The Girl on the Train

by Paula Hawkins

Rachel takes the same commuter train every morning. Every day she rattles down the track, flashes past a stretch of cozy suburban homes, and stops at the signal that allows her to daily watch the same couple breakfasting on their deck. She’s even started to feel like she knows them. “Jess and Jason,” she calls them. Their life—as she sees it—is perfect. Not unlike the life she recently lost.

And then she sees something shocking. It’s only a minute until the train moves on, but it’s enough. Now everything’s changed. Unable to keep it to herself, Rachel offers what she knows to the police, and becomes inextricably entwined in what happens next, as well as in the lives of everyone involved. Has she done more harm than good?

A compulsively readable, emotionally immersive, Hitchcockian thriller that draws comparisons to Gone Girl, The Silent Wife, or Before I Go to Sleep, this is an electrifying debut embraced by readers across markets and categories.

My review.............4 stars

So unless you are living under a rock, you've probably seen or heard something about this book. The fact that it's being compared to Gone Girl really bugs me (most of us who read a lot are tired of it ok?). It's a psychological thriller, and I guess publishers think this new comparison is going to sell more books. I get it, but I'm over it. But I digress.........

This was a great read. Very engaging, you are immediately caught up in Rachel's world, and soon caught up in the plot (to the tune of "what the heck is going on here?"). It's definitely a book that keeps you turning pages to find out what is going to happen. I did figure out the whoodunit well before the end (and I'm not a big mystery reader/crime solver). I've read some reviews where that bothered people, but it didn't me. I was happy that I figured it out (for once). What kept me from giving this 5 stars is that there wasn't really a likable character at all. Even though I was rooting for Rachel to get it together, she kept frustrating me with her behavior throughout the book. I really needed someone to love and feel sorry for, and none of the characters brought that to me.

Overall a fast paced, interesting, and intriguing book. I flew through it, and it left me very satisfied at the end.