Tag Archives: freida mcfadden

Oct17

Lil Red’s Book Club: Want To Know A Secret? By Freida McFadden Edition

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Lil Red’s Book Club: Want To Know A Secret? By Freida McFadden Edition

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 yet another Freida McFadden thriller called Want To Know A Secret? In case you haven’t noticed, I have been on a big McFadden kick lately. Her books are just so easy to read and finish quickly and they are pretty fun more often than not. Want To Know A Secret? was perfectly average but I enjoyed it well enough and finished it in three sittings. Before we begin our chat, I will be placing a trigger warning for general violence and disturbing content in a nursing home setting. You ready? Let’s do it:

April lives an exceptionally charmed life. Her husband is a lawyer, they live in a gorgeous home with their little boy, and April even has a successful YouTube channel called Sweet Secrets. In her show, April shares her baking secrets with the world and each episode is packed with tips on how to make the best brownies or ooey gooey chocolate chip cookies. The rest of April’s secrets? She won’t be advertising them on YouTube, that’s for sure. 

On the outside, April is a perfect neighbor and charms everyone with her sweet smile and baked goods. She has even made a new friend, her name is Maria and her family just purchased the house next door. The two ladies and their sons strike up a fast friendship and everything is of the status quo… Until the text messages begin. 

Since Maria has moved in, April has been receiving texts asking if she’d like to know a secret. Each text reveals major issues that she has been long determined to keep buried. If they were to go public, her show and husband’s career would be gone in an instant. But who would want to hurt April like that? Could it be her newfound friend and neighbor? Read Want To Know A Secret? to find out!

I have read A LOT of Freida McFadden books. So much so that Want To Know A Secret? honestly felt like I had read it before. You know the same old thing – stalker vibe texts, a new love interest or neighbor, and life as our primary character knows it going swiftly downhill. I must admit that I liked the premise of April having a YouTube show because I always enjoy a social media twist. The rest of Want To Know A Secret? was just a case of been there, read that. 

This is not to say that this book wasn’t entertaining because it was. It wasn’t a leave my jaw on the floor level thriller, though, and that is what I have come to expect from Freida McFadden books. When she misses the mark, she really misses it and this one didn’t do it for me. If you are a fan of McFadden books, this is one that you aren’t missing out on by skipping. 

Overall, I am going to rate Want To Know A Secret? with a four out of ten stars. Read it or don’t but if you do I’m sure you will find it to be average at best!

Who is your favorite author? Have you read anything by Freida McFadden recently? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Oct4

Lil Red’s Book Club: Do Not Disturb By Freida McFadden Edition

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Lil Red’s Book Club: Do Not Disturb By Freida McFadden Edition

Hello everyone and welcome to a brand new edition of Lil Red’s Book Club! In a spoiler free setting, as always, we are going to be discussing a Freida McFadden thriller called Do Not Disturb. In case you couldn’t tell, I have been on a HUGE McFadden kick as of late. Some were good, some not so much but I really enjoyed Do Not Disturb! I finished it in two sittings flat and the grand reveal left my jaw on the floor. I totally did not see it coming and it made for an excellent finale. Before we begin, I will be placing a trigger warning on Do Not Disturb for domestic violence and miscarriages. You ready? Let’s get to it:

Quinn Alexander just killed her husband, Derek. She stabbed him to death and she is not mad about it in the slightest. Derek abused her physically and mentally and after a brutal fight, she was the one left standing. She could call the cops and turn herself in or she could run. Option B is her choice and she quickly packs a bag and flees as a snowstorm hits. There is only one person Quinn will miss when she crosses the border into Canada – her big sister, Claudia. She’s all Quinn can think about as she begins her life as a fugitive from the law. Then, her getaway comes to an abrupt halt barely two hours in: The snowstorm has turned into a full on blizzard.

Quinn’s small car is no match for the heavy snow and she knows she must pull over for the night and start fresh in the morning. She needs a place that’s well off the beaten path and finds Baxter’s Motel, a ramshackle establishment with a sign you can barely make out from the road. It’s perfect. Although the lodging leaves a lot to be desired, the handsome owner of Baxter’s, Nick, is kind and even fixes Quinn some dinner. She eats her fill, falls into a restless sleep, and will surely be back on the road by daybreak.

Rosalie is Nick’s wife and suffers from a rare and progressive form of multiple sclerosis. She loves her husband but he is a murderer and a cheater too. As Nick goes about his day at the motel, she sits in the window and watches. Rosalie can see it all through the lenses of her binoculars and was treated to a private viewing of Nick’s infidelity. And just one day later, his other woman is stabbed to death. The police could never prove Nick’s involvement and their relationship has been more of a caregiver and patient ever since. Old feelings of jealousy constantly pester Rosalie and she grows even more resentful when she sees Nick being so nice to pretty and young Quinn.

