Whoa! How is the hottest book of the summer actually on the shelf? How does this not have a hold list a mile long? I couldn't believe my luck and snatched the book immediately! I took it home and started to read...I was totally drawn in and couldn't put the book down.
But...
It wasn't the book I thought it was!
I thought I had picked up The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins. In reality, I had picked up Girl on a Train by A.J. Waines. Talk about similar titles! I assumed that the cover was different than what I'd seen all over social media because sometimes publishers put out more than one edition, changing the cover art from edition to edition. No big deal, right?
I'm not sure when I realized that Girl on a Train and The Girl on the Train were two different books, but as I read through the first one, I realized that I actually didn't care.
I LOVED Girl on a Train! I couldn't put it down and was annoyed when I had to stop reading to do those pesky tasks like going to work, sleeping, or taking care of my life. I was enthralled and couldn't get enough of the story. A.J. Waines put together a gripping mystery and thriller. At several points I thought I knew what was going to happen next only to be proven wrong. It was a page turner and I will definitely be reading more by Waines in the future!
Now, fast forward to this past month. I found myself stuck at the airport, my flight delayed, and nothing but boredom ahead. I hadn't brought a bunch of books or magazines or other distractions as I was taking a fast trip and wouldn't have much downtime. So, what does a girl do? She heads to the travel mart and picks up a few books, among them The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins.
I remembered what a huge hit The Girl on the Train had been and a few friends with similar reading tastes had greatly enjoyed it. Why not give it a read?
I wanted to love The Girl on the Train.
I wanted to put it down and exclaim, "That was totally worth it!"
I wanted to agree with my friends that this had been an amazing book purchase!
I couldn't do any of those three things.
In fairness, I did enjoy The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins. I found the novel's style and storyline interesting. I would recommend it as an interesting read.
While Girl on a Train by A.J. Waines was a straightforward novel told from one point of view, The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins was told from alternating points of view, bouncing among three female characters and two timelines. Each character was well developed and thus it was pretty easy to keep track of who was narrating each section. Unfortunately, I didn't find The Girl on the Train as suspenseful as I had hoped it would be. Both are worth reading, but ultimately, The Girl on the Train was at least entertaining.
I originally rated Girl on a Train by A.J. Waines as a 5 out of 5 must read in THIS blog post. I'm giving The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins a 4 out of 5.
Have you read either? Both? What did you think?
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