I would like to thank netgallery & HQ for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest and unbiased review !

**
i honestly enjoyed reading this book so much, i started reading this morning and i could not put it down. the plot was unique and enjoyable, it grabs your attention as soon as you start reading, which is amazing. most of the characters were fully developed and you can actually relate and sympathize with them; the sadness fern felt, the frustration paul was having with fern, it all felt so natural. I also enjoyed the dynamic duo between fern and her mother-in-law, tina. you can see the relationship growth between the two and I really enjoyed that. tina is definitely my favorite character.

the reason i rated it a 3, instead of a 5 is because there were some parts in story that felt boring and some questions that were seemingly unanswered or was not explained. I think there was a lot going on in the book and too much characters, that while someone character you can see how developed they were, others kind of just faded away, like eddie and emily. paul was gone halfway through the book and kinda just reappeared at the end, other characters you just completely forgot about. it was also a lot going on with the mystery of marte along side the whole seeing her twin sister’s ghost.

the ending was okay, not the best of the best ending, it felt kind of rushed and flat towards the end. but overall, it is still an exciting read because you can see yourself wanting to find out more and more, it was definitely a page turner for sure!

review is also on my bookstagram page: @readswithyonce

Thank you to Net Galley and the publishers for permission to read this ahead of release!

I have to say , I really enjoyed this book! I found the storyline intriguing , whilst also tying together very nicely - I didn’t think any twist/plot point was out of place or forced in there

I also loved the characters , Tina in particular was a favourite of mine! It’s lovely to see a mother in law portrayed in a positive and loving way. I will admit that Paul overreacted a lot in my opinion , but I understand why he had to leave for the plot to progress

I have to say I did not see Richard and Linnys relationship coming until a chapter or two before the reveal , it was very cleverly done with the distraction of Marte

I finished this book in one afternoon , I couldn’t put it down !

The only reason I have rated this 4 stars rather than 5 is because the ending felt quite quick , a lot of the book was spent trying to find a few answers (even though it was still a good read) and then everything seemed to go full speed ahead at the end

All in all a fantastic read and I would recommend

Once a twin, always a twin.

A twin’s death doesn’t erase them from one’s identity, rather, the severing of this unique bond means a loss of mutual dependence and an increased fear of being alone. Author Jennifer Moore explores the profound grief of a surviving twin and the lengths one will go to regain a dynamic sense of togetherness.

Piggybacking on this theme is Moore’s examination of the subsequent risk to a surviving twin’s mental health and the role of support during bereavement. Her protagonist is a struggling soul who desperately needs support and is unfortunately not receiving it from those she should be able to rely on the most. This leads the surviving twin to establish necessary and creative ways to garnish support. This foray segways into the paranormal or supernatural and gives the narrative spooky vibes.

While I did enjoy the story, I felt that it would have had better continuity had the nightmares been integrated better into the story. I don’t have a solution, but I did notice that I lost interest and skimmed, even put the book down, several times when they appeared. I also struggled with the quirky formatting of my arc and the undeveloped plot threads which left me begging for answers.

Regardless of my personal preferences, this author has potential in this genre and I look forward to seeing where it takes her. This book kept me guessing and tied up with a satisfying ending. The author writes amazing children’s books and this is her first adult novel.

I was gifted this advance copy by Jennifer Moore, HQ Digital, and NetGalley and was under no obligation to provide a review.

Spooky and gripping thriller. I enjoyed it from beginning to end. Might not appeal to everyone, but I loved it. Not run of the mill, interesting premise and interesting ending.

Fern is grieving for her twin sister who died in a road traffic accident. Her husband Paul decides it would be a good idea to move house for a fresh start. Fern goes to look round the house and meets Marte a young woman who is pregnant (as is Fern) and who claims to be the owner of the house. However when they move into the house it turns out that she is not the owner and that the house has been through several owners in the past few months. Fern becomes obsessed with finding out who Marte is, to the despair of her husband who thinks she has imagined Marte. At the same time, Fern also thinks she can see her dead sister.

I wish there had been a warning that there is a supernatural element to this book. I would have known to stay clear of it. Overall I didn't enjoy this book. The writing is good but the plot is full of holes and unresolved issues. For example, the previous owners seem scared of Marte. Why? All those house moves within a few years. Why? Why were the Rochesters so angry with Fern for contacting them? It seemed to me that the author had just forgotten to tie up these loose ends. Thanks to NetGalley and HQ for the ARC. I'm sure there will be many who really enjoy this, as I say the writing is good, but it wasn't for me.

I found this book to be very well written and it definitely held my attention from the very beginning. The story follows Fern, a pregnant lady who is still struggling with the death of her twin. There’s a bit of a paranormal theme throughout and everything comes together nicely at the end.

This may not be a very original idea for a book but it is delivered to ensure the reader’s attention. Fern and Paul move into a new house in part trying to have a fresh start after the death of Fern’s twin Linette in a road accident. She is haunted by the tragedy. She believes someone who doesn’t seem to exist showed her round her new house and they do fine relics of the previous occupant in the early days. Someone called Marte who was pregnant haunts .Fern who is psychologically troubled. That leads to Paul getting his mother Tina to come and stay with them. Gradually, the plot unravels as Tina’s new neighbours reveal some of the street’s secrets about The Woman Before. The book builds up to a satisfying conclusion. The story is well told and the characters believable. I recommend it.

Another thriller! To be honest, this thriller wasn’t my favorite. There was some supernatural elements, which I am just really not a fan of. I did love the premise of the book and the mystery behind the woman who used to live in the house, but 👻 throw me off. The story had some good twists and I did (mostly) enjoy the ending. If you don’t mind the supernatural, check this thriller out!