As Quinn hunkers down in the motel, she learns from the news that she is a wanted person and is a sitting duck. She needs to make a move and fast. All the while, Claudia is searching for her as she is convinced that Quinn is innocent and the police won’t do their job correctly. She, too, ends up at Baxter’s based on Quinn’s last known whereabouts and is taken aback by Nick’s harsh demeanor and the silhouette of Rosalie in the window. Quinn is nowhere to be found and she is certain the couple knows more than they are letting on and she intends to find out. Quinn is Claudia’s baby sister after all and they love each other, right? … Right? What will become of Quinn? Will she end up in jail for the rest of her life or be able to make a great escape? Read Do Not Disturb to find out!

Do Not Disturb was giving ALL of the Psycho vibes and I was so there for it! This book absolutely drew inspiration from the cinematic masterpiece complete with the seedy motel, a skeletal women in a window, and references to the infamous shower scene. It was a tale that felt deeply familiar but was refreshed with an intriguing story line that made Do Not Disturb uniquely its own. What’s that old saying again? Steal from the best and make it your own and Freida McFadden did exactly that with this unputdownable thriller.

So as not to reveal spoilers, I have to be vague here but I will say that the plot twists left me one thousand percent shook. I think I was focusing and enjoying the Psycho angle so much that hints and clues simply slipped by without any thought to them. This was a book that I just wanted to read and delight in as the saga of Quinn progressed. Our three key players in Do Not Disturb were Quinn, Nick, and Rosalie and as their stories intertwined, a clear picture of what was going to happen next began to form. That is, until Freida McFadden incorporated a genius twist that took the book in an entirely different direction. Do Not Disturb kept me guessing and turning the pages till the very end and I loved it!

I am going to award Do Not Disturb with the coveted ten out of ten stars. This was one of the strongest McFadden books I have read and I highly recommend it if you are a thriller fan too!

How often do you read? What is your favorite book? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Oct1

Lil Red’s Book Club: Never Lie By Freida McFadden Edition

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Lil Red’s Book Club: Never Lie By Freida McFadden Edition

Hello everyone and welcome to a brand new edition of Lil Red’s Book Club! In a spoiler free setting, as always, we are going to be discussing an ultra twisty thriller by Freida McFadden called Never Lie. As you all know, I fancy myself an amateur detective when I read and this book really through me for a loop. I saw the one twist coming from a mile away but the major reveal left me absolutely SHOOKETH. This is one of the best Freida McFadden books I’ve read in recent memory and I finished it on one day. Once I started I literally couldn’t stop to save my own life! Before we begin our chat, I will be placing a trigger warning on Never Lie for graphic violence, mentions of sexual violence, and disturbing content. You ready? Let’s get to it:

Tricia and Ethan are newly married after a brief whirlwind romance and have only known each other for less than a year. Despite not knowing everything about each other, they are moving full steam ahead and plan on purchasing a new home. In fact, they are heading to a showing of a remote estate when the snow starts to fall. They barely make it to the sprawling mansion as the conditions turn dangerous and their car peters out in the lengthy driveway. Their real estate agent is nowhere to be found, surely ditching their viewing due to the blizzard, and Tricia and Ethan are stuck. The only option is to find shelter in their potential dream home and wait out the storm.

As they explore their lodging for hopefully just the night, they learn that this is no ordinary home at all. It once belonged to the famous psychologist and author, Dr. Adrienne Hale. She was well known for her critically acclaimed book The Anatomy of Fear but even better known for her disappearance roughly three years ago. Her body has never been located and the world thinks her boyfriend, Luke, was to blame for her demise. Tricia is thoroughly creeped out to spend the night in a dead woman’s home but Ethan is in love with the house and wants to put an offer in. This is going to be a long night.

Throughout the evening, strange noises throughout the home startle the young couple and they search the premises for who or whatever is making the ruckus. Their mission proves to be futile and Tricia decides to take her mind off of her fear by tucking into a book from Dr. Hale’s library. She opts for her favorite, The Shining by Stephen King, and when she attempts to pluck the book from the shelf, a secret room is revealed. A room that houses all of the recordings Dr. Hale has made as she sees patients.

