Typical me, I saw that this book, The Girl Before by J.P. Delaney, was heading for television, so I picked it up without much more context. In this case, the decision worked out!
Luckily, this book was thrilling in many ways, and there were definitely some twists I didn’t see coming. Told from alternating perspectives several years apart, they both focus on women who move into this odd, simplistic home. Each have their reasons for moving. In the past, Emma feels unsafe after being robbed, while in the present, Jane needs a reset after a third trimester miscarriage. From there, though, almost everything about them is different.
But, before we jump into that, let’s get a taste oft his house and its strange and particular architect. The house itself is very minimalist with an open floorplan and the most up to date technology. On top of that, the architect is very specific about who can live in the house, and has an obscene amount of rules for the tenants (who all happen to have been female). If the women make it past the selection process, then they even get periodically checked up on! I feel like if there were that many rules to living in a house, then there is no way you’re not being spied on!
Anyways, let’s go back to our tenants. As I said before, Emma is feeling unsafe after a break-in, so she and her boyfriend Simon move into the pristine house. Emma is convinced this place will help her change, which it does and doesn’t. Not too long after they move in, she breaks up with Simon and starts dating the architect, Edward. They have a violent and passionate romance, but eventually, all of Emma’s lies catch up with her. On the flip side, Jane moves in after a devastating miscarriage, and almost immediately falls for Edward. However, as time goes on, she starts to learn more and more about the suspicious history of the house, and possibly Edward. Her twist at the end is pretty devious, but not totally unexpected.
I suppose most of the events that took place in this novel weren’t mind-blowing like other mystery novels I’ve read, but it was an enjoyable ride to the ending. After reading, I found out that this book was initially set to be a movie, but more recently got transitioned to television. I wonder if this is set to be a limited series, because part of me doesn’t understand how there is enough content from the book to make it a long-running series, but then I could also see the creators and writers expanding on the world. Who knows! Will I be tuning in? Most likely, yes. Let’s hope it comes to fruition soon!