The plot is so different from anything else I've read from the author - quite dark in places but every intriguing. I wouldn't class it as a psychological thriller though - it's quite slow-paced and doesn't have a lot of twists, even at the end. At times, it was too slow and threatened to lose my interest. I persevered because I was intrigued and expected a twist, which didn't happen. I think it could have had a bit more pace and still have built up the background story for Lisa.

I very much enjoyed this book.  It has a good story and excellent main characters.  I would definately recommend this book.

A difficult read for me because of the subject matter, but I persevered. Quite different from her previous books. An intriguing story.

There were several moments in which I contemplated not finishing Platform Seven but persevered against my better judgement. Marketed as a psychological thriller, this is actually an incredibly slow-moving mystery, without a twist at the end. Incredibly dark themes (including suicide and coercive control) which made it a challenging read.  I won't be picking up any of the author's other work.

Thank you NetGalley and Faber and Faber for the ARC of this book and I apologise for the delay in reading!  
I loved Apple Tree Yard and this promised to be an exciting story.  How wrong was I!  
This is not a psychological thriller, it isn’t even a thriller of any kind.  The issue of suicide is sad but this book didn’t deal with it at all sympathetically. 
The book is slow, repetitive, and decidedly boring.  Although I like the character of Lisa, the remaining characters were just a bit nothing and Matthew is horrendous. 
I knew part way through this book was not for me, but having read good reviews, I continued and hoped it would get better, but I found the book to be depressing and boring.  I persevered until the end and really wish I hadn’t bothered – reading house of my life wasted.  
I hate to give negative feedback on a book, but on this occasion I have to be honest.  I would definitely not recommend this book.

Absolutely brilliant. Am in self isolation and this has given me a wonderful way to spend a day. I just couldn't put this book down. It twists and turns so you are unsure of what the focus of the story is but I really enjoyed that about it. I can not recommend that  people read this enough as it is a fab book.
5/5 on goodreads

Thanks to #netgalley for the ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review. This book was my first time reading anything by Louise Doughty and I don't know why her books haven't been on my radar before this. I loved this book. It has been in my TBR pile for a couple of months and I finally made it a priority when it became the reading for my bookclub. This book is hauntingly told from the perspective of the ghost of a woman who has committed suicide at this train station and now her spirit is trapped at the station observing the station staff, other commuters and other people contemplating suicide at the station. Lisa takes us back through her marriage, what led to her death and also observes her husband in his current relationship. For me it was a pageturner that I couldn't stop thinking about. I also really loved the ending and how Lisa checks in on everyone who meant so much to her when she was alive. Adding more Louise Doughty books to my TBR shelf right now! #louisedoughty #platform7 #netgalley #bookstagram #bookqueen #amazon#kindle #litsy #tea_sipping_bookworm #goodreads

I found this novel hard to get into at first but once our narrator - Lisa Evans - gets into her back story, I was hooked. It was an interesting and challenging premise that, a bit like with The Time Traveller's Wife, you just had to accept and plunge on, into the novel. I enjoyed this read and would read more by this author.

I enjoyed this book, but not as much as other books from the same author. Quite an unusual storyline but worth a read anyway.

This was the first book that I have read by this author despite having heard such good things about her other books.  I’m a bit of train buff, so the title and blurb of this book totally got me!!  It was definitely one of those books where the cover was the main attraction!  It was completely different to what I expected though, being told from the perspective of Lisa who was the ghost of a young woman whose spirit lingered around the platforms of Peterborough Railway Station.  The book opens tragically with the suicide of a man who jumps in front of an early morning freight train passing Platform Seven.  Lisa watches it all and the unfolding aftermath, but there was nothing she could do to prevent it.  As the book moves on, we find out Lisa was also killed by a train at the same station.  Since then she has been trapped there unable to leave.  She spends her time watching passengers and staff, wishing she could join in with the chatter of the ladies at the tea-bar or have a conversation with the platform staff.  Lisa cannot remember anything about her past, but as the story continues and she begins to remember things, the events leading up to Lisa’s death is explained.

This was such a moving and emotional story.  It is mainly about Lisa, but we are also told the story of the main who died at the beginning.  It’s difficult to work out the connection between the two parts of the story initially but as you move through the book you begin to join the dots and see where it is going.  It also shows you the consequences of people’s actions and how many people are affected.  It’s also really difficult to describe without giving away any spoilers and this is definitely a book that should be read without any major clues given!

Moving away from the main topic of the story, I found all the procedures following a suicide on the railways to be really interesting.  Completely morbid I know, but to know that memorials or flowers aren’t allowed on platforms and how long they have to reopen a line following a death was just a couple of things which were superbly researched.  It also made me think about the many incidents which happen on the railways and how desperate these people must be and how traumatic it must be for the people who are around to witness them.  

It is a haunting read, with a paranormal aspect to it.  It’s also a very sad, emotional story of love and loss.  I have to admit it had me reaching for the tissues on more than one occasion.  The wide array of characters were described so well and perfectly placed within the story – it was interesting to be able to see these characters like Lisa did and really get into their emotions and feelings.  The book was the complete opposite of what I was expecting, but that was what made it so good!  Tragic, but mesmerising, I started it with my heart in my mouth but finished it with a warm feeling in my heart instead.  It does have some trigger points, so please be aware if you’d rather not read books with the subjects of suicide, abuse and mental illness.  I would highly recommend this book though.