Tricia is a curious one and believes that she can solve the doctor’s murder based on the tapes that are hidden away. As the snow continues to fall, she dives into the saga of the sessions leading up to Dr. Hale’s disappearance. Upon her discovery, she learns about a problematic patient named EJ. A man who threatened and stalked the doctor in the weeks before she fell off the face of the earth. The man’s voice on the tape sounds familiar to Tricia but she just can’t place it. The one thing that she knows for sure, though, is that the doctor’s killer is still out there. And he might just be in this very house. Will Tricia solve the case of the missing doctor before it’s too late? Or will she, too, become a victim while stranded in the snow? Read Never Lie to find out!

Holy WOW was this book good and it is, easily, one of my favorite Frieda McFadden books yet. I rarely finish a book in just one day and that honestly tells you everything you need to know. Never Lie was fast paced, eerily claustrophobic, and featured a major twist that left my jaw on the floor. Funnily enough, I was bragging about having everything all figured out about halfway through and I was dead wrong. Never Lie was Red Herring central and it lured me into a false sense of complacency thinking I knew it all. The rug was pulled right under my feet and I landed flat on my fanny when I learned how wrong I was!

Whenever I read a Frieda McFadden book, I never feel a real connection to any of the characters because they all lightweight suck lol. That was very much the case with Never Lie and I could not be bothered to give a hoot about any of the key players. That’s okay, though, because McFadden’s writing style is all plot based. Every character in this book played their part to keep the story going at a rapid pace and it didn’t even matter how unlikable they were. All that mattered was getting to that end reveal and I think you will all agree if you read Never Lie that it was a doozy and then some. Highly recommend!

Overall, I am going to award Never Lie with the coveted ten out of ten stars. If you are a McFadden fan, this is a must read. You are going to love it!

What are you currently reading? What is your favorite Freida McFadden book? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Sep25

Lil Red’s Book Club: Brain Damage By Freida McFadden Edition

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Lil Red’s Book Club: Brain Damage By Freida McFadden Edition

Hello everyone and welcome to a brand new edition of Lil Red’s Book Club! In a spoiler free setting, as always, we are going to be discussing a Freida McFadden thriller called Brain Damage. Freida McFadden books are either good or bad, in my opinion, and I either love them or can’t be bothered. Brain Damage, however, was very different because it just made me sad. This was an incredibly hard book to read and I will be placing a massive trigger warning for domestic violence, severe brain injury, and HIGHLY disturbing and upsetting content. You ready? Let’s get to it:

Dr. Charly McKenna is a dermatologist in New York City. She loves her job, has a fabulous apartment right across the street from Central Park, and is content with her life as a single woman. That’s not to say that dating wouldn’t be nice, though, especially if it was a date with her new patient, Clark. Although she has a strict policy to not date her patients, Charly’s heart stops when she sees handsome and fit Clark for an appointment. To her utter surprise, he asks her out and she declines. But she does tell him that in three months they could go out when he is discharged as a patient.

Charly has been looking forward to this date for a long time and spent a small fortune on a dress to impress. Unfortunately for Charly, their date won’t even make it beyond her apartment because Clark is unforgivably rude. She asks him to leave and is more than ready to never see him again. Until a few weeks later. In the waiting room of her practice, a disgruntled ex of a former patient threatens Charly and who is there to save her but Clark? He steps between Charly and the man charging towards her, diffuses the situation, and Charly figures that one more date can’t hurt. In fact, it helped. After a brief whirlwind romance, Charly and Clark are engaged to be married.

Their wedding is small and simple at a courthouse and after their slightly disastrous honeymoon, Charly and Clark are back in the city. Then, their relationship begins to spiral rapidly and Charly is convinced that she never knew Clark at all. A divorce is imminent but all of Charly’s plans are immediately halted. Upon returning to their apartment late one evening, Charly opens her door and suffers a gunshot wound to the head. When she comes to, she awakes in a hospital bed and cannot even speak.

As Charly progresses through rehab and eventually finds her voice, she is still none the wiser about who hurt her. Some days, she can barely remember her name. It sure comes as a shock for her to learn that she is married when Clark shows up for sporadic and brief visits! Although Charly is making gains, she will still not be able to live independently and Clark offers to be her caretaker. The arrangement does not benefit Charly in the slightest but she doesn’t want to end up in a nursing home. Even if that means staying with Clark and allowing for another uninvited guest to live in her apartment. Everyone at the rehab facility can see that something is up with Clark but Charly feels like she doesn’t even have a choice. Will she improve enough to remove herself from his “care”? Or will Charly be subjected to a lifetime with the man she was going to divorce? Read Brain Damage to find out!

