My Rating: 3.5 stars out of 5

At first, I was a bit intimidated by the fact that this book is eighty (yes EIGHTY) chapters long, however I finished it in less than a day simply because I could not put it down (the fact that the chapters are short helped matters as well). The narrative starts off strong, and the pace remains steady throughout which means that it is easy to get lost within the pages as you try to figure out just who this mysterious Professor B is and just how far they are willing to go to in order to get their story told.

In fact, I kind of wish there had been more "ghost written book" to real life moments shown as Francesca worked to piece everything together. As she pointed out, how would have believed her? Personally, I would have to liked to have seen the book be written and then start to match up with real life events, but I can see why that might not have been possible given the timeline here.

I will say that there were times when I had this one figured out, and times I was pleasantly surprised to be wrong, although the part in the middle had me wondering if the author themselves had lost the plot (slight spoiler alert, they hadn't and it is mostly all explained later on). However, I wish there had been an actual resolution to one particular plot piece involving Duncan (a photograph and lie about where he had been one night). I know that the mastermind behind everything wanted him out of the picture, but it was never explained whether or not the photo and other "evidence" Francesca saw was in fact real or not. I am also curious about the last photo she saw and who that child might have been. I had my ideas at first, but neither of them made sense considering everything else we had been told.

That being said, I would highly recommend this one to those who enjoy fast paced novels that start off being predictable, before veering off into something you never expected.

DISCLAIMER: I received a complimentary copy of this novel from the publisher. This has not affected my review in any way. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are 100% my own.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The character development was spot on and I loved the short chapters. The ending seems a little fast paced; however, everything was nicely planned out and tied together. I did not expect the secret that was revealed in the end which made a nice plot twist!

𝑴𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒔 𝒔𝒉𝒂𝒑𝒆 𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒍𝒊𝒗𝒆𝒔. 𝑺𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒕𝒊𝒎𝒆𝒔, 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒚 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒔𝒎𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒎𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒔, 𝒊𝒏𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒏𝒄𝒆𝒔 𝒅𝒖𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒘𝒉𝒊𝒄𝒉 𝒘𝒆 𝒇𝒂𝒊𝒍 𝒕𝒐 𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒍𝒊𝒛𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒔𝒊𝒈𝒏𝒊𝒇𝒊𝒄𝒂𝒏𝒄𝒆 𝒖𝒏𝒕𝒊𝒍 𝒍𝒐𝒏𝒈 𝒂𝒇𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒕𝒊𝒎𝒆 𝒉𝒂𝒔 𝒑𝒂𝒔𝒔𝒆𝒅.

Started off intriguing...Francesca has been running from a tragic past that involved the death of her parents. She's worked hard, found love, and is a university student on scholarship. When she applies for a project as a ghostwriter, she's excited for the potential income it will bring if she's chosen.

Things started to get overly dramatic for me during the interview process. The online interviewer, an unknown male, spoke through a voice changer and was obscured in shadows. The questions were outlandish and probing, and Francesca opted out, chalking it up to a prank. But later, money is deposited into her account, and she's told she's got the job. She's expected to write a dark thriller that involves elaborate murders staged to look like accidents. Of course, the begin happening, and of course, she's under suspicion.

I found the twist to be too predictable, and the ending was too abrupt for my liking. I did like the short chapters, and I did really enjoy a previous book from this author, but this one just fell flat for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for the early copy. At the time this review was written, this title was expected to publish on January 28, 2025.

It took me a bit to get into the book but then it grips you! My mind started throwing ideas out and I kept second guessing myself!

This is thrilling but where i wanted it to be more 'Seven' it panned out very differently. Overall good a nice sunday read.

Thank you so much for the email received with this book. This was the first time I've received an email without requesting. However I was not able to get into this book.

Thanks to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for this Advanced Reader’s Copy of The Student by H.M. Lynn due to be published January 28, 2025.

After what happened to her parents, Frankie needs a fresh start. She is a struggling university student living with her boyfriend, Duncan. Frankie takes on a mysterious ghostwriting job, but it is as if this person knows everything about her past. Who is this person, and can she trust him completely, or is she going crazy?
This one grabbed me and kept my attention the entire time – I read it in one day! It was hard to know what was going on with Frankie, the ghostwriter, her professors, and the mysterious person who seemed to be following her around the campus. She was suspicious of everyone – even Duncan. Everything was revealed at the end – it was shocking!
Also recommended by H.M. Lynn – The Head Teacher.

