This book was different from many I've read in the genre, but I enjoyed it.

A pale imitation of an already annoying trend, "Fifty Shades of Gray" and "Fill in the blank Girl". Alongside the subtle racism and classism, I found myself unable to finish the book. Thank you for granting me a chance to read the book.

We follow the lives of Emma (and her boyfriend, Simon) and Jane - two damaged women who end up living on One Folger Street - a domicile of extreme minimalism and 200 rules to abide by. The story unfolds from Emma's perspective (who lived there before Jane) parallel to Jane's perspective in her process of gaining approval and then moving into the house. Edward is the architect who built the house and has a distinct personality - on the OCD side - in which he lives by certain rules and want his women to do the same. If they don't, it's no longer perfect and he moves on. He pretty much caters to no one but himself and yet women are drawn to his "nonchalant" yet take charge attitude.

One Folger Street is affordable because whoever decides to live there are automatically test subjects. They live by certain rules and must answer various surveys... certain features such as the shower, may be disabled until the surveys are complete. They will be monitored and lifestyle changes will be strongly suggested to help them live a more perfect life. But to what cost? How far will Edward go to create the perfect life? (Side note though - a shower that automatically knows my temperature setting is a win for me!)

I was engaged throughout this entire book. I needed to know what happened from chapter to chapter. I did feel there was some repetitiveness but that certainly was to show the similarities in Emma and Jane's parallel world. I was kept on my toes all the way til the end of the book and loved the little twists thrown in at the end. However, I did feel that the ending was tied up a little too neatly in a little bow for my taste and one particular part felt a bit out there. I am torn but will keep this at 3.5 stars.

Good for a quick, entertaining read of a thriller that keeps you guessing until the end.

This was a fun and creepy thriller that kept me guessing. Would love to see a movie version!

I have to admit, when I first started reading this book I was skeptical. Right away, the characters have to answer hundreds of personal, probing questions presented to them in order to rent a house owned by renowned architect, Edward Monkhouse. It just seemed completely absurd to me. No woman in their right mind would agree to such ridiculous conditions…… (no possessions, no books, no pets?? What kind of nutjob is this landlord?!) But then, Emma and Jane are not in their right minds when they agree to live in the house on One Folgate Street. Both have suffered horrible, significant trauma and are looking for a place to escape and heal. Edward is a mysterious, attractive, wealthy, Christian Grey type and tension escalates quickly between him and the two residents of his home.
And just like that, I was hooked. OH MY GOODNESS. This book is fantastic. There are so many twists and turns that it is hard to keep everything straight and just when you think you have the killer figured out, something new and crazy is brought to light. I still haven’t recovered from Emma’s revelation midway through. WHAT IN THE WORLD?!!!! I was freaking out on my couch as I read --it was a complete game changer for me. Be sure you set aside a few hours for this one because once you get started you will not be able to stop. If creepy, tense atmospheres and psychological mind games are your thing, then drop everything and get this book. 5 fantastic stars.

Thank you so much to Netgalley and Random House for the advanced copy of this mind blowing psychological thriller.

This book alternates between two female tenants of an ultra-minimalist home with a series of restrictive rules and a demanding, but charismatic owner. While the book had a very promising start, it soon turned into a mediocre story of women making stupid choices with twists that seem forced into the story just for the shock value. Basically, this book seemed trying to hard to one-up Gone Girl.

Two wounded women reeling from personal issues are looking for a new apartment. For Emma, she requires a safe place after being the victim of a break-in while her loyal boyfriend, Simon, was out. For Jane, it is a new place that holds no reminders of the baby she lost. For each woman, the house at One Folgate Street seems to offer exactly what they are looking for. It is designed by well-known architect, Edward Monkford, and comes with a set of rules created by the inscrutable man himself. In fact, to live at One Folgate Streets means signing off on over 200 rules, ranging from no books or personal mementos, to total tidiness, to agreeing to showing the house on architectural tours, to accepting to the intense technology that it comes with, including the house monitoring your well-being and moods. At first, the rules and clarity that come with One Folgate Street seem comforting to Emma and Jane. But as they spend more time in the house--and learn about its past, including its mysterious builder--they become terrifying and stifling.

THE GIRL BEFORE is a fascinating novel told solely from the point of view of Emma, One Folgate Street's previous tenant, and Jane, its current tenant. All activities are filtered through the lens of these two women. The novel effectively builds suspense with the parallel nature of the two women's stories, but it also can get a little repetitive at times (and sometimes a little confusing, as you have to remind yourself, mostly in the beginning, who is talking). The book starts off exciting, as you are drawn into both Emma and Jane's tales while they acclimate to the house and all the oddities it offers. The house itself almost becomes another character in the novel. It starts to drag a bit halfway through as you wonder what will happen in the next half (people living in a technologically advanced house can only be so exciting, right?). But then, suddenly, the novel takes some odd turns (there are some interesting sexual plot twists) and eventually grows quite interesting again with some psychological and thrilling revelations. Perhaps my favorite part about this book is that many of these developments truly surprised me, which isn't always easy to do in a thriller.

Overall, this is an interesting novel. It's certainly suspenseful and different. To enjoy it, you really have to set your disbelief aside at the actual conditions of living at One Folgate Street (no books, what?!) and accept that the two women are so broken (and perhaps broke, as the house apparently comes at a great discount) that they will go along with anything. It has a lot of varied plot threads and some of them aren't always fully explored or truly necessary, which can be a little frustrating. Still, the book truly surprised me with its twists and kept me entertained, with a deep desire to get to the end. Overall, 3.5+ stars.

I've not read any of the other "girl" books apart from the excellent girl with a dragon tattoo, so I don't really know if this book is jumping on the current fascination with "girl" books or not.
Note this book does have some pretty descriptive sexual scenes so may not be everyone's cup of tea.

The suspense, smart home and psychological thriller aspect to the book intrigued me. Each chapter begins with a question straight out of a psychology test such as "If my children weren't successful at school, I'd correctly be labeled as a bad parent" with a 5 point choice to agree and disagree. These questions were pretty interesting to think about outside of the plot-line of the book and I'm not sure I could come to a conclusion on some of them.

Could I want to live in this smart home? Yes to the smart features included in the home, but not if I had to answer questions before the heat or shower was turned on. I'm also not sure I could live in the minimalist house as I like my stuff too much - but still an interesting concept of whether someone would agree to all of those restrictions to get cheap rent (although I would have expected the rent to be free for all of those restrictions!)

Meh. I tried so hard to like this book.

Without being too spoiler-y, there was one thing in the book I really liked. One of the characters took me by surprise and it was a great twist to the read. *No more from me on this! I can't spoil it.

However, the rest of the book completely missed the thriller mark. It may have been a light suspense, but not something that was completely noticeable. It definitely had the psychological mark, but I had the book figured out before I hit 50%. Sure, I had questions. Who wouldn't? While I did have it figured out, there were details I didn't know. This was more of a "I'm bored, where is this going" type book.

Oh! And that house? Omg, there were definite creepy vibes coming from there. It would take a whole lot of getting used to the rules and the minimalism, but the data? No freaking way.

I've been finishing a book in about three days lately, but this book took me a week and a half. I had to force myself to finish it. I kept telling myself that maybe it would get better. It didn't.

I had high hopes for this book too. Especially since I heard it was going to be made into a movie. The Girl Before would be a book to skip, and a movie (maybe) to watch on Netflix with a bowl of popcorn.

I really enjoyed this thriller. The architecture element is fresh and I liked the back and forth timeline format between the two woman. It felt like Girl On a Train meets You by Caroline Kepnes. I wouldn't compare it to Gillian Flynn but I didn't see most of the ending twists coming and I enjoyed the read.

Thank you Netgalley and Random House Publishing for allowing me to read an e-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.  I really enjoyed it!  Let's start with the summary.
           Please make a list of every item essential to you.
              Two women at different times are looking at one house- it's perfect.  Safe, secure, demanding of a fresh start.  This isn't your normal renter's agreement though.  Due to it's minimalist nature and the acclaim of the architect not only are there tours at times, but very strict rules for what can and cannot be done to or go into the house.  This is a home that is meant to shape and change you-and it does.
           To get the lease, each woman must meet the architect and get approved.  Now, this takes place in two different times- Emma's and then Jane's.  (Jane comes in several months after Emma's passing).  Each woman falls for Edward, each one has a relationship with him.  This is a story underlined with deceit, madness and intrigue. 
            I really loved this book.  I loved how each woman adapted both to the techno-savvy minimalist home and to Edward.  These are two very different women, both recovering from a different traumatic experience.  I enjoyed seeing how they reacted to events.  The book had a suspenseful, creepy feel that I liked.  Best of all, it kept me guessing through the book.  This is always a sign of a good book for me.
          Now, I did have issue with Edward's character.  He was extremely controlling and most of the time very hard to like, which made it hard for me to see why our women fell for him; especially as one was in a relationship when they met.  Still, for all this it was a five star book for me. 
          On the adult content scale, this is really high.  There is very explicit sexual content, language, violence, and substance abuse.  I give it a nine- not for young teens.

The mystery aspect of this novel was well-done. I was hooked from the start. The only reason why this wasn't five stars is because there were aspects of the book that were reminded me of 50 Shades of Gray which is not a compliment in my mind.

4 stars--I really liked it. (Warnings for sexual violence and one small moment of animal violence.)

I gulped this down in two nights. If you're looking for something deep and lasting, this isn't it, but if you're in the mood for psychological suspense, lots of red herrings, and some fascinating (and unreliable! and probably unlikable) characters, give this a try.

You do have to be able to swallow a lot of disbelief: that people would be wiling to live like this, that cops act like this, that characters are capable of keeping a lot of secrets, etc. I was so caught up in turning pages that these things never bothered me.

This book kept me guessing (and kept me up late reading!). I especially enjoyed seeing different characters through various points of view. Definitely a page turner.

I received this review copy from the publisher on NetGalley. Thanks for the opportunity to read and review; I appreciate it!

I read this book because the description sounded intriguing. I liked "Gone Girl" and "The Girl on the Train" and while this was suspenseful like both of those books it was the ending that left me thinking. The pacing of the story is quick and compulsive, it keeps you guessing, tackles some social issues but the ending is different. I don't want to be a spoiler but this was a really thoughtful ending.and worth the read for that alone.

The Girl Before is a unique and compelling tale that, unfortunately, fizzled at the end.

The Girl Before incorporates a dual perspective of both time and characters. The character from the past is Emma. From the present, we have Jane. They have a lot in common, and it starts with them renting a house. The house is very unique. It is austere, and there is a very long list of rules that you must agree to in order to live there.

Both of the girls end up in a relationship with the architect, Edward. As we weave through both of their stories, we see that their relationships are very much the same, following the same patterns as Edward asserts his dominance.

Emma has a violent past. She was attacked in her old apartment where she lived with her boyfriend, Simon. They move into the new house to help Emma get over it. She and Simon soon break up.

Jane's past involves a still-born daughter. She is also trying to heal. Jane finds out that Emma died in this house, and becomes somewhat obsessed with finding out how.

They both find out that Edward's wife and daughter were killed while the house was being built and are forever interred in the foundation.

The Girl Before is a weird story. This house is very high-tech. And between that and the rules, it seems to change the personalities of the people who live there. It's hard to explain without your reading it, and I don't want to spoil too much.

Ultimately, it's a mystery about just what happened to Emma, as well as Edward's family. But the journey to these answers is very entertaining.

I found the lack of quotation marks annoying. And even more annoying is at some points Delaney uses them, and then other times not. It had to do with which character was talking, but it was hard for me to adjust back and forth. I didn't see a need for this technique. In other books like this, I eventually got used to it, but with The Girl Before, it kept switching back and forth.

While I was suitably surprised by the outcome, I still felt the ending needed some more punch. I was expecting a weird, exciting twist, and I just didn't get it. I would still recommend The Girl Before. I found it easy to read and very engaging. I'm not sure I would recommend this to most teens because of the sexual situations; it's definitely an adult book.

Added note: the Amazon entry for this book says it's soon to be a motion picture directed by Ron Howard. I'm looking forward to it.

When I started reading The Girl Before, I was immediately reeled in and captivated by the author’s writing. It was only the beginning but I could feel myself being frightened by the eerie sense the story gave. By this alone, I was amazed by how the author could do this to my reading experience so very quickly.

One Folgate Street is very secure and private. It has the latest technology for the security system. The house comes with a whole set of rules and is set for a simple lifestyle without the added essentials of our lives. The house felt like a character in the story and it’s what elevated the creepy feel.

Emma is an unreliable, unlikable character who has issues. She went through a burglary and a possible sexual assault, which is what leads her to want to move out of her home and search for a safe place to start over. One Folgate house is the perfect place to start fresh, especially after what she went through. She meets Edward, who’s the architect of the One Folgate House. Very soon, they start dating and Emma loves all the attention she receives from him. Unfortunately, something happens that ends with Emma being dead.

Jane is a strong, independent, brave woman who went through a miscarriage. After the miscarriage, she quit her job and found a job in helping other mom’s who go through miscarriages. Because of this, her income is low, but the prices for an apartment or house are high. One Folgate Street is the only one that Jane can afford. She sends in her application and is accepted. She feels very safe in the house and is happy with her decision of living there. When she starts seeing Edward, a few questions arise and slowly, she starts to question her relationship and her living situation.

Edward is a controlling, manipulative man that I found myself being disgusted by. At first, I was kind of liking him and drawn to him, but when he treats Emma in the past the same way he treats Jane in the present, says the same things, gifts the same things, I was just appalled and creeped out by him. His character did enhance the eerie feel of the story, which I did like a lot. I couldn’t figure out his motives and that still made him interesting to me.

The last two chapters of the story had me saying WTF so many times. I have no idea how many times I re-read those pages. I’m telling you, there’s a whiplash at every turn the story makes! The story had lots of twists that had me doing a double-take and re-reading the pages because I couldn’t believe what was happening.

The Girl Before is a mindblowing and addicting masterpiece that left me completely transfixed and fascinated.

This book was amazing! I could not put it down. Every time I thought I had figured out who did what I would find out I was wrong. Delaney is a fantastic writer whose style just flows and pulls you in from the first chapter.

I liked how each chapter would go back and forth from the past to the present and they were each from that one character's point of view until it all just met up. Even though the chapters went back and forth they also picked up from each other in an interesting way that allowed so many red herrings to occur that it keeps you guessing until the end.

I also enjoyed the aspect of learning to live a minimalists lifestyle and the joy it can bring. It made me remember some years back when everything I owned fit inside one travel bag which went all over the world with me. Now I own a house full of things but long for the days of that one travel bag. My own experience helped lend a sense of familiarity with the story so I was able to believe more in what the character of the architect was trying to accomplish.

I've read some really bad dialogue in books lately but Delaney thankfully does a fantastic job creating believable conversations and interactions with these characters. The hallmark for me of a good story is if you could strip the background away and just throw these people on a blank stage to enact these conversations and they would still hold as being believable which I think this book can accomplish.

As a mother I completely love the ending. I was getting a little worried but Delaney pulled out a great finish.

I very much recommend this book and can't wait for the movie coming out that Ron Howard is directing.

If you're looking for a good thriller that will keep you guessing until the very end, then this is the book for you. It's like The Girl On The Train except that you actually like the main characters (at least one of them) and are actually rooting for them.

The way the book is written is very interesting in that each chapter is written from Emma's perspective (the girl before) and then Jane's perspective (the girl after). It really worked for this book and for some reason I felt like it was easier to keep track of than other books that do it, like The Girl On The Train.

Let's see: space age house, two timelines, unreliable narrators, obsessive landlord. Throw this all in a pot and you have The Girl Before, a book about women living in a house that is designed for perfection in living and from its occupants. I liked how it took something that is becoming reality now, the educated home, and turned it a bit on its ear. No major sci-fi take overs ala Hal in Space Odyssey, but the house becomes an integral character in the story just the same. Sadly, I never found any of the characters extremely likeable, even the ones I should have been sympathetic towards and wished at some points that the house would become deranged. This detachment made it hard to get drawn in to the story. I didn't care what happened to anyone. Despite this, the story itself was well thought out and involved a good level of deviousness.