Brain Damage took place in the Before and After. In the Before, we learn everything that led up to Charly’s tragic injury. In the After, we meet her dazed and confused after an almost fatal shooting. Before Charly is strong, confident, and smart as a whip. After Charly is meek, fully dependent on caretakers, and can barely form sentences. And it was all very, very sad. If you have ever experienced a loved one being gravely injured or ill, this book is going to trigger you without fail. It did for me and I almost considered not finishing it after a few chapters in the After. You all know that I can’t not finish a book though and had to see it through.

For all of the bad in this book, Charly was an absolute star and she was the only reason why I kept reading. I wanted to see her improve. I wanted to see her get justice. And I wanted her to achieve the best possible outcome in life because she was handed the shortest end of the straw humanly possible. If you can’t rally around Charly while reading Brain Damage, you might not have a soul lol. Although this book was incredibly upsetting for me, it was a solid read and an intriguing story line. There is no arguing that. The subject matter was just not for me which will explain my low star rating.

Overall, I am going to rate Brain Damage with a three out of ten stars. The three are for the book being pretty good but I couldn’t wait to be done with it. Read at your own discretion!

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

Jul29

Lil Red’s Book Club: Dear Debbie By Freida McFadden Edition

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Lil Red’s Book Club: Dear Debbie By Freida McFadden Edition

Hello everyone and welcome to a brand new edition of Lil Red’s Book Club! In a spoiler free setting, as always, we are going to be discussing one of Freida McFadden’s newest books called Dear Debbie. Freida McFadden is a hit or miss author for me. Some of her books are great, others leave a lot to be desired and I feel like there is no middle ground. Her books are either good or bad lol. However, her most recent thrillers have hit hard – so much so that I finished Dear Debbie in one day! I just couldn’t put it down! Before we begin our discussion, I will be placing a trigger warning on Dear Debbie for sexual assault (one instance involving minors), graphic violence, and disturbing content. You ready? Let’s get to it:

Debbie gives great advice but she never necessarily takes her own. She is the voice of “Dear Debbie” in the local newspaper and does her best to point lonely or sad housewives in the right direction. Her own direction these days? Aimless. Her husband, Cooper, pulls disappearing acts during the evening and there is something going wrong with her teenage daughters that she is completely in the dark about. Debbie’s life wasn’t supposed to be this way. She was a promising student at MIT until an incident happened that made her academic dreams crash and burn. So she became a wife, a mother, and every day since the incident has left her feeling inadequate.

The only thing Debbie really has going for her is Dear Debbie and she enjoys her work. She takes pride in encouraging others to make a change but in one article, her advice goes too far in the eyes of the editor. A woman wrote to Debbie about the financial restraints her husband constricts her to and Debbie advised her to get a divorce. That did not fly for the family friendly publication and Debbie loses her job. Now, Debbie has nothing left to lose and decides to start righting the wrongs in her life.

Her targets are the people who do wrong for the sake of doing it. People who have made her daughters cry. Someone who is standing in the way of her husband’s promotion at his job. The snarky housewives who simply tolerate Debbie’s existence. But this is all child’s play because Debbie is working up to the number one person on her list. The person who derailed her life when her future could have been so vastly different. Debbie is going full on vigilante and there is nothing that can stop her now that her mission has begun. Who will suffer her wrath? Read Dear Debbie to find out!

It has been a while since I read a twisty thriller as I was working through a few palette cleanser books. Dear Debbie scratched that itch and then some! This book was a fast paced tale of revenge and what happens when a woman has had enough. For over twenty years, Debbie lived with her secret and shame and her getting fired from the newspaper was the straw that broke the camel’s back. It was absolutely delicious to read about this “super mom” getting more unhinged with each passing page and I genuinely had no idea what she was going to do or say next. It is rare that I finish a book in one day but this one was just that good.

One of my complaints with Frieda McFadden’s work has been her twists. In her earlier books, they seem to be placed so haphazardly with the point of shocking rather than making complete sense. It always left me feeling disappointed because better options were out there and weren’t being used. Her most recent books are so much more concise with grand reveals that actually feel plausible and tie the story line in a bow rather than leave the reader scratching their heads over the frayed edges. The twists in Dear Debbie were shocking, for sure, but they also kept the story moving along and kept me turning the pages until there were none left.

Overall, I am going to rate Dear Debbie with an eight out of ten stars. Freida McFadden has definitely moved up on my radar and I cannot wait to read what she writes next!