#NetGalley #HMLynn #BoldwoodBooks #TheStudent

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC.
This was a book I just couldn't get into. The story seemed so unrealistic, plus I didn't like the protagonist.
I was bored and didn't even go to the end to see what happened and DNF. Sorry!

The Student was just okay for me. Interest was created quickly but I wasn't actually invested in or rooting for any of the characters.

I called part of the ending early on, which isn't a deal breaker. But, the details that followed to fill in the blanks (of what I didn't guess) felt like an incomplete plot with events happening strictly to advance the story. I still have a couple of looming questions that went unaddressed.

It’s tough to say much without including a spoiler but some of the character reactions were unrealistic. The overly dramatic thoughts caused my interest to wane.

Thanks to NetGalley and theBoldBookClub for the opportunity to read an early digital copy.

Frankie is a student and has been offered a job as ghostwriter.
She is tasked to write about murders, and murders take place that mimic her stories.

The client is anonymous, but knows a lot about Frankie's past. The fact that her parents were murdered.

Then she finds out who her employer is. Not who she expected it to be.

This was a quick read, short chapters, no rambling - which I liked.
Tense and unputdownable, I recommend.

thanks to Netgalley and Boldwood Books for the ARC

Very good book. I love how well written it was. Finished it in less than 24 hours. Amazing
Thank you NetGalley for letting me read this book

Thank you to NetGalley, author H.M Lynn and Boldwood books for the ARC and opportunity to review this book.

This was an interesting book with a very shocking twists and turns. I felt it lagged quite a bit in the middle but the ending made up for it. I didn’t guess the ending which was nice.

It was a slower paced read. Not as ‘thrilling’ but definitely a mess with your mind kind of book.

3.5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Fast paced well written book. Craziness for sure and I loved every bit of it!! The charcters were spot on. Loved the twist in it. New for me from this author definitely intrigued to read more.

Thanks to the author, the publisher and Netgalley for an early release of this book.

The Student by H.M. Lynn is a fast-faced psychological thriller set in an academic setting. It is very suspenseful and creates a good amount of intrigue early on in the book. Really held my interest!

Francesca has spent years trying to forget about her tragic past and move on. She thinks she’s finally got her break when, at university in her twenties, she lands a ghost writing job. But who’s she really working for? And why have bad things started to happen again?

I could not put this book down, it was such a page turner! At just under 300 pages and with short chapters, ‘The Student’ is such a bingeable psychological thriller.

I was so drawn in from the first chapter, wanting to find out what happens and how the story was gong to evolve. The plot was slightly predictable in parts, however this was balanced out for me by some twists that I definitely did not see coming.

This had all the elements of a fantastic psychological thriller. I wish there was slightly more descriptive aspects of places and characters as it was hard to visualise at times, but overall this didn’t take away from the story. Would definitely recommend this to fellow thriller lovers!

I liked it! With most chapters only a couple of pages long and the fast paced nature of the writing, this was a super quick read. There’s enough intrigue to keep swiping the pages as fast as possible. There are a good couple of twists on an almost predictable plot line/ending. I look forward to reading other titles by H. M. Lynn. ( 2.5 rounded up to 3/5)
Thank You to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for the invitation and opportunity to read this ARC.

This was a RUSH! I loved the pace of the book, the plot and how it unfolded. I am here for this Author again. Amazing read.

After what happened to my parents, I needed to start fresh, far away from the whispers and stares. Now, as a struggling university student, I barely scrape by, living in a new town where no one knows me or the tragedy I’ve tried to forget.

To make ends meet, I take on a ghostwriting job for a high-profile client. But the deal comes with one strange their identity must remain a secret.

At first, it seems like just another job. But as I work with this mysterious person more, their ideas hit too close to home. It’s as if they know everything about me, even the darkest parts of my past.

When my oldest friend goes missing, I realise I can't trust this client. But I can't escape their hold on me.

Because they know how this story ends. I survived once, but can I survive this?

Loved it. Will recommend to others.

Tense and addictive - the past won't let go and someone is raising the stakes to murderous levels. High stress and suspense, as sanity and trust are on the line and there is nowhere to go. Some obvious directions but also some interesting flips. A fast and tense read.

A terrific read which kept the pace up consistently, throwing red herrings and false trails throughout. The back story for the protagonist is the perfect foundation for a narrator you can’t quite trust and this comes to the fore fairly quickly. I really enjoyed this one!