The Girl Before: A Novel

by JP Delaney

Lise Aagaard Knudsen (Narrator), Emilia Fox (Narrator), Finty Williams (Narrator), and Lisa Aagaard Knudsen (Narrator)

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • In the tradition of The Girl on the Train, The Woman in Cabin 10, 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.

SOON TO BE A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE DIRECTED BY RON HOWARD

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.

Praise for The Girl Before

“Dazzling, startling, and above all cunning—a pitch-perfect novel of psychological suspense.”—Lee Child

“The Girl Before generates a fast pace. . . . [J. P.] Delaney intersperses ethics questions on stand-alone pages throughout the book. . . . The single most ingenious touch is that we’re not provided either woman’s answers.”—The New York Times

“J. P. Delaney builds the suspense.”—Vanity Fair

“Immediate guarantee: You will not be able to put this book down. . . . Fans of Gone Girl and The Girl on the Train will realize that there’s not only more where that came from, but it’s also more thrilling.”—American Booksellers Association

• ISBN10: 0735286531
• ISBN13: 9780735286535
• Publish Date: 24 January 2017
• Publish Status: Out of Stock
• Publish Country: US
• Publisher: Random House USA Inc
• Imprint: Random House US Audio
• Edition: Unabridged edition
• Format: Audiobook (CD)
• Duration: 10 hours
• Language: English

Reviews

[Molly J(Cover To Cover Cafe)]

J.P. Delaney is a new-to-me author and one that I will definitely be checking out again. I saw this book and read the synopsis while standing in Barnes and Noble, and took a chance on it, as it sounded phenomenal. It was.......to a point. The switching between two characters got a little confusing but the plot line itself was outstanding. 

The dark, psychological twists that Delaney implements in this story are incredible. The creepy factor of this is off the charts awesome. I found myself white knuckling the book while turning each page to find out what was happening with Jane and with Emma. I can't imagine living in a house like they did, let alone experiencing the same thing as the girl before me. But, I felt it. I felt transported to London, felt the insane twists, and the roller coaster turns of the story. 

While I would love to give this a 4 star review, I can't. I give it 3.5 stars. The switching between Jane and Emma sometimes had me confused on whose story was whose. That's the one and only downside to the book. But, I still highly recommend this! The actual plot line, is as I said before, outstanding! This is one book you don't want to miss! It's creepy, it's twisty, it's thrilling. I'm looking forward to reading more of Delaney's work! 

*I purchased my own copy of this book. All opinions, positive or negative, are my own.*

[catiebug]

I will admit I did judge this book by it's cover.

Something about it just turned me off to this book initially. I don't what it is about it, but it just didn't seem like something I would be interested in.

But I picked it up because the Kindle book was on sale for $4 and the synopsis did sound interesting. And I saw many good reviews.

I'M SO GLAD I PICKED THIS UP!

I was sucked in almost right away. This book is so weird and twisted that you can't help but not get into it. I needed to know what was going on with this house and why it was so strange.

I definitely did not see that ending coming. Not what I expected at all. I do wish we would've learned a bit more about Edward because I feel like there is just more story to be explored and explained there.

[pagesbycyndy]

I will start by saying , what a book!!! This story goes from present to past in such a seamless way, the two main characters almost , I say almost, seem like one character. These two women are very different in character but very manipulative women as well. The owner of this incredible house for rent is a piece of work himself and I did not like him at all, as a matter of fact I cannot remember liking a book as much as I liked this book but could not stand any of these characters!

This story was so intense at times I had no idea where it would end up. I think I read this in the span of two days, I just had to see how it would all come to end. At first I thought the house itself would be the villain, the house has all these rules and tracks your every movement and mood. This house seemed so oppressive, it was so hard to predict the outcome. In the end well........ what an ending!!!

I just decided halfway through to stop trying to guess where this suspense train would end up and just enjoy this ride!!This review was originally posted on A WordPress Site

[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.

[chymerra]

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**