I haven’t read anything by this author before, so didn’t know what to expect. It was a good read, hooked from the start. Liked the fact it was pace and intense and didn’t know what was coming next.

Absolutely genius! I didn't quite know what to expect but this was definitely nothing near what I could ever have envisaged. It's amazing, it's clever, it's deep, it's original, it's captivating, it's funny, it's suspenseful....... I can't say enough good things about it. The characters are all so well written and so individual and it really is fascinating to see the dynamics between them all in this tiny enclosed space whith time rushing by. Some parts are a bit of a comedy of errors and just these ridiculous coincidences and overlaps but it just works so perfectly never the less. I actually loved these characters, even though they are all vicious hit men but they are also all very human and have very human motives for their actions. The whole way through, you just have no clue what's going ti happen next or who's going to run into whom or pick a fight with someone else and I just loved every second of reading this. I started off incredibly wary but by 6% in, I was hooked and was reading in every spare second I had. It's completely unlike any thriller/ crime story you've come across before, it's in a league of it's own! An absolute joy to read!

So I was pretty excited for this book. I honestly don't know what it was but I was not a fan. Part of me thinks its because it was a translation. Im hardly ever a fan of those anyway.

My 8 year old is currently doing work on adjectives at school. In order to describe this book, I could probably ask him to write down 50 adjectives, then pull 10 out of a hat at random. I’m sure, no matter what we picked, it would be accurate.

Which is great, though it makes it quite difficult to write an accurate review.

The long and the short of it is, as the blurb suggests, five assassins come together, unwittingly, on the bullet train. There’s The Prince, Tangerine and Lemon, Nanao, and drunken Kimura. In their own ways, these characters are all quite fascinating – flawed, imperfect, but not without really intriguing characteristics, and a huge amount of humour I admit I didn’t see coming.

There’s a lot going on in this book, and at times I found it a little confusing – though, I really enjoyed the way many things overlapped. The swing from deep philosophical thought,t o childlike simplicity was really intriguing too, and although hard to keep up with at times, was also really refreshing.

In short, this was a thrilling, tedious, exciting, mundane, fascinating, over the top, cleverly simplistic, quiet, funny contemporary suspense.

Did I enjoy it? Definitely. Can I see why others might struggle? Yeah. Should you read this before watching the soon to be released film? I’d have thought so (rarely am I going to advise film first). I do strongly recommend it to anyone who fancies something a little different (it’s done me wonders after a post-Christmas reading slump).

I’m already looking forward to the sequel.

The story takes place on the bullet train from Tokyo. There are five assassins and a 14 year old sociopath all vying to take possession of à suitcase full of money.

A convaluted plot which winds to it's conclusion. A bit too involved for me!

I didnt know what to expect from thsi book but I love Japanese fiction and so anytime I see anything in that genre I try to read it. This was such a good read, it was totally gripping from the start, I couldnt put it down. It was fast paced, intense and unpredictable. My heart is still racing from reading it and I finsihed it days ago. You need to read this book.

I just could not get to grips with this book sadly. The premise sounded really good, and it will undoubtedly make a good action movie, but it fell flat for me. Too many characters, over long descriptive passages, and a writing style I did not like. Perhaps it is the often described issue of ‘ lost in translation’? Just not for me.
My thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for my advance copy of this book.

A cleverly complex but massively entertaining read, Bullet Train is a pure popcorn thriller that follows a tense train ride occupied by an eccentric group of killers and psychopaths – the perfect company for this long journey.

With such a fresh and gripping concept, this was unlike anything I have read before. I’ve read many thrillers set on aeroplanes or where transport has played a vital part in the story, but never have I read an entire thriller set on a train. And that’s something that Asian writers seem to do so well. Think of the South Korean films Snowpiercer and Train to Busan, and you’re in for just as much high-octane energy and masterful sophistication with this.

The characters are all excellent, but what keeps you so engaged with this book is the fantastic dark humour. With one character being obsessed with Thomas the Tank Engine to various other mishaps, this train journey is just as chaotic as you would expect and I loved every minute of it.

Highly engaging and completely unpredictable, Bullet Train is definitely a book that you need to stop onboard.

There is no UK release date for the film adaptation yet, but it’s due sometime this summer. Starring Brad Pitt, Sandra Bullock, Zazie Beetz, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Logan Lerman, and Joey King, I think this is going to be a brilliant action-packed film!

You can easily see why this novel was quickly picked up for a screen adaptation. It’s fast-paced nature flows like a slickly edited film, with tension building and even touches of humour sprinkled throughout.

It’s a thrilling and energetic read that whizzes you to its conclusion like the titular bullet train.

This is a train I had to miss. The premise sounded really good but the writing or the translation made it difficult for me to get into it, quite descriptive as well as too many characters to keep up with. Thank you for the opportunity of reading this one.

I'm all honest when reading this I didn't understand what was going on. There was alot of inconsistent within the book. It didn't flow well for me. All I understood is that someone liked Thomas and friends alot. It failed to grip me unfortunately. I loved the concept of the book. Maybe it was the lost in translation.

Five killers are aboard a bullet train from Tokyo; each has their own reasons for being on the train but as the journey seems doomed and all that can go wrong with each of their plans does, who will make it to their destination alive?

This novel was utterly gripping; the convergence of all the killers on the train was tense and as plans started to unravel quickly became a bloodbath. I was gripped until the very end; particularly to see what would happen to my most hated character Prince. The writing, characters and speed of the action (as well as the train) made this unputdownable.; I would recommend to anyone who is a fan of fast paced thrillers.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of the novel in exchange for an honest review.

Some books come under the lure of ‘best seller’, ‘highly recommended’ and the like, but everyone has their own thoughts, options and taste. Reading the blurb of Bullet Train I thought I would give it a go, but unfortunately it failed to grip me, as I thought it might, so sadly it was another book that simply fell by the wayside.