What are you currently reading? What is your favorite Frieda McFadden book? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Jun8

Lil Red’s Book Club: The Divorce By Freida McFadden Edition

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Lil Red’s Book Club: The Divorce By Freida McFadden Edition

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 one of Freida McFadden’s most recent thrillers called The Divorce. Freida McFadden books are very hit or miss for me. Some are pretty good and some just actively suck lol. However, I really enjoyed The Divorce and it was a welcome palette cleanser after reading the second installment of the Stillhouse Lake series. It was easily one of the best Frieda McFadden books I have read in recent memory! Before we begin, I will be placing a trigger warning on The Divorce for violence, disturbing content, addiction, and mental illness. You ready? Let’s get to it!

Naomi lives a picture perfect life. She is a stay at home mom to her darling son, Teddy, while her husband, Jeremy, works hard and makes lots of money as a hedge fund manager. Although Jeremy’s schedule is erratic and he is constantly on call for his posh clients, he is an excellent father and is always home to put Teddy to bed. They are truly a happy family and life is good. Until the rug gets swept under Naomi’s feet. Jeremy tells her that he wants a divorce and that Teddy should stay in his home while Naomi lives in a tiny apartment.

How could her picture perfect life go so terribly, terribly wrong in the blink of an eye? Naomi tries to ignore the fact that there could be another woman involved and makes many attempts to talk to Jeremy but he just doesn’t want to listen. So, Naomi takes matters into her own hands and makes a late night house call to her former home where her worst nightmare is confirmed. Jeremy is seeing someone else and she is beautiful and very young. Then, things start to go downhill and fast.

As their divorce mediation begins, Naomi’s mental health deteriorates rapidly while Jeremy and his girlfriend, Ronnie’s, love blossoms. Jeremy has introduced Ronnie to Teddy and they are even planning a big birthday bash for him while Naomi flounders to earn full custody. Naomi is convinced that if she could just speak to Jeremy then she will win him back and Ronnie will be a thing of the past. He has made it clear that this is not an option and now her attention is fully on Ronnie. If she can’t have her husband back then why should Ronnie have him either?

The divorce is getting messy and Naomi believes that Ronnie is a threat to her and her family’s safety as she begins to experience strange and dangerous behavior. Ronnie attempted to poison her. Ronnie calls her at all hours making threats. Ronnie wants to get rid of Teddy so she can have Jeremy all to herself. But who is tormenting who? One of Jeremy’s primary concerns of Naomi as a parent is her mental instability. Is he just painting her in a poor light or is she really as unhinged as he claims? Someone in this love triangle is not being truthful. Read The Divorce to find out who!

The Divorce was an ultra quick read and I finished it in three sittings because I just couldn’t put it down! It is rare that I find myself truly excited about a Freida McFadden book because they always fall on an average or way below average scale for me. This is mainly because I figure out the grand reveals really quickly! I am pleased to report that I did not see the twist coming in The Divorce whatsoever and it really did put the thrill back into her thrillers for me. The Divorce had more twists and turns than the most intense of rollercoasters and all I could do was hang on tight and enjoy the ride.

What was so interesting about The Divorce was how I felt about the characters throughout it. Normally when I read a book, I have the characters who I like set in stone and that doesn’t falter. With every new surprise that this book offered, my opinions shifted until I didn’t even know what to think. I went from despising Ronnie to feeling sorry for her. From rooting for Naomi to fearful and rocking back and forth from “good for him” to “what the hell?” on Jeremy’s part. This made the delicious plot of The Divorce all that more enticing and made the grand reveal even more shocking. There is no solid ground in this book and it left my jaw on the floor until the final page!

I am going to award The Divorce with the coveted ten out of ten stars. This was an excellent thriller and it is hands down some of Freida McFadden’s best work which must be commended. Highly recommend!

What is your favorite Freida McFadden book? What are you currently reading? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Mar2

Lil Red’s Book Club: Ward D By Freida McFadden Edition

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Lil Red’s Book Club: Ward D By Freida McFadden Edition

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 Ward D. Freida McFadden’s books have always fell under my “just okay” category. They are quick reads and twisty but are they mind blowing? No. Are they far fetched? Always! However, Ward D was probably one of the best books that I have read by her and landed under my “pretty good” ranking. Honestly, it’s quite a boost! Before we begin our discussion, I will be placing a trigger warning on Ward D for mental health, child abuse, disturbing content, and graphic violence. Now, let’s get to it:

Amy is a medical student and tonight she is scheduled to work and learn in Ward D, the mental health unit of the local hospital. It’s not that she’s nervous or anything. More like terrified. It will be the night shift in a locked ward with people who are potentially dangerous. Her biggest fear, though? Being mistaken for a patient as Amy has had her own share of mental health issues too. It’s safe to say that Amy has no interest in studying psychiatry further, but it’s just for one night. All she needs to do is make it through.

