Highly entertaining and creepy. 3.5/5 stars. 
 This review was originally posted on my book blog. 
 This book will do very well. The premise is great, if rather batty (who would honestly agree to live in a house with so many restrictive rules. You're not allowed books! Come on!). The story is entertaining with an impressive number of twists to keep you guessing. When it comes to uncovering who was responsible for Emma's death, there are enough plausible suspects to keep you intrigued. 
 On the whole it's easy to read, although the dialogue in Emma's chapters isn't marked off by inverted commas, which can slow the pace down as you try to separate speech from thought. 
 And, if you like creepy, this book delivers it in spades. As the story alternates between "Emma chapters" in the past and "Jane chapters" in the present, the parallels between the women's experiences are gradually revealed and the similarities at times, particularly in their relationships with Edward, made me shudder. 
 However, I have issues with the sexual politics of a story in which the two main characters are largely ok with having a narcissist trying to control them. I can't really say more than that because it could be giving away some major plot points (sorry!). 
 I also felt things started to go haywire in the last quarter of the book as the twisting and turning went too far, pushing the plot from far-fetched to ridiculous. So while I wasn't bored for a single second while reading The Girl Before, I have to confess to a fair bit of tutting and eye-rolling. 
 Overall: fans of creepy psychological thrillers will love The Girl Before. I'm sure it will be very successful and I look forward to seeing how closely the upcoming film adaptation sticks to the book. 
 Thank you to Quercus Books and NetGalley for the e-ARC.