A gripping psychological thriller that pulled me in from the very first page. It’s a story about survival, secrets, and the inescapable pull of the past.

The book follows a university student trying to rebuild her life after tragedy. Desperate for money, she takes a ghostwriting job with one peculiar rule: her employer must remain anonymous. What starts as an opportunity quickly turns dark as her client’s ideas eerily echo her own hidden past. As she pieces things together, her reality unravels, and when her closest friend disappears, the tension reaches a breaking point.

Lynn creates a haunting atmosphere, blending sharp pacing with a protagonist whose fears feel painfully real. The faceless employer looms as a menacing presence, and the twists hit hard, keeping you on edge until the very end.

The Student is a dark, emotional, and unrelenting read that will leave you thinking long after the final page. Fans of psychological thrillers won’t want to miss it.

Thank you Boldwood Books and NetGalley for providing this advance copy for my honest, voluntary review.

#TheStudent #NetGalley #BoldwoodBooks #HMLynn

This was fast-paced thriller, it kept me on the edge of my seat all the way with so many twists.

I was hooked from page one.

WOW!

“The Student” is a fast paced thriller.
Thank you Boldwood Books and Netgalley for the advance review copy of the book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Frankie is a 24 years old talented writer starting college that is offered a job as a ghostwriter by a mysterious man.

I liked that there are short chapters full of suspans. For me it was a page turner and I read it in one siting as the action kept me interested. During the story there are a few twists and it is hard to realize if the character is being gaslighted, she is right or she is paranoid. At one time I suspected the person that turned out to be “the killer”, but there were also surprises at the end.
Overall I would recommend this if you like psychological thrillers.

This was a quick read with short chapters and an overall fast pace. It centers on Frankie, who is attending college a few years older than most students on a scholarship. She takes a ghostwriting job for a secret client to bring in some more money, but the client seems to know more about her than she would expect and she fears that there is an ulterior motive.

This was an interesting concept overall, and I like how the author weaved in stories about Frankie's past to understand her current state of mind. Frankie kind of drove me crazy as a character, though- she was naive and constantly jumped to conclusions without fully understanding the situation in front her. While I thought there were some good twists, I thought the way Frankie handled them didn't seem like it was how a real person would act. I liked the twist at the end, and while I had an inkling of who the villain was, their motivations were a surprise. I thought the ending was very abrupt, though- the whole thing got tied up very quickly and cleanly in just a couple of pages.

Overall, this was a fun read despite my lack of connection with the main character. I'd give it a solid 3.5 stars. Thanks to Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Fun, twisty thriller that deals with two of my favorite subjects; writing and academia. Frankie is just starting college at age 24. She has had a tragic life with her parents killed in a murder-suicide. She is a talented writer and has a devoted boyfriend named Duncan. One of her favorite professors recommends her for a ghostwriting job that will provide the money she needs to move into a better place with Duncan. When she goes to interview for the job, she is met with a robotic voice and no picture and the mysterious Dr. B seems to know everything about her life. After she accepts the job, crazy things start to happen in her life and she thinks Dr. B is behind it all.

This one went in a different direction than most thrillers and I was constantly wondering who was behind all the things happening and at times I thought maybe Frankie herself was behind this. There is a murder, Frankie is accused of plagiarism and an old friend is missing. I did guess one of the twists but I thought the author did a great job of laying out subtle clues that led to solving the mystery. I didn't always find Frankie likable but I enjoyed this crazy, ride of a story. Thank you to NetGalley and Boldwood books for a copy of this ARC to review.

The Student by H. M. Lynn is a psychological thriller with a good enough premise to make you want to see the book through. I liked the character build-up. Frankie, in particular, was great, and I love how, at one point, the author had us questioning her sanity. I was hoping the author was going to play into that (maybe something similar to S.A Folk's The Therapist), but to my dismay, she didn't. The plot was very predictable, and I knew who this "Dr. B" was as soon as the character made their appearance in the book. The supporting characters were also pretty good, as was the writing. A solid 3 star read.
Thank you NetGalley, Boldwood Books, and H. M. Lynn for this ARC.

A very interesting an unique concept for the plot! Full of drama and suspense. Fast paced and kept me hooked.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this advanced copy. Very fast paced, and I was intrigued to find out what was going to happen. Love the short chapters. It was very spooky! Twists I didn't see coming!

★★★.5

After a dramatic incident, Frankie is eager to start fresh in a new town—one where she doesn’t know anyone, and no one knows her. As a struggling scholarship student, she’s desperate to find a job to make ends meet. A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity arises when she’s offered the role of ghostwriter, with a paycheck that could change her life forever—but is it too good to be true?

The selection process is unusual. Her employer, the mysterious Dr. B, is determined to keep his identity a secret. The questions he asks make her feel as though he knows her intimately—her deepest, darkest secrets, even those she hasn’t admitted to herself.

