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The Boyfriend
Goodreads Choice Award
Nominee for Readers' Favorite Mystery & Thriller (2024)She's looking for the perfect man. He's looking for the perfect victim.
Sydney Shaw, like every single woman in New York, has terrible luck with dating. She’s seen it men who lie in their dating profile, men who stick her with the dinner bill, and worst of all, men who can't shut up about their mothers. But finally, she hits the jackpot.
Her new boyfriend is utterly perfect. He's charming, handsome, and works as a doctor at a local hospital. Sydney is swept off her feet.
Then the brutal murder of a young woman―the latest in a string of deaths across the coast―confounds police. The primary suspect? A mystery man who dates his victims before he kills them.
Sydney should feel safe. After all, she is dating the guy of her dreams. But she can’t shake her own suspicions that the perfect man may not be as perfect as he seems. Because someone is watching her every move, and if she doesn’t get to the truth, she’ll be the killer’s next victim...
A dark story about obsession and the things we’ll do for love, #1 New York Times bestselling author Freida McFadden proves that crimes of passion are often the bloodiest…
Sydney Shaw, like every single woman in New York, has terrible luck with dating. She’s seen it men who lie in their dating profile, men who stick her with the dinner bill, and worst of all, men who can't shut up about their mothers. But finally, she hits the jackpot.
Her new boyfriend is utterly perfect. He's charming, handsome, and works as a doctor at a local hospital. Sydney is swept off her feet.
Then the brutal murder of a young woman―the latest in a string of deaths across the coast―confounds police. The primary suspect? A mystery man who dates his victims before he kills them.
Sydney should feel safe. After all, she is dating the guy of her dreams. But she can’t shake her own suspicions that the perfect man may not be as perfect as he seems. Because someone is watching her every move, and if she doesn’t get to the truth, she’ll be the killer’s next victim...
A dark story about obsession and the things we’ll do for love, #1 New York Times bestselling author Freida McFadden proves that crimes of passion are often the bloodiest…
368 pages, Paperback
First published October 1, 2024
80899 people are currently reading
403514 people want to read
About the author
Freida McFadden
68 books210k followers#1 New York Times, USA Today, Wall Street Journal, Publisher's Weekly, and Amazon Charts bestselling author Freida McFadden is a practicing physician specializing in brain injury who has penned multiple Kindle bestselling psychological thrillers and medical humor novels. She lives with her family and possessed cat in a centuries-old three-story home overlooking the ocean, with staircases that creak and moan with each step, and nobody could hear you if you scream. Unless you scream really loudly, maybe.
Note that I am maxed out on friends, so I apologize in advance that I can't friend anyone back!
Note that I am maxed out on friends, so I apologize in advance that I can't friend anyone back!
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 70,981 reviews
October 12, 2024
2.75!
I love Freida's books, not all of them are masterpieces but I enjoy them a lot, they get me out of my slump and have me hooked but this one was such a frustrating read. I feel like Freida writes really well she know show to grip the readers, draw them in and keep them over there. It's like you can't stop, you will sacrifice your sleep, your studies, your hobbies, everything just to know more and the 'One more chapter' feeling with her books is so real because it's always one more chapter until you are eventually done with the books and that is one of the things about the boyfriend that I liked. It had an attractive writing style but I think Freida always fumbles when it comes to her characters, Millie and Nina were borderline annoying but Sydney Shaw made them look so much better. this book followed two pov's one in past about Tom and one set in the present following Sydney.
Sydney was the most obnoxious fmc ever written to this date, I have never met such a dumb character!! like Idk how she survived even a single page. Her throughout the whole book is basically just figuring out why she cant find a man and why she shouldn't be jealous of her friends love life and then it slowly transitions into meeting a hot guy being suspicious of him, morphing into being conflicted between two guys, which then finally turned into Sydney thinking that she ate but made the most dumbest decisions leading to the last few chapters. She's so self absorbed and she does not change one bit throughout the books,. She was literally like a cardboard piece and I feel like character development was found dead when it came to her.
I feel like her character was not well fit for this story, she was so inconsistent!! She would want to find her bestie's murderer but also forgets about it the moment a hot guy does something that a human being does and it made me so furious but also I feel like it was simultaneously a good thing because Sydney was so dumb that if she took everything in her own hands I would have thrown my phone on the wall and would have bald spots because I could not bear one more chapter of her trying to figure out who the killer was. I wasn't this interested in her story.
The past point of view is where I had most of my concentration, it follows the pov of Tom who's trying to get this girl Daisy to fall in love with her and I was pretty hooked when it came to that because it had raised stakes and had me questioning things which was totally absent in the present pov, It had a more mysterious nature which I was expecting throughout the whole book. I feel like this pov definitely made me doubt a lot of things and I feel like it serves its purpose well!! This part was the saving grace of the book. (which helped me not dnf it)
While the past pov was more interesting the character wasnt really :/ why were they trying so hard to shady and psychotic, honestly it was so eye roll worthy, She tried to make them so weird and Tom half of the time was deciding whether slug was his friend or not lmao. I wasn't that frustrated with his character as much as I was with Sydney but it wasn't exactly the best either.
The plot overall was fine and the plot twist was the only things that I did not predict I was shooketh when it came to that because the way the story was building up I had no idea that was happening it did a whole 180 on my theories. I would say the past pov was more stronger because it had me raising questions like How does it connect to the main story and wanting to kknow what happened next and Sydneys plot line made me want to throw this book in a dumpster. It was okay with a good plot twist. I would say the after the twist, I think three or four chapters were left and they were very underwhelming and diluted. It felt like an episode of You mixed with real housewives of beverly hills and very diluted and all the high that twist put us through quickly faded away.
The prologue and the epilogue are things that she aces while the prologue was really good and wild the Epilogue was the most eye roll worthy epilogue of the century, I could have lived easily without having read that. Waste of pages, waste of trees.
Overall, I love her books and i've enjoyed all of them, even this but her characters seem to be growing more erratic one book after the other but I know this wont stop me from reading more of her books, I'll be lined up whenever shes releasing her next book!
___
Well time to say goodbye to my sleep schedule. (So happy I got an audiobook because exams are killing me)
___
I take a nap
meanwhile Frieda Mcfadden:
Here you go another book that would probably not let you sleep...
I love Freida's books, not all of them are masterpieces but I enjoy them a lot, they get me out of my slump and have me hooked but this one was such a frustrating read. I feel like Freida writes really well she know show to grip the readers, draw them in and keep them over there. It's like you can't stop, you will sacrifice your sleep, your studies, your hobbies, everything just to know more and the 'One more chapter' feeling with her books is so real because it's always one more chapter until you are eventually done with the books and that is one of the things about the boyfriend that I liked. It had an attractive writing style but I think Freida always fumbles when it comes to her characters, Millie and Nina were borderline annoying but Sydney Shaw made them look so much better. this book followed two pov's one in past about Tom and one set in the present following Sydney.
Sydney was the most obnoxious fmc ever written to this date, I have never met such a dumb character!! like Idk how she survived even a single page. Her throughout the whole book is basically just figuring out why she cant find a man and why she shouldn't be jealous of her friends love life and then it slowly transitions into meeting a hot guy being suspicious of him, morphing into being conflicted between two guys, which then finally turned into Sydney thinking that she ate but made the most dumbest decisions leading to the last few chapters. She's so self absorbed and she does not change one bit throughout the books,. She was literally like a cardboard piece and I feel like character development was found dead when it came to her.
I feel like her character was not well fit for this story, she was so inconsistent!! She would want to find her bestie's murderer but also forgets about it the moment a hot guy does something that a human being does and it made me so furious but also I feel like it was simultaneously a good thing because Sydney was so dumb that if she took everything in her own hands I would have thrown my phone on the wall and would have bald spots because I could not bear one more chapter of her trying to figure out who the killer was. I wasn't this interested in her story.
The past point of view is where I had most of my concentration, it follows the pov of Tom who's trying to get this girl Daisy to fall in love with her and I was pretty hooked when it came to that because it had raised stakes and had me questioning things which was totally absent in the present pov, It had a more mysterious nature which I was expecting throughout the whole book. I feel like this pov definitely made me doubt a lot of things and I feel like it serves its purpose well!! This part was the saving grace of the book. (which helped me not dnf it)
While the past pov was more interesting the character wasnt really :/ why were they trying so hard to shady and psychotic, honestly it was so eye roll worthy, She tried to make them so weird and Tom half of the time was deciding whether slug was his friend or not lmao. I wasn't that frustrated with his character as much as I was with Sydney but it wasn't exactly the best either.
