The People Before: A gripping, twisty suspenseful psychological thriller for 2023 that will keep you up all night!

Reviews

Melanie’s reads

Narrated by Jess you feel that the move was very much her husband’s decision and she just went along with it. Don’t want to scare yourselves silly - haha. The different POVs really made the story! An easy reading solid thriller that had a perfect setting and plenty of chill for a winter read.

Mrsbookburnee

The occurrences in the house left me unsettled and I truly felt for Jess and the children. Such a fantastic book! Showing the measures people will take to be ‘perfect’ and the extreme measures that people will go to reflect their opinions/idealisms on others.

Griffy

It then switched narrative to Eve who works in the local gallery and is the one to bring some warmth into Jess’s life and plenty of ideas on restoring their new home. Whilst this book is very creepy (the mental images I had of the basements were as mental as Dr Cavendish 😂) I loved the interactions within the group and was cracking into at some of the stuff they were coming out with. The prologue instantly sets in the creep, using all the senses to evoke the feeling that you are not alone. I’d say this is a great book for the bleak winter months ahead.

Book lover

The change of narration gave a new perspective but it also created a loss of the creepy tension that was so prevalent at the start. I'd recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a gripping, unputdownable read. I slipped into Jess’s story with ease and greedily devoured it, eager to know what was happening. I’d sum ‘The People Before’ up as having bags of mystery with the chill factor!

That barn, those trees, and the parents at the school gate - what a lonely and claustrophobic setting for a newbie to the area. I loved this creepy, atmospheric book. This continues throughout part one of the book as Jess and Pete move from London, after a home invasion, to Maple House in Suffolk.

I enjoyed the twists and turns. Jess made a fabulous protagonist with her inability to settle and her secrets. However she wants the idyllic life in the countryside to become a reality for their two children.

The tension builds from the early chapters and I could really relate to the characters, as I've been in the situation of moving to a new house and wondering if I've made a terrible mistake. I devoured it, taking in every word while being fully immersed in this spine-tingling novel.