Member Reviews
What a superb debut! Badged as a thriller but had such a ghosty/paranormal vibe that it was quite creepy at times.
It was told most by Fern who is grieving the loss of her twin Linny and this was the overriding theme of the story and separating Fern's grief and mental health from real events was challenging - giving her huge potential to be an unreliable narrator.
Not only does Fern have to battle with thinking she is constantly seeing her dead twin, but there is a missing lady, Marte, her neighbours act oddly and her husband is about as much use as a chocolate fireguard!
The author sets this up to be a psychological thriller and creates so many loose ends that its hard to imagine they can all be tied off by the end of the book.
My thanks to thank #JenniferMoore, #NetGalley and #HQDigital for an ARC of #TheWomanBefore in exchange for an honest review.
Fantastic physiological thriller kept me up guessing all night I could not put this book down I love a good thriller that keeps you turning the pages so fast paced an enjoyable read
Thank you HQ Digital and Netgalley and sorry I took so long to read this.
This was a really good thriller which kept me on my toes. A bit slow at times, but you must read this.
Highly recommend
Wow this was amazing! I have already recommended this to everyone I know that reads!!
A very twisty and fast paced book which had me up as I couldn’t put it down.
Wow loved this book! Great characters, wonderful story about love life and loss.
The characters were all so interesting.
A great read
This is a good debut but the pace is quite slow. It is very creepy. The twists and turns were good. The ending was satisfying.
I read this in one sitting on a windy afternoon. I’ve got say it’s a brilliant debut as it’s so tense and really is a proper page turner. You will love this and the ending is one of the best I’ve ever read. I cannot wait to read the next book by this talent.
Enjoyed this book and the twistiness of it. It keeps you guessing. I'm new to the author but I will look out for more.
Fern and Paul move into the large old house on Cremellation Lane, with its high ceilings and luscious garden they, think they have found the perfect home.
Fern lost her twin sister so this will be a fresh start for the couple and somewhere to raise their first baby. but straight away Fern starts having terrifying nightmares about the woman who had lived there before. Paul fears his wife has relapsed, obsessing in the same way she did after her twins death.
A compelling and twisty read.
Thank you to Netgalley for my copy in exchange for an honest review.
A literary gem that deserves a spot on your bookshelf. Fast paced and full of twists I read it in a day, loved every second.
The only flaw I had with this book had more to do with the way it was marketed/presented than with the book itself. This is more of a spooky “is it a ghost or not?” mystery than it is a thriller, but the cover and description definitely make it seem like it will be more the latter.
But this book was so good! The MC is dealing with the death of her identical twin, as well as the stress of a sudden pregnancy and move to a new part of the city. At the beginning of the book she meets another pregnant woman, only later no one seems to know who she was or if she even existed outside of the MC’s grief and stress ridden mind.
This book had so much going for it- the possibly unreliable narrator, several mysteries and a few red herrings to throw off the trail, a unique cast of characters, and it also managed to deal with so many different types of grief and familial relationships in ways that broke a lot of stereotypes. I loved it. I only wish that Paul was given more attitude for his behavior through the middle chunk of the book, but that’s nitpicking.
I’m very thankful to have received an ARC of this book and I will absolutely be reading more from Jennifer Moore in the future!
A devastating loss, a destructive obsession, a house of secrets. She could not let it go and now they are in danger. I really did enjoy this debut novel by Jennifer Moore, it was a tad wordy and descriptive and a little all over the place but nevertheless the enjoyed relaxing with this book and although some characters were unrealistic and predictable, it was meaty enough to keep my attention.
So full of suspense. This author knows how to keep you on the edge of your seating guessing right up until the end.
Creepy house, disbelieving husband, strange goings on. This is right up my street. Lapses a little times but worth reading.
A creepy premise of a storyline which kept me guessing as to whether there was something sinister happening or whether the main character Fern was having a mental breakdown. After she becomes obsessed with her dead twin sister, Fern's husband Paul finds it more and more difficult to believe things that Fern is saying. Moving house appears to be no support in Fern's process of grieving and simply provides more reasons to drive a wedge between the husband and wife. I found this book easy to read and I wanted to continually read just one more chapter. I was kept guessing until the very end!
I'm afraid this book wasn't for me. It landed in my dnf pile at 23%. At first I was curious but unfortunately not enough to continue reading.
Paul and Fern have moved into a large house which seems to hold many secrets. Fern, heavily pregnant and grieving the loss of her twin sister, feels things are not right. Is she seeing things?
I don’t know how to feel about this, part ghost story part domestic thriller but overall a solid read. Thank you to the publishers and netgalley for this arc in exchange for my honest review
Suspenseful, fast paced, emotional.. I loved this book! I couldn't help feeling for Fern and loving her despite herself. I couldn't read it fast enough and wish it didn't end so quickly! 5 stars!
Disappointing psychological thriller with an annoying,unlikable main character.
Struggled to get through it,very slow moving and unbelievable.
This book really annoyed me im sorry to say....very disappointing main character that relied on other peoples confirmations far too much. Very weak story and so predictable. The main character couldnt have been more frustrating. 1/5