The plot overall was fine and the plot twist was the only things that I did not predict I was shooketh when it came to that because the way the story was building up I had no idea that was happening it did a whole 180 on my theories. I would say the past pov was more stronger because it had me raising questions like How does it connect to the main story and wanting to kknow what happened next and Sydneys plot line made me want to throw this book in a dumpster. It was okay with a good plot twist. I would say the after the twist, I think three or four chapters were left and they were very underwhelming and diluted. It felt like an episode of You mixed with real housewives of beverly hills and very diluted and all the high that twist put us through quickly faded away.
The prologue and the epilogue are things that she aces while the prologue was really good and wild the Epilogue was the most eye roll worthy epilogue of the century, I could have lived easily without having read that. Waste of pages, waste of trees.
Overall, I love her books and i've enjoyed all of them, even this but her characters seem to be growing more erratic one book after the other but I know this wont stop me from reading more of her books, I'll be lined up whenever shes releasing her next book!
___
Well time to say goodbye to my sleep schedule. (So happy I got an audiobook because exams are killing me)
___
I take a nap
meanwhile Frieda Mcfadden:
Here you go another book that would probably not let you sleep...
October 3, 2024
In the words of Forest Gump… STUPID IS AS STUPID DOES
*pulls sleeves back, cracks knuckles* Ok lets go…
Ms McFadden has come out with her fourth release of this year with The Boyfriend. In this book we are following dimwit Sydney who just wants to find Mr Right and settle down. She goes on a date with a guy she’s been speaking to on a dating website and realises she has been catfished when he turns out to be a creepy little sod. When said sod starts behaving aggressively towards Sydney she is rescued by a charming mystery man and thinks she has finally found her match. Is Sydney about to get her happily ever after!???.... 😒😒🙄🙄🙄
Our main character Sydney is one of the most idiotic characters I have had to suffer reading through. The boys in Dumb and Dumber don’t even come close to just how stupid Sydney is. So because we are going through this story in her narrative, we have to ignore the obvious and go round and round in mundane circles. In Sydney’s eyes every Red Flag was frankly Beige!
Sydney and co are all caricature characters. There is not a single character development, and we don’t get to know anything else about them than what we barely already know.
I had to stomach through the first 50% of the book with Freida talking about the most pointless things such as: Flabby arms/ Sleeveless dresses, Sydney being a bleeder, women over 34 and their fertility and of course Turtles... etc…
The book is told in dual POVs with Sydney and a guy named Tom. Tom’s storyline is told in the past when he was 16 years old. He has a crush on a girl named Daisy Driscoll, who he really wants to be with, but he also wants to squeeze the life out of her, because you know he has a fetish for harming people and seeing blood. Oh and he really hates his dad.
I WONDER HOW THESE TWO POVS ARE CONNECTED… 😒😒😒
Anyway, the story only really picks up after the 50% mark, but don’t get too excited because we still have deal with Sydney’s annoying ass and moronic inner thoughts. In true Freida fashion her mind games are activated, and I must admit that I did not see the “big” plot twist coming, but all the other ones were painfully obvious. Speaking of the major plot twist it is very, very, VERY dumb and of course with any Freida book suspension of disbelief is HIGHLY REQUIRED! The ending was so dense and dull, I had to fling my kindle, put myself in a corner and have a serious word with myself as to why I keep letting Freida do this to me.
Then the epilogue… no words.
Unfortunately, The Boyfriend is not a winner for me, but I will say it was more palatable than the Housemaid is Watching. My main issue is that nothing and no one’s actions made sense. Consequences and common sense was not a factor in this book. Extreme things would happen and then just be swept under the rug. Besides the ‘big twist’, the book was very mild and produced more eye rolls than I can possibly count. For a quick mindless read/ listen and to laugh at the brainlessness of a bunch of characters then you can give this book a go.
Freida I will keep hoping and praying that we will get back to how we once were.
I will see you in 2025 for The Crash 😭😭😭
THE END.
2.5 ⭐
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
⋆｡°✩pre read⋆｡°✩
ITSSSSS TIIIIIIIIMEEEEEEE!🤩🤩
The devil works hard
But Freida McFadden works harder!
Fingers Crossed this one delivers!🤞🏾🤍❤️🤍
*pulls sleeves back, cracks knuckles* Ok lets go…
Ms McFadden has come out with her fourth release of this year with The Boyfriend. In this book we are following dimwit Sydney who just wants to find Mr Right and settle down. She goes on a date with a guy she’s been speaking to on a dating website and realises she has been catfished when he turns out to be a creepy little sod. When said sod starts behaving aggressively towards Sydney she is rescued by a charming mystery man and thinks she has finally found her match. Is Sydney about to get her happily ever after!???.... 😒😒🙄🙄🙄
Our main character Sydney is one of the most idiotic characters I have had to suffer reading through. The boys in Dumb and Dumber don’t even come close to just how stupid Sydney is. So because we are going through this story in her narrative, we have to ignore the obvious and go round and round in mundane circles. In Sydney’s eyes every Red Flag was frankly Beige!
Sydney and co are all caricature characters. There is not a single character development, and we don’t get to know anything else about them than what we barely already know.
I had to stomach through the first 50% of the book with Freida talking about the most pointless things such as: Flabby arms/ Sleeveless dresses, Sydney being a bleeder, women over 34 and their fertility and of course Turtles... etc…
The book is told in dual POVs with Sydney and a guy named Tom. Tom’s storyline is told in the past when he was 16 years old. He has a crush on a girl named Daisy Driscoll, who he really wants to be with, but he also wants to squeeze the life out of her, because you know he has a fetish for harming people and seeing blood. Oh and he really hates his dad.
I WONDER HOW THESE TWO POVS ARE CONNECTED… 😒😒😒
Anyway, the story only really picks up after the 50% mark, but don’t get too excited because we still have deal with Sydney’s annoying ass and moronic inner thoughts. In true Freida fashion her mind games are activated, and I must admit that I did not see the “big” plot twist coming, but all the other ones were painfully obvious. Speaking of the major plot twist it is very, very, VERY dumb and of course with any Freida book suspension of disbelief is HIGHLY REQUIRED! The ending was so dense and dull, I had to fling my kindle, put myself in a corner and have a serious word with myself as to why I keep letting Freida do this to me.
Then the epilogue… no words.
Unfortunately, The Boyfriend is not a winner for me, but I will say it was more palatable than the Housemaid is Watching. My main issue is that nothing and no one’s actions made sense. Consequences and common sense was not a factor in this book. Extreme things would happen and then just be swept under the rug. Besides the ‘big twist’, the book was very mild and produced more eye rolls than I can possibly count. For a quick mindless read/ listen and to laugh at the brainlessness of a bunch of characters then you can give this book a go.
Freida I will keep hoping and praying that we will get back to how we once were.
I will see you in 2025 for The Crash 😭😭😭
THE END.
2.5 ⭐
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
⋆｡°✩pre read⋆｡°✩
ITSSSSS TIIIIIIIIMEEEEEEE!🤩🤩
The devil works hard
But Freida McFadden works harder!
Fingers Crossed this one delivers!🤞🏾🤍❤️🤍
November 20, 2024
3.5 stars! This book was a fun mystery but my least fav Frieda McFadden book I've read so far. I liked that it had two timelines & the concept was really fun. Also the twist got me!!! I did not see it coming. Would've never guessed the ending in a million years. BUT for a good chunk of the book I felt like I was waiting for more things to happen. I wanted more clues, suspicious people, and creepy moments. Overall great if you're looking for a light easy read.
August 30, 2024
Freida did it again! I was dying to know what happens next. Just when I thought I had it figured out, I didn’t. Loved it!
October 13, 2024
I really thought I had the twist called from the beginning and was dead ass wrong. She got me 😅
January 23, 2025
➳
3/5 stars
"I wonder what it’s like to cut into a person with a scalpel. To feel their skin separate under my hand. To see their insides."
I had such high expectations for this book, especially since I've always loved Frieda's work, but unfortunately, it turned out to be a disappointment. I won’t lie, I was super excited to dive into it, but it just didn’t hit the right spot for me. It had potential, but it fell short in areas where I expected it to shine. While I kept hoping for a twist or moment that would blow me away, it never came. It’s frustrating when a book by an author you admire doesn't meet your expectations.
