Wow Emma Curtis has done it again. Once again I was totally addicted and hooked on this book and needing to reach for my kindle at every opportunity to keep reading it.

Although I had inklings as to what may have happened I definitely didn't get everything and I found this a brilliant book to read.

Amnesia is great for a psych thriller, it allows a slow reveal of info in a jumbled order, as the main character regains snatches of memory, and each thing she remembers makes you start thinking in different directions.

The only think I found slightly unsettling about this book was the main character shares my name, and I kept thinking I was her, which was rather odd. There are so many layers to uncover as the story unfolds, and we discover more about her marriage to Anthony, the interactions with a commuter on the tube, and we also get great insights into her step-daughter Claudia.

This book fried my head as I tried to keep up with every twist and turn, and I loved it all the more for it. Was a thrilling read that totally captured my attention.

I think this is an author that is going from strength to strength and I'm loving read each and every book of it.

Thank you to Corvus and Netgalley for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily.

Rachel wakes up from a coma to learn her husband is dead and her first words are that she killed him but she remembers nothing of that time. Could she really have done it? The police and her step-daughter think so and even that she had an affair but she only has flashes of a man on her commute. What is the truth and can she remember in time?

Well this was quite the adventure. It was a bit of a slow start getting into it but it did pick up and then it got dramatic. Its got unreliable narrator feels to it with a sense of is anyone who we think they are. The plot is twisted and leaves you guessing for much of the story. Then that ending wow not quite what I expected and yet it worked. I can see how it all came to be. The characters are tough to like as you're not sure on anyone but I did warm to Rachel by the end of it. A brilliant dark thriller.

I’m sorry, this wasn’t for me. I was looking forward to reading it and I know it has its audience, but, from the initial introduction to the lead character, through to her gullibility at the end, I just felt frustration and irritation.

I’m grateful for the opportunity to preview, but, I didn’t like it.

The Commuter by Emma Curtis is a psychological thriller that grips you from the very first page and doesn’t let go. With a premise that is both compelling and chilling, Curtis delivers a rollercoaster ride of suspense, guilt, and twists that will leave you questioning everything you think you know.

The story follows Rachel Gordon, who wakes up from an induced coma after a serious car accident to learn that her much older husband, Anthony, is dead. Rachel cannot remember anything about the past month of her life, including the events surrounding her husband’s death. The police believe she’s involved, and soon, Rachel’s own memory becomes a haunting blur. She begins to piece together fragmented memories of a man she encountered regularly on her commute - a stranger who could be the key to unlocking the mystery of her husband’s death. But is Rachel’s memory trustworthy? Was it an affair, or was she involved in something far darker?

The plot is a masterclass in tension and unreliable narration. Curtis expertly weaves a story where fact and fiction are in a constant battle. Rachel’s search for answers is fraught with doubt and paranoia, making the reader question her innocence at every turn, and Curtis drops just enough clues to keep you hooked, but never enough to fully satisfy your theories until the final pages.

Rachel is a flawed character. Her vulnerability makes her both sympathetic and unreliable, and this keeps you constantly on edge. You want to believe her, but then again, you wonder if she’s hiding something even darker.

The pacing is excellent, with Curtis balancing character development and suspense in a way that keeps the reader eagerly turning pages. The twists come at just the right moments, and by the time you think you have the mystery figured out, Curtis pulls the rug out from under you.

The central mystery - who is the man Rachel met on her commute and what role, if any, does he play in the events leading to Anthony’s death - is both engaging and unsettling, keeping you hooked as you try to put the puzzle together.

The Commuter is a thrilling, page-turning ride that explores themes of guilt, memory, and the complexity of human relationships. Nothing is as it seems, and every revelation raises new questions. It’s a psychological thriller that will keep you guessing until the very end.

The author masterfully created an atmosphere of dread and suspense. I couldn’t stop reading, desperate to know how it would all end.

This is a well paced thriller.
At first, I thought I wasn't enjoying it, not clicking with the main character but once the twists started, I was hooked.
The author kept me guessing, couldn't put this down from about 25% in until the end.

An excellent read that kept me gripped until the ending. The timeline flips back and forth, but never in a confusing way. What did Rachel do? It's an intriguing read and an excellent tale.

Emma Curtis has done it again. Along with CL Taylor and Claire Douglas, she writes such unpredictable suspense reads that have a midway twist that makes you gasp and keep turning the pages.

The Commuter follows Rachel, who’s been married to a man 25 years older than her for the past thirteen years. Their marriage has been fraught with tension from Caroline, Anthony’s daughter from his first marriage to Rachel’s acceptance of Anthony’s decision to not have children. Now after Anthony’s heart attack he’s changed and Rachel struggles to recognise the man who she married. A chance encounter on the District Line with the handsome Sean leads to a flirtation and a friendship with want for more. Before anything can develop something shocking happens and Rachel ends up in hospital with amnesia. She’s the one who can find the clues and she needs to do it fast as she becomes a suspect in her husband’s death.

