not a lot of crescendo via plot, it was relatively predicable but an interesting concept! i enjoyed how the deaths on the trainline were portrayed to have effected the workers but found the actual plot regarding the main character to not be very enthralling.

I would firstly like to thank Netgalley and the publishers for allowing me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

If I'm being completely honest, I was bored. It plods along at a steady pace, so I did finish in the hope it got better, and I was kinda curious how it would end, but I was disappointed.
A woman, now a ghost, people-watching... that's it. It tells you her story, her love life and how she came to die in between, but honestly it was predictable straight away.
Meh.

In this thriller/ghost story, we meet Lisa at Platform Seven of Peterborough Train Station – the very platform where she died after being hit by a train. Lisa doesn’t remember much about her life (or death), and spends her days watching the commuters and employees of the station come and go. The suicide of a man on the very same platform seven, around 18 months after her death, sets in motion a chain of events that allows Lisa to start remembering her past.

We follow Lisa as she rediscovers her friends, parents, and boyfriend Matty, and also as she gets to know new people, in the form of station and British Transport Police staff, all of whom were impacted by the two deaths.

This is not an easy read, as it deals with themes of suicide, abuse, and coercive control. However, it is extremely well written, and deals with these themes in a sensitive manner. The characters are engaging and the pacing is good. All in all, a very thought-provoking, if at times uncomfortable, read.

My thanks to the author, NetGalley, and the publisher for the arc to review.

I’m afraid this book is not for me. I was completely smitten with Louise Doughty’s writing when reading “Apple Tree Yard”, which is a brilliant book, and eagerly looked forward to the next. I then tried “A Bird in Winter” where the writing about the journey and countryside was magnificent, but the storyline I found discontinuous and lacking a clear reasoning or plan. Platform 7 continues in this vein – to me it too needs a really good copywriter to tighten the story. Again, the descriptions - Peterborough station at all hours, the town, etc. - are really good; you could be there, they are so alive. I read regularly and often and very rarely leave a book part-way through – I want to get to the ending and “see it through”. I read books every day and have abandoned possibly four/five books ever, but Platform 7 was too much of a struggle to complete and I have now stopped reading it. Try it, it may be for you.

4.5 *

This was such a compelling story! It brought out a lot of different emotions in me!

This is my first Louise Doughty novel but I will be on the lookout for any further books by her! I loved her writing!

This is a unique story and I feel the less you know the better. It mostly takes place at the Railway Station in Peterborough, England. It's a busy place with all the commuters that pass through on a daily basis. We are then introduced to some of the people that work there. Unfortunately it is also a place where two suicides have recently occurred on Platform Seven to be specific. One of those suicides is Lisa Evans. She was a thirty-six year old school teacher. Lisa finds herself "floating around" the station. She's dead but does not remember anything. Until one day someone else is found dead on the same platform that she too died at. Her memory slowly begins to return and we go back in time to hear Lisa's story.

This story shows how one bad situation can set-off a circumstance of events that leads to total disaster.

This book was originally released in 2020 but it will soon be turned into an ITV series in Britain. I will certainly be on the lookout for it here in Canada. I think it will make an excellent series.

I was gripped from the opening page by this thoughtful, ghostly, psychological thriller, which tells the story of Lisa Evans, who died in mysterious circumstances on platform seven at Peterborough Train Station.

We see Lisa observe the comings and goings of everyone at the station as she drifts aimlessly after her death, a trapped spirit struggling to piece together what’s happened to her as she follows the ups and downs of those who work there.

Louise Doughty skilfully writes, evoking a sense of quiet despair and powerless, gloomy resignation as Lisa recalls her troubled past in an abusive relationship with her ex-boyfriend, Matt, triggered by the latest suicide on ‘her’ platform.

A tale of two parts, this supernatural story juxtaposes Lisa’s ghostly afterlife with her horrendous ‘real-life’ experiences of being controlled and abused by a man who appears to be the perfect catch to the outside world.

Lisa’s dysfunctional, abusive, and manipulative relationship is laid bare from tense dinners to terse conversations and concealed violence and threats. It is a depressing, realistic portrayal of how victims blame themselves for their mistreatment at the hands of their abusers and how they become alienated from friends and loved ones as a result.

At times, Doughty’s writing is exceptional as she ratchets up the subtle, menacing tension, but on other occasions, I felt there was too much irrelevant minutiae, which begs for an editor’s red pen. A prime example is when the ghost Lisa is finally released from the station and wanders around the food aisles of her local Waitrose, describing the goods on sale in excruciating detail:

“Since when did doughnuts come in so many flavours; lemon icing, raspberry icing, salted caramel icing? It isn’t just the doughnuts. I traverse the aisles. Ice cream sauce comes in creamy fudge flavour, Belgian chocolate flavour, raspberry coulis flavour and – my favourite – Alphonso mango, passion fruit and yuzu. What is a yuzu? Is an Alphonso mango significantly different from any other kind of mango […] then I go and confirm my suspicions about carrots: they are, of course, even more orange than I remember […] on my way out, I drift along the salad bar, glancing into the tubs of salad one by one, wondering why so many of them contain kidney beans.”

