The Girls Before

How it reads

The Girls Before is thriller (domestic psychological thriller, specifically), and its dominant mood is tense. The suspense is the kind you feel in your shoulders. It moves fast: plot-driven and hard to put down, the kind of book that carries you along even when you're tired.

It's set in a suburban setting, in the present day, told across two timelines. Its central concerns are secrets, family and loss and grief. In weight it's light and escapist — easy to fall into.

It stands alone, so there's nothing else you need to read first or after. The ending is left open, for you to argue about. At 309 pages it's a quick read. It's moderately known: read by plenty of people, but not a household name.