The Girl Before (Another Dumb Novel...)

This book sucked!! Let's jump right in!!

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So the book is written from two perspectives -- past and present. There is then/Emma Matthews (A.K.A. the girl before 😏), and now/Jane Cavendish (the current protagonist).

I will quickly mention now that this book contains many sensitive topics, including assault, rape, stillbirth, murder, etc. Please proceed at your own pace.

The book opens with then, to Emma and her boyfriend, Simon, searching for a new place to live. Emma had experienced a burglary at their old flat, so naturally a change of scenery seemed necessary 😅 The couple are introduced to One Folgate Street: an extremely minimulist, tech-savvy household that comes with a ton of terms and conditions.

"No rugs or carpets. No pictures. No plants. No books."

The application process also involves answering a ton of "bizarre" questions.

"Please make a list of every possession you consider essential to your life."
"Would you sacrifice yourself to save 10,000 strangers?"
"I do not have time for people who do not strive to better themselves: agree or disagree?"

Until finally, one day Emma is greeted to an email saying that her application has been accepted: she and Simon are going to move into One Folgate Street!

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Meanwhile, in the present, Jane is in a similar situation: she is also looking for a new place to live.

Having recently experienced a stillbirth, Jane can no longer live at her apartment; the memories are too painful. It is then that her real estate agent decides to introduce her to One Folate Street.

(Images created using an AI art generator on Night Cafe)

She is introduced to the architect of the house, Edward Monkford, whom Jane immediately finds very attractive (here we go 🙄). She quickly learns that he has lost his wife and child in an accident.

It is not long before Jane receives an approval email of her own, and she quickly moves into the estate. However, not long after doing so, she is greeted to a bouquet of lilies nearly every week... Inside the first bouquet reads a card that says,

"Emma, I will love you forever. Sleep well, my darling.

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Cut back to Emma, who is visited by two police officers due to "an important development" in the burglary investigation.

The officers reveal that they have found phones on one of the suspects, phones that all contain sexual images and videos of women. One of those phones showed Emma. When questioned about it, Emma reveals that she was orally raped by one of the burglars, that he threatened to send out the video if she told anyone. Simon hears all of this, becomes upset, and takes off.

Later on, it is Emma's birthday, and while she attempts to engage in coitus with Simon, he still cannot "let the situation go."

"How can you do to me what you did to that bastard?"

Simon ends up revealing that on the night of the burglary, he had been at a strip club with his friends (and spent over 300 pounds!). Emma tells him to leave; the two are breaking up.

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To Jane once again: she finally "catches" the culprit behind the bouquet of flowers.

The man doesn't identify himself, only that he is leaving the flowers for Emma Matthews.

"They're not a gift; they're a memorial gesture."

The man doesn't reveal how Emma died, only that she was murdered.

"First he poisoned her mind, then he killed her."

Jane does her own research again, to discover that "Matthews' body was found at the bottom of an open, uncarpeted staircase."

As well as looking into Edward Monkford's (whom she is now "dating" I guess; it's very similar to a 50 Shades Of Grey scenario 🙄) deceased wife, where Jane discovers that she bears a striking resemblance to not only his wife, but Emma Matthews as well... Coincidence? 🤔

Later that day, while observing the house, Jane comes across a secluded broom closet. She opens it to find a crawlspace, with a sleeping bag, and a business card for a psychotherapist...

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To Emma: Simon is coming by the house to pick up his things, and where the ending of the story is immediately spoiled lol 🙄

She is standing in the kitchen when Simon suddenly sneaks into the house and up behind her, without warning! She asks how he managed to get inside.

"I'm just keeping the keycode to the house until I have my things." (Like that's not a red flag)

He is under the delusion that Emma will eventually take him back, acting as though it is definitive that they will get back together, despite Emma's protests (another red flag 🙄).

And, of course:
"I can't stop loving you, he says. His eyes are a little crazy." (Crazy eyes!? Consider this case closed! 😂)

Anyway, he ends up leaving lol.

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To Jane: she gets in contact with the therapist -- Emma's therapist...