While this unnecessary trivia is perplexing and disrupts the book’s flow, it did not detract from my enjoyment of this well-paced, intriguing tale with its gripping premise and relatable characterisation.

However, Doughty’s story is not for everyone. It does include graphic details about suicide and abuse, which may trigger some readers of a more sensitive disposition who are upset by these topics.

Thank you to Net Galley and Faber & Faber for my e-copy copy in exchange for an honest review.

Platform Seven at 4am: Peterborough Railway Station is deserted. The man crossing the covered walkway on this freezing November morning is confident he's alone. As he sits on the metal bench at the far end of the platform it is clear his choice is strategic - he's as far away from the night staff as he can get. What the man doesn't realise is that he has company. Lisa Evans knows what he has decided. She knows what he is about to do as she tries and fails to stop him walking to the platform edge. Two deaths on Platform Seven. Two fatalities in eighteen months - surely they're connected? No one is more desperate to understand what connects them than Lisa Evans herself. After all, she was the first of the two to die.

So this is a very up and down book for me, there were parts I hated and parts I loved. Starting at the beginning, what a difficult start it was. I was so not interested in what was going on, the plot was slow and the characters felt unconnected to me and I really could have given up. Then, Doughty enters the second part and what a change! Suddenly the book was intense, thrilling and electrifying to read, such a pleasant change and I only wish Doughty had kept this up as it was not too long before we were heading back to the parts I despised.

I cannot really be specific as to what the plot line was that ruined it for me as it will spoil the book for you, however in my opinion it was one hundred percent not necessary and its inclusion brought nothing extra to the read. If this whole plot thread went I think the book would only be improved.

The sections of the book that I loved were those told from Lisa's perspective as we learn her backstory and what causes her to die at Platform Seven. These sections made for very difficult reading, Doughty tackles a hard-hitting subject and it made for uncomfortable but intense reading. I was on the edge of my seat as we follow Lisa's life and watch it slowly go wrong. Lisa herself is a great character to follow, I eventually felt connected to her and once I did I was rooting for her.

'Platform Seven' is not quite a thriller but is more than just fiction. Stick with it, you might find the beginning insufferable but it gets so much better and I adored the slick, powerful, intense read that this turned out to be. The subjects are serious and the delivery exceptional.

Thank you to NetGalley and Faber and Faber Ltd for an advance copy.

I really enjoyed the vibe of this thriller, as it had more of a literary feel to it. It's narrated by the ghost of a woman named Lisa who died on Platform Seven of Peterborough Station. Less than 18 months after Lisa's death, a man is closely observed by the ghost of Lisa as he dies by suicide.

As the narrative ensues, we learn more about Lisa's life through her memories but, most interestingly, we learn about the repercussions of the two deaths on Peterborough Station staff and others who come and go from the narrative.

This was such a unique book, and I really enjoy the blend of ghost story and thriller. It was very well told and so engaging. Thought-provoking, too, which is often unusual for the thriller.

Platform Seven is a well written novel by Louise Doughty and is narrated by a ghost, Lisa who haunts a train station.

It's great to be in a position to recommend much more diverse books to our young people at school. Building the senior school library as a place where students actually come and find books that they want to read as opposed to books that teachers think they ought to read is an important responsibility and one we take really seriously.
Books like this are such a positive move as they will appeal to a broader set of readers than we are usually attracting. Dealing with modern issues in a clear and captivating way with a strong narrative voice and characters that the students can relate to is critical as we move forwards. This book is both an intelligent and compelling read that will hold even the most reluctant reader's attention and keep them turning the pages long into the night. It keeps the reader on their toes and ensures that you give it your full attention too. I found myself thinking about its characters and events even when I wasn't reading it and looking forward to snatching kore time with it and I hope that my students feel the same. An accessible, gripping and engrossing read that I can't recommend highly enough. Will absolutely be buying a copy for the library and heartily recommending it to both staff and students.

The plot is so different from anything else I've read from the author - quite dark in places but every intriguing. I wouldn't class it as a psychological thriller though - it's quite slow-paced and doesn't have a lot of twists, even at the end. At times, it was too slow and threatened to lose my interest. I persevered because I was intrigued and expected a twist, which didn't happen. I think it could have had a bit more pace and still have built up the background story for Lisa.

I very much enjoyed this book. It has a good story and excellent main characters. I would definately recommend this book.

A difficult read for me because of the subject matter, but I persevered. Quite different from her previous books. An intriguing story.

