Book Review - The Coworkers by Freida McFadden

Title: The Coworker
Author: Freida McFadden
Genre: Mystery/ Thriller
Published: 2023
 
Description: Two women. An office filled with secrets. One terrible crime that can't be taken back.

Dawn Schiff is strange. At least, everyone thinks so at Vixed, the nutritional supplement company where Dawn works as an accountant. She never says the right thing. She has no friends. And she is always at her desk at precisely 8:45 a.m.

So when Dawn doesn't show up to the office one morning, her coworker Natalie Farrell—beautiful, popular, top sales rep five years running—is surprised. Then she receives an unsettling, anonymous phone call that changes everything…

It turns out Dawn wasn't just an awkward outsider—she was being targeted by someone close. And now Natalie is irrevocably tied to Dawn as she finds herself caught in a twisted game of cat and mouse that leaves her wondering: who's the real victim?

But one thing is incredibly clear: somebody hated Dawn Schiff. Enough to kill.

Review: When Nathalie goes to work one day and sees the cubicle next to her empty, she immediately thinks something is wrong. Her coworker Dawn is punctual and has a very strict schedule. She has never been late, but all her other coworkers think she is overreacting. But as Nathalie tries to find Dawn, something more dark and mysterious is going on.

Freida McFadden knocks out two to three books a year. And is shows. Her books are very easy to read and mostly follow the same pattern. That made this book a bit predictable and I didn’t get any shocking twists. If it is someone’s first McFadden, it probably will be more surprising.
 
I was never invested in the mystery and I hated the main female character. McFadden wrote her to be the one you root for, but I never felt any empathy with her, whatsoever. I felt more sympathy for Dawn, in a way, because people have been so mean to her and making fun of her behind her back. Especially making fun of her obsession with turtles. It’s clear that Dawn is on the autism spectrum and it’s just not okay to treat people like that. So, the fact that we are supposed the be on Nathalie’s side feels wrong.
 
I did not like this book and won’t recommend it to anyone.
 
Rating: 1,5/ 5

Book Review - The Housemaid's Secret by Freida McFadden

Title: The Housemaid’s Secret (The Housemaid # 2)
Author: Freida McFadden
Genre: Thriller/ Mystery
Published: 2023
 
Description: It’s hard to find an employer who doesn’t ask too many questions about my past. So I thank my lucky stars that the Garricks miraculously give me a job, cleaning their stunning penthouse with views across the city and preparing meals in their shiny kitchen. I can work here for a while, stay quiet until I get what I want. It’s almost perfect. But I still haven’t met Mrs. Garrick, or seen inside the guest bedroom. I’m sure I hear her crying. I notice spots of blood around the neck of her white nightgowns when I’m doing laundry. And one day, I can’t help but knock on the door. When it gently swings open, what I see inside changes everything…
 
That’s when I make a promise. After all, I’ve done this before. I can protect Mrs. Garrick while keeping my own secrets locked up safe. Douglas Garrick has done wrong. He is going to play. It’s simply a question of how far I’m willing to go…
 
Review: This is the sequel to “The Housemaid”. In “The Housemaid’s Secret” we follow Millie again. And again, she is looking for a job. It does not take place immediately after the first book. Millie eventually finds a job as cleaning the penthouse of the Garricks. A house that doesn’t really need any cleaning, because it looks spotless. But it’s paying well and it’s easy money. And Millie can combine it with her school. Douglas Garrick is her boss, she speaks to him and he gives out the orders. He seems like a nice guy. But she never saw Wendy Garrick yet, Douglas’ wife. He says she’s ill and needs to be left alone in the guest bedroom.
 
WARNING! THIS REVIEW MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS!
 
The set-up of the book is very similar to the first one. Millie getting a new job in housekeeping, at first everything is perfect, but then she suspects something is very wrong. Even the narration is very similar, as in the perspective switches at the half-way point. This came as a surprise in the first book, not so much here. I kind of expected it to happen. And the intentions of this second person were also very similar.
 
Freida McFadden’s writing is very accessible, especially if you’re new to thrillers and you have just started exploring the genre. The book has very short chapters, a simple writing style and it’s in general a quick, entertaining read. It’s hard to put it down.
 