Freida has an incredible ability to pull readers in and keep them hooked from start to finish. Her writing style makes it almost impossible to put the book down. You find yourself sacrificing sleep, putting off your work, and delaying everything else in your life just to keep reading. That “just one more chapter” feeling is so real with her books because every chapter leaves you wanting more, and before you know it, you've finished the whole thing. That’s one of the things I genuinely appreciated about The Boyfriend, the way it kept me on edge and completely immersed in the story.
This book is structured through two different points of view: one that takes place in the past, focusing on Tom’s story, and the other set in the present, following Sydney’s perspective. I found the present POV to be the least engaging, mainly because I was frustrated with the FMC and felt that nothing unexpected happened. It struck me as bland and mediocre. In contrast, the past POV captivated me. Each character was eccentric, and it was clear that something was off with each of them, making it far more interesting and compelling. The past POV carried a sense of mystery that I had hoped for throughout the book. It effectively made me doubt many things and ultimately served its purpose well. This section truly became the saving grace of the entire story.
➳ ABOUT THE CHARACTERS :-
╰┈➤ SYDNEY SHAW—
Sydney has to be one of the most frustrating female main characters I’ve ever come across. I know I say this about every other FMCs, but honestly, Sydney took it to another level. Not only was she annoyingly self-absorbed, but she also seemed completely brainless at times. To make matters worse, she was desperate to find a boyfriend, which resulted in her constantly picking the wrong men. It was exhausting watching her make one bad decision after another.
Throughout the entire book, Sydney’s primary concern is why she can't find a man and why she shouldn't feel jealous of her friends' love lives. At first, she’s suspicious of a guy she meets, then she’s torn between two men, but her decisions become increasingly dumb as the story progresses. It’s frustrating because she remains so self-absorbed, making the same mistakes over and over again, without ever learning or growing as a character. I had hoped for some kind of shift in her thinking, especially after her best friend's murder, but instead, she quickly moves on, prioritizing her dating life over the loss of her friend. It was honestly ridiculous how fast she forgot.
What really pushed me over the edge was how quickly she seemed to forget about her best friend's murder. Sure, she shed a few tears and got upset when the police couldn’t solve the case, but after a short time, she was back to focusing on her own dating life. After she found herself "the perfect man," she didn’t even seem to care about her dead best friend anymore! I mean, who behaves like that? It was infuriating.
╰┈➤ TOM BREWER —
This character was one of the most obvious figures from the start, and I won’t lie, he annoyed me at times. Yet, despite his flaws, he became the saving grace for both POVs. While he made questionable decisions, he wasn't as clueless as Sydney, which made him somewhat relatable.
In the past POV, Tom is portrayed as a determined young man genuinely trying to win Daisy's affection. Their romantic journey kept me engaged and curious about how it would tie into the present narrative. Just when I thought I had it all figured out, a plot twist revealed the deeper connections. Even though there were moments of boredom, thinking he was the predictable criminal, I reminded myself of Frieda's style, as she has a knack for keeping readers guessing, and I appreciated the subtle hints that made me rethink my assumptions.
From the very start, I sensed that something was fundamentally wrong with Tom, Daisy, and his best friend, Slug. Daisy seemed almost too good to be true; her character was crafted in such a way that it raised my suspicions. There was an underlying perfection about her that felt off, as if she were merely a facade.
Tom, on the other hand, was an absolute psycho from the beginning. I mean, who genuinely thinks about killing their partner while claiming to love them more than anything?
And then there’s Slug, what a character! He was utterly disgusting, both in his actions and demeanor.
And for the plot twist i had my own suspicions about it and thought I had it all figured out, but the classic Frieda twist hit me unexpectedly, like a train wreck. However, it wasn't entirely unpredictable; I had sensed something was off about the character, so while it surprised me, I wasn't completely shocked.
What really left me feeling let down was the absence of that final twist Frieda often delivers. You know, the kind that flips everything on its head and makes you reevaluate the entire story? I was hoping the epilogue would provide that last-minute surprise, especially after the earlier twist. Unfortunately, it didn’t come, and this lack of a conclusive twist made my disappointment even greater.
➳ "Overall, if you're in the mood for a book that will have you questioning just how dumb a person can be, then this might be the perfect read for you" 💌
— AND TO MY GORGEOUS GIRL RIRI <3
I genuinely couldn't have made it through this book without your company and your patience with my rants. I had so much fun discussing every twist and turn with you, and I’m absolutely ready for more thriller and mystery buddy reads! 🤭🤞🏻
I’m confident we could come up with better plot ideas than what Frieda delivered. It was honestly a blast brainstorming random theories together and sharing our thoughts. We should definitely do this again soon. Love ya tons!!! 💋
-ˋˏ✄┈┈┈┈
꒰🌷⊹ ࣪ pre-read review ᯓᡣ𐭩
I have such high expectations for it, and I really hope it lives up to them!🤞🏻💘
— buddy read with my gorgeous girl riri 🫶🏻
"I wonder what it’s like to cut into a person with a scalpel. To feel their skin separate under my hand. To see their insides."
I had such high expectations for this book, especially since I've always loved Frieda's work, but unfortunately, it turned out to be a disappointment. I won’t lie, I was super excited to dive into it, but it just didn’t hit the right spot for me. It had potential, but it fell short in areas where I expected it to shine. While I kept hoping for a twist or moment that would blow me away, it never came. It’s frustrating when a book by an author you admire doesn't meet your expectations.
Freida has an incredible ability to pull readers in and keep them hooked from start to finish. Her writing style makes it almost impossible to put the book down. You find yourself sacrificing sleep, putting off your work, and delaying everything else in your life just to keep reading. That “just one more chapter” feeling is so real with her books because every chapter leaves you wanting more, and before you know it, you've finished the whole thing. That’s one of the things I genuinely appreciated about The Boyfriend, the way it kept me on edge and completely immersed in the story.
This book is structured through two different points of view: one that takes place in the past, focusing on Tom’s story, and the other set in the present, following Sydney’s perspective. I found the present POV to be the least engaging, mainly because I was frustrated with the FMC and felt that nothing unexpected happened. It struck me as bland and mediocre. In contrast, the past POV captivated me. Each character was eccentric, and it was clear that something was off with each of them, making it far more interesting and compelling. The past POV carried a sense of mystery that I had hoped for throughout the book. It effectively made me doubt many things and ultimately served its purpose well. This section truly became the saving grace of the entire story.
➳ ABOUT THE CHARACTERS :-
╰┈➤ SYDNEY SHAW—
Sydney has to be one of the most frustrating female main characters I’ve ever come across. I know I say this about every other FMCs, but honestly, Sydney took it to another level. Not only was she annoyingly self-absorbed, but she also seemed completely brainless at times. To make matters worse, she was desperate to find a boyfriend, which resulted in her constantly picking the wrong men. It was exhausting watching her make one bad decision after another.
Throughout the entire book, Sydney’s primary concern is why she can't find a man and why she shouldn't feel jealous of her friends' love lives. At first, she’s suspicious of a guy she meets, then she’s torn between two men, but her decisions become increasingly dumb as the story progresses. It’s frustrating because she remains so self-absorbed, making the same mistakes over and over again, without ever learning or growing as a character. I had hoped for some kind of shift in her thinking, especially after her best friend's murder, but instead, she quickly moves on, prioritizing her dating life over the loss of her friend. It was honestly ridiculous how fast she forgot.
What really pushed me over the edge was how quickly she seemed to forget about her best friend's murder. Sure, she shed a few tears and got upset when the police couldn’t solve the case, but after a short time, she was back to focusing on her own dating life. After she found herself "the perfect man," she didn’t even seem to care about her dead best friend anymore! I mean, who behaves like that? It was infuriating.
╰┈➤ TOM BREWER —
This character was one of the most obvious figures from the start, and I won’t lie, he annoyed me at times. Yet, despite his flaws, he became the saving grace for both POVs. While he made questionable decisions, he wasn't as clueless as Sydney, which made him somewhat relatable.
