I’ve become extremely addicted to Freida McFadden books lately, mainly thanks to Kindle Unlimited! They’re the perfect easy, twisty reads that keep me turning the pages, and staying up way too late to finish them at times… Now that I’ve worked my way through most of them, I thought I’d do a little post rating them in order of my favourites, because there are, well, a lot, and if you’re just getting into her books, it can be hard to know where to start.
The Must Reads
In order of favourite…
Ward D – This one hooked me from the start. Set over the course of one night in a locked psychiatric ward, it’s intense, fast paced, and full of unexpected turns. Probably my favourite of hers so far, and had me genuinely scared at one point.
One by One – A classic locked-room thriller. A group of colleagues stranded in a remote location with one of them picking people off one by one. Tense and VERY addictive from start to finish. I didn’t want it to end.
Never Lie – A pair of newlyweds get stuck in a snowstorm and take shelter in an abandoned house that used to belong to a psychiatrist. Creepy, clever and full of layers.
The Housemaid – Probably her most well known book and for good reason. A proper psychological domestic thriller with a storyline that keeps shifting. Easy to fly through in a few sittings, and probably the best twist of most books I’ve read.
The Tenant – Simple setup, really effective. A woman moves into a new apartment and things just feel slightly off. Builds gradually and then escalates in a really satisfying way.
The Coworker – I loved loved loved this, but did think the ending / plot reveal let it down a little. Set in an office and told from dual perspectives, this one really gets into how perception and truth can twist. Keeps you second guessing right until the end.
The Best of the Rest
Brain Damage – A bit different from some of her others. Follows a doctor whose patient starts to unravel her own secrets. Not quite as fast paced but still really compelling.
The Surrogate Mother – A woman agrees to carry a child for someone else and, obviously, nothing goes to plan. This one has some gooooood twists.
Do You Remember? – A woman wakes up with no memory and starts piecing together her life. You start to suspect everyone and everything. A bit more slow-burn but still very enjoyable.
The Wife Upstairs – Not to be confused with other books of the same name. This one involves a woman who becomes suspicious about her husband’s ex. Quite tense in places, and probably a bit more domestic drama than thriller.
The Locked Door – Centres around the daughter of a serial killer who’s tried to build a normal life, until things start to spiral. The concept is great, although I didn’t feel quite as desperate to get to the end as I did with some of the others.
The Inmate – A former nurse working in a prison comes face-to-face with someone from her past. Interesting setting, slightly slower pacing at times, but needed to really understand the story.
The Boyfriend – Someone goes missing, and everyone’s lying. It’s okay, but didn’t grab me as much as some of her earlier books, I think mainly due to the characters not being as likeable or intriguing.
The Perfect Son – A mother starts to suspect her son might not be as perfect as he seems. The plot was decent but felt a little predictable after reading her others.
The Ones I Wasn’t as Keen on
The Teacher – This one just didn’t land for me. The pacing felt off and I didn’t really connect with the main character. Plus the subject matter is a bit, erm… A really clever final twist and the end though, which did redeem it.
The Crash – The idea could have been interesting but I found it a bit repetitive. Not terrible, but I probably wouldn’t re-read it, and again, none of the characters intrigued me at all.
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