Name: The Girl Before
Rating: 3.492753623188406 (138 reviews)
ISBN: 9781524778163

J. P. Delaney

"A psychological thriller that spins one woman's seemingly good fortune, and another woman's mysterious fate, through a kaleidoscope of duplicity, death, and deception"--

The Girl Before

J P Delaney

In the tradition of "The Girl on the Train, The Silent Wife, "and" Gone Girl "comes an enthralling psychological thriller that spins one woman s seemingly good fortune, and another woman s mysterious fate, through a kaleidoscope of duplicity, death, and deception. "Please make a list of every possession you consider essential to your life." The request seems odd, even intrusive and for the two women who answer, the consequences are devastating. EMMA Reeling from a traumatic break-in, Emma wants a new place to live. But none of the apartments she sees are affordable or feel safe. Until One Folgate Street. The house is an architectural masterpiece: a minimalist design of pale stone, plate glass, and soaring ceilings. But there are rules. The enigmatic architect who designed the house retains full control: no books, no throw pillows, no photos or clutter or personal effects of any kind. The space is intended to transform its occupant and it does. JANE After a personal tragedy, Jane needs a fresh start. When she finds One Folgate Street she is instantly drawn to the space and to its aloof but seductive creator. Moving in, Jane soon learns about the untimely death of the home s previous tenant, a woman similar to Jane in age and appearance. As Jane tries to untangle truth from lies, she unwittingly follows the same patterns, makes the same choices, crosses paths with the same people, and experiences the same terror, as the girl before. Advance praise for "The Girl Before" Dazzling, startling, and above all cunning a pitch-perfect novel of psychological suspense. Lee Child Riveting! One of the most compelling page-turners I've read in years. Twisty, turny, and with an ending not to be missed! Lisa Gardner"

A true page turner (couldn’t stop listening) and was amazed at the end. Really enjoyed the complexity and seeing the story unfold!

Lacee Foutch 

JP Delaney

Buatlah daftar semua hal yang kau anggap sangat penting dalam hidupmu. Itu permintaan yang janggal dan penuh paksaan, dan mengundang konsekuensi besar bagi dua wanita yang rela menjawabnya. Emma hanya ingin menemukan tempat tinggal baru yang aman. Dan dia menemukannya di One Folgate Street, rumah berdesain minimalis yang merupakan sebuah mahakarya arsitektur. Tapi ada dua ratus peraturan yang harus dipatuhinya. Tidak boleh ada foto. Tidak boleh ada buku. Jane hanya ingin memulai hidupnya lagi setelah kemalangan yang dia dapatkan. Dan dia menemukannya di One Folgate Street, tempat tinggal yang indah dengan elemen batu dan kaca. Tapi ada tragedi lain yang harus dia hadapi: misteri kematian Emma, penghuni rumah terdahulu. Tidak boleh ada tirai. Tidak boleh ada bantal sofa.

Stef

What I can say, this story really Manupulative. 😑
Kesel, sebel dan di tutup dengan twist yang biasa saja dan endingnya juga rada gantung 😥.

RTC

Emelie

I really thought it was going to be one of my favorite this year... but, no!

Hayat

Jane stumbles on the rental opportunity of a lifetime: the chance to live in a beautiful ultra-minimalist house designed by an enigmatic architect, on condition she abides by a long list of exacting rules. After moving in, she discovers that a previous tenant, Emma, met a mysterious death there - and starts to wonder if her own story will be a re-run of the girl before. As twist after twist catches the reader off guard, Emma's past and Jane's present become inexorably entwined in this tense, page-turning portrayal of psychological obsession.

Charlotte 

Two books that share the same title (1) ✔

Shan

So many psychological twists 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼

Arianna scasino

One of my favorite books, I love J.P. Delaney and think he does a great job with all his novels.

mads

slick, fun, fast. not a great depiction of trauma (painfully obvious a man wrote this) BUT I still enjoyed myself even tho i thought it was gonna be darker like edward was burying people in the floorboards to sacrifice them to the house or something... my idea is better ALL THAT SAID THE HBO MAX VERSION WITH DAVID OYELOWO AND GUGU MBATHA-RAW IS GONNA BE WILD.