In the past POV, Tom is portrayed as a determined young man genuinely trying to win Daisy's affection. Their romantic journey kept me engaged and curious about how it would tie into the present narrative. Just when I thought I had it all figured out, a plot twist revealed the deeper connections. Even though there were moments of boredom, thinking he was the predictable criminal, I reminded myself of Frieda's style, as she has a knack for keeping readers guessing, and I appreciated the subtle hints that made me rethink my assumptions.
From the very start, I sensed that something was fundamentally wrong with Tom, Daisy, and his best friend, Slug. Daisy seemed almost too good to be true; her character was crafted in such a way that it raised my suspicions. There was an underlying perfection about her that felt off, as if she were merely a facade.
Tom, on the other hand, was an absolute psycho from the beginning. I mean, who genuinely thinks about killing their partner while claiming to love them more than anything?
And then there’s Slug, what a character! He was utterly disgusting, both in his actions and demeanor.
And for the plot twist i had my own suspicions about it and thought I had it all figured out, but the classic Frieda twist hit me unexpectedly, like a train wreck. However, it wasn't entirely unpredictable; I had sensed something was off about the character, so while it surprised me, I wasn't completely shocked.
What really left me feeling let down was the absence of that final twist Frieda often delivers. You know, the kind that flips everything on its head and makes you reevaluate the entire story? I was hoping the epilogue would provide that last-minute surprise, especially after the earlier twist. Unfortunately, it didn’t come, and this lack of a conclusive twist made my disappointment even greater.
➳ "Overall, if you're in the mood for a book that will have you questioning just how dumb a person can be, then this might be the perfect read for you" 💌
— AND TO MY GORGEOUS GIRL RIRI <3
I genuinely couldn't have made it through this book without your company and your patience with my rants. I had so much fun discussing every twist and turn with you, and I’m absolutely ready for more thriller and mystery buddy reads! 🤭🤞🏻
I’m confident we could come up with better plot ideas than what Frieda delivered. It was honestly a blast brainstorming random theories together and sharing our thoughts. We should definitely do this again soon. Love ya tons!!! 💋
-ˋˏ✄┈┈┈┈
꒰🌷⊹ ࣪ pre-read review ᯓᡣ𐭩
I have such high expectations for it, and I really hope it lives up to them!🤞🏻💘
— buddy read with my gorgeous girl riri 🫶🏻
February 7, 2025
i trust dating apps about as much as i trust that i’m gonna be shocked by a good freida plot twist.🥰
now, if you’ll excuse me, i’m gonna let my flabby arms live their best life in my finest sleeveless dress.
i’d stay and bleed out a thoughtful review, but I’m just gonna turtle my way out of here. Or should I say… bug out?
𝘱.𝘴. 𝘪𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘰𝘳 𝘦𝘯𝘫𝘰𝘺𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴; 𝘪’𝘮 𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘺𝘰𝘶! 𝘪𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴𝘯’𝘵 𝘮𝘺 𝘢𝘣𝘴𝘰𝘭𝘶𝘵𝘦 𝘧𝘢𝘷𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘦 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘢𝘭𝘴𝘰 𝘸𝘢𝘴𝘯’𝘵 𝘮𝘺 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘧𝘢𝘷𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘦.
now, if you’ll excuse me, i’m gonna let my flabby arms live their best life in my finest sleeveless dress.
i’d stay and bleed out a thoughtful review, but I’m just gonna turtle my way out of here. Or should I say… bug out?
𝘱.𝘴. 𝘪𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘰𝘳 𝘦𝘯𝘫𝘰𝘺𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴; 𝘪’𝘮 𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘺𝘰𝘶! 𝘪𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴𝘯’𝘵 𝘮𝘺 𝘢𝘣𝘴𝘰𝘭𝘶𝘵𝘦 𝘧𝘢𝘷𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘦 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘢𝘭𝘴𝘰 𝘸𝘢𝘴𝘯’𝘵 𝘮𝘺 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘧𝘢𝘷𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘦.
August 24, 2025
Alternative title: The Boyfriend And His Airhead Girlfriend
Want to read
September 1, 2024I want her to take a break from writing ✍🏻 but also I don’t 🤭🤭 iykyk
October 2, 2024
Yeaaaaah… you’re all gonna have to read this.
October 15, 2024
REALLY GOOD!!! My favorite book that Freida has come out with in awhile! Creepy, kept me on the edge of my seat, & super twisty as per usual! The ending was a little odd & felt really quick, but the book was solid overall!
November 13, 2024
the main character is dumber than a bag of rocks but, i was entertained and the twist left me with lock jaw
thank you Destiny for doing a buddy read with me!
thank you Destiny for doing a buddy read with me!
April 17, 2025
3.5 ⭐️ I mean to say that I saw the plot twist coming would be a lie, but like… I’m also not the happiest with how it all planned out
October 8, 2024
Shein - fast fashion… Freida - fast fashion of writing? 🤔
Let me tell yall why this book pissed me off soo bad! Have you ever hated being in characters mind? Reding their thoughts…ugh!
1. The MC is insufferable! She was desperate to be in a relationship so she ignored GLARING red flags 🚩, warnings ‼️ , stop signs 🛑 and cautions ⚠️ .
2. She didn’t trust anything she saw, heard or felt. “I saw KJ”, or “was that really KJ? He looked just like KJ with same hair, skin and FACE, but maybe it was someone else”, “why did she call her a different name? Or, did I hear her right?” Are you kidding me?!
3. The same recycled plot..
4. There was so much “no”. So much I didn’t care to read about- bloody noses, someone eating bugs… is this a book for middle schoolers?
5. This is a Frieda book, of course she’s gonna hone in and harp on things that have absolutely nothing to do with the plot! I couldn’t take hearing about her being able to have a child after mid 30s, flabby arms, and nosebleeds any longer! 🩸
I can go on, but I guess not really because I only made it to about 30% before I tossed it.
🗣️Get away from me with this Apollo
I actually skipped to the end and the perpetrator was actually a surprise, but after so much muddling down, draggy and fluff not even that was enough for me to give this anything over 1 ⭐️.
I know FM has a large fan base. She is a go-to author for most, but for me it seems she’s been on a roll, kicking out 3-4 mid/average books every year without GAF about the quality or make sensibility of it all! It’s giving quantity/quality for meeee. The shein of writing! Good and potentially thrilling in the moment, but after the fact, you discover holes and loose seams.
Listen, some books make me livid. This is one. It has very favorable GR reviews so clearly this is my outlier unpopular, BS opinion. It’s times like these I’m most grateful for my library’s free books and audiobooks so I don’t waste my money on books that I don’t enjoy!
Let me tell yall why this book pissed me off soo bad! Have you ever hated being in characters mind? Reding their thoughts…ugh!
1. The MC is insufferable! She was desperate to be in a relationship so she ignored GLARING red flags 🚩, warnings ‼️ , stop signs 🛑 and cautions ⚠️ .
2. She didn’t trust anything she saw, heard or felt. “I saw KJ”, or “was that really KJ? He looked just like KJ with same hair, skin and FACE, but maybe it was someone else”, “why did she call her a different name? Or, did I hear her right?” Are you kidding me?!
3. The same recycled plot..
4. There was so much “no”. So much I didn’t care to read about- bloody noses, someone eating bugs… is this a book for middle schoolers?
5. This is a Frieda book, of course she’s gonna hone in and harp on things that have absolutely nothing to do with the plot! I couldn’t take hearing about her being able to have a child after mid 30s, flabby arms, and nosebleeds any longer! 🩸
I can go on, but I guess not really because I only made it to about 30% before I tossed it.
🗣️Get away from me with this Apollo
I actually skipped to the end and the perpetrator was actually a surprise, but after so much muddling down, draggy and fluff not even that was enough for me to give this anything over 1 ⭐️.
I know FM has a large fan base. She is a go-to author for most, but for me it seems she’s been on a roll, kicking out 3-4 mid/average books every year without GAF about the quality or make sensibility of it all! It’s giving quantity/quality for meeee. The shein of writing! Good and potentially thrilling in the moment, but after the fact, you discover holes and loose seams.
Listen, some books make me livid. This is one. It has very favorable GR reviews so clearly this is my outlier unpopular, BS opinion. It’s times like these I’m most grateful for my library’s free books and audiobooks so I don’t waste my money on books that I don’t enjoy!