There were several moments in which I contemplated not finishing Platform Seven but persevered against my better judgement. Marketed as a psychological thriller, this is actually an incredibly slow-moving mystery, without a twist at the end. Incredibly dark themes (including suicide and coercive control) which made it a challenging read. I won't be picking up any of the author's other work.

Thank you NetGalley and Faber and Faber for the ARC of this book and I apologise for the delay in reading!
I loved Apple Tree Yard and this promised to be an exciting story. How wrong was I!
This is not a psychological thriller, it isn’t even a thriller of any kind. The issue of suicide is sad but this book didn’t deal with it at all sympathetically.
The book is slow, repetitive, and decidedly boring. Although I like the character of Lisa, the remaining characters were just a bit nothing and Matthew is horrendous.
I knew part way through this book was not for me, but having read good reviews, I continued and hoped it would get better, but I found the book to be depressing and boring. I persevered until the end and really wish I hadn’t bothered – reading house of my life wasted.
I hate to give negative feedback on a book, but on this occasion I have to be honest. I would definitely not recommend this book.

Absolutely brilliant. Am in self isolation and this has given me a wonderful way to spend a day. I just couldn't put this book down. It twists and turns so you are unsure of what the focus of the story is but I really enjoyed that about it. I can not recommend that people read this enough as it is a fab book.
5/5 on goodreads

Thanks to #netgalley for the ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review. This book was my first time reading anything by Louise Doughty and I don't know why her books haven't been on my radar before this. I loved this book. It has been in my TBR pile for a couple of months and I finally made it a priority when it became the reading for my bookclub. This book is hauntingly told from the perspective of the ghost of a woman who has committed suicide at this train station and now her spirit is trapped at the station observing the station staff, other commuters and other people contemplating suicide at the station. Lisa takes us back through her marriage, what led to her death and also observes her husband in his current relationship. For me it was a pageturner that I couldn't stop thinking about. I also really loved the ending and how Lisa checks in on everyone who meant so much to her when she was alive. Adding more Louise Doughty books to my TBR shelf right now! #louisedoughty #platform7 #netgalley #bookstagram #bookqueen #amazon#kindle #litsy #tea_sipping_bookworm #goodreads

I found this novel hard to get into at first but once our narrator - Lisa Evans - gets into her back story, I was hooked. It was an interesting and challenging premise that, a bit like with The Time Traveller's Wife, you just had to accept and plunge on, into the novel. I enjoyed this read and would read more by this author.

I enjoyed this book, but not as much as other books from the same author. Quite an unusual storyline but worth a read anyway.

This was the first book that I have read by this author despite having heard such good things about her other books. I’m a bit of train buff, so the title and blurb of this book totally got me!! It was definitely one of those books where the cover was the main attraction! It was completely different to what I expected though, being told from the perspective of Lisa who was the ghost of a young woman whose spirit lingered around the platforms of Peterborough Railway Station. The book opens tragically with the suicide of a man who jumps in front of an early morning freight train passing Platform Seven. Lisa watches it all and the unfolding aftermath, but there was nothing she could do to prevent it. As the book moves on, we find out Lisa was also killed by a train at the same station. Since then she has been trapped there unable to leave. She spends her time watching passengers and staff, wishing she could join in with the chatter of the ladies at the tea-bar or have a conversation with the platform staff. Lisa cannot remember anything about her past, but as the story continues and she begins to remember things, the events leading up to Lisa’s death is explained.

This was such a moving and emotional story. It is mainly about Lisa, but we are also told the story of the main who died at the beginning. It’s difficult to work out the connection between the two parts of the story initially but as you move through the book you begin to join the dots and see where it is going. It also shows you the consequences of people’s actions and how many people are affected. It’s also really difficult to describe without giving away any spoilers and this is definitely a book that should be read without any major clues given!

Moving away from the main topic of the story, I found all the procedures following a suicide on the railways to be really interesting. Completely morbid I know, but to know that memorials or flowers aren’t allowed on platforms and how long they have to reopen a line following a death was just a couple of things which were superbly researched. It also made me think about the many incidents which happen on the railways and how desperate these people must be and how traumatic it must be for the people who are around to witness them.

It is a haunting read, with a paranormal aspect to it. It’s also a very sad, emotional story of love and loss. I have to admit it had me reaching for the tissues on more than one occasion. The wide array of characters were described so well and perfectly placed within the story – it was interesting to be able to see these characters like Lisa did and really get into their emotions and feelings. The book was the complete opposite of what I was expecting, but that was what made it so good! Tragic, but mesmerising, I started it with my heart in my mouth but finished it with a warm feeling in my heart instead. It does have some trigger points, so please be aware if you’d rather not read books with the subjects of suicide, abuse and mental illness. I would highly recommend this book though.