Jessica Guht

I am going to need time to process this book because I'm not even sure what was real and what wasn't, as well as where my thoughts are on all the characters. Definitely a book that keeps you guessing until the very end.

Laura Kehoe

Originally reviewed on The Book Unicorn

Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The Girl Before is a psychological thriller, centering around two women, Emma and Jane. Emma and Jane both moved One Folgate Street for a fresh start. But this isn’t an ordinary house and both women quickly discover fresh starts are not as easy as they seem.

This was a really interesting book, with plenty of intrigue and twists to keep you guessing until the very end. I thought the story itself was pretty good. And the ending tied things up nicely, but left enough room for the imagination so it didn’t feel too contrived.

I wasn’t as fond of the characters, unfortunately. Emma was definitely a complex and interesting woman, but I found her just a bit too contrived for my taste. I had a hard time feeling a lot of sympathy for her and she grated on my nerves a lot toward the end. And Edward was just way too much. I don’t see the draw to controlling, abusive, jerks and he is a painful example of exactly that kind of man. I did like Jane for the most part though. Unlike Emma, Jane actually grew on me as the book progressed. By the end, she was definitely my favorite character.

Despite my issues with the characters, I did like this book for the most part. it had its issues, that’s for sure, but I’m still glad I gave it a read. For people who were a fan of Gone Girl and other similar stories, it might be one to check out.

This instant New York Times bestseller, in the tradition of The Girl on the Train, The Silent Wife and Gone Girl, is an enthralling psychological thriller that spins one woman's seemingly good fortune and another woman's mysterious fate through a kaleidoscope of duplicity, death and deception. Please make a list of every possession you consider essential to your life. The request seems odd, even intrusive--and for the two women who answer, the consequences are devastating. EMMA Reeling from a traumatic break-in, Emma wants a new place to live. But none of the apartments she sees are affordable or feel safe. Until One Folgate Street. The house is an architectural masterpiece: a minimalist design of pale stone, plate glass and soaring ceilings. But there are rules. The enigmatic architect who designed the house retains full control: no books, no throw pillows, no photos or clutter or personal effects of any kind. The space is intended to transform its occupant--and it does. JANE After a personal tragedy, Jane needs a fresh start. When she finds One Folgate Street she is instantly drawn to the space--and to its aloof but seductive creator. Moving in, Jane soon learns about the untimely death of the home's previous tenant, a woman similar to Jane in age and appearance. As Jane tries to untangle truth from lies, she unwittingly follows the same patterns, makes the same choices, crosses paths with the same people and experiences the same terror, as the girl before.

A Novel

Genesis (@whisperingchapters)

This review was originally posted on Latte Nights Reviews.

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.

"It has—well, it's a pretentious word, but it has integrity. I think he's looking for people who are prepared to be equally honest  about the way they live in."

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.

Perhaps the house will turn me into a better person. Perhaps it will bring order and discipline to the random chaos of my life.

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.

But what if the house itself decides not to protect me? How safe am I really?

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.

"Excellence is what matters. Excellence and originality."

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 review was originally posted on Latte Nights Reviews.

Wow! I cannot believe that this has received such low ratings, and that one star is the top! This is the best thriller I have read in a while. 

I loved that you follow the story line of two women, Emma in the past, and Jane in the present. You slowly learn the story of what happened to Emma and get concerned about what might happen to Jane. As expected, Jane catches wind of the potential danger and begins to investigate.

I think much of the reason I loved this was because it reminded me of Rebecca, and that play one a widower vs murderer and what could be expected of someone new to the situation. It definitely had its pitfalls, and I particularly did not like the confusion about Emma's reliability towards the end, but the book is written to keep you wanting more, and I hated pausing the audiobook.