October 8, 2024
Yalll. I read this in 24 hours!!!! I really thought i had a figured out..i had MULTIPLE theories and not ONE was right! Plot twist was SO GOOD!! What a ride
October 1, 2024
When a new Freida book drops, everything else you're reading goes straight to the back burner—naturally! This one? Bloody fantastic. The dual timeline narration is what makes it shine. It cranks up the tension bit by bit, and then—boom! It hits you like a ton of bricks with that killer ending.
July 8, 2025
Wow! I’m addicted to McFadden’s writing—her unpredictable, mind-blowing twists, brilliant sense of humor, and fast-paced, short chapters that keep me hooked! I love her books! I know reading is subjective—you don’t have to like her characters or may even find them naive, questioning their intelligence with harsh adjectives. Honestly, I don’t care! For me, I enjoy the inner thoughts of her seemingly naive characters, which often make me laugh because of the sarcasm and dark humor in their thoughts and actions. (Criticizing heroines for panicking and making mistakes is like questioning why blonde women in horror movies always die first or how the 'final girl' manages to survive, even if she’s not a genius!)
The story revolves around Sydney, a 34-year-old accountant living in a nice New York apartment. Recently heartbroken after her breakup with her detective boyfriend Jake, Sydney’s financial situation doesn't match her unlucky love life. She dives into the dating pool through a popular app, but her recent dates have been disastrous. Her last date, Kevin, even attempted to assault her on the street, turning into a stalkerish nightmare. Thankfully, she’s saved by a mysterious stranger that night, but she doesn't hear from them again—until fate brings them together after her best friend, who lived in her apartment, is brutally murdered.
We also get flashbacks of Tom’s past, though his identity isn’t revealed immediately. Tom, a nice and sweet high school boy, befriends an awkward outcast nicknamed Slug, and falls in love with Daisy, the police chief's daughter. But Tom’s darker instincts slowly drag him into a whirlwind of tragedies, including the deaths of young women in his neighborhood.
How will Sydney and Tom’s paths cross? Has Sydney unknowingly invited danger into her life?
If you want to know more, hop on McFadden’s fright train and read this in one sitting! It’s guaranteed fun, as always. McFadden’s thrill rides never disappoint!
Anyway, I enjoyed this book! Interestingly, I even enjoyed the flashbacks to Tom’s story. I found Sydney, the main heroine, tolerable, especially since I laughed out loud every time her mother called with awkward reminders about her biological clock ticking! The smart twist left me speechless—even the sharpest reader wouldn’t see it coming. I also enjoyed the ending! The pacing was great, as usual, and the way Sydney’s present-day POV intertwined with Tom’s past was surprisingly well done.
Overall: I’m giving this 4 stars! It’s a captivating, heart-pounding page-turner—highly entertaining popcorn reading!
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The story revolves around Sydney, a 34-year-old accountant living in a nice New York apartment. Recently heartbroken after her breakup with her detective boyfriend Jake, Sydney’s financial situation doesn't match her unlucky love life. She dives into the dating pool through a popular app, but her recent dates have been disastrous. Her last date, Kevin, even attempted to assault her on the street, turning into a stalkerish nightmare. Thankfully, she’s saved by a mysterious stranger that night, but she doesn't hear from them again—until fate brings them together after her best friend, who lived in her apartment, is brutally murdered.
We also get flashbacks of Tom’s past, though his identity isn’t revealed immediately. Tom, a nice and sweet high school boy, befriends an awkward outcast nicknamed Slug, and falls in love with Daisy, the police chief's daughter. But Tom’s darker instincts slowly drag him into a whirlwind of tragedies, including the deaths of young women in his neighborhood.
How will Sydney and Tom’s paths cross? Has Sydney unknowingly invited danger into her life?
If you want to know more, hop on McFadden’s fright train and read this in one sitting! It’s guaranteed fun, as always. McFadden’s thrill rides never disappoint!
Anyway, I enjoyed this book! Interestingly, I even enjoyed the flashbacks to Tom’s story. I found Sydney, the main heroine, tolerable, especially since I laughed out loud every time her mother called with awkward reminders about her biological clock ticking! The smart twist left me speechless—even the sharpest reader wouldn’t see it coming. I also enjoyed the ending! The pacing was great, as usual, and the way Sydney’s present-day POV intertwined with Tom’s past was surprisingly well done.
Overall: I’m giving this 4 stars! It’s a captivating, heart-pounding page-turner—highly entertaining popcorn reading!
medium.com
October 7, 2024
Sydney: I mean, I’m not a complete idiot
Also Sydney: *goes above and beyond to prove that she is in fact a complete idiot at every opportunity*
Also Sydney: *goes above and beyond to prove that she is in fact a complete idiot at every opportunity*
July 19, 2025
This is a 𝘀𝗽𝗼𝗶𝗹𝗲𝗿-𝗙𝗥𝗘𝗘 𝗿𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄
An unpredictable plot twist doesn't make a book better. Freida, that's the bare minimum to deliver when it comes to thrillers.
After having read 8 books by this author, I see the pattern. Freida likes to play with the timelines and honestly, that's one of the most irritating things. Especially when that happens in every single book written by this author. For once, can you change the pattern and do something different? Or maybe that's too much creativity to expect from an author who's always working on so many books in one go.
However, let's get to the beloved female main character in this book. In the typical Freida style, the FMC (Sydney) in this book was so doltish, imbecile and empty-headed, that I'm at a loss for words. No really. This author definitely has something against smart women. In all her books, I feel like I'm reading about the same fmc, because they're all equally brainless and moronic to the extent, it's just funny at this point. For once, Freida, just ONCE, write a fmc that doesn't lack brain cells.
I was getting second hand embarrassment with how desperate Sydney was to find a boyfriend and that blinded her from the danger she was in throughout the book. Her urgent desire to find a man was her entire personality. Literally. I'm not even exaggerating. Her lack of innovative mindset to connect the dots doesn't surprise me but the way I tolerated her constant whining and her desperate need to find a boyfriend throughout 360 pages surely does. I didn't know I had it in me to be THIS patient.
Lastly, speaking of the plot twist, even I can agree, it caught me off guard, but the next few scenes after that, more precisely– the ending, had me cackling. Because what the fuck was that? All that trouble for THIS stupid ending? I'm literally laughing. The set up, foolish characters, ludicrous ending and the timeline change didn't do it for me.
My ratings on her other books :—
The inmate - 1 star
The perfect son - 1 star
The housemaid - 1 star
The gift - 1 star
The psyching - 1 star
Never lie - 3 stars
The widow's husband's secret lie - 2 stars.
An unpredictable plot twist doesn't make a book better. Freida, that's the bare minimum to deliver when it comes to thrillers.
After having read 8 books by this author, I see the pattern. Freida likes to play with the timelines and honestly, that's one of the most irritating things. Especially when that happens in every single book written by this author. For once, can you change the pattern and do something different? Or maybe that's too much creativity to expect from an author who's always working on so many books in one go.
However, let's get to the beloved female main character in this book. In the typical Freida style, the FMC (Sydney) in this book was so doltish, imbecile and empty-headed, that I'm at a loss for words. No really. This author definitely has something against smart women. In all her books, I feel like I'm reading about the same fmc, because they're all equally brainless and moronic to the extent, it's just funny at this point. For once, Freida, just ONCE, write a fmc that doesn't lack brain cells.
I was getting second hand embarrassment with how desperate Sydney was to find a boyfriend and that blinded her from the danger she was in throughout the book. Her urgent desire to find a man was her entire personality. Literally. I'm not even exaggerating. Her lack of innovative mindset to connect the dots doesn't surprise me but the way I tolerated her constant whining and her desperate need to find a boyfriend throughout 360 pages surely does. I didn't know I had it in me to be THIS patient.
Lastly, speaking of the plot twist, even I can agree, it caught me off guard, but the next few scenes after that, more precisely– the ending, had me cackling. Because what the fuck was that? All that trouble for THIS stupid ending? I'm literally laughing. The set up, foolish characters, ludicrous ending and the timeline change didn't do it for me.
My ratings on her other books :—
The inmate - 1 star
The perfect son - 1 star
The housemaid - 1 star
The gift - 1 star
The psyching - 1 star
Never lie - 3 stars
The widow's husband's secret lie - 2 stars.
