The Girl on the Train is a 2015 psychological thriller by Paula Hawkins, set in London and with a female lead character.
Girl on a Train is a 2013 psychological thriller by AJ Waines, set in London and with a female lead character.
Notice any similarities?
While the former received huge acclaim, topped bestseller lists and was recently adapted into a Hollywood blockbuster starring Emily Blunt, the latter went relatively unknown - until recently.
With the hype surrounding Hawkins' novel and the success of the big-screen adaptation, a series of reviews posted on Amazon.co.uk show that readers have made the easy mistake of buying the wrong novel to try and see what all the fuss is about.
"One of the most disappointing novels I've ever read after all the hype, which I now realise is about The Girl on the Train," wrote one reviewer.
"[It] was a good story, although I thought I was reading The Girl on the train… I had just seen the film so got confused whena different story [sic]," another said.
But while many reviews expressed their dislike for Waines' 2013 novel, some were pleasantly surprised to be reading the wrong book.
"I downloaded this book in error, thinking it was the book with a similar title on the bestsellers list. I am so glad I did," said one.
"Have to admit that I read this book by mistake… in saying that, I found it much preferable to the book with a similar title that's gained thousands of 5 star ratings," said another.
Waines appears not to have been annoyed by the similarities in title, setting or plot between her novel and Hawkins', likely due to the bump in sales. Of the 75 pages of reviews for Waines' book, 65 of those have come after the release of Hawkins' book.
It is also reported that Waines' novel has topped Amazon's ebook bestseller list in the UK and Australia in recent months, and been selected by a number of book clubs.
Newshub.
