This was my first time reading one of Rayner's books and I loved it! Already I am adding The Girl Before You to my 'To Be Read' list.
Initially I found the book started off a little slow and it was hard to know where it was going but quite quickly we start to see through the layers of deception and lies that have encompassed the lives of the characters and you are completely hooked in unraveling this disturbing and chilling story.
Fran has to be one of the strongest characters I have come across in a long time. She reminded me of Eleanor Oliphant in the way that she isn't really the leading lady in her own story and lurks in the background. The level of loneliness that she feels in throughout the book is so raw and real. Feeling emotion like that through a story is so powerful and a true indication of how great a writer Rayner is. I felt a huge range of emotions towards Fran throughout the whole story; frustration, pity, empathy, impatience, and I think it is a testament to how well she was brought to life by Rayner.
The story itself, as I said started off a bit slow but as soon as it gains momentum you embark on a rollercoaster of twists and turns and you don't see many of them coming. From the description of the book, I imagined this to be a standard enough story of someone with an obsession over another person but there is so much more to this story. There were times where I thought I had figured everything out and just when it would be revealed, Rayner would present us with a whole new twist and the ride would continue.
In the end, I flew through this book. It had the right level of suspense, eeriness and mystery that is so hard to find these days. I can't wait to see Rayner's path takes her!
Big thank you to Net Galley for allowing me to read this before its publication.

This is a story about obsession, and the qualities we assign to people we admire.

It's difficult to rate this book as the first half didn't capture me, and the main character's fixation on a married man made me slightly uncomfortable. Then, the second half blew me away! This was full of twists and turns, and I admire the author's ability to create a character who is not likeable, but is still somehow compelling. In general, I would say this book will appeal to fans of domestic thrillers, or readers who are in it for the twists.

3.5 stars

Thank you Netgalley & Avon books UK for this e-ARC!

This is my second book by Nicola Rayner and while I didn't love her first book I am thrilled to say that I thought this one was pretty darn good and I am so happy to have given her a second chance.

This story is about Francesca Knight an awkward and somewhat prudish woman who is still obsessed with her boarding school crush, Charles. Charles, of course, is happily married with beautiful twin daughters but that doesn't stop Fran from following him at work, at play, and at home. It's easy for Fran to hide in the shadows because no one ever notices her anyways.

One night while she is following Charles at the tube station she notices that he is with Dickie, another classmate from their boarding school days, and he is someone that she does not have fond memories of. The tube station is crowded with people and Dickie falls to his death in front of the train. It appears to be an accident but Fran isn't so sure.

After attending his memorial service the people from her past begin to intrude on her quiet life and with it her memories of being Freaky Fran the girl they all took pleasure in picking on.

As the mystery of what happened to Dickie plays out we also learn about Frans boarding school days. Something terrible happened at the school that has caused her and her younger sister Ellie to become estranged and on reflection of these memories Fran is beginning to question everything she thought she knew which shines a light on a whole new mystery, where is Ellie?

I found Fran to be a fascinating character to read about. For as odd as she was I was still able to like her and from what I gather from other reviewers is that I may be alone in that opinion. I thought Raynor did a marvelous job of intertwining the two mysteries and I found both mysteries to be equally compelling. The pacing was perfect, not too fast but not too slow, and the conclusion was satisfying and somewhat shocking. Sometimes the people we think we know best we hardly know at all. 4 stars!

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon Books UK for providing me with a digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This is better than The Girl on the Train! The characters are so vividly described, it is full of suspense and I was kept intrigued right to the chilling finale. Even though Fran is a social misfit you can't help empathising with her as she struggles to weigh reality against her fantasies and recognise people for what they really are.. Strongly recommended for anyone who loves a psychological thriller

It could be something as simple as a passing smile or a secret look that sends shivers down your spine, telling you that they are the one. Its that unspoken connection that drives you to sit and watch their house all night, hoping they might pass a window. Not everyone understands that kind of love, the obsession.
Sometimes while watching, you see things you shouldn't, and you can't tell anyone.