Good read, found it slow in places tbh but didn’t hamper my interest. Thought the storyline was kinda unique and I didn’t guess the twist so that’s always a bonus. Enjoyable no more no less.

I was obsessed with Apple Tree Yard when the TV show came out and was so excited to be able to gobble up another dark and twisty tale from Louise Doughty.

This book is almost set back to front. You know that the main character is dead and you think you know why. However, as the book unfolds, you learn that it's not all it seems. This thriller keeps you on your toes. It did take a few chapters to get going, but if you persevere, you are rewarded. Lisa, the main character is a sympathetic young woman and you feel sorry that she's dead. I did feel that the ending was a little unrealistic in that she was running away from Matty as if she thought he would cause her serious physical harm. I'm not sure if I believe that she would have gone into the railway yard in real life. However, it was an interesting read from an interesting perspective.

In the first chapter you get the feel of the book. It gripped and chilled me to the core. The description in Doughty’s books is fantastic and really felt the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. 

The detachment in the first few chapters was wonderful storytelling! I loved how Doughty evoked my emotions as she tells the story through the eyes of the ‘character’. 

A great read that was somewhat unique. The only reason I gave it four stars was because I found it repetitive at times but overall a great story.

Why is Lisa hanging around Peterborough Station - she’s dead, shouldn’t she have “moved on” to the next stage?  This is mainly told by her ghost self but we also learn how she got to be in this situation, after falling for the “good” doctor, Matty, who isn’t really what he seems.  It is annoying how once strong women find themselves turning into wishy washy “yes dears”.  I thought there was too much emphasis on the minor characters, the people who worked at the station, so I skim read those sections.  Despite that I loved the book and the idea of basing it in a railway station of all things!  It was captivating, amusing and sad and I was sorry to reach the end.

Weird, atmospheric and unlike anything you've read before, this is a strange novel. It is from the point of view of a ghost, someone you know nothing about at the beginning, but revealed over the course of the novel. We discover first how she died, then we gradually are told the reasons why she is confined to Peterborough station, until she isn't anymore. While she waits at the station she observes the comings and goings of the staff and the commuters as they go about their business. There is something odd about platform number severn though, something isn't quite right, something there seems to draw the lonely and the sad.

Our ghost is kind of in love with one of the workers at the station, she follows him and suddenly is able to leave the station, after so much time of being trapped within station confines it is weird that she is able to waft out. This is the beginning of our ghost, who turns out to be Lisa Evans, discovering who she is and why she is there.

It is all so strange, the story is wafty just like our ghost, everything is opaque and vague. I found it was a little bit slow in the middle but it is certainly clever and something completely different to a standard crime novel. It's melancholic feel is disturbing.

I did receive an ARC of this from NetGalley but I ended up listening to the audio book version from my local library. I absolutely loved this book, I was listening to it at every chance I got. The novel opens with the spirit of a woman lingering in a train station watching people and noticing the ones who seems drawn to Platform Seven – she feels a connection to them. As the novel goes on we go back in time and we see Lisa in the period before her death and find out what happened to her and why she is still haunting the station. I found this book so beautiful, it is stunningly written and I was completely invested in Lisa’s story. It took me to places that I wasn’t expecting and it explores some very prescient issues in our society today. I think this is my favourite of the books I’ve read by Louise Doughty to date and I highly recommend it.

Having read Apple Tree Yard & enjoyed it I was expecting a lot from Platform 7. Platform 7 was completely different, but even better.

It is set around platform 7 of Peterborough station with a suicide. The story is told by the ghost of a girl whose body was also found off the track of platform 7 & also recorded as a suicide and she tells the story of what lead up to her death.

The story is gripping. You are pulled entirely into the life of the ghost and what has happened to her. Louise Doughty also very cleverly pulls in other characters from the station & the latest suicide.

A very novel concept, a real page turner & has encouraged me to read more by this author.

An interesting concept novel following ghost Lisa as she's stuck on Peterborough station. An uncomfortable read.

I’ve seen the cover of this book in shops and been drawn to the eeriness and darkness of it. That coupled with the synopsis helped bump it up my ‘to read’ pile, and I am delighted to say that I wasn’t disappointed. 

The setting is one that most of us can easily imagine. A dark deserted railway station in cold weather that is in no way inviting. The scene has been the setting for two fatalities, but what led these people to meet their end in a desolate and lonely place?

The book focuses on the story of Lisa Evans, the first of the fatalities, as we go back in time to look back over her life and her final days. But there are also a number of secondary characters who are also cleverly woven into the story. 

What did I enjoy about the book? I found it very easy to imagine the scenes, particularly those set at the station. It is a backdrop that as a commuter I have visited frequently, and whilst reading the book (and since), when I go to a station it takes on another dimension as my imagination comes to life either remembering the book, or creating imaginary scenes of my own. It’s certainly made waiting for delayed trains less boring!

I felt drawn to Lisa as a character, and felt like I wanted to know her story. I wanted to get to know her, and I recognised some of her characteristics and some of the behaviours of those in her life that I guess resonated with me and made me more emotionally invested. 

I enjoyed following the book as it took shape, twisting and turning through events not only in Lisa’s life, but the other characters too. I really enjoyed the way the author was able to describe people, their thoughts, their feelings and what was happening around them. It felt like it could be real, and it kept me engrossed throughout.

There was stuff I saw coming, some that I didn’t, and the mix of this kept me wondering and unsure of what I thought I had guessed. 

Cleverly written, fast paced and compelling…I loved it and will be looking out for more of Louise Doughty’s work!