After being buzzed into the locked ward, Amy gets the lay of the land from Dr. Beck and nurse Ramona. It would be a relatively quiet night in Ward D but there is a glaring issue. A dangerous patient is in one of the seclusion rooms and will be transferred to a more secure setting in the morning. All of the other patients are fearful of him and have made this perfectly clear to Amy with claims that he is going to kill all of them this very night. Dr. Beck’s advice? Stay far away.

The atmosphere in Ward D is tense with patients acting out and it only gets worse. There is a ghost of Amy’s past who is also a patient tonight. Her name is Jade and she was Amy’s best friend in the world until the girls turned sixteen. Jade went from a good girl to an absolute wild child in a matter of years and put Amy into a lot of problematic situations. Some would result in a grounding or possibly a suspension from school. Others would put both girls behind bars. Since then, Amy has turned her life around and is fulfilling her dream of becoming a doctor. Jade, on the other hand, has been in and out of mental health wards for the past eight years.

Between the stress of the patients and the fear that Jade might reveal Amy’s darkest secret, her own mental health begins to deteriorate swiftly. Amy begins seeing shadows, hearing animal like noises from the seclusion room, and even seeing blood on the floor. Is she hallucinating or is something far more sinister happening on Ward D? As the night continues, coworkers and patients alike seem to have simply disappeared. Amy no longer has to get through the night but survive it. Will she evade the man in the seclusion room? Or is this just all in her head? Read Ward D to find out!

One of my biggest qualms with Freida McFadden books are their lack of originality. They all read like plots of thriller books that I have read before with sloppy twists that feel like an afterthought. This, combined with the far fetched nature of her plots has always made her books lackluster for me. Ward D, however, actually read like something new and made for an unputdownable experience. I finished the book in a day! Although I figured out all of the twists and turns in Ward D, is was still a refreshing read with a plot that I was actually interested in that took place in a unique setting.

Ward D was definitely a page turner and I really liked that it all transpired in the course of one night shift. It made the situation at hand feel so much more dire because you just knew that something major was going to happen as the hours counted down. This book also flip flopped to eight years prior which gave a chance to learn more about Amy and Jade’s friendship as well as the hallucinations that Amy suffered from. These flashbacks made Amy shift into an unreliable narrator to the point that it was hard to tell what was real at all. I would never call myself a huge McFadden fan but she was onto something with Ward D!

Overall, I am going to rate Ward D with a six out of ten stars. This is the highest I have ranked any of McFadden’s work since reading The Housemaid series and I have no problems with recommending this book!

What is your favorite Frieda McFadden book? What is your favorite thriller novel? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Dec17

Lil Red’s Book Club: The Inmate By Freida McFadden Edition

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Lil Red’s Book Club: The Inmate By Freida McFadden Edition

Hello everyone and welcome to a brand new edition of Lil Red’s Book Club! In a spoiler free setting, as always, we are going to be discussing another Frieda McFadden thriller called The Inmate. This is the second McFadden book I have read in a row and like its predecessor and all those that came before it, The Inmate was very average. However, it was a quick read and Freida McFadden is the author I turn to when I want a twisty tale that can be read in a sitting or two. Before we begin, I will be placing a trigger warning on The Inmate for general violence. Now, let’s get to it:

Brooke has returned to her hometown called Raker with her son, Josh, to live in her recently deceased parents’ home. After horrible bullying at his old school, Brooke thinks Josh needs a fresh start although a new beginning for him means going back into her past. Brooke is the survivor of a terrible string of murders and Josh’s father is none other than the perpetrator. Her parents all but disowned her after deciding to keep the baby and they barely communicated since. Before this all took place, however, the small town she grew up in was a happy place and she hopes the same for Josh.

Prior to the move, Brooke applied as a nurse practitioner to every medical facility in the area and received no calls back… Except from Raker Penitentiary. This was her last resort option and now her only option. She accepts the job and crosses her fingers that her former boyfriend and Josh’s father, Shane, will never end up as one of her patients. Of course, it was bound to happen and Shane ends up in the exam room for stitches on her very first day. She does her job, tries not to notice how good he still looks, heeds the warning from her colleagues that Shane is a “manipulative” person, and sends him on his way.

Shane is not the only ghost from her past that she encounters upon her return to Raker. There is Tim, her next door neighbor, first best friend, and was an attendant at the party in their teens that turned deadly. He is the assistant principal at Josh’s school, has turned into quite the looker, and is still as madly in love with Brooke now as he was back in the day. After a few dates, Tim becomes a staple in their household and Josh adores spending time with him. Life is teetering on being actually good and Brooke could get used to this, if she could just keep her racing thoughts out of her head.

