Book Review: The Girl Before by JP Delaney

Posted 11 February, 2019 by Molly(Cover To Cover Cafe) in 2019 Reads, Book Reviews / 4 Comments

Book Review: The Girl Before by JP Delaney
Title: The Girl Before
Author: JP Delaney
Published by Ballantine Books
Date Published: 24 January, 2017
Pages: 341
Genres: Psychological Thriller
Format: Hardcover
Source: Purchased
Purchase: Amazon~ B&N
Add To Goodreads
Rating:

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.


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.

Listening Length: 9 hours and 59 minutes

JP 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!

About JP Delaney

JP Delaney is a pseudonym for a writer who has previously written bestselling fiction under other names. Delaney is the author of the New York Times bestseller The Girl Before, which is being brought to the screen by Academy Award winners Ron Howard and Brian Grazer’s Imagine Entertainment.

Tags: ,

Divider

4 responses to “Book Review: The Girl Before by JP Delaney

Cover To Cover Cafe Loves Comments!