From the Bookshelf of Amazon Editors' YA Book Club…

The Girl on the Train

Paula Hawkins

Start date: October 7, 2016

Finish date: November 1, 2016

Why we're reading this: While not YA, we've read outside of the genre in the past and our group resoundingly wanted to read this …more
[close] While not YA, we've read outside of the genre in the past and our group resoundingly wanted to read this one for October.

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What Members Thought

Mar 28, 2015 Marylene rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favorites, owned, tyngsboro-food-book-club-read

The author did a really good job with keeping the reader guessing on what's happening throughout the whole book. This book made me want to read just one more chapter, just one more chapter. Im not a quick reader, but this one kept me interested enough to read as much as i could with the time available. I would reccommend this book to anyoneand everyone! ...more

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Mar 01, 2015 Amanda [darjeeling_and_jade] rated it it was ok

I usually review books on [a cup of tea and an armful of books], but since my primary focus there is YA literature (along with a scant few Adult novels), I decided to skip putting this one up, because I don't feel that it will be a long enough review to justify posting it. Whew. Long sentence.

I had heard really good things about this book. It was said to be a "must read" in the vein of Gone Girl, Before I Go To Sleep, and The Silent Wife, all of which I've read. I really loved the first two, bu I usually review books on [a cup of tea and an armful of books], but since my primary focus there is YA literature (along with a scant few Adult novels), I decided to skip putting this one up, because I don't feel that it will be a long enough review to justify posting it. Whew. Long sentence.

I had heard really good things about this book. It was said to be a "must read" in the vein of Gone Girl, Before I Go To Sleep, and The Silent Wife, all of which I've read. I really loved the first two, but just as it happened when I read The Silent Wife, describing a book as another Gone Girl kind of kills it for me. I guess I expect so much more. The Girl on the Train did not give it to me.

This book is fraught with flawed, unreliable characters. It's written from several perspectives, so you get several different point of views of the same event. I like flawed characters, but this pushed the boundary for me. The characters were all disasters in their own way, which didn't make for an enjoyable read. They weren't redeemable disasters.

Rachel, a recently (in her mind) divorced alcoholic, rides trains to keep her roommate from realizing that she's lost her job due to her drinking. She is obsessed with the lives of a "golden couple" that she sees every day as the train goes by the neighborhood she used to live in. She is obsessed with them, and when she sees something that she shouldn't, she knows that she needs to tell someone. It backfires for her, so most of her chapters are dedicated to discovering the gaps in her memory that she's lost because of her drinking.

Tom, Rachel's former husband, married his mistress when he got her pregnant. Anna, the former mistress, is a flake. She hates that Tom protects his former wife even when she harasses them with endless calls and emails when she gets drunk. Anna's chapters focus on this, and are extremely boring. Not that Rachel's are much better, but at least there's a bit of a mystery that Rachel needs to work out.

Scott and Megan, Rachel's golden couple, are not as golden as they appear. Megan is always running from something, even when she should be happy. Scott begs her to go to therapy to talk about the horrible death of her brother, an event that he believes causes all of her anxiety and problems.

As for the big mystery and reveal, it wasn't surprising. It became rather obvious as I was reading what the outcome of the book was going to be. I do understand why this book is compared to other (and in my opinion, better) thrillers, but again, I expected more. I finished the book because I wanted to see if I was right about the ending only to be disappointed when I was. I wish there had been a bigger mystery. I can't say that it really stuck with me the way that Gone Girl did, either.

1.5 stars. ...more

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Jun 03, 2015 Anne rated it liked it

I started reading this because it’s recommended for Gone Girl fans. I’m not really a fan of Gone Girl, but I found that story fresh and riveting. It’s the kind of book that lingers on your mind; something that you will really remember. Plus, I’m totally in love with Gillian Flynn’s other book, Dark Places. For me, that’s her best book.

Anyway, as I was saying, this was recommended supposedly due to its “Gone Girl-esque” story. Well, I was expecting a mind blowing plot. Something that would make ...more

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Apr 21, 2015 Amy S rated it really liked it

Not particularly well written and the female characters' voices were basically interchangeable, but that didn't stop me from staying up past one last night to finish it. ...more

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Nov 06, 2015 Miss Marple rated it really liked it

Shelves: annoying-protagonist, thriller

I'm surprised at the fact I liked this book as much as I did. I'd been avoiding it for a long time because the summary just didn't sound compelling to me, but I'm glad I caved because it was a very enjoyable read.

I say it's a surprise I like it for two reasons. The first is that every single character in this story is absolutely insufferable. Rachel, the main "hero" and the title girl, is the definition of a train wreck. She's an alcoholic, pathetic, whiny and dumb. I spent most of the book want ...more

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Mar 16, 2016 Celestine rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: mystery, thriller, contemporary, audiobooks, read-in-2016

This book was pretty good. I got the audiobook on my Overdrive app because I wanted to watch the trailer for the movie without being spoiled. It was interesting reading from the viewpoint of an unreliable narrator. I don’t read those kinds of books often, so it was a nice change of pace. I also really liked the writing style. I noticed while I was reading this that I initially was interested in the mystery, but then the characters kind of got in the way, and I started wishing the ones that annoy ...more

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Feb 26, 2015 Constance Brooke Tran rated it liked it

This book dragged out longer than it needs to be! Good character development challenges readers' human nature pre judging situations with incorrect outcome. Characters are irritating and I felt no emotional connection nor do I even feel empathy for them. Overall, it was an entertaining read but not the best thriller I've read. ...more

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Sep 16, 2016 Abby rated it it was ok

It is super addicting and draws you in, but I found myself saying "You are all too crazy!!" more often than not. it was hard to find a character to retire to because none of them are reliable narrators. ...more

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