The Girl Before You - Nicola Rayner || Netgalley Review

 

She was his.

She was perfect.

And then, she was gone.

Alice has always been haunted by the women from her husband’s past. As an MP and now a TV personality, George Bell’s reputation as a ladies’ man precedes him. But when Alice falls pregnant, her unease becomes an obsession.

And there’s one ex in particular she can’t get out of her head: a beautiful student George dated in his first year, who went missing before they finished university. Ruth.

When Alice sees a woman who looks just like Ruth, she can’t shake the feeling that there’s more to her disappearance than George has been telling her. But does she really want to know what her husband has been getting up to behind her back all these years?

An addictive and twisting psychological suspense that will have fans of Shari Lapena and Ruth Ware hooked.

Another netgalley review today and this one looked right up my street - the sort of thriller that i enjoy so i was excited to delve in. Alice has always been haunted by her husbands past, but she has always pushed it too one side - after all it could just be reputation, that of a bit of a ladies man and especially as an MP and now Tv personality however when she falls pregnant, it stars to become more of an obsession. Especially when she spots someone who looks exactly like Ruth, the woman who went missing just before they all finished university and had a history with George. 

So, i did find this in parts a hard read between the range of characters - we all know, that i struggle with several characters. That along with the flitting about timelines. Told from her sisters POV and Alices predominately (i couldn't work out really why Alice was so interested initially) Im certain at times i felt like i was trudging through trying to remember who was who and i never really warmed to the characters at all - however, i do think this was intentional and they were written that way i dont think that was me. None of them were particully likeable  however the trudging along feeling did end up been worth it. I think it was just a slower paced thriller after the fast ones i had read of late but like i say, it was worth it. Alas, the ending was also not for me but as a reader i can appreciate why it was what it was. 

So this ended up been a mixed bag for me, good in parts, parts that i didn't enjoy but as a reader overall, i can appreciate the way it was written and for that i cannot fault the author. Its just one of this things, all our tastes are different and what we enjoy in reads varies. 

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Nicola Rayner was born in Abergavenny, south Wales, and works as a freelance journalist, specialising in dance and travel. The Girl Before You, her debut novel, was runner-up in the Cheltenham First Novel Competition in 2018. She lives in London with her husband and Jack Russell.