Brooke feels like she is missing something from the night of the murders. A critical piece of information that might make Shane innocent after all. There is something suspicious about Tim and as Brooke removes Shane’s stitches at work, he claims that it was not him but her new boyfriend who committed the crimes. Did Brooke really put an innocent man in prison with her testimony? If she did, she needs to make it right but whodoneit? Her first love and the father of her son or her new flame? Read The Inmate to find out!

I like to fancy myself an amateur detective and every twist that occurred in The Inmate was seen from a thousand miles away. Do I like when this happens? Not necessarily although I like to pat myself on the back lol. I prefer to be surprised and there were no real surprises to The Inmate… until the final twist. And, the final twist is always where my problem lies with Freida McFadden books. The shockers leading up to the grand reveal are so transparent and when the reveal happens it’s so out of left field that it barely makes sense. That was very much the case with The Inmate. BAM here’s what happened and now the story is over. In a way, this feels like a cop out on McFadden’s part. To write an entire book, throw some random ending in, and then just be done. It explains why I always feel unsatisfied after finishing her thrillers!

My other qualm with The Inmate and Freida McFadden books in general are the characters. They are all so simple with nothing special about them and it makes it hard to feel anything for them. The characters in The Inmate felt wildly underdeveloped and it almost read like a first draft rather than completed product. In a crazy thriller scenario, the characters were dull and the sense of urgency of a potentially innocent man in prison was nonexistent. The Inmate was an alright story but it felt so incomplete and, therefore, I was unimpressed.

Overall, I am going to rate The Inmate with a four out of ten stars. This was not McFadden’s best and I would not recommend this one!

What is your favorite Freida McFadden book? 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

Dec8

Lil Red’s Book Club: The Intruder By Freida McFadden Edition

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Lil Red’s Book Club: The Intruder By Freida McFadden Edition

Hello everyone and welcome to a brand new edition of Lil Red’s Book Club! In a spoiler free setting, as always, we are going to be discussing the most recent thriller by Freida McFadden called The Intruder. I have a love/hate relationship with Freida McFadden books. I love how quick and easy they are to read. I hate how perfectly average they always are and The Intruder very much held those sentiments. Before we begin, I will be placing a trigger warning on The Intruder for graphic violence, disturbing content, and child abuse. Now, let’s get to it:

Casey lives in a cabin in the woods in the middle of nowhere, New Hampshire. Since her beloved father’s passing, life has been on a downward spiral. Casey promptly lost her teaching job and decided to go off the grid to a ramshackle cabin she could barely afford. The cabin’s roof is falling apart, a huge tree in the yard is on the verge of falling, and oh yeah – there is a dangerous storm on the way. With no help from her landlord, Casey must face the storm on her own and pray that the cabin remains in one piece for the night.

As Casey prepares for the upcoming downpour, she notices movement outside of her cabin and even thinks she sees a face in the window. She chalks it up to paranoia until she sees light coming from the decrepit tool shed. Casey investigates herself thinking that someone might be injured or lost and finds a painfully skinny girl who is soaked in blood and clutching a knife. She promises the girl that she will not let anyone know that she is there as long as she stays in the cabin for the night where it is relatively safe.

After attempts at conversation that feel like pulling teeth, Casey learns that the girl is named Eleanor. The whole situation seems insane and Casey is fearful of her new guest. However, after she sees bruises and burn marks on Eleanor’s arm she knows that she can’t send her back to wherever she came from. Casey and her visitor share a meal and while Eleanor is in the bathroom, she takes it upon herself to snoop. In Eleanor’s blood soaked backpack is a notebook filled with horrific drawings. Scenes of torture upon a woman who looks like Casey as well as a hand drawn map leading to her home. Is Casey the intended target of Eleanor? Or is she just a pawn in a much bigger plan? Read The Intruder to find out!

I breezed through The Intruder in two sittings and after I was done, I simply said “oh”. It was the definition of a good but not great book. The funny thing about Freida McFadden’s books is that I like the plots of them. I think I just don’t care for McFadden’s writing style which I often feel verges on amateurish. The Intruder featured one of her most twisty plots out of her recent work and I actually didn’t see the biggest reveal of all coming. I love when that happens because I’m usually very good at working it out for myself. Regardless, The Intruder fell short for me.

