The Girl Before You by Nicola Rayner #Book #Review @AvonBooksUK @Nico1aRayner

The Girl Before You by Nicola Rayner

Published by Avon Books UK

Publication Date: 22nd August 2019

Genre: Psychological Thriller

384 pages

Book Description:

She was his.
She was perfect.
And then, she was gone.

An addictive and twisting psychological suspense, perfect for summer. If you liked My Lovely Wife, you’ll love this.

Alice has always been haunted by the women from her husband’s past. As a politician 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 who went missing before they finished university: Ruth.

When Alice thinks she see Ruth on a train, she can’t shake the feeling there’s more to the disappearance than George has told her. But does she really want to know what her husband has been up to behind her back all these years?

My Review:

First of all, my thanks to publisher Avon Books for very generously forwarding a review copy of this title in order for me to tell you all my thoughts on the book.

It's a slow, slow burner of a book this one which simmers gently along with sinister under currents and a lot of teenage angst. There's a feeling of dread sitting just under the surface all the way through right from the first page where we learn of the disappearance of the figurehead of the book.  Who is she though and what happened to her? 

Years later and someone knows more about that night than they have ever let on and Alice, lawyer and pregnant wife of former MP turned TV presenter, thinks it may be her husband George. Ever since Alice thinks she sees missing person Ruth on a train going to the capital she can't shake that feeling however when she questions George when she gets home his reaction leads her to doubt him even more rather than dispel her fears.

There are a lot of flashbacks to the group's university days at St Anthony's, told from various points of view.  As long as you keep tabs on who's who and their relationship with others in the group you can quite easily keep on top of proceedings. How these events come to have significance to the mysterious disappearance of Ruth, the enigmatic redhead, all becomes clear in the end. But with what happened at St Anthony's staying at St Anthony's and the reluctance of those present at the time to share their knowledge you do begin to wonder whether some secrets will remain hidden forever.

It's a great reminder this novel that what happens to us in our formative years is ingrained deep in us and can sit uncomfortably if not dealt with at the time. First love, betrayal and heartbreak are all examined in various guises by the characters here and there are some shocking happenings revealed which went unnoticed and unchallenged at the time which could have saved a lot of heartache over the years.

I wasn't particularly keen on any of the characters in the book, and a few of them I found very distasteful. As a lawyer I felt Alice should have been a stronger character, although quite often in life we find that those who are strong in their professional lives are quite weak in the home environment. I'm not going to discuss the ending of the book as although I rather liked it and it certainly didn't take the turns I was expecting I don't want to give anything away. I'll be interested to know what others think about this book - a great suggestion for a book club read in my opinion.

I found this to be a strong debut novel and I look forward to reading more of Nicola Rayner's work in future.

About the Author:

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.