The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins

I thought I would review one of my favorite thrillers so far (besides Gone Girl).  The Girl on the Train is a fast-paced, engaging thriller that hooks you from the first chapter.  Without giving too much away, the story is about Rachel, a girl stuck in time and routine, lamenting everything she has lost and regretting the person she has become because of it.  Rachel takes the same commuting train every day, twice a day.  The same thing over and over.  The only thing that gets her through the day is watching a couple - who she names Jess and Jason, since she doesn't know them - every time she reaches one of her stops.  She sees their life, how perfect it is.  It is nostalgic to her.  She used to have a life like that, once upon a time. and she enjoys watching Jess and Jason as they have breakfast, as they embrace, as they smile and love each other.  It's all perfect.  She evens creates imaginary lives for them: their families, their personalities and their hobbies.  There is no need to meet them personally.  Beauty can be admired from afar.

I think this perfectly sums how she traveled
on her daily commute

Then something happens.  Something fast, sudden; it goes by quickly - but enough to tell Rachel that something is not right.  Then things get worse, and Rachel decides to take what she knows to the police.  Before she knows it, Rachel is dragged into a mess that she had no business being in.  Her involvement makes things worse, and soon, she will learn the high cost of it.

I came across this book in Target.  I kept seeing there, but knowing the sudden rise of Gone Girl (having read the book and seen the movie), I thought this would be another "Gone Girl".  Curious, I read reviews online.  Half of them said that it was mind-blowing and original; the other half compared it to Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn and The Good Girl by Mary Kubica.  I hesitated.  I didn't need another one of those for the time being.  There was no space for originality if it followed that same thought, I used to say.

Yet it kept popping in all stores, and I kept getting emails from book sites about how good it was.  I was going through an inner struggle, because by then, I was part of a book challenge with my sister.  And knowing that I am kinda slow reading if it doesn't hook me from page 1, I didn't want to risk wasting time with this.  And it still kept showing its face.

I was searching for the challenge of "read a mystery or thriller".  I searched online for thriller/mystery books with mind-blowing twists.  Guess who was there, along with Gone Girl?  Yeah, you guessed it.  The Girl on the Train!

So I gave in and read it.

Wow.  This was me:

"Why can't I read faster?!"

Then, when it all hit the fan...

"Rachel... don't.  Oh, God...  Did she really do that?!"

When things got worse (obviously) (Pardon the language)

And when the BIG reveal came, when we get to the denouement ...

"Huh... I wasn't expecting - wait... WHAT?!"

My experience?

Well, I think the GIFs pretty much covered it.  But to summarize, the book was great!  I read Gone Girl before this, and I have to say both are good in their own way.  But I liked this one a teeny-bit more.  Why?  Because it felt... different.  Contrary what people say, it is not the same story or the same ending.  The style is familiar, since it has similar narrations: a present POV and a past POV leading to the events in the present.  That's the only thing these book share.  Even then, it seems unfair to compare one book to another, since they are very different.

Now, Rachel is a little untrustworthy (for reasons explained in the book), and I found her a little unlikable... in a good way, in a way that made the character really interesting.  Don't get me wrong, that's the thing I liked about her.  She's a woman that gave up on life, and has a voice unlike any I've read before.  She's dragging her life over her shoulder, and you can feel that.  You get a little involved in her head and how she copes with life - until something happens.  It quickly redirects your attention to this new situation, and suddenly you've forgotten about her problems (like she did) and focus on this new situation.  It's like Paula Hawkins puts you on a train of thought (see what I did there? jeje) and takes you in the same mindset as Rachel.

Yet you don't like her that much (I didn't particularly like her, but I stayed with her 'till the end), but you get dragged into her problems with her and don't leave until you've solved it.  Even with Rachel making horrible choices and making things much worse, you still stay, because you have no freaking idea how this will end (or if it will end, for that matter).

Then there is this HUGE mystery that keeps you on the book and won't let go.  Rachel keeps screwing things up, which changes all possible theories you make along the way.  She keeps making mistakes, over and over, and suddenly the ending is unpredictable.  I loved it!

"Rachel, no!  Stop!"  "I told you not to do it!"
"Did you see what just happened?" "If only you've listened!"

Do I recommend it?

Do you like an unpredictable ending?  Do you like a fast-paced thriller with twists and turns and a HUGE piece missing that you just can't solve?  Then yes, I recommend it... yes, you should buy it.  It's a simple book, easy to read and easy to follow.  Yet the story is complex and multi-layered.  Like all mysteries and thrillers, you get piece by piece of the truth, and you quickly make a theory with it.  Then you get another, and it changes EVERYTHING.  Back to the drawing board.

I honestly loved it.  So much, that I could honestly say, without a doubt, that this is my favorite thriller to date.  I loved the beginning, the middle, the end, the character, the resolution, Rachel's constant screw-ups... everything!  If someone asks me "what should I read next?", I quickly tell them: "The Girl on the Train!  Go!  Don't think too much!  Go buy it!  Read it!  Read it!  Read it!"

Right now, my sister is starting out in mystery/thriller.  I introduced her to Hercule Poirot, and I suggested her Dean Koontz, Dan Brown and even Gillian Flynn (apparently, she is waiting for someone to give her permission to read them, because they are still in her bookcase... waiting.)  Still, she asked for a suggestions for thriller books.  This is basically my reaction every time she asks (minus the book flying; I treasure books too much for that):

"Read it!  You're not getting any younger and neither is the book!"
"Nisha, no!  Drop that Nicholas Spark right now!"
"Don't you dare read anything else!"

I don't recall any mature scenes, not explicit ones at least, so it's probably good and appropriate for young adults.  Most of it is either discussed or mentioned.  If I were to rate it like a movie, I'd say it had drinking and violence.  Maybe language I guess (don't really recall).  I have to mention that the book gets considerably darker as it progresses - like really, really dark - as you get closer to the truth.  And it's quite unsettling when it's all resolved.  But again, I think it's perfect for a young adult that plans to read his/her first mystery/thriller.  I don't know if this is Paula Hawkins' debut novel, and if it is, then she has a bright future before her.  The woman can write.  And if she has more, then sign me up.  I will have to keep an eye on her works, if there are more.  She has gained a fan in me.  Go and read it!

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Hi bookworms!  I hope you liked this review!  And I hope I didn't give away too much.  If you liked my review, have a suggestion, idea or feel differently about the book, feel free to comment below.  Oh!  And follow me for more!  Happy Reading!