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!

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I literally couldn’t catch my breath while I was reading this, it was honestly the wildest ride I’ve ever been taken on when reading a book.

I was so torn on who to believe and with every chapter my mind got changed and I was deceived all the way through!.

It was shock after shock and twist after twist, this book will definitely be a book of the year for 2024.

If you’re on the fence about this book, take my advice and read it ASAP, plus it’s only 99p at the moment ( at the time i published this post).

Emma Curtis sucked me in with The Babysitter, and she kept me there with The Commuter! A twisty, unreliable tale that had me second guessing a lot of it, and trying desperately to unravel the secrets behind the mysterious man and this mysterious evening. LOVED LOVED LOVED
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Thank you to Atlantic for the early read!!

The Commuter by Emma Curtis is a gripping psychological thriller that explores the hidden lives and secrets of those we think we know. Curtis masterfully builds tension as she delves into the routine yet mysterious world of daily commuters, where a seemingly ordinary train ride turns into a twisting and suspenseful journey. The protagonist is drawn into a web of deception, betrayal, and danger, making readers question how well we can ever really know the people around us. With its well-crafted plot, unexpected twists, and expertly developed characters, The Commuter keeps readers on edge, unraveling layers of mystery with each page. It’s a compelling and intense read that will resonate with fans of domestic thrillers and suspense.

Rachel is married to Anthony living with her step daughter who dislikes her immensely. People think she is only married to him for his money but Rachel has tried to show this isn’t true continuing with her job in the city making sure she can rely on that income for herself. On the train one morning she meets Sean who helps to calm her down when the train breaks down in the tunnel and they form
A connection. She looks forward to seeing him each morning. It is only after she is in a car accident and she awakes to discover her husband has been murdered and she can’t remember the many weeks previously which rouses suspicion in the investigating police detective.
Rachel has to try to remember those missing weeks to find if she really did have something to do with Anthony’s murder and if not to find out what actually happened.
This was a great book which kept me guessing right up to the end.

A polished, twisty , page turner told over two timelines. This book builds beautifully, the pacing is excellent and once I hit the half way mark in reading it was almost impossible to put down.
If you’re a fan of psychological thrillers, add this book to your list immediately. It kept me engaged and guessing the whole way through. Recommend.

I am grateful to Netgalley and Atlantic Books for providing me with an ARC of The Communter by Emma Curtis. The story's narrative has completely captivated me, immersing me in Rachel's daily life. Her journey after losing her husband and memory has added a captivating layer to the plot. The book's pacing is expertly done, seamlessly shifting between reflective moments and thrilling sequences, keeping me engaged throughout. The unexpected twist at the end pleasantly surprised me, enhancing the overall richness of the reading experience. Although some parts were predictable, they still contributed to the book's depth. Overall, I truly enjoyed this read!

Dive into Rachel's world 📚✨ Unpredictable twists 🔄🔍 Engaging storytelling 📖🎭 Intriguing characters 💫👤 Captivating narrative 🌟📔 #bookreview #thrillerbooks #readingcommunity #mysterynovels #booklovers #fictionreads #immersiveexperience #unexpectedtwists #captivatingstorytelling #memorylossjourney

This story is told in two timelines - before/after the crash that killed Rachel's husband. I must admit to finding it confusing . I have loved Emma's previous books but this one didnt have the same impact , in my opinion.
Thank you to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this ARC in return for an honest review

This is a book of two only slightly different timelines: Rachel is the main character and is married to Anthony who is much older than she is, with an adult daughter, Caroline who he dotes upon. She basically coasts through life doing whatever she wants, with daddy's backing and protection. Everything is fine until Rachel starts to put her foot down and suggests that Caroline starts taking responsibility for her actions. The other side of the story finds Rachel in hospital following an incident which Rachel can't recall. Her memory of events during the days running up to waking up in her hospital bed very slowly return to her over a course of many months, the most shocking being the fact that Anthony died suddenly and that Rachel feels that she is somehow implicated.

