"The Girl Before" REVIEW

“The Girl Before” by J P Delaney

Published by Ballantine Books

Finished 12/26/16  -  4.5/5 stars

This book has been compared to other hit thrillers, and if you were to read it with those comparisons in mind, you might give it a lower rating because you were in the wrong mindset while reading it.  Yes, it is a psychological thriller and yes, it has the word “Girl” in the title, but that doesn’t mean it’s like “The Girl on the Train” or “Gone Girl”.  This is a completely different story and should be read without the predetermined comparisons.  You’ll enjoy it a lot more.

I give this book 4.5 stars.  The only reason I hold back from a full 5 is because there were a couple “scenes” I personally didn’t care for.  It didn’t stop me from absolutely loving it though.  I liked that it was told in two different perspectives – the girl that has lived in a very unique house in the past and the girl currently living there.  The chapter titles told you whose story you were about to read but one also had a slightly different writing style to help you remember which character you were reading (at times the storylines were quite similar so this came in handy).  I also liked that the chapters were short to give you plenty of stopping places.  Granted, I hated having to put this book down at all but when reading during Christmas time, there are other things a little more important.  I was still able to finish it in 3 days because the need to know what happened in the past and the curiosity of what will happen in the present will keep you reading anytime you have a free minute.  And if you think you can figure it out on your own….you are probably going to be wrong.

Thank you Net Galley and Ballantine Books for the opportunity to read this ARC in return for an honest review.  I’m anxious to hear what others think once the book comes out next month.