This was a fun, addictive read. It’s one of those books where you have to suspend your disbelief a fair bit but I was up for the ride. It’s a lighter mystery that’s just pure escapism even if a bit outrageous at time.

This book started well and had me intrigued initially.

Our main character Rachel Gordon narrates her version of events when she wakes from an induced coma following a car accident to learn her much older husband has been murdered and all she can remember is that she is somehow involved in his death.

With a bunch of unlikeable characters and some far-fetched scenarios, this was an easy read, but left me feeling quite flat.

From the premise I thought I'd enjoy this one but unfortunately I was disappointed. It had the potential to be a good story but everything was lost in too much detail and confusion.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for an ARC in exchange for my honest review

I finished this in just a day - admittedly I had a lot of spare time so this kept me busy. I love a good twisty story and this was that and more. The tension and unease I felt reading this story and I really felt like I was at times Rachel too! Wanting to know more with her and just wanting everything to work out for her. Loved it.

Amazing edge of your seat story you won't be able to put down this is a thriller which will keep you turning the pages long into the night

Rachel is married to a man much older than her. She is happy apart from having to put up with her selfish spoiled stepdaughter who has daddy wrapped round her little finger. Travelling to work she meets a man who helps her through a panic attack & she is soon looking out for him. On a rare night out with workmates she gets very drunk & decides she has to go home but not entirely unexpectedly she crashes & is put in an induced coma. She wakes up mumbling "I killed him!" Rather unfortunate as she discovers her husband was murdered the night she crashed!

This seemed a great start but somehow I didn't feel the rest lived up to it. I found the characters mostly unpleasant & the plot a bit too contrived. I finished it but it won't go on a favourites shelf! Thanks to Netgalley & the publishers for letting me read & review this book.

Thanks to NetGalley, publishers and author for an ARC of The Commuter.
3.5 stars rounded up
I was excited to receive an ARC for an Emma Curtis book, having just recently read other books of hers. However I found the skipping and jumping timeline in this book slightly confusing to follow. Other than that it was a good book and a good story.
Recommend.

Wow. What a rollercoaster of a book this is. I know that sounds like a horrible cliché, but in this case I'm afraid it's true. I literally could not put this book down. It was like some kind of addiction...

Rachel is a married to a wealthy man, much older than her. She is happy enough in her marriage, until she meets a handsome stranger on the tube.

Her stepdaughter Caroline has always had a harsh opinion of her, believing that she split up her parents marriage, and conveniently forgetting that it takes two to tango...

Caroline is also a spoilt brat.

Bought up in a life of privilege, wanting for nothing, it has left her with a terrible attitude to life, believing she can trample over people to get what she wants, or pay them off if something unpleasant happens, or doesn't go her way.

Her Father sticks up for his poorly behaving daughter, even when he knows he shouldn't.

He's been doing it for so long that he doesn't know how to stop. But he is at risk of tearing his marriage apart if he doesn't do something soon.

Caroline will stop at nothing to get what she wants.

But no one could know exactly how far she would go to get what she wanted...

Rachel has been in a car accident and when she wakes up in hospital she finds out that her much older husband has died at their home. Rachel has flashbacks about a man she met on her commute and doesn’t know where he fits into her life.

This book has plenty of twists and turns. It starts well but loses its way before getting to the final section which is just too ridiculous. Good in parts.

This was a real roller coaster ride that was full all the way with lots of twists and turns. It is a scary thriller written by an author that I shall look out for in future as this was such an amazing read. I did not want to put it down and sat up half the night so that I could finish it. I did not see the ending at all.

A fabulous read, many layers making a complex and clever plot. The characters are authentic and well developed. A fast paced story that will keep you guessing.

I hadn’t read a book by Emma Curtis before this but it will not be my last. This was such a gripping thriller that I won’t forget in a hurry and I don’t think you will either. I was gripped from the first page I needed to know how the main character ended up in a coma and murder suspect. This is a gripping book that has the reader wondering just who is trustworthy and with manipulative characters aplenty it delivers a dark, fast paced story. I thought the characterization of Rachel was brilliant – she felt like a real person, with lots of layers and a sad and difficult history. The fact that she couldn’t remember parts of the recent past made it feel like I was living the story with her, willing things to be pieced together. A definite page turner and thoroughly recommended.
#TheCommuter #NetGalley

A classic gripping, twisty thriller. I couldn't put this book down. I loved the premise and the plot and thought the characterisation was brilliant. My first Emma Curtis book but not my last!