basic premise of this book. Told from two different points of view, Emma and Jane, The Girl Before is a suspense packed, magnificent psychological thriller. Going back and forth between characters, it manages to keep you interested and makes it pretty much difficult to easily figure out what the end will be. I loved the unexpected turns and the writing style. I am so looking forward to the Movie, which will be directed by Ron Howard, I cannot wait to see these characters come to life. The Girl Before is so unique and different from other books of this kind I have read before. Could not put it down and now I need more JD Delaney in my life.

This book was... interesting. I'm having a hard time deciding how I feel about it. My rating may be leaning towards 3 1/2 stars.

This book is basically filled with unreliable characters, though it they don't appear so at first. This story really jerks you back and forth... and back and forth... between the two narrators, whose stories happen at different points in time, and all the massive amounts of lies and deceit, it can be dizzying at times.

I had a hard time really bonding with any of the characters, which may just be because I was so suspicious of them most of the time. Or that they became increasingly unlikable. I don't know. Part of me enjoyed the twists and turns, and trying to figure out who was a bad guy and who wasn't.

Then there was one part of the story that was supposedly such a big deal but then never really wrapped up or was relevant in the end... in case you are wondering -> (view spoiler).

So while I did have my issues, I also liked the way in which the story was told, and how everything played out. But these people became hate-able, which I actually think I sort of enjoyed in a weird, twisted way. See now I seem like an unreliable character. This book warped my brain. So there's that!

Already bought this title for the library. So, so creepy. Hard to niche. Eerie and weird and WTF kind of read. There were some holes in the plot, and since it's going to be made into a movie, I'm curious to see how the holes will be knitted together. I have recommended it to twenty people so far. The house and the book don't go away from your mind easily.

DISCLOSURE OF MATERIAL CONNECTION: I have a material connection because I received a review copy for free from the publisher in connection with NetGalley in return for my review. Copyright © 2017 Laura Hartman
Two women. Two traumas. One home. One outrageous contract. One or two possible murders.
The book begins with a house search. Jane has had something horrible happen to her and she needs to get out of her current flat to feel safe. The agent takes her to a home that is stark, sterile and has been empty for quite a while.
She falls in love with the security so on a whim fills out the questionnaire the builder requires before she is considered a candidate for occupancy. At first she is unnerved by it, but soon realizes she can put up with the crazy rules and requirements if she is chosen.
Surprisingly she is, giving up almost all of her possessions, she begins a journey that others have not lived through. Will she?
The Girl Before was fascinating. I cannot imagine living without color, pictures of loved ones, or having to answer questions before the computer running my home will allow the shower to start. When things get sinister, Jane feels as though she needs to find out what happen to Emma, but this may prove to be fatal.
Delaney’s book is creepy, engaging and thought provoking. I love the way in which it is written. Going back and forth from Emma to Jane the reader sees history almost repeat itself. Was it the choices both women made? Was it the home itself?
You can tell when the characters start to live minimally and begin to lose themselves in the process. The author shows this by removing all of the dialog quotation marks. Oddly enough, I didn’t miss them for several chapters – quite possibly the same way these women didn’t miss their identity until it was gone.
This is a fascinating thriller is full of surprises, twists and turns. I absolutely did not see the end coming, but was exceedingly satisfied as a reader when I finish.
Just a note to those that may object, there is violence and sex in The Girl Before but I believe it is essential to the story.

A by the book mystery thriller that follows a little too closely to the format of the Girl on the Train. Unfortunately the troupes used and even the characters themselves seem very repetitive. For avid fans of the genre, this may seem more like a cardboard recreation of a masterpiece rather than a true unique work in its own right.

This psychological thriller follows the lives of two women in two different time periods living in the same house after passing a very difficult application. The present tenant starts receiving flowers and discovers the tenant before her was found dead at the bottom of the stairs. The flowers are from her ex boyfriend who doesn't believe the police that her death was an accident. The man blames the owner of the house for seducing and ruining her. While in a relationship with the owner herself, the woman begins to have doubts about him when she finds she resembles his ex wife who is deceased. But is he the killer or is he being set up?

Sorry, but I don't think I'm the person to review this book. It started out well, and I got halfway through. I tried to look past the rape scene being constantly replayed and overlook the sexual content. However, when Emma started liking the treatment she received from Edward, calling him "daddy" and so on, I realized this is a genre I just can't get into and this just isn't a book I'm enjoying so I quit reading. I was impressed by the rest of the story, though, which is probably why I read as much as I did. Just not a 50 Shades-type of person!

Very suspenseful and interesting new twist. I really enjoyed this book very much.