I love stalker/obsession books. I seem to be drawn to them, even though I know it's unhealthy. Something about being immersed in the watching, the heart pounding when they are about to be caught and then the slight hint of relief when the object of obsession makes eye contact, keeps me going.
You And Me is the best kind of stalker thriller. Franny is fixated on Charles at a young age, and continues into adulthood. I find this completely relatable. Whether or not you want to admit it, we all cyber stalk people from our past on Facebook, watching their life in pictures from afar. Franny just wants to be noticed. She's a normal, boring person who no one pays attention to, allowing her to be the observer.
The object of Franny's desire, Charles, is completely aware of her situation. I found him unlikable, selfish and cruel. He plays on her emotions and need to his advantage and allows it to continue.
The premise of the story is that Franny's obsession puts her in the wrong place at the wrong time. How that plays out throughout the book is brilliant. The pieces all fall together perfectly to form the unexpected plot twist. I was shocked and thrilled with the ending, it couldn't have been more perfect.

A perfect book for fans of Netflix's You, that's how this book brands itself. And I think it is suitable, sort of.

Fran is a bit of an old spinster, she spends her days working at a book shop, reading and watching people. Or one person in particular, her old high school crush Charles and the people around him. When one night she follows him and a friend from a bar she sees a horrible accident. The accident sets other events in motion, one being Fran wanting to get in contact with her sister again. She hasn't seen her sister since she packed her bags 3 years ago, she has never met the baby she was carrying at that point. As Fran searches for answers on where her sister is and the accident she witnessed she finds unexpected answers.

You really have to stick with this one in the 1/3 of the book at least, it is off to such a slow and boring start. But it picks up the pace and becomes a bit more thrilling. Usually, with these books I get a pretty good feel for what is going in and I get it right in the end, this one it took me a bit longer, the ending sure is surprising. Although I never warmed up to Fran I did want to know how the story would end. And it is worth it to keep reading until the very end.

3-4 stars, as I almost gave up on this book, but then it finally picked up and grabbed me! It’s definitely slower paced and a bit hard to get into, but after you get through that slower part, wow! Well written, a bit confusing though and seeming as though it might be leading no where, but does tie up nicely by the end! Does provide the thrills and chills and even shocks I love! Do recommend, if you’re one that has the patience to get though to the more meaty parts!

Will make sure to buzz around platforms and use lower amazon reviewer number on release date!

This was a pretty good psych thriller. It started off pretty slow and it was a bit predictable for me but I enjoyed it overall

Loved this book! Such a captivating psychological thriller. There were so many twists and turns with secrets unraveling along the way. Thank you NetGalley!

Thank You Netgalley and the publisher for granting me a copy of this book! This review is strictly based on my honest opinion.

Francesca known as Fran has a secret crush on Charlie, with whom she studied in a boarding school. She meets Charlie at a tube station along with another classmate, Dixie, who had bullied Fran in school. However, Fran witness an accident that will change the life forever. The police labeled that as an accident, since Dixie was drunk but Fran later on believed that somebody had pushed him. Later on, she was wondering about the whereabouts of her younger sister Ellie and there was an incident that was involved in the school when Fran went to school...

To me, the first few chapters were a bit boring. It was a bit initially slow paced and not much thriller except the moaning of the death of Dixie and Fran recounting her feelings towards Charlie, who is married to a woman named Fiona. However, towards the middle and end, the story got interesting with some twists and turns along the way, the ending was unexpected.

The story was really good though it was slow at first and gradually the story got interesting with twists and turns. Worth four stars in my opinion.

Another great novel from Nicola. Fran, the main character has a lot of low confidence and anxiety issues. She feels destined to be with Charles whose best friend died. A good mystery with an ever evolving plot.

Chesterfield - the boarding school where it all began
Fran - always seemingly on the outside, looked on as a freak by her contemporaries
Charles and Dickie - popular, good looking and play for the 1st rugby team
Juliet - pretty and popular
Ellie - Fran’s sister two years below the above group, very pretty, popular especially with the boys

Years later Fran is still on the outside and remains obsessed with Charles who she feels she is destined to be with if only he would notice her. He is now married to Fiona, they live in a huge house with their twins.
Fran and Ellie have fallen out and not seen each other for a few years. Fran has never met Ellie’s baby.
One evening Fran follows Charles and Dickie from a club where they have been drinking, she witnessed something terrible but does not tell anyone to begin with. It is after this that events spiral and it’s difficult to know who is telling the truth about events.

A real cracker, loved this. Gripping to the end.

Oh Goodness, this book seriously surprised me in so many ways.

This book had so many twists and turns and right when you think you know who did it, it’s NOT! Wait what??!!!!!!!! This book was wild, I didn’t expect ANY of this.

