It's no secret that 'mystery and thrillers' are my genres of choice and The Girl on the Platform didn't disappoint.

Although I guessed the twist fairly early on, I don't think it's super obvious and I enjoyed the suspense as I read on, waiting to see if I was right.

Thanks to Avon Books and Netgalley for a copy of the ARC in return for an honest review.

Great thriller! Some of the twists I could see coming but I am an avid thriller reader. But the book still got me hooked with the second half being much more gripping and fast paced.

This was a good addictive heart pounding read! Not going to lie I think the first few chapters were a struggle for me. I thought it was a little slow. But I pushed through and I'm happy I did. Because it got crazy after!

New mum Bridget has returned to work after having 8 month old Grace, whilst husband Tony stays at home looking after the baby. Late one evening, Bridget catches her train home from work only to witnesses something terrible as her train speeds through a station she notices a young girl standing on the platform is bundled into the back of a white van. Immediately Bridget asks her fellow commuters if they saw it and frantically she calls the police who meets the train at the next station. However, Bridget was the only witness and also no child has been reported missing, so she is written off as an attention seeker. Bridget becomes somewhat obsessed with what she saw and is consumed with finding the little girl, but will trying to save one life cost her her marriage and own family?

WOW! WOW! WOW! This is the fastest book I have ever read in my life – in parts, my mouth went dry, my heart was hammering out of my chest, and I was rooted to the spot!!

Half way through the book the author leaves a heavy hint as to what is happening, which you may or may not get at time but if you do, don’t worry as you will then become completely invested in how it all pans out, and there are still endless twists and turns, and you won’t believe anyone is telling the truth! To me every character was a suspect at one point or another!!

I was exhausted and emotionally drained at the end, but I absolutely loved it – a brilliant read and I can just hope that Netflix have bought the rights, as it would make a wonderful six part drama.

Bridget is hurrying home as she does every weeknight. Home, to her husband Tom and their 7 month old daughter Grace. They are living in a small apartment in the commuter belt, and it takes Bridget a couple of hours every day to go to work and back. She does this because she has a very interesting and well-paid job, whereas Tom doesn’t. So, they decided that he would take care of Grace while trying to write a book, and Bridget would go back to the office.
But life isn’t easy. Tom is a very caring father and he takes care of the household nicely, but Bridget is nothing but exhausted every day. She still carries extra weight after her pregnancy, her breasts hurt all the time because she is still nursing Grace, and work demands long hours. Above all, she is very unhappy with herself. She is taking an anti-depressant because early after the birth of Grace, she suffered from postnatal depression.
So we meet this woman who is doing her utmost to try and make something out of this life that should be such a happy one. Even Bridget’s mum comes around often to help, even though she is already taking care of Grace one day a week, and although she and Tom are not always seeing eye to eye. Bridget’s mum is of the type ‘mum knows best’ and she, together with her sister Gillian, do everything they can to ‘help’ Bridget and Tom. With mixed success, because she doesn’t listen to Bridget and Tom and feeds Grace sugary snacks all the time.
As Bridget is almost asleep on the train, she suddenly awakes to see they are passing a small station and then Bridget sees, in a flash, how two grown man take a little girl with them. She was sitting on a suitcase and bundled inside a white van. Bridget panics, calls the authorities and the next few hours are filled with trying to explain to the police what happened. She comes home in the middle of the night and finally falls asleep, but then the nightmares begin.
The start of a very, very intense story. I had to stop reading several times to think about what I’ve just read. During the entire book we see how Bridget is suffering, we hear about her nightmares, her past, her feelings for Tom, the big secret she is carrying with her since childhood… It all comes together and it is all very harrowing, to say the least. Bridget is determined to find out why she was the only person seeing the kidnapping and so she goes on a mission on her own, armed with her skills in finding patterns in statistics. In doing this, she has to lie. Lie to Tom, lie to her mother, and lie to herself – till eventually the truth comes out in a very unexpected way.
This book doesn’t let you go. It stays with you for a long time. I’m impressed, very much impressed, with the way Bryony Pearce brings her characters to life.

I think it must be me - subconsciously requesting books where the primary character is female, in late 20s or 30s with psychological problems that deteriorate as the story progresses.
The Girl On The platform definitely fills this description and in fact more of the book is about Bridget's worsening actions than the actual story.
BUT ..... This is my problem with having read so many of these types of book and it should not put you off. The story is excellent and is well told. The book does not use the common approach of 1 chapter for each of 2 or 3 characters with switching timelines. There are a few paragraphs ending most chapters in italics about a little girl held captive. There are some clever twists and turns and the ending is very good.
So for this genre it is a very good book that I am sure will be enjoyed by many, many readers

Gripping thriller! Could see the twist coming but still had me hooked. The second half of the novel is specially gripping

Warning - do not start this book if you do not have time to finish in a single sitting. Also, finishing it right before bed... maybe not the best idea either because WOW.
Serious 'Girl on the Train' and 'Gone Girl' vibes, but still uniquely captivating.