This was an uncomfortable read. Fern has clearly struggled with the death of not only her sister but her mother from years before. She just doesn't want to believe her sister is gone.
Throughout the book I just wanted her to get better help because what she was getting wasn't working. In fact she was getting worse as the book went on.
Her husband wasn't much help.

An issue I had was the flow of the book felt a little messy. I found myself getting taken out of the book everytime we got to her dreams.

I had questions throughout the book. Who was Marte? Was her sister still alive? Gemma? These questions are why I continued reading.
I don't know if that was a good decision because by the end I was wondering what I just read. I was honestly a little lost.

Thank you NetGalley and HQ for the copy of The Woman Before. This book had a great premise, but it wasn't for me. The story started out great, but then started to get muddled and confusing. I liked the spookiness of it, but it was very predictable to me. I couldn’t connect with the characters. I got tired of Fern always going on about her sister, and Paul was not a good husband. This would be a great beach read if you don’t delve too deep into the characters or the story!

A gripping thriller about secrets and tragedy. Enjoyable light summer read. I did guess the ending but it kept me reading all the same.

Story very well written, captivating, easy to read & page turner.

I am voluntarily reviewing a copy I received free via NetGalley.

When Fern and Paul move into the large old house on crenellation Lane with beautiful high ceilings and a luscious garden they think they’ve found their dream home after the devastating loss of Fern’s twin sister it will be a fresh start and somewhere to raise their first baby a destructive obsession but as soon as they arrive Fern starts having terrifying nightmares about the woman who lived there before when the woman showed Fern around they bonded over their pregnancies now Fern can’t let go Paul fears his wife has relapsed obsessing in the same way she did after her twins death a fatal secret Fern questions the neighbours about the previous owner but nobody wants to talk it’s like the woman never existed
A really good psychological thriller totally recommend I couldn’t put it down
Thank You NetGalley and HQ
I just reviewed The Woman Before by Jennifer Moore. #TheWomanBefore #NetGalley

This was a pretty decent thriller. I loved the spooky stuff. I'd love to read some horror from this author. The ending, however, really let me down. I was so disappointed. After such a great build up I was hoping for an explosive conclusion, but no. Totally flat and lacking.

Thank you HQ and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. IYKYK, my reviews are always honest.

Writing: 4/5 | Plot: am I on acid/5 | Ending: COME BACK AND FINISH THIS RIGHT NOW/5

THE PLOT

Fern is pregnitos and grieving the loss of her twin sister, Linny, so obvi it's the perfect time to move into a creepy and potentially haunted old house. Who is the mysterious lady that showed Fern around that no one seems to want to discuss? Is Linny really dead? Wagwan????

THIS BOOK IS LIKE...

... if you were knitting the sickest scarf known to all mankind and you were doing some kind of intricate pattern that would only reveal itself once finished. And then just as the pattern is coming together with 20% left to go, you get up and announce DONE with the needles and yarn and stuff all hanging off it.

MY OPINION

Ok if you can get past the godawful format of this ARC (I reached out for a corrected version and never heard back), the writing is actually solid. Moore sprinkles in dark humor with thoughtful prose. The brazy ass dreams Fern had were SPOOKY AF. I think Moore would be better off writing a straight up horror, because this was in no way a thriller. ALSO I WOULD'VE APPRECIATED A HEADS UP ON DA SUPERNATURAL STUFF. SO HERE IS THE HEADS UP FOR FUTURE READERS WHO DON'T LIKE SUPERNATURAL.

Anyways. As I said above, I thought this book was going to finish with a bang. I was excited to see who Marte was, if Linny was really alive, what tf happened to Gemma, etc... but instead Moore said SIKE and just yeeted her unfinished scarf out the window—needles and all. There were soooo many unanswered questions. Why were the Rochesters so scared of Marte? Why didn't Fern just reach out to Gemma and say DID YOU SEE MARTE OR NAH?? Why did April act so cold to Fern and then without explanation was her bestie again? WTF WAS THAT ENDING???? SOMEONE ANSWER MEEEE!!

PROS AND CONS

Pros: solid writing—esp of the spooky ass dreams, funny in parts

Cons: too many unanswered questions, no warning about the supernatural elements, digital arc format was whack af and ruined the flow of the story

Thank you to netgalley for the opportunity to read this debut.
Unfortunately this book wasnt for me. I tried really hard but i felt i couldn't connect with the characters and the storyline just didnt keep me gripped .
The author did try very hard but i felt there was something missing but i cant quite put my finger on it. I wouldnt say no to reading from this author again but unfortunately this particular read wasnt for me

I enjoyed the ride this book book me on. The story had me captivated throughout this book. Really enjoyed the story!

I really enjoyed this book! It started off a little slow in the beginning, but once it picked up it had me hooked!

A really clever book that is part thriller, part ghost story and fully about the struggles Fern has, pregnant and grieving the loss of her twin sister.
Fern bonds with the owner of the house as she conducts the second viewing but all is not as it seems and Ferns fragile mental health is pushed to the boundaries of reality more than once with no-one really hearing her scream.
I really liked the flourishing relationship between Fern and her mother in law in the face of her marriage crumbling and her nightmares growing- it was a relief for her to have some support!
A great story with a hugely satisfying ending.

I am sorry to say that i just didn't get this book, it was hard work and i ended up skipping so much of it.
I found the characters unrelatable and the whole thing just dragged on far to long.

Thanks and apologies to the publisher and NetGalley for an early copy and sorry to have left such a negative review.