October 14, 2024
I didn’t think the day would come where a Freida McFadden book disappointed me, but here we are. 😔 I’ve been on a Freida McFadden kick recently, so I was so excited to read this one as I’ve been immensely enjoying all of her books. Unfortunately, this one let me down. I was back and forth between giving this a 2 or 3 star rating, but ended up rounding it up to a 3. A good majority of the story felt unnecessary, the fmc was oblivious to the major red flags that were literally in front of her face, and the ending was so incredibly disappointing. I kinda wanted to toss my kindle across the room because all the signs were RIGHT there! It felt like a major reach for an interesting story because there is just no way one does not notice these signs. It was so impractical. This one wasn’t for me, but I will forgive Miss Freida and continue reading through the rest of her books, and still looking forward to her future ones!
November 17, 2024
2.5 stars
spoilers are marked!! as always, this is MY OPINION!!
i've always loved freida's books, but honestly they're getting a bit old. every female main lead is so stupid and gullible right up until the very end where they suddenly turn smart and super human and defeat the villain. it's getting so boring. this book is exactly that.
sydney shaw... can you please rub together your 2 brain cells???? the way i was PISSED with her throughout the entire book 💀💀. her main concern, and honestly her whole personality, was trying to find the love of her life who's good in bed, hot, and sweet,
the plot in this book is yawn worthy. basically nothing happens until the last maybe 15-20% of the book, which i've noticed is something that happens in all of freida's books. essentially, the whole plot of this book is sydney trying to find the love of her life on an online dating app.
overall, was this book bad? yes. will i still read everything freida is going to come out with? yes. if you're looking for something super quick and entertaining, you can always count on her and i love her for that 🫶
MAJOR SPOILERS START HERE!!!!!
spoilers are marked!! as always, this is MY OPINION!!
i've always loved freida's books, but honestly they're getting a bit old. every female main lead is so stupid and gullible right up until the very end where they suddenly turn smart and super human and defeat the villain. it's getting so boring. this book is exactly that.
sydney shaw... can you please rub together your 2 brain cells???? the way i was PISSED with her throughout the entire book 💀💀. her main concern, and honestly her whole personality, was trying to find the love of her life who's good in bed, hot, and sweet,
the plot in this book is yawn worthy. basically nothing happens until the last maybe 15-20% of the book, which i've noticed is something that happens in all of freida's books. essentially, the whole plot of this book is sydney trying to find the love of her life on an online dating app.
overall, was this book bad? yes. will i still read everything freida is going to come out with? yes. if you're looking for something super quick and entertaining, you can always count on her and i love her for that 🫶
MAJOR SPOILERS START HERE!!!!!
October 9, 2024
2 stars because that ending was not satisfying and the story was so boring.
October 15, 2024
✭ 2.5 stars
This book follows Sydney Shaw, a woman in New York struggling with her luck in dating until she meets a seemingly perfect boyfriend, a charming doctor. However, a series of brutal murders linked to a mystery man who targets women he dates casts a shadow over her newfound happiness. As Sydney begins to suspect that her ideal partner may be hiding dark secrets, she must navigate her growing fears and uncover the truth before she becomes the killer’s next victim.
➸ I really enjoy Freida McFadden’s books—I’ve read a few, and while some are hits and others misses, this one was definitely a miss for me. I didn’t outright hate it, but it was frustrating. Freida has a real knack for writing stories that keep you flipping pages because you have to know what happens next. The pacing was solid, and the plot had enough twists to keep me interested, but then we get to the characters. They were so frustratingly clueless. It felt like they all took a class on making the dumbest decisions possible. I mean, it’s a thriller—I feel like characters should somewhat be smart enough to piece things together, yet they kept stumbling into one ridiculous situation after another. It was like watching a train wreck—you can't look away, but you’re also just so annoyed by their stupidity.
This book had so much potential, and it’s such a letdown that the characters ruined it. If they didn’t act like idiots it could have been a real page-turner instead of a headache. It’s disappointing because Freida can write some great plots, but the characters’ antics completely overshadowed the story. I was left feeling frustrated instead of thrilled.
Sydney the main character, might just be the most infuriating fmc I’ve ever encountered in a book. Her choices drove me up the wall and left me questioning whether she had any common sense at all. Instead of making logical decisions or even considering seeking help when she obviously need it, she seemed hell-bent on making everything worse. Every time she ignored glaring warning signs or failed to connect the dots my patience wore thinner and thinner until I was practically tearing my hair out.
I was initially engaged in the story—there was potential for something intriguing. But with every ridiculous choice she made, I found myself pulled right out of it. Take, for instance, the fact that she gets catfished and then stalked by a man. You’re telling me she doesn’t do anything about it? It’s as if she’s living in a bubble where common sense doesn’t exist.
And then, as if the situation couldn’t get any worse, she meets a hot man, and suddenly all those red flags vanish as if they never existed. 🤡 Just like that her interest in finding her best friend’s murderer seems to evaporate. It’s infuriating to watch her completely disregard the very real dangers surrounding her. The lack of self-awareness is truly mind-boggling. She tumbles from one disaster to another as if she’s in a constant state of denial and it’s exhausting to witness.
Her inability to grow or evolve made it nearly impossible to stay invested in her journey—I wasn’t invested at all. I had no desire to root for her I was simply left exasperated wondering if she’d ever figure it out.
Tom's pov is told in the past tense when he was 16. I found this narrative choice really interesting because it added a captivating layer as I tried to piece together the story from different timelines. However, Freida’s approach to Tom kind of took the wind out of the thriller’s sails.
It felt like she didn’t even try to conceal that he was a psychopath. Instead of building tension, it seemed like she was just throwing in every crazy thought and bizarre fetish she could come up with, almost for shock value. His obsession with his girlfriend, Daisy, was bizarre but at the same time he had this strange fixation on seeing her die. It was such a wild mix that I found myself wondering whether I should be horrified or rolling my eyes.
And then there were these really annoying and unnecessary moments when he wondered whether Slug (the bug eater) was his bff or not it felt like Freida was trying way too hard to make Tom seem unpredictable but instead it came off as overly theatrical and less believable. I just couldn’t take his character seriously.
Sure, there was a plot twist that actually made my jaw drop and had me rethinking everything I just read but the rest of it was meh. Freida usually nails the gripping stories but this one fell flat because the characters were just so frustratingly clueless and dumb. Sydney in particular had rocks for brains that I couldn’t help but be pulled right out of the story. The premise had a ton of potential, but instead of building suspense, the characters’ antics just overshadowed everything. I found myself rolling my eyes way more than I was thrilled.
Don’t even get me started on the epilogue—it just pissed me off even more I swear it has to be the worst one Freida has ever written.
If you’re looking for a fast-paced thriller and don’t mind dealing with frustratingly dumbass characters that make you want to bang your head against the wall then I’d say give it a try. I’ll still check out her other books, but this one just didn’t do it for me.
────⋆.˚ ✩ ⋆˙⟡────
Freida drops a new book so of course I will be reading!
This book follows Sydney Shaw, a woman in New York struggling with her luck in dating until she meets a seemingly perfect boyfriend, a charming doctor. However, a series of brutal murders linked to a mystery man who targets women he dates casts a shadow over her newfound happiness. As Sydney begins to suspect that her ideal partner may be hiding dark secrets, she must navigate her growing fears and uncover the truth before she becomes the killer’s next victim.
➸ I really enjoy Freida McFadden’s books—I’ve read a few, and while some are hits and others misses, this one was definitely a miss for me. I didn’t outright hate it, but it was frustrating. Freida has a real knack for writing stories that keep you flipping pages because you have to know what happens next. The pacing was solid, and the plot had enough twists to keep me interested, but then we get to the characters. They were so frustratingly clueless. It felt like they all took a class on making the dumbest decisions possible. I mean, it’s a thriller—I feel like characters should somewhat be smart enough to piece things together, yet they kept stumbling into one ridiculous situation after another. It was like watching a train wreck—you can't look away, but you’re also just so annoyed by their stupidity.
This book had so much potential, and it’s such a letdown that the characters ruined it. If they didn’t act like idiots it could have been a real page-turner instead of a headache. It’s disappointing because Freida can write some great plots, but the characters’ antics completely overshadowed the story. I was left feeling frustrated instead of thrilled.
Sydney the main character, might just be the most infuriating fmc I’ve ever encountered in a book. Her choices drove me up the wall and left me questioning whether she had any common sense at all. Instead of making logical decisions or even considering seeking help when she obviously need it, she seemed hell-bent on making everything worse. Every time she ignored glaring warning signs or failed to connect the dots my patience wore thinner and thinner until I was practically tearing my hair out.