When the stories she writes suddenly begin manifesting in real life, it might already be too late for Frankie to walk away…

”Suicide — that’s what they have said. The word is used at least three times in the article, but it’s not that. It’s murder. I know, because the description is so familiar, I could have written it myself. I pretty much did…”

H.M. Lynn has a knack for drawing readers in and maintaining a relentless pace that makes it impossible to put her books down! As with her previous novel, The Headteacher, our protagonist has secrets she’d rather keep buried. And while I wanted to trust her and root for her, it wasn’t always clear just how reliable Frankie—or her perspective—truly was.

This was a super quick read with plenty of twists to keep you guessing!

Thank you to NetGalley, Boldwood Books, and H.M. Lynn for an early copy of this twisty popcorn thriller! All opinions are my own.

Thank you Net Gallery for the book. It was very enjoyable, very entertaining, lots of twists and turns. I loved the characters. The only bad thing I have to say about this book is that it kept me reading way past midnight, I couldn't put it down! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

this book was good but not great. a fast paced thriller that was easy to follow but ultimately I was underwhelmed with the ending and there was a couple of plot holes that I wish had been tied up.

The Main character was too naive to make any sense to me as a reader at all. Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for a chance to read this book.

This book is so fast paced I flew through it in a day. I thought I guessed the ending but I was wrong again.

My heart went out to Francesca and her losses and the emails were creepy.

I haven't read anything by this author before but I'm excited to read more.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I enjoyed The Student, but it was not the page-turner I expected. There was a point in the first half when I would have said it was too slow, but then it picked up, and I enjoyed the second half.
I must say I found the main character lacking and gullible. She seemed too easily swayed by lies and had no faith in the people she had in her corner.

Title: The Student
Author: H.M. Lynn
Genre: Psychological Thriller
Publisher: Boldwood Books
Pub Date: January 28,, 2025
My Rating: 3.2 Stars!
Pages 274

Francesca is a scholarship student who entered the university at age twenty-four. She has a past and is trying to start over after a tragic death of her parents. Since she is a scholarship she is usually looking to ways to help with expenses,
Professor Jarvis saw her potential to be a good writer and offered her opportunity to interview as a ghostwriter. The client, a professor who goes by Dr. B has already interviewed several people and has not been pleased with any.
The interview took place with the interviewers behind a screen and a voice synthesizer. The interview starts out somewhat normal but then the questions get strange.
Although Francesca reaches the point she isn’t sure she want the job and of course, it offered the job.
I was curious about the mysterious Professor Dr. B and if she indeed had a previous connection to Francesca when his ideas seem eerily like a mirror.

I always love a story based on a college campus or in an academic setting ~ so I was sure I was going to like thus.

True I did like it and it kept me curious but it wasn’t the WOW psychological thriller I was expecting!

Want to thank NetGalley and Boldwood Books for granted me this dGalley.
Publishing Release Date scheduled for - January 28, 2025.

The Student by H M Lynn is an engaging psycological thriller with an original plot. There are some good twists and the short chapters make it an easy read. Recommended.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

I did enjoy this book. There were lots of twists and turns that draw us in. Unfortunately I found it a bit slow in the middle. But it picked up again at the end!

This was a really engaging psychological thriller with lots of twists and turns that kept me completely hooked from start to finish. I devoured this in one sitting because I just needed to get some closure! The short chapters and fast paced really lend themselves well to creating some suspenseful drama here.

There were some pretty interesting twists and turns here, while I did see where things were going early on, I still really enjoyed this as I wanted to know how it would all work itself out.

Overall, if you’re looking for fairly quick and engaging psychological thriller then this is definitely worth taking a look into

Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for providing me with this free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Uni student Frankie is offered a ghost writing job, but when she discovers that her "employer" uses a voice changer and keeps the camera off, she knows something is off and tries to back out of the deal, but she has been paid and is obligated to continue. Things go from bad to worse when the plot is discussed and has chilling similarities to Frankie's own traumatic past. It is clear that this is someone who knows her, but who?

This started and ended strong, but was slow in between and I found it boring in parts. A good edit and this would be an incredible thriller! Neverless, it's worth a read and I had no inkling of who the person employing Frankie was, so the reveal was a jaw-dropper.

3 ⭐️ Thanks to Netgalley, H. M. Lynn and Boldwood for an ARC in return for an honest review.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ The Student - H.M. Lynn

Ok, it’s early 2025 - but this surely has to be a firm contender for Book Of The Year!

Completed in just two sittings, this had me on the edge of my seat! A main character brought to the edge of insanity - and a twist that I certainly didn’t see coming.

Expertly crafted to make sure the pages turn themselves, it was pacy, tense, dramatic - it had it all!

Would make an excellent TV thriller too……I’ve got my fingers crossed! 🤞🏼