Confessions on the 7:45: A Novel Kindle Edition

Update: finished the book in one day. I think it’s Lisa Unger’s best novel yet, and I was thrilled with the setting at the end of the book (fans of her past novels will be too). Loved it, loved it, loved it!!Original review half way thru the book: A part of me wants to keep tearing through this book because it’s so good and I can’t wait to see what happens next. Another part of me doesn’t want it to end. I’m a huge fan of Lisa Unger but this book is different somehow and I love the way the story, or more accurately stories, are unfolding. Books where the author bounces back and forth between too many storylines and characters are sometimes frustrating to read, Ill find myself having to use x-ray to remind myself who is who or what their relationships are to each other, but I’m having no such trouble with this one. The stories and characters are easy to follow as they unfold at a perfect pace and I’m so hoping the second half of the book is as good as the first. Will update review when I’ve finished the book!

Where to start? Unlikable characters, implausible plot line, tired trope of cheating husbands. I lost track of the number of eye rolls I endured getting through this book. And if different characters had not kept repeating the SAME information to the reader, the book would have been about 100 pages shorter. I have read so many superb mysteries during this pandemic. This is not one of them.

When I first read the description of "Confessions on the 7:45," I thought that it sounded very much like Patricia Highsmith's 1950 book, "Strangers on a Train," which was famously made into a movie directed by Alfred Hitchcock. That thought simultaneously attracted and deterred me. I loved "Strangers on a Train," but if Lisa Unger's 2020 book was going to be so similar, did I really want to read it? I decided to give it a try. I'm so glad I did. Unger's book is much more of a psychological thriller with head-spinning plot twists that are bound to keep readers guessing until the satisfying end when all is revealed.The two characters on a train who spontaneously confess the greatest grievances in their lives are Selena, whose husband is sleeping with the nanny, and Martha, whose boss has been sexually harassing her at work. After Martha says something like, "Wouldn't it be great if our problems would just disappear," the nanny does just that, and lives are thrown into turmoil. To say more would be to give spoilers, but there are jaw-dropping moments. I could not put it down. (Actually, I had to pause for work and sleep, but I didn't want to stop reading until I could find out what in the world was going on!)

This psychological suspense will have you scratching your head from the first page to the last. Powerfully written, the story is told in rotating first-person accounts by chapters, not always in chronological order.This tense drama surrounds Selena, a professional mother of two and her chance encounter on a train with a strange woman, while coming home from work late at night. Within days, Selena's whole life will change forever in a series of unimaginable events that will shake her world and everything she thought she knew.Masterfully designed, Lisa Unger's convoluted plotline weaves a suspenseful tale through a labyrinth of seemingly isolated events that converge upon Selena, threatening to tear her family apart and challenging her identity and safety. No one is safe. Nothing is for sure.Set in primarily in the greater New York City area, the story follows three major characters, all women, each struggling to find happiness amid the unpredictable and corrupt people around them.I liked how the author's storytelling momentum forced me to keep reading into the unknown, while never getting all the answers and only raising more surprising questions. People are dying and disappearing under suspicious circumstances. Lines between victims and villains blur until all motives and facts get questioned. Lies, power struggles, and manipulations are everywhere.Some distracting things interrupted my reading experience. First, I kept getting Selena and another character (Stella) confused with each other, having to stop to reset my context, wishing the author had used more obviously different names. Ugh! Some of the language overpowers the storytelling experience unnecessarily, which others might find objectionable.The story's abrupt changes among characters created an unsettling tension and uncertainty that made this a fun reading experience. The Audible narration supplement was especially well done.I did appreciate the satisfying and complete ending that eventually answered most of my questions.

I had not read anything by this author, but I will in the future. I enjoyed this book so much. The pace was great and she did a good job with the characters. Even the characters of low moral fiber had some redeeming qualities. She reminds me of Winston Graham in that way. No one is ever completely good or evil. She certainly fleshed out everyone of them. It was a great read and I'd recommend it to anyone enjoying this genre.

This was a grim, dark and joyless book. Not a bit of romance or humor or fun. Not even any real suspense. Lots and lots of endless interior thoughts, all dark and depressing. Skip it.

I kept thinking about this book for days after I finished reading it - that was the sort of impact it had on me. There were several strong characters and although it was not clear what their roles were and how they fitted into the storyline to begin with, it soon became clear as the story was woven together. I kept wanting to read as fast as my eyes and brain would let me so that I could find out what was going on and I was not disappointed as there were revelations and twists right to the end. A highly recommended read.

This was a really great read. I loved the multiple character point of view and how bit by bit the storyline started to unfold and connections between different parts became apparent. It was really easy to get into and just keep reading; one where you think you'll just read another chapter but because the character changes with each one then you definitely need to read a few more to find out the next part of the story. Some of the characters are pretty unlikable right from the off but I think that is a bit more relatable than when they are all nice. As is to be expected, there is a fair amount of suspension of disbelief required but I was enjoying the storyline so wasn't too bothered by that. I would recommend this to someone who fancies an easy read but with a bit of bite. I will keep an eye out for any further books by Lisa Unger and try to catch up with her back catalogue.

To begin with, I was confused with this book in the sense that I wasn’t sure where the storyline was going to go as there was another perspective, from Pearl, who I wasn’t sure on how she was relevant to the storyline, but once I did realise, the actions of earlier characters made sense. However, despite the confusion on how the story would develop, I did find this an easy and enjoyable read, and I wanted to keep reading to find out what exactly happened.There was one reveal that I didn’t see coming until before the revelation and there was one that I didn’t see coming at all (though looking back I realised I probably should have noticed it). It did feel like Shari Lapena’s ‘The End of Her’ in the sense of a family turned upside down, a missing girl, and a certain revelation (but can’t say much more due to spoilers) so I wasn’t sure how I felt about it as I did keep making those comparisons.That said, this was a book I would recommend as it was an easy read, and it would certainly get you out of any reading slump that you may have!

I found this really confusing and odd. Nothing really seemed to happen and it was strange when the story flicked back and forth with no indication. I’m a lover of thrillers but this didn’t do it for me. I gave up and just read the last chapter to see if anything made sense but it didn’t.There’s far better out there imho.

📖: Selena and Martha meet on the train. They have an instant connection. Martha confesses that she is sleeping with her married boss. Selena confesses that she believes her husband is sleeping with their nanny. Maybe life would be easier if your problems just disappeared. Selena and Martha go their separate ways but the nanny suddenly vanishes.💭: This book made me a little bit angry at times because I hate hearing about cheating partners. Almost every single male character in this book is portrayed as a monster, which irritated me. There were no a-ha moments with this thriller; you can work out quite easily what is going on. I was guilty of wanting to race through this one so I can start the next book on my pile!