The Girl Before

Cassandra
Jamison
Genre: 
Young Adult

SUSPENSE/THRILLER:  Growing up in the foster care system, Miley is used to new and strange places, but her new foster parents might be some of the strangest. A house full of porcelain dolls and a locked basement she is forbidden to enter are just the tip of the iceberg. It doesn’t take Miley long to make enemies in her new town, and soon she is getting in fights and causing problems. Although Sawyer, a young cop and her foster parent’s son, takes her under his wing, she doesn’t stop getting into trouble. Soon, one of her fellow classmates is dead and someone keeps calling 911 at her new house. Something bad is going on and Miley does not know whom she can trust — possibly Sawyer, definitely not her foster parents, maybe Heath the outcast at her school? All she knows is how to survive but maybe this time she will not be so lucky. 

Prepare to be shocked when reading this book. Full of twists and turns “The Girl Before” will keep readers on their toes with one surprise after another. With colorful and interesting characters, from the "no nonsense" Miley to misunderstood Heath, readers will devour this book until the very end. However, with only 137 pages, the story passes in a rush, leaving readers feeling a bit overwhelmed and confused. While it is an intriguing concept overall, the book should be fleshed out more to help readers understand some of the most intricate parts of the story. Despite this, the story is one of mystery and suspense that will leave readers wondering how exactly they did not see it coming. 

Hannah Hurdle