The Girl On The Train – Paula Hawkins

I know I’m late on the bandwagon with this book but I’m so glad that I finally read it as it lived up to the hype and was an exciting and thrilling read which kept me on the edge of my seat. I did however figure out who the killer was earlier in the book which I was very impressed with as I never normally do, nevertheless it was an intense ride and didn’t spoil my reading experience!

Rachel takes the same commuter train every morning and night. 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. And then she sees something shocking. It’s only a minute until the train moves on, but it’s enough. Now everything’s changed.

The storyline was gripping and with loads of plot twists and clever reveals and I really liked the concept of Rachel’s memory loss which helped keep the mystery behind the storyline. The different perspectives also I thought worked really well however if I could make one improvement, I would have loved to have seen parts of the story from the perspective of both Scott and Tom as they both played large roles in the story and it would have been nice to see their view and reactions on events.

All the characters in this book were horrible and I hated every single one of them but that is what made this book great, you couldn’t root for the protagonist instead you felt disappointed and constantly annoyed with her. However despite her terrible attitude and actions, I was rooting for her to discover who the murderer was and recover her memories. To feel pity, disgust, frustration, compassion, and so much more for one character is a rare and unique thing which I don’t think I’ve seen before, but enjoyed.

Overall, this was a great read which kept me on the edge of seat and I can see what all the hype was about so I will give it 4/5 stars! I know this a short review but I don’t want to give anything away for those who haven’t read it and I now look forward to the release of the film in October.