I do think, if I hadn’t read the first book, this one would have surprised me more. Because so many elements were the same. “The Housemaid’s Secret” still did have some twists here and there that did surprise me, but overall it was a lot more predictable.
 
I did have a good time reading it, it was a real page-turner. Do I think this book deserved to win the GoodReads choice award for best mystery/ thriller? No. But if you have liked Freida McFadden books before, you will probably enjoy this one as well.
 
Rating: 3,5/ 5

Book Review - The Housemaid

Title: The Housemaid
Series: The Housemaid # 1
Author: Freida McFadden
 
Description: “Welcome to the family”, Nina Winchester says as I shake her elegant, manicured hand. I smile politely, gazing around the marble hallway. Working here is my last chance to start fresh. I can pretend to be whoever I like. But I’ll soon learn that the Winchesters’ secrets are far more dangerous than my own…
 
Every day I clean the Winchesters’ beautiful house top to bottom. I collect their daughter from school. And I cook a delicious meal for the whole family before heading up to eat alone in my tint room on the top floor.
 
I try to ignore how Nina makes a mess just to watch me clean it up. How she tells strange lies about her own daughter. And how her husband Andrew seems more broken every day. But as I look into Andrew’s handsome brown eyes, so full of pain, it’s hard not to imagine what it would be like to live Nina’s life. The walk-in closet, the fancy car, the perfect husband.
 
But I assure myself the Winchesters don’t know who I really am. They don’t know what I’m capable of.
 
Review: When I read the synopsis, I wasn’t intrigued at all. I knew the book is super popular, but this story didn’t seem that special. Yet, I was curious if I would agree with all those people and I would understand the hype around “The Housemaid”. Trust me, I do now.
 
Are you looking for a book you can completely lose yourself in? Or one to get you out of a reading slump?  I think this is the one for you. From the first page, I was intrigued and could not put the book down. The ominous atmosphere increases with each chapter. All you think is, “get out of there Millie”. Halfway through the story, there is this insane and genius plot twist. I could have never predicted it and it left mee speechless. At that point, it was even harder to put it down.
 
This is my second Freida McFadden book and I can say that her writing style is very compelling. Each character has their own secrets. Step by step you get more and more answers, constantly adjusting your opinion of each character. So well-written, amazing plot twist and exciting to the end. I recommend every thriller fan to pick up this book.
 
Rating: 5/ 5

Book Review - Ward D by Freida McFadden

Title: Ward D
Series: -
Author: Freida McFadden
 
Description: Medical student Amy Brenner is spending the night on a locked psychiatric ward. She has been dreading her evening working on Ward D, the hospital’s inpatient mental health unit. There are very specific reasons why she never wanted to do this required overnight rotation. Reasons nobody can ever find out.
 
And as the hours tick by, Amy grow increasingly convinced something terrible is happening within these tightly secured walls. When patients and staff start to vanish without a trace, it becomes clear that everyone on the unit is in grave danger. Amy’s worst nightmare was spending the night on Ward D. And now she might never escape.
 
Review: An overnight rotation in Ward D is the last thing Amy wanted as a medical student. For reasons yet unknown, she dreads this night.
 
The book mostly sets place in Ward D, which is closed off to the outside world. Bad cell phone reception, a minimal staff and only one way to get out: Through a secured door with a code, which can not be used in an emergency. We also follow a storyline in the past, from when Amy was younger. This gives us a little insight in Amy’s past and why she might dread her night in Ward D.
 
It becomes more understandable why Amy was afraid to stay in Ward D, when patients and staff start vanishing without a trace. Something is wrong and Amy wants to get out.
 
It’s a very quick read, easy to get through and full of tension. It has some interesting reveals and twist. I guess it’s possible to see some of them, but they are never too obvious. I especially liked the fact that you know bad things are going to happen, since Ward D is such a mysterious place and you have no idea who to trust. Even Amy is unreliable, since she has her own mental health issues.
 
The only thing I didn’t like was the credibility of the story. Some elements are a bit implausible. But that didn’t take away from the entertainment level “Ward D” has. My first Freida McFadden book and I think her thrillers are right up my alley.
 
Rating: 4/ 5