In the earlier timeline we also have a mysterious gentleman who Rachel meets during a power failure on the underground during her commute. Who is this man? And why does it feel as if he can answer some of the many questions Rachel has about what happened during her lost days?

I did find the timelines a little confusing in this book, and really needed to concentrate on what was happening when. There was lots going on, and plenty to keep your attention focused on the different characters. I found Caroline to be rather obnoxious and spoiled, and really wanted Anthony to take his rose-tinted specs off and realise just how much damage he was doing with his responses to her actions. Where she was concerned I was totally on Rachels's side - but the background to the relationship between the two women is also understandable to a point, however Caroline is a bit old to be playing the wronged daughter card in my opinion.

If you want a fast paced, entertaining thriller this will tick all the boxes for you. The author has a very engaging writing style that will have you turning the pages and possibly missing your stop on your own commute as you get well and truly drawn in to the crazy world that Rachel finds herself in after what should have just been an ordinary tube journey.

This post will be posted on Thursday 17th October on my blog and social media.

I really enjoyed this book. I found the characters interesting as well as the storyline, it almost felt like a book of two halves. A meeting on the Tube had Rachel unable to stop thinking about the person she met. This is all quite subtle and engaging. Then the latter part of the book is all action and tumultuous with the twists and turns so you don’t know how the story is going to end.

‘The Commuter’ by Emma Curtis is a total rollercoaster of a thriller, with multi-layered mysteries and connections at its core. The novel tells the story of Rachel, the younger second wife of a respected businessman Anthony, as she wakes up from an induced coma with a dead husband and vague memories of a fellow commuter.

I liked the themes of suspicion and redemption throughout the novel, and the unexpectedness of some of the twists. I found the relationship between Rachel and her step-daughter Caroline intriguing and really felt her isolation given how many of her acquaintances were linked to her husband.

The narrative structure was interesting - with jumping timelines and multiple perspectives, but did come across as chaotic at times, especially towards the end of the book. I also didn’t really find any of the characters loveable which somewhat reduced my desperation to find out what happened, and meant I wasn’t really rooting for anyone.

Overall, giving this 3.5 stars for the imaginative premise and the satisfaction of so many threads weaving together at the culmination of the story.

I received an advance Digital Review Copy of this book from the publisher Atlantic Books via NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are my own.

This book started so well and kept my attention. The characters were sometimes likeable and some were downright awful. I loved the pace of the story and trying to work out where it was going. However, the fly in the ointment for me was the conclusion just became too unrealistic to put it mildly. The body count became that high that it was almost comedic. Had I left the last 10% to my imagination, I would have loved this book and it would have been a standout read

Rachel Gordon has just woken from a coma, and is told that her husband Anthony, is dead. She immediately blurts out 'I killed him', then drifts back off to sleep.
When she finally fully awakens, she finds that she has amnesia and has no idea why she is in hospital, or the events for several weeks prior.
She is certain that she didn't kill her husband, but the police don't believe her, and suspect that she did murder him.
Tiny snatches of memory resurface, and Rachel has momentary visions of a man on her morning commute. A man that she feels she has a connection to, but the memories keep failing her.
She tries to piece the information together to see if the man she met has something to do with Anthony's death, and strives to clear her name.
Meanwhile, she has to cope with her step-daughter Caroline, who has always hated her step-mother. Could Caroline be behind her father's death?
This was an excellent read, and a real page turner, with a great twist at the end.
One not to miss!

A compelling read told from different POV’s and timelines to keep up the intrigue.

The main character Rachel meets the mysterious commuter on the tube to work one morning. She finds herself looking for him the next day and their relationship develops.
Above ground Rachel is married to a much older man with a spoilt grown up daughter. The relationship with the commuter only highlights the cracks in her marriage.
After a car crash Rachel awakes to find her memory gone and her husband dead, proclaiming ‘I killed him’ puts her firmly under suspicion.
The story moves between before the crash and after the crash to tell the story of how her husband died as Rachel struggles to recover her memory, find out if she did actually kill him and who the commuter is.