It would turn out that Emma was in the exact same situation as Jane is now: she applied for One Folgate Street, she was approved, and she also took up a relationship with Edward (after Simon). Not only that, but Edward has been weaving the same story to Jane as he did to Emma.

"He said there's a kind of purity --"
"To the unencumbered affair," the therapist finishes for me. "From notes from my sessions with Emma."

The therapist believes Edward was indirectly responsible for Emma's death, that they broke up and the blow was too great for Emma. The therapist believes that Emma committed suicide, and that Jane is "in danger" of Edward...

Back at home, Edward informs Jane that he will be going away for a few weeks to work on a development. Jane uses the opportunity to investigate into Emma's death further. She meets up with Simon (Emma's ex-boyfriend, remember? 😅) He is under the impression that Edward murdered Emma.

"Emma said that over time Edward changed completely. When she broke up with him, he became almost deranged. ... Emma found out that he murdered his wife and their baby son, because his wife stood up to him."

However Jane believes that Emma was deliberately misleading people.

"Sometimes people who like being the center of attention need to feel like they're important in some way. Even if it means making things up."

Later on, Jane discovers that she is pregnant again... with Edward's child. She decides to keep it a secret while figuring out what to do...

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To Emma: she is called down to the police station, in regards to her burglary and rape case.

It would seem that Emma's testimony in regards to her attacker have some holes in it...

"The perpetrator has provided medical evidence that he cannot be the man who recorded himself orally raping you. ... Rather, there is a Saul Aksoy, in which he describes a recent relationship with you. The two of you made a video matching the description of the one in question."

"There's that phrase, I wanted the ground to swallow me up. It doesn't begin to describe what happens when all the lies you've told suddenly come crashing down."

Emma lied about being raped because she couldn't bear to tell Simon the truth: that the video had been of her and his best friend (Saul). The police end up dropping the charges against Emma's assilant, and arrest her instead.

After she is released from custody, Emma goes to speak with Edward, to tell him the truth about everything. After which, Edward tells her they're finished.

"And then he tells me, very calmly, that it's over between us. No matter if I'm telling him the truth now, I've lied to him in the past."

She continues to stay at One Folgate Street, only now the house is beginning to experience technical malfunctions.

"That night, while I'm having a shower, the lights suddenly go off and the water runs cold. ... I try using the stove, and a ball of flame shoots into the air, engulfing my arm and burning me."

She calls Simon, who offers to stay the night with her...

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To Jane: she is at her first pregnancy appointment, and the doctor is pleased to report that everything is normal -- and she is having a boy!

However he is quick to mention that Jane's baby could be at risk for Downs syndrome. As such, she decides to test for it... Jane tells herself that if the results come back positive, she will have an abortion.

Luckily (for the dumbass 🥴), the results come back negative and she decides to keep the baby after all! Oh joy, whatta saint! 😂🥴 It is then that she finally chooses to inform Edward about the baby. He is rather neutral about it, but because Jane wasn't upfront and he still has feelings for Emma or whatever, he breaks up with Jane.

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To Emma: she is getting ready to accept Simon's offer, of staying the night, when Edward suddenly texts her.

"I want to see you. 7 PM."

Emma is getting ready for Edward's arrival, about to step into the shower, when a voice calls her name. She jumps; it is Simon.

"I kept the keycode. I told you I deleted it when I moved out. But I didn't. Then I used it to hack the house's security."

Emma also learns that it was not Edward who texted her -- it was Simon.

"I know. You're expecting Edward Monkford. Except you're not. I sent that message."

While also mentioning,

"I can't do it, Emma... Can't let it go. Can't let you be that person who wants him but not me." (OH, HOW original! 😩🤮)

Simon is the one who pushed Emma down the staircase, thus resulting in her death.

"We're at the top of the stairs and he twists me around so I'm facing down into the void. He simultaneously kisses me and pushes me away. Then I'm tumbling, my head cracking on the stone, stair after stair, before the pale floor comes up to meet me and my head explodes."

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Back to Jane, at One Folgate Street: the house is also beginning to experience "technical difficulties." She decides to invite Simon over that night.

