What would you do to help a stranger in trouble? Would you bring her into your home and career? That's exactly what happens when Jenna, a woman who has Autism, sees a Allie in distress on the train. She's seen Allie everyday and has made up a story about her in her mind, reality is very different. Jenna, who has a high pressure job, a wonderful husband, and a couple kids wants to help this poor woman in crisis. But all is not as it seems.

Is Allie manipulative or is Jenna going crazy? The writing had me hooked and I didn't want to put the book down. I don't want to give too much away, I really enjoyed the book and would have given it 5 stars except I hated the ending. I'm sure I won't be the only one.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

I received a free copy of, The Woman on Platform 8, by M A Hunter, from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. We never know what people are going through, we think other people have the perfect life, like Allie on Platform 8. Jenna thinks about Allie a lot, maybe to much. Wow this was a thriller.

Thank you to NetGalley for my first eARC. Let me just say… Wow! This is my first M. A. Hunter book and I am just completely stunned. I think I enjoyed the story overall, but there were elements that left me confused and honestly disappointed. I have so many questions and am still thinking about the twist ending.

Jenna is a graphic designer and working mom who has autism. One morning, on the train into London, she crosses paths with a woman in distress. Despite social challenges she experiences, she approaches the woman, whom she has noticed previously, to see if she can assist. Jenna learns the woman is called Allie and that she is fleeing a potentially dangerous situation. Jenna’s life quickly becomes intertwined with Allie’s and vice versa, and chaos and uncertainty ensue. Midway through the story, there’s a distinct impression that everyone is trying to sabotage Jenna, and even those who claim to support her can’t be trusted, or can they? As is the case in my psychological thrillers, Jenna is a very unreliable narrator, almost to a fault in this case.

While I enjoyed the twist ending and absolutely did not see it coming, I also had some challenges with the main character, Jenna. Without any direct experience with autism, I hesitate to pass judgment on how the character was written, I do have some concerns with the escalation of her character, though that didn’t sit quite right with me. It was haunting, traumatic, and twisted. Ultimately, I did find it to be an engaging story.

What a fantastic book - tells the story of a London commuter who comes to the aid of a woman she sees regularly on her morning train and who ends up ensconced in her life and career. The main character/narrator has been diagnosed with Autism as an adult and it’s fantastic to read a book from this perspective . The story is brilliantly plotted and I devoured it within 3.5 hrs. One of the best I’ve read for a long time. Highly recommend

This was just a nice, easy read that gives you everything you could want from a domestic noir. It kept me guessing, wasn't overly complicated or far fetched and was just really enjoyable

I enjoyed this book, was a quick paced storyline and concerning autism which is unusual in a thriller. It was an interesting read and I certainly didn’t expect the ending. Some of the characters were likeable and some not so much but that’s what makes the book good. If you want a quick thriller then I recommend this book

This was a pacy, thought provoking read that took me a while to get into. Ultimately I did enjoy it and the twist were interesting.. The topic of autism is covered and I thought that was fairly unique and worked well.

What a cleverly composed and unique plot! Written in the first person POV, this story covers a multitude of issues ranging from marital problems to mental health. It manages to weave in a character who appears genuine and has the main protagonist tied up in knots until she no longer knows which way is up. The ending is totally unexpected and again, brilliantly plotted and written. I look forward to MA Hunter's next book.

I have to say I was rather put off with the main character being autistic.. I don't like the 'latest' trend of life such as covid, autism, etc being used in a book as I want to be whisked away from the generalities of life... but that said I did enjoy this read.

It is quite pacy and with a few twists and an ending I couldn't guess it is an intriguing read.

It has more than enough drama and I enjoyed my reading time

Even tho the ending was not what I was hoping for, this book was a page turner for me, It was great and fun to dive into one sitting.

3.5 ⭐️I flew through this book such a page turner.
Really enjoyed Jenna's character and the ending I never seen coming. Thank you to Netgalley and Boldwood Books for ARC.

Read and reviewed in exchange for a free copy from Netgalley. This was a compelling read. Jenna was a relatable narrator, and the story was well-paced. Although I was gripped throughout, I felt let down by the ending - in some ways, the story was left hanging and there were too many unanswered questions leaving me wondering what the actual plot was. I think "enjoyable but frustrating" sums my thoughts on this book up!