Ok, so Fran is a loner, she has been this way for years, she also has this obsessive crush on a guy for YEARS his name is Charles. Anyway on one her spying dates, she follows Charles around and then she witnesses Dickie one of her school bullies die when he got hit my train. This is a huge turning point in the book, because Fran doesn’t want to tell anyone that she’s there because she knows she’s gonna be looked at funny, like she has been all of her life, and she thinks that this situation will bring her and him together, even though he’s married, with children and always treated her like a kid sister. And speaking of sisters, Ellie has been estranged from her and we later find out that Ellie also has secrets along with every person that’s around Fran.

This book has so many secrets, I was left with mouth open, even though it was a slow burn of a book, I loved how the writer build us up in this book, adding secret on top of secret on top of secret. I also loved Fran as a character even though she was very weird at times, with her freaky self. I can say I really liked this book.

Thanks Netgalley and Avon Books UK for letting me read this book. Can’t wait for the rest of the world to get their hands on this one.

Thank you Avon books and Net Galley for an early copy of You and Me. Well the ending was Fantastic But what a train wreck getting there. The most boring story but I Loved the ending, what a twist! It took way too long to get to the good parts of the ending.

Similar to “Girl on a Train” and “The Woman In The Window” this book takes place in the UK and is from the POV of a woman who may or may not be viewing the world from a place of clarity and sanity. And it’s not until the end that you find out the truth.

In this book, Fran witnesses a person with whom she went to school die. She doesn’t know if it’s an accident, homicide or suicide. But it brings up all sorts of repressed feelings from traumatic incidents at school.

It’s a quick fast read and I was engrossed. The only problem is that it gets too unrealistic at times where something like Girl On A Train was believable throughout. I also think the end of this book needs to be rethought and rewritten. The author tries to wrap everything up in 10 pages. Though I appreciate turning the readers entire belief upside down, I think it can be reeled in a little bit more

All in all, despite the flaws, it’s still a worthwhile beach read.

Oh this is such a slow burner of a book, in the best way possible. Then all of a sudden you're half way through and it takes off. This book was everything I hoped it would be, great writing, lots of suspense, excellent characters, family drama, old school mean girls/boys...the list goes on!

The characters were well-developed and easy to envision. I was drawn into the story and there were enough unanswered questions to keep me hooked. The book is told in the first person point of view of the main character, Fran and the author really made you feel for her...the ugly duckling with the low self esteem, who is extremely intelligent.

This is my first book by Nicola Rayner but the title and blurb of this one caught my eye and I was intrigued. I wasn’t disappointed as it was a great story from start to finish. I wouldn't call this a thriller more of a psychological drama but still such a fabulous story, it will have your emotions on high alert. The characters and story-line are beautifully crafted making this one fascinating book. I’ll be keeping an eye out for more of this author's works.

Most teenagers develop a crush on someone at school. An intense feeling that is assumed to be love recedes as real life takes over and genuine relationships develop. Fran, sadly cannot move on in the same way her contemporaries can. Not blessed with good looks or even a natural charm she accepts that the only man she will ever be happy with is Charles, her own schoolgirl crush. She innocently follows him, to his home and his workplace, while he continues his life with his young family blissfully unaware of her attentions. However, one evening when Fran follows Charles after a night out she witnesses a terrible accident where his old school friend, Dickie falls in front of a tube train and is killed. As a witness she is torn between admitting what she saw knowing that revealing this information will alert people to the fact she was following Charles. She wants to confide in her sister Ellie, but they haven’t spoken in several years. A sad tale of terrible loneliness and a desperation of wanting to be liked develops into a suspected murder case. Who can Fran trust? Does her need for a friend make her choose the wrong path? Great writing from Nicola Rayner that highlights the cruel behaviour of teenagers that can unknowingly affect people for many years and a well conceived devious plot too.

This was a just ok read for me- A very slow burner that took a long while to get into. Did not wow me. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to review it.

Freaky Fran still has a big thing for Charles who is her long term crush from school days. Whilst following him one evening she witnessed the death of another schoolboy from that time. Was it an accident that he went under the tube train or somehow tied up with dark events involving her missing sister Ellie.

This is a well constructed story that takes its time to unfurl a good plot line that will keep you guessing to the end. Nice sense of private school, lonely flat/bookshop life and the role of social media in how people connect these days. No need to have read previous books in a series (hurrah!)

Thanks to NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for a fair review.

Fran is a lonely singleton still pining over her school girl crush.

I really really enjoyed this book from the first page! I had previously read the girl before and thought that was really good so requested this via netgalley. I am so pleased I did.
I was sympathetic towards Fran and what she went through at school and how it affects the person when they are older. I also did not see the twist coming until the very very end and I read a lot of these type of books so well done Author!