This post was originally published at Novelicious.com and is now at WritingTipsOasis.com. WritingTipsOasis.com acquired Novelicious.com in June 2022.
Without question, one of the most popular books this year is Paula Hawkins’ psychological thriller, The Girl on the Train. Since its release in January, it has become the novel that everyone is reading and talking about and was even named Amazon’s bestselling ebook of the year last week. But once you’ve ridden the train and reached your destination – head swimming with all the lies, secrets and suspense – what do you read next? We have a few ideas.
1. The Good Girl by Mary Kubica – Told in alternating perspectives much like The Girl On the Train, The Good Girl sees Mia unable to resist a one night stand with an enigmatic stranger she meets in a bar. But going home with him might turn out to be the worst mistake of Mia's life.
2. Unravel by Calia Read – Naomi was admitted to a psychiatric ward one month ago. Since then, two men have been to visit her. One tells her she is crazy, but the other believes otherwise. Left alone to unravel the tangled web of her life, will she uncover the truth, or yet more devastating secrets?
3. Don’t Try To Find Me by Holly Brown – “Don’t try to find me.” The message on the kitchen whiteboard is written in 14-year-old Marley’s hand and launches her parents into a frenzied and desperate campaign to find their daughter. They turn to Twitter, Facebook, and even create a dedicated ‘Find Marley’ website. But it’s all about to backfire, as the teenage girl isn’t the only one with secrets …
4. Cartwheel by Jennifer duBois – Cartwheel focusses on Lily Hayes, an American student in Buenos Aires on an exchange program. When her dull roommate Katy is murdered, Lily becomes the main suspect, but the investigation turns up a plethora of often contradictory details about who Lily was and the life she was leading. No two readers will completely agree on what happened in this twisted novel, which makes it the perfect pick for readers who love a good mystery.
5. The Dept. of Speculation by Jenny Offill – Part of what made The Girl on the Train so enjoyable was trying to piece the snippets of, sometimes unreliable, information together. There’s no central mystery to The Dept. of Speculation, written as a series of scattered thoughts in the mind of an unnamed wife struggling with a failing marriage, a new baby, and an existential crisis; rather, readers are challenged to figure out the whole story, which is a mystery in itself.What books would you recommend to fans of The Girl on the Train?