This was a fun, twisty read that I found myself far more invested in than I had anticipated being. Perhaps because I find social media so frightening in many ways, this just kind of confirmed my fears.
When she was a teenager, Liv's sister was brutally murdered and all signs point to her recently-estranged boyfriend as being the culprit. But Sam disappeared right after the murder, with Liv's niece in tow, and despite detectives continuing to search for him, there has been no sign of him for years.
So when Liv stumbles upon a photo of Sam in the feed of a popular Instagrammer, she packs her bags and heads to the remote town the social media icon has recently moved to.
Molly is a popular social media maven with scores of followers (and an entire forum of haters) watching her every move. But her new husband is uncomfortable with the scrutiny had demanded she remove the single picture she posted of him. Molly is surprised at the intensity of his reaction, but agrees to keep Scott and his daughter out of her carefully curated social media world.
When Liv arrives in town, it's easy for her to follow Molly's online clues to engineer meetings and even easier to befriend the lonely newcomer. But as the two women develop a friendship, both are uncovering secrets about Molly's husband, secrets that have remained buried for over a decade and point to something much more sinister and dangerous than either of them could possibly imagine.
I enjoyed this one. There were lots of twists and turns that kept me guessing right up until the end. And I liked the way social media was used as both a force of good and of evil in the way the plot played out. I did find Liv a bit of a stereotype - we've all seen this kind of seemingly tough, shut-off woman before, isolating herself and stifling her needs for fear of being hurt again. Yawn.... But the plot was exciting enough that I'll forgive it this time...
But don't just listen to me. here's the blurb:
The Girl on the Train meets the world of social media in this psychological thriller about influencer culture, parasocial relationships, and the secrets we keep from those we love most.
Molly Sullivan is used to sharing intimate details of her life with millions of followers. A thirty-one-year-old single mom, she has built a career out of fearless posts about parenthood and dating. But when Molly shares a photo of her new fiancé, Scott, she is shocked by his negative reaction. For the sake of their relationship, Molly agrees to remove the post and keep Scott and his ten-year-old daughter out of her social media spotlight.
But it's too late, someone has already recognized him. Liv Barrett is certain Scott's the man who killed her sister and disappeared with her infant niece nine years ago. The police don't believe her, so Liv takes matters into her own hands. Driving cross-country to Colorado, Liv uses Molly's social media posts to orchestrate "accidental" meetings, slowly gaining her trust. Meanwhile, newlywed Molly begins to unpack boxes in her new home and discovers her husband has been lying about his past.
While Molly and Liv uncover secrets that have been buried deep for almost a decade, they have no idea that someone else saw the photo of Scott--someone who poses a threat more dangerous than either of them can imagine. Someone who is watching them from the shadows.
Molly Sullivan is used to sharing intimate details of her life with millions of followers. A thirty-one-year-old single mom, she has built a career out of fearless posts about parenthood and dating. But when Molly shares a photo of her new fiancé, Scott, she is shocked by his negative reaction. For the sake of their relationship, Molly agrees to remove the post and keep Scott and his ten-year-old daughter out of her social media spotlight.
But it's too late, someone has already recognized him. Liv Barrett is certain Scott's the man who killed her sister and disappeared with her infant niece nine years ago. The police don't believe her, so Liv takes matters into her own hands. Driving cross-country to Colorado, Liv uses Molly's social media posts to orchestrate "accidental" meetings, slowly gaining her trust. Meanwhile, newlywed Molly begins to unpack boxes in her new home and discovers her husband has been lying about his past.
While Molly and Liv uncover secrets that have been buried deep for almost a decade, they have no idea that someone else saw the photo of Scott--someone who poses a threat more dangerous than either of them can imagine. Someone who is watching them from the shadows.
Sounds interesting. I definitely want to check it out.
ReplyDelete