I was initially engaged in the story—there was potential for something intriguing. But with every ridiculous choice she made, I found myself pulled right out of it. Take, for instance, the fact that she gets catfished and then stalked by a man. You’re telling me she doesn’t do anything about it? It’s as if she’s living in a bubble where common sense doesn’t exist.
And then, as if the situation couldn’t get any worse, she meets a hot man, and suddenly all those red flags vanish as if they never existed. 🤡 Just like that her interest in finding her best friend’s murderer seems to evaporate. It’s infuriating to watch her completely disregard the very real dangers surrounding her. The lack of self-awareness is truly mind-boggling. She tumbles from one disaster to another as if she’s in a constant state of denial and it’s exhausting to witness.
Her inability to grow or evolve made it nearly impossible to stay invested in her journey—I wasn’t invested at all. I had no desire to root for her I was simply left exasperated wondering if she’d ever figure it out.
Tom's pov is told in the past tense when he was 16. I found this narrative choice really interesting because it added a captivating layer as I tried to piece together the story from different timelines. However, Freida’s approach to Tom kind of took the wind out of the thriller’s sails.
It felt like she didn’t even try to conceal that he was a psychopath. Instead of building tension, it seemed like she was just throwing in every crazy thought and bizarre fetish she could come up with, almost for shock value. His obsession with his girlfriend, Daisy, was bizarre but at the same time he had this strange fixation on seeing her die. It was such a wild mix that I found myself wondering whether I should be horrified or rolling my eyes.
And then there were these really annoying and unnecessary moments when he wondered whether Slug (the bug eater) was his bff or not it felt like Freida was trying way too hard to make Tom seem unpredictable but instead it came off as overly theatrical and less believable. I just couldn’t take his character seriously.
Sure, there was a plot twist that actually made my jaw drop and had me rethinking everything I just read but the rest of it was meh. Freida usually nails the gripping stories but this one fell flat because the characters were just so frustratingly clueless and dumb. Sydney in particular had rocks for brains that I couldn’t help but be pulled right out of the story. The premise had a ton of potential, but instead of building suspense, the characters’ antics just overshadowed everything. I found myself rolling my eyes way more than I was thrilled.
Don’t even get me started on the epilogue—it just pissed me off even more I swear it has to be the worst one Freida has ever written.
If you’re looking for a fast-paced thriller and don’t mind dealing with frustratingly dumbass characters that make you want to bang your head against the wall then I’d say give it a try. I’ll still check out her other books, but this one just didn’t do it for me.
────⋆.˚ ✩ ⋆˙⟡────
Freida drops a new book so of course I will be reading!
March 17, 2025
Thank you to Poisoned Pen Press/ Sourcebooks for a physical ARC of this highly anticipated release in exchange for my honest thoughts. As someone who has read all of her books, I’d say I have a pretty good grasp of her writing style and this one truly felt like one of her best. I read this in one sitting and absolutely loved it.
Content warnings include but are not limited to: Stalking, an emotionally and physically abusive father/husband, inappropriate remarks about underage girls, graphic murder, gaslighting, manipulation, domestic abuse, murder of high school aged kids, murder of adults
Further thoughts: https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTN9xLqMD/
Top 24 of 2024: https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZT2gBTSQh/
Content warnings include but are not limited to: Stalking, an emotionally and physically abusive father/husband, inappropriate remarks about underage girls, graphic murder, gaslighting, manipulation, domestic abuse, murder of high school aged kids, murder of adults
Further thoughts: https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTN9xLqMD/
Top 24 of 2024: https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZT2gBTSQh/
June 28, 2025
➳ 3.25 ☆
this book has better narrative structure than some of her newer releases. i enjoyed this to a certain extent, and the book kept me guessing until the very end. in typical freida style, the women are jejune, banal, and unfledged characters who are all somehow obsessed with doormat pieces of shit with zero functioning braincells. there is really only one major twist i can think of, and maybe that's why this worked better, as it seemed more logical than her other outlandish reveals. however, i always have a fun time with these, as i am here for the lunacy, not scholarly work.
this story essentially follows our main character : sydney shaw, who has a horrible dating/relationship history with men. this so real to be honest. syndey, living in the big apple state, meets her new boyfriend who seems perfect for her. is it too good to be true? there are some brutal murders that start to take place close in proximity to her, and she now wonders if this perfect man—isn't so perfect?
this is easily one of her more 'thriller' esque books, as opposed to something like the teacher. thankfully this book isn't over the top and theatrical like some of her other novels. however, surprise, the main character is useless and childish, but i already had that expectation going in, it didn’t ruin the plot/book for me. however, given the pacing of the book—coupled with the reveals—i would argue this is one of her better works.
i also found out has TWO?? more book lined up... dr. mcfadden works overtime.
this book has better narrative structure than some of her newer releases. i enjoyed this to a certain extent, and the book kept me guessing until the very end. in typical freida style, the women are jejune, banal, and unfledged characters who are all somehow obsessed with doormat pieces of shit with zero functioning braincells. there is really only one major twist i can think of, and maybe that's why this worked better, as it seemed more logical than her other outlandish reveals. however, i always have a fun time with these, as i am here for the lunacy, not scholarly work.
this story essentially follows our main character : sydney shaw, who has a horrible dating/relationship history with men. this so real to be honest. syndey, living in the big apple state, meets her new boyfriend who seems perfect for her. is it too good to be true? there are some brutal murders that start to take place close in proximity to her, and she now wonders if this perfect man—isn't so perfect?
this is easily one of her more 'thriller' esque books, as opposed to something like the teacher. thankfully this book isn't over the top and theatrical like some of her other novels. however, surprise, the main character is useless and childish, but i already had that expectation going in, it didn’t ruin the plot/book for me. however, given the pacing of the book—coupled with the reveals—i would argue this is one of her better works.
i also found out has TWO?? more book lined up... dr. mcfadden works overtime.
October 2, 2024
⭑ ⭑ ⭒ ⭒ ⭒
2.3 stars
NO I FUCKING DIDN’T.
PUT THE PEN DOWN FREIDA😭‼️
2.3 stars
“THE END
Did you enjoy reading The Boyfriend?”
NO I FUCKING DIDN’T.
PUT THE PEN DOWN FREIDA😭‼️
October 11, 2024
—— 4.✰ stars.
bitches, I don’t know if my slump is cured but holy shit I read this in 3 hours lol. Freida never fails to make me read. Her books are no masterpieces, but if you chill and read they are the definition of FUN.
➷ plot:
we follow two timelines, present timeline, with Sydney as our main character, she is tired of going into fail dates, and one day she bumps into this perfect guy, and she thinks she found the one, but is he really as perfect as it seems ?
On the other hand, past timeline we follow Tom, a high school boy that is in love with a classmate, Daisy. He is obsessed with her and wants to make her his girlfriend.
I tried to explain the plot the less spoilery possible! It doesn’t seem much but the less you know in Freida’s books, the better!
➷ my thoughts:
since it’s a thriller I never really talk about the characters or other important things to avoid ruining the plot for other people.
I really liked and enjoyed this book. Do I think is that good to have a 4 star rating? Probably not, but god I HAD FUN. And the plot twist GOT ME. I was so sure I got Freida this time but she said, not today bitch, I’m getting you.
The book keeps you suspecting everyone, trying to connect the dots and the timelines, with an incredible EASY writing and pace to follow. My main advice on this authors books is to flow, to think the less amount of theories possible and just enjoy the twisted ride.
I will keep reading all the books she releases. Not all of them are good, but they just FLY by.
if someone wants to start reading Freida, I would recommend to start with the housemaid ( only the first book tho) and never lie.
“After all, the less time I spend with the chief of police, the better.”
bitches, I don’t know if my slump is cured but holy shit I read this in 3 hours lol. Freida never fails to make me read. Her books are no masterpieces, but if you chill and read they are the definition of FUN.
➷ plot:
we follow two timelines, present timeline, with Sydney as our main character, she is tired of going into fail dates, and one day she bumps into this perfect guy, and she thinks she found the one, but is he really as perfect as it seems ?
On the other hand, past timeline we follow Tom, a high school boy that is in love with a classmate, Daisy. He is obsessed with her and wants to make her his girlfriend.
I tried to explain the plot the less spoilery possible! It doesn’t seem much but the less you know in Freida’s books, the better!
