The Girl Before You

It is never a good thing to dwell on past relationships that your partner had before you. This is the case for Alice, when she see’s a girl on the train who bears a remarkable resemblance to her husband George’s ex girlfriend Ruth, who he dated in his first year at St Anthony’s University. This shouldn’t make Alice upset right? Wrong! The issue is that Ruth mysteriously disappeared whist they were at university, believed to be dead when seen swimming in the ocean on the night she disappeared. But with no body, the mystery of what really happened to Ruth becomes an obsession for Alice. When George receives a post card with the words “Give what I’ve lost back to me” Alice becomes concerned that George may have been involved in Ruth’s disappearance all of those years ago. With a reputation as a ladies man with a colourful past, could George be responsible? When Alice becomes pregnant her obsession grows and not willing to let the issue lie, Alice makes contact with Naomi, Ruth’s younger sister in the hope that the both of them can solve the mystery of what really happened to Ruth the night she disappeared. But the closer Alice gets to finding out the truth, her life and the life of her unborn child could be in danger! Do I recommend this book: Yes! I really enjoyed this book. It was a slow burn that picked up full steam ahead with many twists and turns in the lead up to a heart pounding conclusion. Told in the perspective of multiple characters going from the past to the present day, we are given an insight into Ruth’s life in the lead up to her disappearance, and how any one of these characters could be responsible. This is the first book I have read of Nicola’s. I liked her writing style and her ability to make you feel certain emotions related to each character. I detested the character of George, felt the pain of Naomi’s loss, and determination from Alice in finding out the truth no matter the consequences in doing so. I look forward of reading more of Nicola’s work. Thank-you to Netgalley, Avon Books and Nicola Rayner for allowing me to read an advanced copy of The Girl Before You in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own and are not biased in anyway

The Girl Before You is an intriguing mystery-thriller utilising a combined multi-narrator and dual-timeline structure. For an author to use either of these mechanisms is a challenging enterprise, but both together is a tricky venture indeed. For the most part, I felt that Nicola Rayner achieved the objective, maintaining the narrative flow and the pace of the story despite the different perspectives and frequent flashback scenes. The story opens with a prologue in which two sisters are preparing together for a ball celebrating the end of the academic year. Heavy with foreshadowing, Naomi relates the last time she saw her elder sister, Ruth, headed off to the ball wearing an emerald dress and red "Dorothy" shoes. Ruth’s dress and shoes were later found in circumstances indicating that she drowned off St. Anthony’s beach. What happened to Ruth? It’s a question that still perplexes each of the three female protagonists – Naomi, Alice and Kat – fifteen years later, drawing them towards a dramatic and shattering denouement. I felt that Nicola Rayner accurately captured the sense of tangible potential, personal angst and social consciousness that characterises the university (college) years for many of us. She explores themes including female friendship and solidarity, sexuality and power dynamics, romantic obsession and the agony of unrequited love, misogyny and date-rape culture, impending parenthood, and trust within marital relationships. While I felt that the plot was intriguing and well-constructed, I occasionally felt that the pace slackened during the middle of the book, and that the somewhat jarring conclusion left me with many unanswered questions. The Girl Before You is an impressive debut for Nicola Rayner, and a good read. I'd recommend it to readers who enjoy academic settings and split-timeframe narratives. My thanks to the author, Nicola Rayner, publisher HarperCollins Australia / Avon Books, and NetGalley, for the opportunity to read and review this title. I can only apologise that it's taken me so long to get to it.

The story is told from different point of views and thru different period of time, but it flows nicely abs it builds up a good story.