Enjoyed the book but hated the last few chapters. It felt like the book just ended horribly for me.

I could not put this book down…I read it in one sitting!
By far my favourite thriller I’ve read in a long time.
And that twist at the end … so good.
If you’re on the fence about reading this, don’t be! Grab it and enjoy!!
Thank you to NetGalley for my ARC

I was given this book by NetGalley for an honest review-
Wow what a book!
On her way to work she spots a beautiful woman on platform 8. One morning the woman rushes in, looking scared - because she looks like she is in danger I decide to help her- but this mistake will ruin everything as one kind move will change my life forever!!

Thanks to publisher, author and netgalley for this ARC read.

THIS REVIEW WAS RECEIVED AS AN ARC READ. AS AN ARC READER FOR THIS BOOK, AN HONEST REVIEW WAS REQUESTED.

Oh my God. My brain feels so scrambled in the best possible way; the way it should feel after reading a really good psychological thriller.

I will keep this as concise as possible (I say this every time and I always lie) because I don’t want to be spreading spoilers about this book but this one had me constantly going back and forth, second guessing my own thought process and querying what side of sane I myself was on, depending on who I was backing throughout this book.

I thought the characters were great; they kept me on my toes. I kept pinballing between my feelings for each of them. I felt that I continuously flip flopped over what I thought of them leading to a constant inner battle about who I should be rooting for and who I should be doubting. The main character, Jenna was definitely my favourite as I feel most people who read this will probably say the same. I felt so angry for her and the absolute gaslighting nature of everyone around her. She is consistently being treated as if she is crazy and honestly, every time I read the other character’s name I wanted to rip my hair out. She was so conniving and vindictive and I hated her but for an author, that’s gonna be a piece of praise.

If someone hates the character who is constantly being shadowed with doubt, it means you’re writing them correctly, in my opinion.

For so much of the book, all I could think was ‘Red flags!’ and that was about almost every single person in Jenna’s life. I especially did not care for her husband; he gave me the biggest red flag warnings and all I could think was, “Oh my God, I would never stand for this shit.” I suppose it’s a bit more complicated if you’re married with children but jeez, he was infuriating and so condescending for the majority of the book. He was so unlikeable and I don’t know if we were meant to ever like him but I certainly did not.

Now, this book was amazing and gripping. I found that I could not stop reading it. Literally. I was reading it between mundane tasks and was hurrying back to my room to finish it when I got a moment. I more or less finished this book within 24 hours which shows that it is a thrilling read.

However, the point at which the book let me down was the ending, I have to say. There was a ‘twist’ as such at the end but it didn’t really feel like that. I don’t know, I was left more confused than shocked. It wasn’t really explained well nor was it explained clearly. I don’t know about other people but I prefer psychological thrillers to lay it all out on the table in the last 20 or so pages so that I have my questions answered and I am satisfied with the ending.

This ending did not do that for me. Maybe I am just a little dim and didn’t get something very obvious but I don’t know… it doesn’t feel that way. It felt rushed and awkwardly ended, as if the author panicked and wasn’t 100% sure on how to finish it off? The ending did leave me a tad perplexed because as mentioned, I am still left with a number of questions. Rather than it be questions regarding the ending and being in an awe struck shock, it felt like there were too many loose ends. All in all, the end just felt disjointed and messy. That was my only let down however; the rest of the book? Absolutely top notch.

Something I did find very interesting about this book was the main character, Jenna being autistic. It is mentioned early on and is referenced to frequently throughout the book. Now, I don’t have any kind of formal diagnosis of autism but I couldn’t help but compare and empathise with Jenna in a lot of scenes due to having felt the exact same throughout my own life. There is so much mention of overstimulation, routines, the loud noise in your head and honestly, she as a character I felt really resonated with me and I think it made me root for her so much more because I could understand several of the traits she struggles with in her difficult times.
Either way, ending aside, this was an amazing read and I am really glad I started reading it. When I initially started it, I only read a few pages and then just left it alone for a few days. But, once I came back to it, I binge read this in an entire night. As mentioned, I was reading this between dinner, between skincare, between washing my hair. Every spare moment I had after work, I was flipping through pages. I stayed awake until 3am to finish the book and all in all, I read this within only a few hours. To me, that is a pretty good sign of a decent thriller.

