Book: The Girls Before
Author: Kate Alice Marshall
Thank you, NetGalley and Macmillan Audio, for an advanced audio copy.
As a fan of Kate Alice Marshall and someone who said What Lies in the Woods was their favorite book of 2023, I was excited to jump into The Girls Before.
The book is told from 4 perspectives: before, after, above, and below. The premise has me hooked, and I liked the presentation. There are missing girls, and someone is looking for a missing friend. I loved that the above and below perspectives were literally that. Below is the perspective of a stranger being locked in a basement, and above is Audrey looking for her missing friend.
Immediately, I got vibes of Megan Lally’s That’s Not My Name, which I loved, but unfortunately, the honeymoon phase ended early, and I found myself bored and having a hard time getting invested.
I don’t know what it was, but something just stopped me from getting fully invested. Everything seemed to move so slowly, and even though the stakes were high, I didn’t feel a sense of urgency as the plot progressed. When we reached the conclusion, it was a predictable ending that I saw coming long before the reveal.
Overall, The Girls Before is not a bad thriller, but it lacks something unique and special that Marshall’s other novels have. This is still one I would recommend.
Final score: 3/5