What a read! I didn't expect to like this book as much as I did. I mean, I thought I'd enjoy it, but I truly got sucked in. Firstly, I didn't realize this book took place in the London suburbs. My mom and I visited London as a college graduation and mother/daughter trip a few years ago, and we loved it. The trains, as odd as it may sound, were something we both loved so much, and I remember like it was yesterday riding the different lines and seeing the houses dotted along tracks. The setting alone brought me back to wonderful memories. 
 And then the characters here. I've said it a million times: I'm a lover of character development. It can really make or break a story, and here, Paula Hawkins did an awesome job with these different people. I believed them. I believed their stories. And with Rachel especially. Alcoholism runs heavy through my family, and unfortunately I've seen the effects of the disease up close and personal. I thought Hawkins depicted the disease with great tact and accuracy based off the experiences I've seen and dealt with. I was drawn in to the lives of these characters, and I loved seeing how their different paths crossed and wove together. 
 I also greatly admired Hawkins' ability to not give away the truth too soon. Just enough information was revealed at just the right time to get us thinking one way, and then boom! She leads us down a totally different path. I loved not knowing what was going to happen. I loved that my suspicions kept changing. 
 So why I am I only rating The Girl on the Train 4 stars instead of 5? It was that damn ending. 
 As much as I loved the development of the story, when we get to the end and figure out what happened, everything started getting a little theatrical. The personalities we've come to know, they move to the extremes as if to really drive it home that this is what happened. It was a push that not only wasn't necessary, but it broke down a lot of the build up and excitement I had. It seemed in some ways that Hawkins thought she almost did too good a job at leading us in different directions that she was nervous the reader wouldn't really trust the outcome unless it was overly obvious. The way it unfolded didn't really match the bulk of the story, and I felt like I wasn't trusted to put the pieces together on my own. 
 But all in all, I really enjoyed this one. I know Hawkins' next book will be coming out really soon (hell, it might already be out), and I'm excited to get my hands on it.