There was some weird "daddy" themes that I was not comfortable with, but they played a minor role.

Grace Emilia Machon

I didn't enjoy this book as I feel like I need to explain why I am still giving it 2 stars rather than one single lonely star. In fact, I'm still thinking about why I don't like this book months later. Sure it was better than The Pisces, but I'm not sure that I can spend the rest of my life saying things get an extra star for not being evil narcissistic mermaid smut. 

Anyway, back to the girl before, I guess it was good...
If you are interested in terrible people doing terrible things in terrible ways then this box might be for you, but I'm not and definitely not in 2020 (edited to add - or in 2021). I just feel like the domestic thriller relies on women being unlikable and “damaged” and men being just trash and I'm over it. Like this book is so dramatic and somehow the “twists” manage to be super unrealistic and yet entirely guessable at the same time. 

This book genuinely made me miserable, on multiple levels and now I'm scared of my Google home so I would say it did what it meant to. 
But I did not like it and as an ex Waterstone bookseller, I sold this book pretending to have read it to so so many people and if you are out there, reading this rambling, trusting, kind customers. I'm so sorry I lied to you. I didn't want to. They made me because of the KPIs.

Megan Leprich

Honestly could not get into this book. I think I made it to chapter 4 before finally giving in and saying never mind. Not a huge fan of the author's writing and nothing grabbed my attention enough to continue reading it.

Maddy Lennon

Jolie

Emma and Si were looking for a new apartment (or flat as they call it in England) after Emma was attacked in a burglary. All of the apartments that Emma and Si visited were no good for various reasons. The agent was at the end of his rope until he remembers this one house that was on the market. Emma is intrigued and they are able to go and see it. The house is a work of art, with a state of the art computer system that runs the house and a minimalist design. Emma falls in love with the house and fills out the application. After an anxiety filled wait, Si and her get the 2nd meeting. That’s where they meet Edward Monkford, the owner and architect of the house. Needless to say, they are approved.

Jane is recovering from having a stillbirth that could have been prevented if the hospital had more staffing and more Doppler radars. She decides that she needs a change of scenery and starts looking for apartments/houses to rent. Perchance, she is told about One Folgate Street by her realtor and makes the decision to fill out the application. Like, Emma, Jane is granted a 2nd interview and like Emma, she signs a very specific and odd lease once Edward decides she can rent it.

Both Emma and Jane find out that Edward has a tragic past. His wife, Elizabeth, and his son, were killed in an accident on the site of one of his projects. They also both find out that there was a cloud of suspicion hovering over Edward about that.

But this is where Jane and Emma’s stories differ.

Emma and Si don’t last very long in the house. Emma actually breaks it off with Si, who takes it very hard, and starts a relationship with Edward. But, the more the author reveals about Emma, the more you start wondering if everything that is happening is in her head.

Jane also starts a relationship with Edward, shortly after moving into the house. Around the same time, Jane finds out about Emma’s death and starts researching it. All of the information points towards Edward being her killer but Jane can’t help but something’s off about that.

This book sticks to the thriller and mystery elements, unlike some of the other books that I have read. I was genuinely surprised by the 180 one character does. It took me by surprise that the web of lies that was spun was so extensive and that the character just didn’t know when to stop.

The ending was a little sad and I had to reread it a couple of times to understand what happened. Then to have another renter show up and look at the house….shudder. What a sequel that would make!!!!

How many stars will I give The Girl Before: 4

Why: A thriller/mystery that genuinely had me guessing until the big reveal. The plot twists were done in such a way that you couldn’t help but be shocked. And the ending was the biggest one of all….

Will I reread: Yes

Will I recommend to family and friends: Yes

Age range: Adult

Why: Sex, violence and language. A scene of a mother saying goodbye to her still-born child (which was heartbreaking), a scene of a badly brutalized kitten and a scene of someone’s head smashing off a marble floor.

**I chose to leave this review after reading an advance reader copy**

The Girl Before

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