A bit slow in places but the mystery built up kept me reading to discover how it all fit into place. The ending was clever and not one I saw coming.

Overall an enjoyable read.

A good thriller in parts but it didn't always work for me. Still, the idea of a crime novel on a London tube was a neat idea. It's something we all do and everyone on public transport in london will find themselves nodding to much in the book. A good thriller all in all and I enjoyed it.

Thank you NetGalley and Atlantic Books for this eCopy to review

The Commuter hooked me from the start. Rachel, is an ordinary commuter with an extraordinary story full of dark secrets and unexpected twists. The plot is cleverly woven, keeping me on the edge of my seat, always guessing and second-guessing.

We follow Rachel Gorden, who wakes up from a coma to the shocking news that her much older husband, Anthony, has died. The police suspect Rachel of being involved in his death, but she can't remember anything from the past month. All she has are flashes of a mysterious man she met on her daily commute. As Rachel tries to piece together what happened, she must uncover the truth to clear her name and discover if this stranger had anything to do with her husband's death. As the layers of suspense and intrigue are revealed it is hard to know what is the truth and who can be trusted, even Rachel herself. It’s a psychological minefield that kept me pondering long after I’d turned the last page.

The Commuter is a gripping read that masterfully combines everyday life with edge-of-your-seat suspense. Curtis has a knack for making the ordinary extraordinary, and this novel is a testament to that. Highly recommend it for anyone looking for a psychological thriller with a unique twist

A great read! When Rachel Gordon comes out of a coma and is told that her husband is dead, she immediately replies "I killed him", Rachel has amnesia and whilst the police are convinced Rachel was involved in Anthony's murder, she genuinely can't remember the night he died, when she had a car accident, or the days leading up to it. As Rachel starts to move on with her life, her memory begins to return and she remembers someone she met on the tube. Is he the key to unlocking the rest of her memory?

The characters were well written and it was difficult to know who to trust and who to believe.

I had no idea which direction this story was heading and there were lots of red herrings and twists that kept me guessing. It was fairly slow but steady until close to the end, when the action really took off and the truth was revealed! Wow!

4 ⭐️ Thanks to Netgalley, Emma Curtis and Atlantic for an ARC in return for an honest review.

In The Commuter, we follow Rachel, who has just woken from a coma after a car accident, only to be told that her wealthy husband has been murdered in their family home. As Rachel begins to recover, she experiences flashbacks, including memories of a mysterious fellow commuter—a man whose name she doesn’t even know. Strangely, since her husband’s death, this man has vanished, and now the police suspect that Rachel may be involved in the murder.

As the investigation deepens, Rachel finds herself racing against time to uncover the truth before she is wrongfully imprisoned for a crime she knows she didn’t commit.

The Commuter is a psychological thriller that explores suburban life, blending suspense, deception, and complex relationships. While the story maintains tension throughout, I found the plot became quite complicated toward the end, and I did feel lost at times. Some parts left me feeling a bit detached, but overall, it was an engaging read.

Rating: 3.5/5

The Commuter is a clever page turner thriller which kept me guessing right to the very end.
The story centres around Rachel, the much younger wife of a very wealthy husband. When Rachel wakes from a coma to discover her husband has been killed, she finds herself the main murder suspect. But all she can recall from the last few weeks are brief memories of a fellow commuter with whom she may have had an affair.
I enjoyed the fast pace and twisty nature of the book, and although you do have to suspend your disbelief at certain points, it kept me hooked throughout.
With thanks to the publishers and NetGalley for an ARC.

This story absolutely had me gripped! I thought the twists and turns were very well done and it was a very suspensful and exciting read overall.