He arrives with wine, and makes an innocent comment of,

"Most people think a small amount of alcohol is okay around 15 weeks pregnant."

It is then that Jane realizes she has not told Simon how far along she is. It quickly clicks that Simon has not only been lying to Jane, but spying on her through the house's security as well.

Jane tries to get Simon to leave.

"I'm here now. Besides it'll be like old times. You and me, here together."

Jane hides in the broom closet and tries to use her cell phone, but the signal has been blocked.

"I've got a gadget that blocks cell phone signals," Simon says. "Wi-Fi too."

Then Jane smells gasoline...

"I'm going to burn this place! And I'll be forced to burn you and the baby with it, if you don't come out! Pretend you love me, just for a little while." (Lame)

So Jane takes her pearl necklace off, breaks it, and keeps the pearls in her hand. She leaves the closet and pretends to be Emma. But poor angsty Simon:

"Can't do it, Em. Can't lose you."

Jane makes a run for it, bolting down the staircase as Simon lunges after her. It is then that Jane releases the pearls from her hands, which catch under Simon's feet and make him slip.

"Then he's falling, falling into the void. His body hits the floor first, his head following with a sickening crack. Then the blood seeps from the back of his head and his gaze goes dead."

Shortly after the ordeal, it is time for Jane to give birth. She ends up having a beautiful boy, with Downs Syndrome, and names him Toby.

When Edward comes to visit, he tries to convince Jane to give Toby up for adoption. He tells her the could have a second chance.

"We could try again. You and me -- a clean slate. If you'll give this baby up for adoption... I'll give you One Folgate Street. So will it be the future you were always meant to have? Or this?"

And so, the book ends with Jane, saying,

"I make my decision. I will take what I can from Edward. And then I will let them fade into history, all the characters in this drama."

Jane keeps the baby and leaves Edward -- for good.

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The review: so as I stated in the very first sentence of my post, this book sucked.

First of all, the novel did a terrible job of representing rape victims and survivors. While Emma was a compulsive liar and did lie about the person who raped her, she was still raped by Simon's best friend, Saul. But because she had already lied and couldn't be trusted, the police just never went after him? Granted I don't know a whole lot about how the procedure works, but I found that part rather strange? 😅

Secondly, I took great offense with Jane's character lol. This woman experiences a stillbirth, is heavily traumatized from it, to the point where she doesn't even know if she wants to get pregnant again. Then she does get pregnant again, and the second she hears the words "Downs Syndrome," she considers abortion? Only to realize after he is born anyway, what a beautiful child he is regardless? I have never experienced a stillbirth, but I do have children of my own, and even if they were born with some difficulties, I would still love them regardless. The thought of abortion would never be an option to me. I just can't understand how a mother who already held and buried her child could consider abortion the second time around, but to each their own! "Her body, her choice," right?

Thirdly, it was just very cliché... Especially the situation with Simon. Just the cliché clingy, grovelling ex-boyfriend who can't let the girl go because he'll never do better than her, blah blaaah... As well as Edward Monkford; again, if you've read 50 Shades Of Grey, he's basically a watered-down rip-off of Christian Grey (don't ask me how I know this! 😅😬)

And my last complaint: I couldn't help but observe this at the end of the book:

So this was written by a female author (trust me -- this was written by a woman), who has written best-selling fiction in the past, but decided to use a pseudonym for this novel, despite it being turned into a film (apparently)! Now the only reason I can think as to why she did this, is because she is ashamed. And you can argue that, "hey, maybe she went through those situations herself.." but it is still no reason to write under a pseudonym unless she is ashamed/hasn't obtained closure, and doesn't want to be bombarded by readers' emails and comments. Again, to each their own; I find it cowardly. (Of course, she could have just used a pseudonym "cuz she felt like it" -- who knows?! 😄)

Anyway, I'm sorry if this review came off a tad "brutal." I tend to get a little upset when I waste 4 days of my life reading 335 pages of garbage 😩 I always tell myself, "But hey -- it's a post!"

Thanks for reading!