Bridget has a beautiful 9month old baby daughter, and a wonderfully supportive husband, but just because things seem perfect, doesn't mean that they are. Post Partum is very much real, and is very much a medical condition that needs to be attended to. So, Bridget does. She goes on meds and they help - they clear her mind and help calm her, going beyond what they were intended to do. They start to clear her mind of her past traumas that were repressed, erased.

She knows what she saw. She knows there was a girl on the platform wearing a school blazer sitting on an old-style suitcase. he knows she saw two men in dark clothing take the girl, who clearly did not want to go, and put her in a white van.

And she knows now that she has seen and reported the kidnapping, that she is being followed by an unmarked white van. But they already think she made it up, that it was a dream - so who would believe her if she said anything?

Unable to let it go, she goes and does what she does best - she looks at the data and what she uncovers is more than she bargained for (cannot wait for book2 - if there isn't already one in the works there should be!) but how much is she willing to risk to prove that she isn't crazy?

Absolutely loved this brilliant thriller it had me gripped from start to finish.New Mom Bridget is on her way home after a long day at work as the train passes a station she witnesses a young girl being kidnapped but no one else see's it happen.Determined to prove to everyone what she saw she embarks on a mission to find the girl.Excellent book 5*

The Girl on the Platform is a psychological thriller that keeps you reading into the night! Bryony Pearce tells us about Bridget who has postpartum depression. She witnesses a child being kidnapped from the platform where she is waiting for her train home. Nobody has reported a missing child and Bridget is not believed by anyone, even her husband. She is consumed with finding the child. I could not stop reading and was amazed at the ending of the book!

Thank you to Net Galley and Avon Books UK. for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

So to begin, here's a quick recap on what the story is about:

<i>Bridget was on her way home in a train when she saw a girl being kidnapped by two men as the train passes by one of the stations. She quickly call the police when she had reached her destination and to her surprise, no one else in the train saw what had happened and she was the only witness. What's worse? The police informed her the next day that no one had reported their child missing and no one else believed what she said. Bridget couldn't let the incident off and went on searching for clues on her own. But will she be able to find the truth and prove what she said is true?</i>


<b>My thoughts on the book</b>
Okay let's be honest, I went into this book with a lot of expectations and anticipation but about 200 pages in, I find myself not as attached to the book anymore and was flying through pages just so I know the ending. The beginning of the story was great, we get to know Bridget, who had a little happy family with her husband, Tom and their little girl, Grace. Although there might be some disagreements between them, I still think their family is cute and it's just portraying normal everyday stuff every family goes through.

What I didn't really enjoy about the book was I find it to be a little draggy in the middle when the author is explaining on how Bridget looks for clues and patiently waiting for news from the police and also how she feels responsible about finding the little girl.

Also, if you're not into books with psychological twists, I think this might not be your kind of read. This book also has trigger warnings for mental illness, depression, self harm, and suicide. Do read with caution.

Overall, it's still a great story plot, I did enjoy the thriller part of it and how it kept me on anxious throughout the whole story. If you're into thriller plots, do pick this up and I'm sure you'll enjoy it too!

Bridget is exhausted, working long hours while her husband is at home with their baby. When she witnesses a child being kidnapped from a station, when she’s rushing past on the train, she’s desperate for her to be found. But the police don’t believe her. They think she fell asleep on the train and dreamed the whole thing. Even her husband wants her to let it go, but what if that little girl was her baby? And now she’s the only one who believes she’s missing.

The Girl on the Platform was a frantic, gripping thriller that I couldn’t put down.  I was exhausted on behalf of Bridget, dealing with post natal depression, anxiety and an overbearing mother. The author did a wonderful Jon of hilighting the difficulties of both sides of parenting - for ones working away from home and ones staying home with the child. Although a few twists were fairly easy to guess, there were more reveals at the end that had me reeling.

I’d definitely recommend this one for thriller lovers!

A story which sees a Mum, Bridget, witness a little girls kidnapping and become so invested in solving the crime she is willing to put her own family life at risk. Initially a slow burner yet still a highly engaging psychological thriller.

Whilst I enjoyed the entire book I do feel like I only really started to get the "must keep reading, must keep reading" feeling as the story progressed. I love how we were fed little pieces of information until eventually I was like OH MY GODDD, I KNOW WHAT'S HAPPENED 😱 To be honest, I'm a little surprised I didn't guess the plot sooner than I did but I thought the twist of the story was albeit chilling, just brilliant!

