Creepy, controlling, romantic, scary as heck, exciting, surprising, mystery, murder...I loved it!! I will be reading J.P. Delaney for the rest of his/her writing career. Nothing better than finding a new author.

First sentence: 1. Please make a list of every possession you consider essential to your life.
Last sentence: I take a deep breathe and pick up my pen.

The Girl Before is a mind-blowing psychological thriller of the strangest and eeriest proportions. A thriller where architecture, asceticism, minimalism (that puts Marie Kondo to shame), murder, and twisted romance vie for attention. A narrative that is shared by two residents of Edward Monkford’s controversial architectural masterpiece; one past resident and one present… one dead resident and one living… two intertwined and sometimes unreliable narratives that ramp up the suspense.

As a psychological thriller, I love The Girl Before. I dropped my rating from 4 stars to 3 due to the fact that the romance between the two women (at different times) with Edward Monkford is so twisted and dark. It is the “modern” thing to do but as a Christian, I was turned off by it. I finished the story because I really wanted to know the ending as I was pulled whole-heartedly into the mystery.

I recommend that The Girl Before only be read by adults. Those of you adults who love a good psychological thriller and are willing to deal with the bizarre sex will likely love it.

As a reviewer for NetGalley, I received a review copy of this book in exchange for my honest and unbiased review. My thanks to NetGalley, the author, and publisher.

The building One Folgate Street is the common thread between two different women’s stories in two different timelines. Emma is the past storyline and Jane the present. Both women agree to live in the home under strict guidelines that do not even allow for personal belongings to be brought into the home. Something happened to Emma and when Jane becomes aware of this fact, she is determined to find out what.

Both storylines were in the category of ok to me. Neither was particularly bad, but I was not gripped and dying to know what became of either woman. The story had promise but just did not reach its potential for me.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for allowing me to read an ARC of this novel in exchange for a review.

Thank you Netgallery for the opportunity to read The Girl Before. The plot sounded good and I think this book started with the right ingredients, however, I did find it a bit absurd in some regards and didn't fully buy into the story line. It is readable and those fans of ...A Girl....may like it. ok for me.

A little bit 50 Shades of Grey and a smattering of 6 1/2 Weeks, with a sprinkle of creepy and you have a great read. Really enjoyed this one - thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!

this was the first novel ive read by this author. I liked the style.
the description of this novel gave away nothing which was interesting and the novel was a lot different than I thought it would be. Gripping from cover to cover, I had a hard time putting it down

Can't say that I honestly enjoyed this book. I was intrigued to read it at first from the description, but it fell short by a long shot. The outcome was not much of a thriller in my opinion.

To be fair, at certain points in the story it pointed towards this deep, mind boggling mystery to be sorted out bit by bit by dealing with the emotions and thoughts of the characters. I mean, you had this interesting odd house built by an architect who seemed to have a troubled past and manipulative tendency. It hinted at a bit of a psychotic individual that wanted to control anything and everything about the structure he built, including those that lived in it. With the fact that he only approved certain individuals, certainly women, to live in his house that had a resemblance to his deceased wife had you wondering if this was indeed a psychological madman recreating his ideal life and when that ideal was shattered in some way, he took certain steps to start over. Throw in some other characters with issues and questionable pasts and futures and you got this mix of possibly mentally and emotional characters to keep you intrigued.

But as the story wound down to the end, I was disappointed with how it turned out. I guess I was expecting more of a "wow" moment to happen...more of a I didn't think of that type ending, but it ended up being prim, prat and boring. I believe the story had potential and to some might be a good read, but for me...not so much.

***I received a digital ARC of this book courtesy of Net Galley for an honest review. Thank you for the opportunity.***

I enjoyed this book more than I was expecting to. It was a page turner and kept my interest throughout. I liked the way it interweaved between the two main characters and it was easy to follow. The twist was unexpected but made sense. I would recommend this to anyone looking for a quick, engaging read.
Thanks to #netgalley for the advanced copy.

Update: I just read that Ron Howard is going to direct the movie adaptation of this book. I can't wait!

First, to the people who say the book isn't believable because any sane person wouldn't agree to the living restrictions to rent One Folgate...no kidding! I think that's the whole point. You'd expect there to be something slightly off with the women too, if they not only are willing to enter into that type of agreement, but they also choose to stay.

This book is told in alternating chapters, of Emma's story (before) and Jane's story (now). Yes, there is overlap between the two women's experiences, but again, that's the whole point. That Jane is somehow walking down the same path as Emma, who met a tragic end in the apartment. I actually enjoyed how the story unfolded as continued to reveal different layers and character perspectives. It was an interesting display of Japanese minimalism, which has gained popularity as of late, and the psychological belief that you can change your mood, health, and well-being by altering your surroundings. This was a creepy psychological drama that was entertaining until the end.

Overall, the book was entertaining and I look forward to seeing how it translates to the big screen.

I received a copy of this title from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

Realizing this book is getting positive reviews, I'm forging ahead with a negative one. Being an avid reader all my life, I realize pretty quickly if a book is going to click with me. If I can't connect with what the author is trying to do or with the characters by over 200 pages in, I move on to another book. There are too many great books out there to waste my time forcing myself through a mediocre one.

Loved it! It really made me think how I would answer the questions. I know I could never live in a place that prohibited books!

I became bored with the characters even though at the end they did display an inner strength that appeared to be lacking early on in their journeys through this bizarre tale.

Unfortunately I was unable to finish this title, therefore I will not be leaving an online review.

Great read! The author tells a great story. I look forward to more from this author.

What I really loved about this book is how it kept me on my toes the entire time. Whether I was reading Emma's story or Jane's there were pieces that I thought would help me figure out what was really going on...but the truth is, I had no idea. I love how Delaney built in twists to the story - and to the characters themselves. I was shocked a few times when a new character trait revealed itself, and all those revelations kept me guessing until the end. I would definitely recommend.

This is England, past and present. Emma's home has been burglarized while she's there. Jane’s child is stillborn. Moving offers them fresh starts.
Moving from past to present can make a story exciting; that doesn't happen here. First part of book is slow. Dialog drags. The action begins a little too late to catch my interest. The book is good, not great.
Voluntarily read ARC for an honest review.

The premise was as fascinating as the book was: you could rent the gorgeous house but only if you complied with a list of rules which, honestly, seem either completely freeing or unimaginably impossible. The dual storylines built suspense even as it steadily reflected the different personalities of the characters - which in turn revealed twist after twist. True psychological suspense at its best! I'll be looking for more books from JP Delaney!

The Girl Before is a fast paced intriguing phycological thriller written by JP Delaney.
The main characters Emma & Jane both strong women and at different times are drawn towards the charismatic, controlling & rich Edward Monkford and want to live at his rental showplace, One Folgate Street.
The past of the house haunts Jane as she struggles to find out what really happened in these walls. Will she find out that if something seems to good to be true than it probably is?
Highly recccommend this & want to thank the author, publisher & Netgalley for this oppertunity.

The Girl Before is a fast read. The plot moves quickly and kept me interested. The characters were shallow, perhaps by design, but I still wanted to know what happened and why. A fun read.