Lisa Unger

Be careful who you tell your darkest secrets... Selena Murphy is commuting home from her job in the city when the train stalls out on the tracks. She strikes up a conversation with a beautiful stranger in the next seat, and their connection is fast and easy. The woman introduces herself as Martha and confesses that she's been stuck in an affair with her boss. Selena, in turn, confesses that she suspects her husband is sleeping with the nanny. When the train arrives at Selena's station, the two women part ways, presumably never to meet again. But days later, Selena's nanny disappears. Soon Selena finds her once-perfect life upended. As she is pulled into the mystery of the missing nanny, and as the fractures in her marriage grow deeper, Selena begins to wonder, who was Martha really? But she is hardly prepared for what she'll discover. Expertly plotted and reminiscent of the timeless classic Strangers on a Train, Confessions on the 7:45 is a stunning web of lies and deceit, and a gripping thriller about the delicate facades we create around our lives.

Confessions on the 7:45

Shreya Punj

Started this one with reasonable expectations which were all met. And then some! 

The plot is on the blurb so I’m not going to rewrite it. The characters are good. The women complicated. The writing is excellent. 

Lots of vantage points worked in favour of the narrative rather than against. Would recommend it to anyone who devours thrillers and hasn’t read this one yet.

for a mystery-thriller?! i know, i'm shocked.

but holy shit, this was so good. is it perfect? no. are some parts pretty ridiculous? yes. but for me, this was about the connection between the characters and their relationships. it made me feel for them, which is something that rarely happens for me in this genre, where the protagonists are usually dumb and/or terrible people. not that the characters in this book were great people either, but the way lisa unger wrote about them just really resonated with me.

the relationship between pearl and pop was my favorite part, and it was so interesting to delve into that kind of messy, unexplainable bond that tethered them to one another. these were the kinds of character studies that i really love. some parts even brought tears to my eyes, with the way the writing approached the subjects that it did. some things aren't always in black and white, and a choice that may seem so obvious to one person may be extremely difficult for another. we can't fully say for sure how we would react in a situation based on hypotheticals. unless you actually face it yourself, you don't know know what you will do.

christea

for a mystery-thriller?! i know, i'm shocked.

but holy shit, this was so good. is it perfect? no. are some parts pretty ridiculous? yes. but for me, this was about the connection between the characters and their relationships. it made me feel for them, which is something that rarely happens for me in this genre, where the protagonists are usually dumb and/or terrible people. not that the characters in this book were great people either, but the way lisa unger wrote about them just really resonated with me.

the relationship between pearl and pop was my favorite part, and it was so interesting to delve into that kind of messy, unexplainable bond that tethered them to one another. these were the kinds of character studies that i really love. some parts even brought tears to my eyes, with the way the writing approached the subjects that it did. some things aren't always in black and white, and a choice that may seem so obvious to one person may be extremely difficult for another. we can't fully say for sure how we would react in a situation based on hypotheticals. unless you actually face it yourself, you don't know know what you will do.

Melissa Schwartz

This was great thriller. The story flowed so well throughout, without a dull moment at any point! Content warnings include kidnapping, domestic violence, and sexual assault. Though main character Selena made choices that were confusing at times, you couldn’t help but root for her. And Pearl is definitely a whirlwind to learn about, and there are so many questions still, but her story really could give a reader a lot to think about even without being able to relate. I wish there was a little more added backstory to Geneva and Pop. Definitely wanted more answers about Pop. Additionally, a lot of Selena’s choices were pretty unrealistic. In some ways I can understand why she stayed in (or felt stuck in rather) her marriage especially as a mother, but also it’s very hard to get over her overlooking the things she finds out, which for most would be unforgivable. I do think she’s grasps that in the end. But overall a definite recommendation from me to you all!

Moon of Pages

Paige Green

Disclaimer: I received this e-arc from the publisher. Thanks! All opinions are my own.

Book: Confessions on the 7:45

Author: Lisa Unger

Book Series: Standalone

Rating: 3/5

Recommended For...: mystery lovers, thrill seekers, crime

Publication Date: October 6, 2020

Genre: Mystery/Thriller

Recommended Age: 18+ (violence, gore, sexual content, romance, death, and marital issues)

Publisher: Park Row

Pages: 368

Synopsis: Be careful to whom you tell your darkest secrets…

Selena Murphy is commuting home from her job in the city when the train stalls out on the tracks. She strikes up a conversation with a beautiful stranger in the next seat, and their connection is fast and easy. The woman introduces herself as Martha and confesses that she’s been stuck in an affair with her boss. Selena, in turn, confesses that she suspects her husband is sleeping with the nanny. When the train arrives at Selena’s station, the two women part ways, presumably never to meet again.

But days later, Selena’s nanny disappears.

Soon Selena finds her once-perfect life upended. As she is pulled into the mystery of the missing nanny, and as the fractures in her marriage grow deeper, Selena begins to wonder, who was Martha really? But she is hardly prepared for what she’ll discover.

Review: For the most part this was a good book. The book was well paced and the characters were well done. The book did well with the plot as well.

However, the book was predictable and I predicted the ending early on. The book also didn't have a lot of world building.

Verdict: Predictable, but good!

Anna Adams

Really, 4.5. It kept me reading, and it was creepy. The thing that took the .5 was that the characters were described as having glittering good. I wanted a touch more of that to be obvious. Will definitely read more from this author.

Becca Futrell

Buddy read with Reg!

Thank you to Netgalley and Park Row for providing me with an e-ARC of Confessions on the 7:45 in exchange for an honest review! 

2.5 rounded up!

Confessions on the 7:45 was an example of things happening, but also things.. not happening at the same time? Lisa Unger's writing was fantastic, but the story truly failed for me & is not memorable whatsoever. Plus, too many POVs -- I get that it all ties up at the end, but it still felt like an absolute Mess. It's a decent book, but not one that sticks out at all.

Confessions on the 7:45

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