One of my main qualms about The Intruder was the length of the book as it barely reached two hundred and seventy pages. Don’t get me wrong, I like a short and sweet book as much as the next. However, it just felt incomplete. I understand the fast pacing as Eleanor’s visit occurred during the span of one night. But the book flip flopped between past and present and I was hungry for more information on the past. These flashbacks were when The Intruder really shined with the grit of an excellent suspense novel. I just wish The Intruder maintained that momentum in the present day.

Overall, I am going to rate The Intruder with a five out of ten stars. If you like Freida McFadden, I’m sure you’ll read it. If not, you’re not missing out on anything!

What is your favorite Freida McFadden book? Do you have plans to see The Housemaid in theaters? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

May24

Lil Red’s Book Club: The Tenant By Freida McFadden Edition

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Lil Red’s Book Club: The Tenant By Freida McFadden Edition

Hello everyone and welcome to a brand new edition of Lil Red’s Book Club! In a spoiler free setting, as always, we are going to be discussing Freida McFadden’s newest book called The Tenant. I have a love/hate relationship with McFadden’s books. I absolutely loved The Housemaid series, however, the other books I have read by her definitely did not meet my expectations. Unfortunately, The Tenant was another instance of that and fell under my usual critique of McFadden – “good but not great”. Before we begin our Book Club meeting, I will be placing a trigger warning on The Tenant for violence and disturbing content. Now, let’s get to it:

Blake and Krista are newly engaged and happy as can be. They live in a charming brownstown in New York City and Blake has just accepted a hotshot new position as VP of Marketing at the company he works for. Everything is going picture perfect, until Blake’s world comes crashing down. Shortly after settling into his fancy new office, Blake is fired for selling the company’s marketing campaigns. This is an offense that Blake isn’t even aware he made and has no idea what his boss is talking about. He feels confident that this was all some kind of misunderstanding and will have his job back before the week is out.

That week turns into months of unemployment and Blake and Krista are barely scraping by as Krista’s wages at a laundromat pale in comparison to their mortgage. If they don’t get their money problem solved ASAP, they will be on the streets and Blake finally agrees to Krista’s big idea: Have a tenant move in to help with bills. As they go about the interviewing process, every candidate is borderline crazy and they are ready to give up. Blessedly, Whitney shows up for her interview and is… normal. She’s pretty, has great references, and had her first and last month’s rent ready to go. They were sold.

The first week or so with Whitney goes swimmingly and Blake even has a new temp gig. Embarrassing, yes, but every little bit from the paycheck helps. Then, little things start to happen at the brownstone that never occurred before Whitney moved in. There are loud noises all throughout the night, the kitchen is filled with fruit flies, and Blake breaks into an inexplicable and painful rash. With no other plausible explanation, Blake blames Whitney wholeheartedly and is convinced that she is not who she says she is.

As more and more offenses against Whitney tally up and become even more disturbing, Blake quickly descends into a paranoid state. He can’t trust anyone and barely trusts himself as he repeats the claims in his head. All he knows is that he and Krista don’t know Whitney at all and she could be dangerous. In fact, she could be the reason Blake lost his cushy new job in the first place. But, is she? Or does Blake have his sights set on the wrong person entirely? Read The Tenant to find out!!

Let me start off by saying that I really liked the general story line of The Tenant. Happy couple, hard times, a stranger moves in, and the shit hits the fan. It really is a perfect combination and fits Johnny’s description of “LifeTime movie books” to the T lol. I just wish I liked the book more!! The tension that was building in the brownstone was delicious, a little slow moving at times, but my interest was piqued. Then, the twist happened, which I saw coming from a mile away but it just felt… random. It felt like a lot of build up for a twist that didn’t necessarily need to happen but simply was put there for shock value. This is actually a complaint that I have had with past McFadden books as well, like the plot changed fully on a dime and it wasn’t thought through completely.

On top of feeling wishy washy about The Tenant as a whole, none of the characters were particularly likeable. This book was told from Blake’s point of view and it was interesting to read a LifeTime movie book from the male perspective. BUT, Blake was a major a-hole and it was hard to feel sympathetic for him in the entirety of the read. Once my sympathy ran out, I was ready for The Tenant to be done because it was the only saving grace that the main character had. I can’t say that I felt strongly in favor of any of the characters and that’s not a good thing as I want to feel that connection when I read. The Tenant definitely missed the mark big time.

Overall, I am going to rate The Tenant with a three out of ten stars. If you are a diehard Freida McFadden fan, I am sure you will give it a read anyways. You are not missing out on anything if you don’t, though!

What are you currently reading? What is your favorite Freida McFadden book? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah