This book reminded me of Gone Girl with a twist. The ending was not very surprising. however. With the clues in the book it was easy to figure out. The author came up with a very different idea for a book. The immense list of things to just be excepted into the apartment was astonishing. Dont always get what you want. The main character thought things would be easy but so would the next girl....

I'm not usually one to leave a GIF in a review, but if the shoe fits... (and then I put a GIF of the Grinch saying "hate, hate, hate, double hate, loathe entirely"). A lot of people loved this, and that's great, but it wasn't even close to being something I enjoyed.

The Girl Before took me by surprise. I thought it would be an OK book but it ended up being a great read. Emma and Jane were two different females at different times in the world. Both had a few things in common; Their looks, one Folgate Street and the creator of one Folgate. The events in this book lead to a great plot. Causing The Girl before to be a page turner. The book focused on both Girls, Emma then and Jane now. Emma was my least favorite of the two girls.

If your looking for a great read with Suspense and a twist you won't suspect.... this is the book!

If you’re looking for a unique story that’s mysterious and set in a very unique place - a sterile, minimalistic rental home - I highly recommend this story!

A house is one of the main characters of this book. Minimalism is the catch-word of the day, encouraging people to live with fewer material possessions. This house fits the key!

We switch back and forth between Emma and Jane. Both girls applied to live in this house. In order to be accepted, a series of psychological questions have to be answered. Dozens of rules for living here: no wastepaper baskets., no coasters or placemats, no handrails.

Every once in awhile, a question of "Would you do this or that.....?" pops up on the computer. If the occupant doesn't immediately answer the question, the shower water goes off and the house shuts down.

Control. CONTROL!

A wonderful book. Could you live in this house? I couldn't. And at the end, I went "a-ha" when I learned who actually was The Girl Before. Cleverly played, JP Delaney!

This story has potential for the right reader. But I am not that reader. I found too many plot points fortuitously coincidental to believe. And over all a bit too paranoid.

The Girl Before is one sharp-ended story that reaches deeply into the slightly tilted minds of its characters. Not everyone has a solid handle on their secrets in this one. Appearances can be deceiving. "No one who lives in this house should expect privacy." And privacy was left on the curb just footsteps from the entrance of that solid front door.

The Girl Before seems to be a normal novel, at least at first. Two different women at two different times live in the same home. The women are overcoming difficulties in their lives, finding strength in a home that requires an unconventional style of living. There is a contract, there are rules, there is a handsome architect that demands attention. Emma wants the house to protect her and she welcomes the changes it forces her to make. Jane too wants a clean slate and a house that encourages one to be better, but when her life takes on a similar path to a previous tenant she can't help thinking that the house is out to get her.

Nobody is what they seem in this novel, not the girl before, not the girl now, and definitely not the secondary characters we spend many chapters interacting with. The Girl Before is told in alternating chapters, Then's Emma and Now's Jane. Both women are seeking affordable housing in London. They each have high expectations for the neighborhood, for the safety, for the fresh start it will allow them. The house itself, One Folgate Street, is a secondary character itself, with lights coming on set to the mood and time of day, the water running only for those with a bracelet, and Housekeeper, who checks in on your stats and state of mind before allowing the house to function again. Of course, everyone but Jane knows about the woman before her, Emma the beautiful, pale woman with the dark hair, who looks suspiciously like her, and a concerning relationship with the architect. Jane attempts to think nothing of this, she too is attracted to the architect and his perfect ways, but Emma weighs heavily on her mind. Especially as Emma's former partner, Simon, presents Jane's with her concerns.

"Oh, hasn't he told you? The ones before. None of them last, you see. That's the whole point."

Edward Monkford, the ladies' architect, is handsome, controlling, and as narcissistic as he comes. All signs point to bad guy, but Emma and Jane only find this more attractive. As each falls victim to his charming words, lavish gifts, and lust-filled attention they become increasingly paranoid that the house and maybe even Edward is out to get them. The Girl Before is filled with twists and suspense, the reader is left wondering which narrator is reliable and who really is at fault. We all know my favorite type of books feature unreliable narrators, so I was thrilled to find that both Emma and Jane are very secretive with their truths. I couldn't imagine myself wanting to answer the odd, psychoanalytic questions that the house requires of tenants, but they definitely made me think. It puts you on edge, heightening your awareness, giving us the feeling that both Emma and Jane must have been feeling as well. Is someone watching them? Is Edward what he seems? What is the truth about the girl before?

I admit, this book gets a higher rating due to my personal enjoyment. The writing, the twists, make it a four star read, but I love myself some unreliable narrators and twisted novels that don't really end happily. Both Jane and Emma were weak in many ways, unable to decipher normal protective mannerisms versive controlling mannerisms. Emma, of course, has her own dark secrets and those were fun to uncover, but I ultimately had no sympathy for her. Jane is stronger, smarter, and much easier to root for. I found her charming and worried for her situation as she fell deeper into the trap, of course the twists involving her are what keep this novel exciting. I did think the ending, the chapters that lead to the novel wrapping up, seemed rushed and didn't quite fit my expectations, but they didn't take away from my enjoyment.

"The house wants me to know, I'm sure of it. If walls could talk, One Folgate Street would tell me what happened here"

This book is not like one I've read before and while it isn't quite a thriller, at least in my opinion, I think it's definitely a psychological fiction. The author feeds you this idea of perfection, but is perfection really attainable or even safe? What measures must one take to reach that level of perfection and is the control one must have to be perfect concerning? The Girl Before makes you question everything and I love a good book that leaves me unsure and uncomfortable.

Looking for something like "Gone Girl" that's really like "Gone Girl"? This is the book for you. There are twists and turns at every corner. Told in two voices -- the "girl before" and the girl now -- this is a tight mystery about control and murder (?) and the pitfalls and dangers of falling in love. Throw in a few comments on technology and our dependence on stuff, you have a modern engrossing suspense story that will keep you turning pages. Well done!

Thank you to the publisher for providing a copy of this book. I really wanted to like it, especially after reading the synopsis. Psychological thrillers are one of my favorite types of stories to read, but I didn't feel like this one lived up to the comparison to Gone Girl and The Girl on the Train. It's a bit strange and not in a believable way. I liked parts of the story, but overall I can't say I liked the book enough to recommend it to anyone I know.

The premise was interesting, but I couldn't connect to the story or characters at all. I'm still not quite sure if this was a case of it's-me-not-you or if this story just couldn't hold its own.

I received an ARC copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is one of those stories that you finish and want to pick up and read all over again! It was a well written thriller with enough mystery to make it unpredictable. Keeps you guessing until the end... and then some!

I absolutely love psychological thrillers, so I was excited to read this one. It kept my attention and there were times I couldn't stop reading. I look forward to reading more by this author.

Thrilling, but missing something -- this pop fiction/suspense book is sure to entangle dozens of bored housewives, but it's predictable from the very beginning. The main character is compelling, and you die to know what will become of her at first, but about halfway through, it's pretty much obvious.

I'm embarrassed to say that I requested and was granted access to an arc of this thriller from NetGalley over a year ago and somehow let it slip through the cracks in my shelf until being reminded of it when I was also approved for J.P. Delaney's newest book this week: Believe Me. I thought it was time to do some catching up! Better late than never, as they say!

I found this one to be compulsive reading--yes, turn those pages! The story is about a handsome but thoroughly dislikable genius of an architect named Edward Monkford, his one of a kind austere house, and the people who put up with just about anything to live in it. The story is told from two women's points of view, both of whom come to be his lovers: Emma, the eponymous girl before, and Jane, the woman who currently occupies the house.

There's an air of mystery and tragedy surrounding Monkford--how much of it is of his own doing? Is he a narcissistic sociopath as some believe, capable of anything in his pursuit of perfection? Does he brainwash the women who fall in love with him, seeking to control them? Or has he met finally his match? You decide for yourself as zoom through to the surprising conclusion.

The Girl Before was twisty and kept me on the edge of my seat. A true fit for the ever popular psychological thriller category, The Girl Before goes back and forth between the story of two women at two different times and you are left wondering just what happened to the Girl Before. By the end my jaw was dropping through each page I turned. I loved it and would definitely recommend it.

Honestly, could not finish said novel, it was a struggle

****Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for an honest***

Great book! Can't wait to see it in the movies. My only objection is the Fifty Shades of Grey aspects, otherwise I loved it.

Great story from start to finish. Very interesting concept. I almost wish I could let go and live in this house. I even considered some of the questions on the application and thought, hmm, "could I?" and "What would I write / put down if it were me?"

Great writing, easy to follow story line and characters that pull you in. I will definitely need to see this on the big screen, when it comes out.

Ranks up there with my love for books by Mary Kubica. & Ruth Ware.

I struggle with this book. Great characters and an intense plot kept me reading until the last page. But by the last page, I was disappointed. There were too many points brought up in the story that were way out there or never solved which made the whole story all over the place. The last truthful character completely contradicted her self and story in the last chapter. And it was just awkward. Also, this author clearly shouldn’t be writing the perspective of a woman, he doesn’t know how women think. And too much raunchy porn.