The Girl On The Train | Book Review

I mentioned this book in my summer reading list, and I’m so glad I finally got around to reading it. Everyone was telling us how good The Girl On The Train was. Ash and I love to channel our inner “Nancy Drew”. We love mysteries, and love trying to figure out the endings of things. This past weekend we binge watched Scream: The TV Series. Needless to say, we figured out the ending around episode 4. This is not a testament to the lack of creativity on the show, we are just VERY good at figuring things out. The Girl On The Train was no different. Reading books like this is a fun game for me, and this one did not disappoint.

Here is a review/synopsis taken from amazon.com:

Intersecting, overlapping, not-quite-what-they-seem lives. Jealousies and betrayals and wounded hearts. A haunting unease that clutches and won’t let go. All this and more helps propel Paula Hawkins’s addictive debut into a new stratum of the psychological thriller genre. At times, I couldn’t help but think: Hitchcockian. From the opening line, the reader knows what they’re in for: “She’s buried beneath a silver birch tree, down towards the old train tracks…” But Hawkins teases out the mystery with a veteran’s finesse. The “girl on the train” is Rachel, who commutes into London and back each day, rolling past the backyard of a happy-looking couple she names Jess and Jason. Then one day Rachel sees “Jess” kissing another man. The day after that, Jess goes missing. The story is told from three character’s not-to-be-trusted perspectives: Rachel, who mourns the loss of her former life with the help of canned gin and tonics; Megan (aka Jess); and Anna, Rachel’s ex-husband’s wife, who happens to be Jess/Megan’s neighbor. Rachel’s voyeuristic yearning for the seemingly idyllic life of Jess and Jason lures her closer and closer to the investigation into Jess/Megan’s disappearance, and closer to a deeper understanding of who she really is. And who she isn’t. This is a book to be devoured. -Neal Thompson

I read the book in about 48 hours, and I figured out the ending with about 80 pages left. I still absolutely adored every minute of it. It was so intriguing. I just couldn’t stop reading. If you liked Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn, I think you would really enjoy this book. I hate to compare it to Gone Girl, because it is not the same story, but I would categorize them in the same genre. The Girl On The Train has underlying themes of people watching, withholding information, and human conflict which are a lot of things people struggle with, which makes this book relate-able.

The Girl On The Train is one of those books where there is a cliffhanger in every chapter, so you never want to put it down. When it hits 3 A.M. you finally have to tell yourself to put the book down even if you don’t want too. I honestly wish Paula Hawkins had more books so I could read them.

Let us know if you have read The Girl On The Train, and tell us your favorite book in the comments below!

Shelby xx