Mainly, it was blind rage on behalf of the main character that had me hooked. I just could not believe the way people who were meant to be her loved ones were treating her. Absolutely infuriating.

The ending of this book was the only thing that stopped me listing this as a 5 star read but otherwise, I loved this book and I’d definitely be interested in reading more by the author in the future.

Keep your eyes peeled for The Woman on Platform 8, releasing Monday 31 March 2025!

A quick, easy and enjoyable read that was fast paced and had a good amount of twists. I didn't see the ending coming and I would be shocked if anyone did. I liked some of the characters and some others I really disliked but that's what made them so good. I read in it one very short sitting.

The Woman On Platform 8 by MA Hunter, Gemma catches the same train every day and sees the same people so when she sees a lady who she thinks of is living a fabulous life, but on this day looks startled and unsettled she goes to Linda hand. her name is Allie Davis and she doesn’t say much but the one thing she does say is that she thinks she may have killed her boyfriend. Gemma is playing it by ear and really doesn’t know how to act in this situation and before the morning is over, she will have invited Allie to stay at her home with her husband, Brett, and two children. Allie refuses to let Gemma call the police and by the time Gemma will wish she had her family will love Allie and she will be feeling like the odd man out and when the police are called, it will be on Gemma, who knows the truth, but no one will believe her. there were many things I loved and many things. I absolutely disliked about this book. I liked that it was fast pace, and I love that the author took such a big risk with the ending, not saying I like it, but I didn’t absolutely hate it either. OMG was I shocked. The things I didn’t like, I didn’t like that Gemma, despite knowing her mom has mental health issues totally abandon her and almost worshiped her dad who also abandoned the mom who at the time had two small children. I also found she kept a lot of things and situations from her children and her husband and I get it. Her mom had problems but growing up I was told family was family and you stick by them warts and all..#NetGalley, #BoldWoodBooks, #TheBlindReviewer, #MAHunter, #TheWomanOnPlatform8,

The main character, Jenna, takes the train to work one morning and sees a woman who looks disheveled/frightened. That woman is Allie. Jenna ends up taking Allie home with her in an effort to help protect her from her "abuser." Jenna is a person with Autisim, and the author makes certain to point that out frequently. I am a special education teacher, so reading a book whose main character is autistic was intriguing to me. It didn't take long for Jenna to annoy me. I found her infuriating! For someone with Autism, she seemed very social and trusting of others, too trusting.

As I progressed through the book, I kept waiting for the ball to drop. Allie was a master manipulator who preyed on someone who was just trying to be kind to her. I honestly got tired of reading about all of the ridiculous things she did to Jenna.

The ending of the book was HORRIBLE and extremely far-fetched!! I actually had to read the last chapter twice to fully understand what had occurred.

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion/review

Jenna helps the terrified Allie on the train, lets her stay at her house because she's in danger - was this a mistake?

It started as a great read - I liked Jenna, her character, her internal dialogue and her complex backstory. I thought she was such a well developed character and it was obvious a lot of thought had gone into her. I also thought making her autistic was a nice addition without it being her entire personality. The story started off so well, Jenna is feeling like she is losing her mind, heading down the same path as her mum who has long been plagued with mental illness. Allie is not all that she seems, and things are not adding up. The makings of a great thriller. It carried on with the exciting unravelling of the plot and the little snippets of things not adding up - is Jenna being drugged? Is Allie telling the truth? what is her husband hiding from her?. I was hooked. The last few chapters undid all the hard work for me, I felt the ending was messy, rushed and didn't wrap things up well enough for me. I have so many questions and I understand that people like this style of ending, it just wasn't for me and did not suit the tone of the book. I really loved Jenna, and I was disappointed for her ending. It actually made me feel terribly unsettled and I actually wonder if a mental health warning is needed at the start.

I cannot fault the writing, the characters, the inclusion of autism and it was extremely well paced. M A Hunter is clearly a talented writer and this had the potential to be fantastic, only let down in the final few chapters.