➷ my thoughts:
since it’s a thriller I never really talk about the characters or other important things to avoid ruining the plot for other people.
I really liked and enjoyed this book. Do I think is that good to have a 4 star rating? Probably not, but god I HAD FUN. And the plot twist GOT ME. I was so sure I got Freida this time but she said, not today bitch, I’m getting you.
The book keeps you suspecting everyone, trying to connect the dots and the timelines, with an incredible EASY writing and pace to follow. My main advice on this authors books is to flow, to think the less amount of theories possible and just enjoy the twisted ride.
I will keep reading all the books she releases. Not all of them are good, but they just FLY by.
if someone wants to start reading Freida, I would recommend to start with the housemaid ( only the first book tho) and never lie.
October 6, 2024
It's true that if Freida McFadden writes a book, I'll read it because I love her books, but this book didn't had that classic Freida McFadden twist to it. The Boyfriend is a annoying-mind-fucked thriller novel with stupid characters who refuse to use their two brain cells.
I couldn't tolerate a single character in this book. Sydney was too childish and desperate to have a husband and baby. She was blinded by all of it. She sees a perfect man and the next second she is planning to have babies with him. She's just a classic pick me up girl. Tom was a psychopath with a weird obsession of seeing his girlfriend die? Daisy was annoying with her crazy girl obsessed antics. Slug the bug eater disgusted me. The only normal one was Jake, the detective and Sydney's ex-boyfriend. Randy was creepy and Gretchen gave me suspicious vibes from the start. Kevin is a man-child. The rest are dead. This is also the synopsis of this book but add a murder mystery about some girls killed by a man who dates them and then torture and kills them. That's how The Boyfriend was born.
Anyway, I had a good time with this book. I needed a fast paced thriller and the past and present timelines kept me hooked and entertained so I guess it was not a total waste. As usual I did not see the big plot-twist coming but it wasn't jaw-dropping or mind-blowing. Unexpected but not shocking.
The epilogue frustrated me. Freida always writes good epilogues in her books with a little plot-twist and open ending at the end but this one is my least favourite by Freida.
To Shanaaya,
I couldn't have finished this book without you keeping me company and listening to my rants. We should do more thriller and mystery buddy reads and I had so much fun reading this book with you. I am sure we can give Freida better ideas for plot-twists in her next books.
—————
she writes. i read. its as simple as that.
I couldn't tolerate a single character in this book. Sydney was too childish and desperate to have a husband and baby. She was blinded by all of it. She sees a perfect man and the next second she is planning to have babies with him. She's just a classic pick me up girl. Tom was a psychopath with a weird obsession of seeing his girlfriend die? Daisy was annoying with her crazy girl obsessed antics. Slug the bug eater disgusted me. The only normal one was Jake, the detective and Sydney's ex-boyfriend. Randy was creepy and Gretchen gave me suspicious vibes from the start. Kevin is a man-child. The rest are dead. This is also the synopsis of this book but add a murder mystery about some girls killed by a man who dates them and then torture and kills them. That's how The Boyfriend was born.
Anyway, I had a good time with this book. I needed a fast paced thriller and the past and present timelines kept me hooked and entertained so I guess it was not a total waste. As usual I did not see the big plot-twist coming but it wasn't jaw-dropping or mind-blowing. Unexpected but not shocking.
The epilogue frustrated me. Freida always writes good epilogues in her books with a little plot-twist and open ending at the end but this one is my least favourite by Freida.
To Shanaaya,
I couldn't have finished this book without you keeping me company and listening to my rants. We should do more thriller and mystery buddy reads and I had so much fun reading this book with you. I am sure we can give Freida better ideas for plot-twists in her next books.
—————
she writes. i read. its as simple as that.
October 21, 2024
4 Stars!
👑THE QUEEN IS BACK YA'LL!!!!👑
The way i devoured this book in a couple of hours is proof enough of how good it was. It has been proved. Freida never sleeps and throws out banging thrillers one after the other. Her writing itself is enough for you to not stop reading. It just sucks you in. And to top that off her twists are mind blowing. This was another one of her classic thrillers with:
🗡️ Complex characters🧑🤝🧑
🗡️ Dual timelines⌚
🗡️ TWIST i never saw coming 🤯
🗡️ Fast paced 🏃♀️
🗡️ Killer Epilogue 🤭
I won't lie i did think by the halfway point that it all seems pretty obvious and that this was like a lot other thillers i've read before. I was going to give it a 3 star at most. One thing I did not like is how the women are portrayed to be ignoring all the red flags and blindly trusting the guy.
But i should know not to doubt Freida or judge her books atleast until i read the whole thing. The twist just changed my entire perspective of this and i won't stop gushing. I just can't. Everyone needs to read this rn!! Slump or no slump it'll get you back on track and remind you why we love reading so damn much!!📚
~~~~~~~
girl you just released a book and you already have two more lined up😭like I really wanna read all of them keep em coming.. But you do sleep and do other things right??? Where do all these fantastic plots come from? 😭🥰 anyhow can't wait to read this one❤
👑THE QUEEN IS BACK YA'LL!!!!👑
The way i devoured this book in a couple of hours is proof enough of how good it was. It has been proved. Freida never sleeps and throws out banging thrillers one after the other. Her writing itself is enough for you to not stop reading. It just sucks you in. And to top that off her twists are mind blowing. This was another one of her classic thrillers with:
🗡️ Complex characters🧑🤝🧑
🗡️ Dual timelines⌚
🗡️ TWIST i never saw coming 🤯
🗡️ Fast paced 🏃♀️
🗡️ Killer Epilogue 🤭
I won't lie i did think by the halfway point that it all seems pretty obvious and that this was like a lot other thillers i've read before. I was going to give it a 3 star at most. One thing I did not like is how the women are portrayed to be ignoring all the red flags and blindly trusting the guy.
But i should know not to doubt Freida or judge her books atleast until i read the whole thing. The twist just changed my entire perspective of this and i won't stop gushing. I just can't. Everyone needs to read this rn!! Slump or no slump it'll get you back on track and remind you why we love reading so damn much!!📚
~~~~~~~
girl you just released a book and you already have two more lined up😭like I really wanna read all of them keep em coming.. But you do sleep and do other things right??? Where do all these fantastic plots come from? 😭🥰 anyhow can't wait to read this one❤
August 12, 2024
THE BOYFRIEND is my favorite Freida McFadden to date. I said what I said. I've really been enjoying thrillers that infuse dating/romance/dark f'd up partners lately (I wonder why) and THE BOYFRIEND fits the bill! The story is centered around Sydney Shaw, a mid-30s year old woman living in New York trying to navigate online dating. When a date goes awry, Sydney ends up meeting someone who ends up being everything she'd want in a relationship. He is charming, handsome, confident, and a physician. As the two begin to date, Sydney starts suspecting that her new relationship isn't as stable as she thought it was, especially when a string of deaths start popping up. These murders involve women around her age demographic.
I almost gave this book 5 stars because it was so much fun, but I immediately clocked what was going to happen (for the most part) early on. That didn't take away from my enjoyment, but I wish the secrets were held a bit better. This book is juicy and fun in all the best ways, and I did get tricked with one of the twists, so I was pleasantly surprised at some of the developments. This is an easy read for sure and won't be anything you haven't seen before in thrillers, but the way the story is told really is a fun journey. I definitely would recommend any Freida fans to pick this one up because it really is a fun, mindless, escape. I definitely needed this read to take my mind of ~life~ lately. This book will be perfect for a vacation read or a rainy day read because you will get lost in the story. I have mixed opinions about this author, but I definitely do not with THE BOYFRIEND.
I almost gave this book 5 stars because it was so much fun, but I immediately clocked what was going to happen (for the most part) early on. That didn't take away from my enjoyment, but I wish the secrets were held a bit better. This book is juicy and fun in all the best ways, and I did get tricked with one of the twists, so I was pleasantly surprised at some of the developments. This is an easy read for sure and won't be anything you haven't seen before in thrillers, but the way the story is told really is a fun journey. I definitely would recommend any Freida fans to pick this one up because it really is a fun, mindless, escape. I definitely needed this read to take my mind of ~life~ lately. This book will be perfect for a vacation read or a rainy day read because you will get lost in the story. I have mixed opinions about this author, but I definitely do not with THE BOYFRIEND.
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