Hello everyone and welcome to a brand new edition of Lil Red’s Book Club! In a spoiler free setting, as always, we will be discussing a thriller by Freida McFadden called The Boyfriend. Even though I figured out the grand reveal well ahead of time, it was a pretty good and fast paced read. I finished it in three sittings! Before we begin our chat, I will be placing a trigger warning on The Boyfriend for assault, violence, and disturbing content. Now, let’s get to it:

Sydney lives in New York City and is in her mid thirties. Saying she is unlucky in love is an understatement and she is well aware of the ticking of her biological clock. One of her best friends, Gretchen, has found a great new boyfriend. Her other bestie, Bonnie, who has a date almost every night has even found a dreamy guy to cozy up with regularly. So why can’t Sydney? As she scrolls aimlessly through dating apps, she solidifies plans for a dinner out with a match and is actually excited. Until her date arrives, that is.

What should have been Sydney’s handsome suitor turns out to be a catfish named Kevin. Sydney decides to see the date through because they did have some semblance of a connection over text. This nicety proved to be a bad idea and after their dinner, Kevin attempts to assault her on the way home. What was an already terrible situation could have been so much worse had in not been for a Mystery Man who came to Sydney’s rescue. When he looked at her, she felt sparks flying but she never even got his name.

Sydney is officially back to the drawing board and continues to go about her normal routine. Work, dating apps, and outings with her girls. Everything is almost back to status quo, until one of her best friends is brutally murdered in her own apartment. Of course, Sydney swears off the dating apps – for a while anyways. After what she considers an appropriate amount of time off for grieving, she has a coffee date with a new match. They are having a wonderful time during their meet up, but then Sydney suffers a nosebleed that sends him running out the door. Sydney is left with the bill and in a state of shock – Mystery Man is in the coffee shop and he is approaching her!

Finally, the man she has been pining over since their first encounter is talking to her and his name is Tom. He is a total babe, respectful, and a doctor too. Could things be any more perfect? As they pursue a relationship, Sydney has a hard time thinking otherwise – other than some glaring red flags, that is. Maybe, Tom is just a full fledged commitmentphobe. Or perhaps he’s harboring his own dark secrets that Sydney is none the wiser to. All she knows is that Tom might not be who she thinks he is. So who is her Mystery Man, really? Read The Boyfriend to find out!

I wouldn’t go as far as to say that The Boyfriend was the best book I have ever read. There was, however, a lot that I liked about it. As you all know, I love a book with alternating narrators and this one went back and forth between present day Sydney and Tom in the past. This really added to the sense of urgency revolving around Sydney because every time we circled back to Tom’s childhood, we learned a new disturbing fact. While we could see things for what they were, she had no idea and it made her situation that much more dire. The grand reveal was also quite the shocking one despite my super sleuthing.

Where this book fell short for me was in terms of characters. When I consider a “good” book, I think about ones where I felt really connected with the characters. The Boyfriend lacked this significantly. Sydney was a very milquetoast leading lady and read as completely desperate more often that not. Tom, on the other hand, was your typical “love interest with a dark past” and it was rather stereotypical as opposed to something fresh and new. This was too bad because the plot was definitely one I was interested in but the characters lacked that special something to really drive it home.

Overall, I am going to rate The Boyfriend with a six out of ten stars. If you are looking for a decent quick read, I recommend it. If you are on the hunt for a book with a bit more oomph, then it is one you can certainly skip on!

What are you currently reading? What should I read next? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah