The Girl on the Train in WACKY READING CHALLENGES

Mar 15, 2017 Michelle rated it really liked it

Shelves: thriller

The only thing I could really say while reading this is, "What the hell is wrong with these people. Their nucking futs..all of them. Not only are they all nuts, they are also creepy as hell. Seriously what sane person does the stuff that Rachael does? How could she and Anna for that fact miss how Tom is a douche canoe. Personally they all were a bit douche, but Tom was head of the pack as Sergeant Douche Canoe. I'm seriously creeped out over this one. ...more

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Nov 11, 2015 *Dawn rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: read-in-2018

"Prettied up" review on Morpheus Reads Book Blog

Audio narrated by Clare Corbett, Louise Brealey, & India Fisher

I was late getting on this train and frankly couldn't wait for the ride to be over. I didn't read the book when all the hype surrounding it was going on, hadn't yet seen the movie, so I didn't know anything about it except that it was a suspense/thriller in the vein of Gone Girl. Now that I've read it, to be honest, I'm a bit disappointed in this one.

Rachel is recovering from a very pai "Prettied up" review on Morpheus Reads Book Blog

Audio narrated by Clare Corbett, Louise Brealey, & India Fisher

I was late getting on this train and frankly couldn't wait for the ride to be over. I didn't read the book when all the hype surrounding it was going on, hadn't yet seen the movie, so I didn't know anything about it except that it was a suspense/thriller in the vein of Gone Girl. Now that I've read it, to be honest, I'm a bit disappointed in this one.

Rachel is recovering from a very painful divorce after a heartbreaking betrayal by her husband. She drowns her sorrows in the bottle and is so far into her alcoholism that she has blackouts every time she drinks. She often will wake up with the immediate sensation of having done something terribly wrong the night before but cannot remember what it is.

She is currently living with a friend in Witney (north of London) and takes the commuter train to and from the city every day so her friend will not know she has been fired from her job for drunkenness. Her train route takes her past her old home where her ex-husband and his new wife and baby still live. A few houses down, she often sees another couple outside of their home as the train passes by, and she becomes a bit obsessed with them and with how she imagines their "perfect" life.

On one of her many drunken evenings, she witnesses a scene from her train window that is disturbing to her, especially when her memories only come back to her in small glimpses. She herself recognizes that she is an unreliable witness; however, that does not stop her from involving herself in the police investigation when the woman she has now become obsessed with has turned up missing and foul play is suspected. Rachel is a compulsive liar, however, and that coupled with her own confusion about recent events and her involvement in them creates a muddle in the case.

I was completely stressed out reading this story due to all the unnecessary, ridiculous, and continuous lying going on, not to mention bad choices made by multiple characters. I honestly didn't find any of the characters redeemable--including the detectives on the case.

I was fervently hoping for the book to end quickly, and when it did, I even found the ending anti-climactic.

I will say that the audio narration was very well done, however, this wasn't as shocking or interesting to me as I was expecting. ...more

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Mar 06, 2017 Debra Barstad rated it really liked it

This was a good book. The ending was a surprise and I did not see that coming. While reading this book it felt like it was simuliar to Gone Girl but it was good. I would suggest this book to anyone that like mystery type books.

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May 10, 2016 Kabrada rated it did not like it · review of another edition

I am not sure I really want to read this. Too much hype, not really my kind of book. But my daughter has to read it for school and I promised her we'd read it together. ...more

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Mar 04, 2015 Marina rated it liked it

Shelves: 2015, thriller, psychological

I liked the idea behind this book - the girl on the train, who watch you and your everyday life, makes up your story and in her head creates this almost perfect couple until one day she sees something...

To me it sounds like a great start for an entertaining, thrilling and captivating book. And "The Girl on the Train" is exactly that for a long time, but it just falls flat.

My biggest issue with the book was the characters. All of them seems to have some sort of mental disorder, and I just found i ...more

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Jan 20, 2015 Jody rated it liked it

Shelves: popsugar-2015

Well, this was definitely a page turner. I was a little put off by the Gone Girl comparisons (because I thought GG was awful) but read this anyway & was pleasantly surprised.

The three narrators had distinctively different voices, which I enjoyed, but I didn't quite see the point of having Anna's POV.

I felt it was a little too long - there was a fair bit in there that didn't really seem to add to the story. I think some pruning could have served it well - by about 75% of the way through I was o ...more

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Dec 16, 2016 Irene rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 3-stars, read-in-2016

3.5 stars
Last quarter of the book was much better than the sluggish first three-quarters. Up until it started picking up, I thought it was a poor imitation of Gone Girl. While I still think Gone Girl is a much better thriller, as it consistently kept me on edge, juggled the multiple perspectives flawlessly, and had multiple, shocking twists, the end of The Girl on the Train (for the most part) redeemed it.

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