Sign up for our newsletters to receive our Best of 2024 ezine!

Read advance reader review of The Girl Before by JP Delaney

Summary | Reviews | More Information | More Books

The Girl Before by JP Delaney

The Girl Before

by JP Delaney

  • Critics' Consensus (1):
  • Published:
  • Jan 2017, 352 pages
  • Rate this book

About this book

Reviews


Page 1 of 4
There are currently 22 member reviews
for The Girl Before
Order Reviews by:
  • Dorothy L. (Manalapan, NJ)
    A Very Good Read
    I was intrigued by this book from the opening page. I kept wanting to find out what was going to happen next. I think there were similarities with Fifty Shades of Grey with the controlling characters of Christian and Edward and their manipulation of women. But I think it was a better book in terms of writing and development. I think it is important to read it consistently and over a short period of time because if you don't, it is confusing when you resume reading after a gap. I liked the ending and I would definitely recommend this book.
  • Carole P. (Framingham, MA)
    The Girl Before
    The premise of this book is a bit creepy. Two woman, two different times. Connected by a mysterious building and their desires to create new lives for themselves. When applying for an unusual apartment they are asked to do one thing. " Please make a list of every possession you consider essential to your life." Because if you are the lucky applicant that is all you may bring with you. You have a list of many things you may not do. If you don't agree, you don't get the apartment.
    This premise sounded unusual and a bit creepy. It is , but not in the way I imagined. The writing is good, the two women interesting. However, the real story was really not about the living space. It is about the women. It is a very unusual book and I do recommend it. Not so much a thriller or mystery, but very suspenseful.
  • Carol G. (Little Egg Harbor, NJ)
    The Girl Before
    Fast pace reading and very hard to put down. Love psychological thrillers and the end was not disappointing. Unexpected twists made the story even more compelling. One would be remiss not to read this book. Looking forward to more books by this author.
  • Mary S. (Bow, NH)
    If you want a suspenseful, page-turner book, look no further.
    Two women's lives share the same path without them knowing each other. Sounds tricky to write so the reader can follow, but the author makes it easy. Plus, along the way, the author throws in quirks and unexpected turns in the plot so you have to keep reading to find out what happens. Such a crazy premise: the house - whose design is so minimalist that it would seem uncomfortable to live in - is the glue that binds all together and somehow it works. If you like the suspense/mystery genre you should read this book.
  • Susan L. (Alexandria, VA)
    The Girl Before Surprises
    There is a reason this book went to auction and had its movie rights snapped up by Ron Howard. It is beautifully written, tautly paced and full of intrigue. It hooked me on page one and kept me guessing, incorrectly, until the end. Wonderful thriller with an architectural setting. I highly recommend it.
  • Jane D. (Cincinnati, OH)
    The Girl Before -
    Do not start this book unless you can read thru it fairly quickly. There are two reasons for this - # 1 it is a compelling and disturbing read and you won't be able to put it down and # 2 the author tells two parallel stories at the same time by alternating short chapters that are titled Emma ( the girl before ) and Jane - the women at the center of this psychological thriller. This novel is full of twists all the way to the end and you will be worn out when you finish it. Be prepared for a novel that is raw, cruel, devious, heartbreaking - you won't be able to put it down. And the movie rights have been sold to Ron Howard - this was mentioned in large print on the inside of the book jacket! Reminds one Gone Girl and other similar novels.
  • Candace F. (Lincoln, NE)
    The Girl Before
    This is one of the best books I've read in awhile. The story was very unique to anything I've ever read and it held my interest until the very end! I usually don't read psychological thrillers but it may be my new genre.The way the author went back and forth from Emma to Jane was a little bit confusing at first but I really liked the way the author went back and forth with short, very descriptive chapters and I couldn't turn the pages fast enough. The ending was a surprise I didn't see coming and although the author could have ended it many ways I loved the choice of ending. I will highly recommend this book to friends and my book club. It was well written and leaves you wanting more. I think this will be a great book for discussions!

More Information

Read-Alikes

Top Picks

  • Book Jacket
    The Frozen River
    by Ariel Lawhon
    "I cannot say why it is so important that I make this daily record. Perhaps because I have been ...
  • Book Jacket
    Prophet Song
    by Paul Lynch
    Paul Lynch's 2023 Booker Prize–winning Prophet Song is a speedboat of a novel that hurtles...
  • Book Jacket: The Love Elixir of Augusta Stern
    The Love Elixir of Augusta Stern
    by Lynda Cohen Loigman
    Lynda Cohen Loigman's delightful novel The Love Elixir of Augusta Stern opens in 1987. The titular ...
  • Book Jacket: Small Rain
    Small Rain
    by Garth Greenwell
    At the beginning of Garth Greenwell's novel Small Rain, the protagonist, an unnamed poet in his ...

BookBrowse Book Club

Book Jacket
The Berry Pickers
by Amanda Peters
A four-year-old Mi'kmaq girl disappears, leaving a mystery unsolved for fifty years.
Book Jacket
In Our Midst
by Nancy Jensen
In Our Midst follows a German immigrant family’s fight for freedom after their internment post–Pearl Harbor.
Who Said...

Censorship, like charity, should begin at home: but unlike charity, it should end there.

Click Here to find out who said this, as well as discovering other famous literary quotes!

Wordplay

Big Holiday Wordplay 2024

Enter Now

Your guide toexceptional          books

BookBrowse seeks out and recommends the best in contemporary fiction and nonfiction—books that not only engage and entertain but also deepen our understanding of ourselves and the world around us.