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon Books UK for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an honest review 📖

If no one else saw it happen, did it really even happen?

Bryony Pearce’s first adult domestic noir, “The Girl on the Platform,” is to be published April 15, 2021, and highlights post-natal depression and a kidnap sighting.

Bridgit Carlson, 28, is on her way home late one night from her work at a London research company when, from the train window, she witnesses a little girl being kidnapped from a dark train platform. When no one else on the train comes forward as a witness and there is no missing persons report filed, police and her family start to doubt whether she’s telling the truth. Bridgit is on medication for post-partum depression and her sighting is chalked up to hallucinations brought on by the medications and sleep deprivation due to balancing her career and an 8-month baby girl, Grace. She also has a history of attending counselling and a controlling mother, Alison, who loves to paint her daughter as an incapable mother and a depressed soul. This drives Bridgit to start her own investigation. She’s so convinced of the event that she puts it all on the line to find the little girl and to prove that she witnessed an actual event.

Told from two perspectives, Bridgit’s and the missing girl’s, this thriller is difficult to get into at first. Not having had children, I couldn’t understand what was wrong with Bridgit and didn’t understand why she was being treated with such disdain and disbelief. I commend the author for her insightful forray into the mind of an anxious and emotionally unstable mother. I could almost feel her vulnerability jumping out from the pages. I can only imagine how frustrated Bridgit must have felt experiencing a lack of credibility due to her mental illness. Halfway through the story, the pace picked up and, what were initially loose threads in the story, became part of the tapestry. It all made sense. I wasn’t ready for the mind-blowing climax and was aware of my heart pounding as I neared the end.

Thank you to Bryony Pearce, Avon Books UK, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

I loved this book and couldn't put it down! The characters were relatable despite me never having gone through what Bridget goes through with post-partum depression. I guessed the ending about halfway through maybe? so would have preferred hints to have only started later in the book, but even so, the twists and turns leave you questioning everything and I would highly recommend this book! However, I think it's important to highlight the many trigger warnings associated with this book, including but not limited to: mental illness, self harm, suicide, suicidal thoughts, depression, alcoholism, etc.

This was a twisty, turny psychological thriller! I TOTALLY identified with Bridge’s postpartum exhaustion and feelings of being “another person” - so that drew me in from the start. Her fervor to find the kidnapped girl kept me turning pages until the end. Even though I guessed most of the situation about midway through, the story was still fast paced enough to keep me engaged and doubting myself. If you enjoyed The Girl on the Train or The Couple Next Door, you’ll love this one!

A solid thriller, with intrigue from the off, and plenty of doubt chucked in. While I found Bridget should really have made some connections much earlier, she is a troubled main character with a mind she can't trust...and it becomes more apparent why as the story goes on. The ending was dark and became more twisted with each page, but a satisfying conclusion to the story. It's slow paced at the start, but soon becomes a book you can't put down. Really enjoyed it. Thank you Netgalley.

It’s everyone’s worst nightmare come true – your child has gone missing. Except in this case, Bridget is the only one who seems to be worried. Bridget is a new (and exhausted) mom. She has just started work again and fell asleep on the train journey home. She wakes up to witnessing a little girl being snatched from the train platform.

Believing that she was dreaming the incident, no one believes her, not even the police, since no other witnesses come forward. And there are no reports of a missing child. Bridget can’t let it go and she starts to investigate the mystery herself – but at the risk of losing her family and putting herself in danger.

Lots of intriguing twists and turns. Ask yourself, what would you do if this happened to you?

Thank you to Netgalley and Avon Books UK for providing me with an e-arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Bridget is travelling home on the train to her husband and her 8 month old daughter. She is sleep deprived and struggling with PND when she sees a young girl sitting alone on a platform and then bundled into a van. No one else saw this kidnapping apart from Bridget. After reporting it to the police strange things start to happen. Bridget and her mother already have a strained relationship but what length will her mum go to to stop Bridget moving away?
This was a really gripping read which I throughly enjoyed. Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for this arc in exchange for my honest review.

This was a real page turner with lots of twists and turns. When Bridget witnesses a kidnapping of a young girl through the window of her train home from work, it sets off a chain reaction leading to some life threatening shocks for her. It’s a cleverly plotted thriller but I did guess the main twist very early on. This didn’t dull my enjoyment of The Girl on the Platform but I did get a little frustrated at times as the other characters took a lot longer to catch on than I did!
A really gripping read though and one that will have you shouting at Bridget more than once!