Published: February 6, 2024
Pages: 400
Genres: Fiction, Mystery Thriller, Psychological Thriller, Suspense
From the New York Times bestselling author Freida McFadden comes a chilling story of twisted secrets and long-awaited revenge.
Lesson #1: Trust no one.
Eve has a good life. She wakes up each day, kisses her husband Nate, and heads off to teach math at the local high school. All is as it should be. Except…Last year, Caseham High was rocked by a scandal involving a student-teacher affair, with one student, Addie, at its center. But Eve knows there is far more to these ugly rumors than meets the eye.Addie can’t be trusted. She lies. She hurts people. She destroys lives. At least, that’s what everyone says.But nobody knows the real Addie. Nobody knows the secrets that could destroy her. And Addie will do anything to keep it quiet… - Goodreads
I love a good psycho thriller, whether it be to read or write – hands down, my favorite genre! So, when I came across this author on Goodreads, I decided to check out her new book. This was my first-time reading Freida McFadden and I wish I had more good things to say about this book. Perhaps the mistake was listening to the audiobook, as it was very hard to listen to. It intensified the creepiness of the book, deeming it beyond cringe worthy and not in a good way. A female narrated over 80% of the book, this same voice was used for the male characters making them all sound like predators when they weren't supposed to be depicted as such. This made it difficult to listen to at times. In the latter part of the book, a male began to narrate, but this didn’t really make it any better. So, I suggest reading the physical copy over listening to the audiobook.
I will say that the characters have a way of tugging at your heart, feeling sorry for them - for one reason or another, then going back to disliking them. This alone makes you want to keep reading to see just where the story is going – just who is the one that truly deserves your empathy. The writing style was smooth flowing, and kept me enthralled, despite being annoyed by the creepy narration. I can't say the twist was worth the read, as it took a while to get there. However, weirdly enough it kept me on the edge of my seat in certain moments, only to let me down shortly thereafter. The characters themselves annoyed me greatly, every one of them. I love a good thriller, but I can't say I'd pick up another McFadden book.
I rated this 2/5 stars on Goodreads
Comments