Member Reviews

Wow! Another great read by Freida Mcfadden. She always has a way to get a good twist in you didn't see coming.

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Freida McFadden does it again with her latest twisty psychological thriller. Natalie Farrell seems to have it all - she’s gorgeous, popular, and a successful top sales representative for her employer, Vixed. In the next cube over, Dawn Schiff vies for Natalie’s friendship and approval, Dawn is quirky, a bit reserved, and has never fit in. The Coworker explores female friendships, office romances, and allegations of bullying. This was a quick read that held my interest all the way through.

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This book kept me invested. Could not put it down. I feel like the characters could have been developed a little more. And neither of the main characters seemed super likeable, which is hard for me. I always want to be rooting for someone. Overall, this book was really good. I would definitely recommend this author for anyone looking for a jumping off place in the thriller genre.

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The Coworker wasn’t as dark as some of Frieda McFaddens few books I’ve read by her. This book dealt with bullying of a autistic character in the workplace.


Dawn Schiff is strange. Natalie Farrell is popular and pretty. They both work at Vixed, nutritional supplement company where Dawn is as an accountant. Natalie is the top sales rep. Dawn never says the right thing, doesn’t have friends, and never late to work.

One morning Dawn isn’t at her desk at 8:45 a.m. Natalie becomes worried. Then she receives an anonymous phone call that changes everything…
Dawn Schiff goes missing and everyone is pointing the finger at Natalie.

Although this wasn’t my favorite Freida McFadden book it was still a good book. I wanted to know what happened and the ending I found myself yelling I knew it at the book. I found the twists predictable. By the end of the book I was sick of hearing about turtles, however, I did learn a lot about turtles.

Thank you to Poisoned Press and NetGalley for letting me read this book in exchange for my honest review. 3.5 stars

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This is my first Freida McFadden and it will not be the last, that's for sure! I am so amazed with the intense story telling from the start, that is on a consistent pace with lots of heart pumping question marks that left me anxious and on my toes! It truly had me thinking ''who did it?'' and then it went south, twisted in another direction and then got me confused "who did it?" again! I didn't expect it to turn out the way it did but when the story finally ends, I was definitely relieved!

Freida is truly a master at plotting and twisting crime mystery fiction. She's good at keeping the readers wanting to know more yet letting us nibble it bit by bit. I had my suspicions but when it reached that part, I was still in a daze thinking "that's such a psychotic episode!!!" I can't reveal names or plots, else it's a dead spoiler! Pun intended LOL! Either way, you are in for a treat if you are new to Freida's work of art! It sure is addictive and unputdownable!

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I actually really enjoyed this book. It didn’t hook me initially, like the Housemaid did, but the twists and turns in this one were really good. I loved the unreliable narrator situation. Books that employ an unreliable narrator typically end up vibing with my brain. This one was so unreliable to the point where I knew nothing about either of our main characters.

As the story progressed, layers and layers were pulled back and we uncover the true events of what happened when Dawn disappeared. I enjoyed how both characters were hiding things and there was so much more than what meets the eye.

Overall, this was a solid thriller and I really enjoyed it!

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This book was an awesome read. I stayed on the edge of my seat with anticipation as to the end result of the mystery. But the twist gave me quite a shock. The characters were so believable and enticing. I have actually known people like the two lead female characters. Kudos to the author, Freida McFadden for making this such an interesting story.

Thank you to NetGalley and Freida McFadden for allowing me to read this book in exchange for my review.

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"The Coworker" by Freida McFadden is another thrilling addition to her repertoire, and I had the pleasure of experiencing it through audio. McFadden's storytelling prowess shines once again, delivering a book that kept me on the edge of my seat from start to finish.

One of the things I appreciate most about McFadden's work is her ability to craft unexpected twists and turns, and "The Coworker" is no exception. Just when you think you've got it all figured out, she expertly throws in a curveball that leaves you second-guessing everything. It's this skill that makes her novels so addictive.

If you're a fan of thrilling mysteries with unexpected twists, "The Coworker" is a must-read (or in my case, a must-listen). I can't wait to see what she has in store for us readers next!

Thanks to Poisoned Pen Press for a gifted ebook copy via NetGalley!

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Another book that I thought I had figured out, until I didn't! I liked the use of Dawn's emails to fill in the backstory. While this book wasn't as suspenseful as some of Freida's other books for me it still kept me engaged and delivered the surprises/twists we've all come to know and love so much. It was a quick read! I enjoyed this one and would recommend to others.

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Thank you to NetGalley, author Freida McFadden, Poisoned Pen Press, and Mandy Chahal of PPP for my ARC of The Coworker. I was beyond thrilled to receive this and had life played out the way I had planned, I would've crushed this novel the day I received it. Unfortunately, life got the best of me and my health so reading ended up on the back-burner for a few weeks (I am OK now).

As always, Ms. McFadden stuns me with her wit and storytelling. While this novel may be one of the more "predictable" tales she's written--I say that as an *avid* Freida fan, I do not think others would find this one as predictable-- it captivated me from the first chapter. You know those characters you just love to hate? This book doesn't have that. This book has a character you'll just plain hate and it makes her perspective all the more interesting. With each turn of the page, I expected a redemption arc to begin for Natalie but she never seemed to improve...until we learned the truth about Dawn. But, even THEN, Natalie still sucked as a person! I LOVED THAT. Ha!

It has got to be very hard to write a leading character into a novel who you know everyone is going to hate and it works so beautifully. Leave it to McFadden to do this with grace. From beginning to end, "The Coworker" taps into the reader's empathy and stands as a test for the humanity of the characters. Told from the perspective of our leads Natalie and Dawn, with a creative mix of email threads as an alternative (but often from Nat/Dawn) POV, it's so easy to get immersed in this story.

Dawn is an outcast who loves turtles, monochromatic meals, and just accepted a job at a supplement company as their new accountant. She's assigned the cubicle next to Natalie, the most successful--and beautiful--sales person at the company. Natalie is the 30-year-old version of your high school's most popular [mean] girl and matches that teen drama energy by keeping up with her mean girl tendencies into adulthood. Dawn is intrigued by Natalie and wants to be her friend. She tries everything she knows to get someone to like you but ultimately, Dawn's efforts are not well received. Her attempts to befriend Natalie are so poorly received that she in fact begins to be bullied by Natalie.

So, when Dawn turns up dead with a paper trail of emails detailing the harassment and threats she received from Natalie, it's *pretty* obvious who is responsible...right? RIGHT? Well, let's just say that not everything is as it seems.

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Another spellbinding read from Freida McFadden. Her characters are always quirky and you never know who you can trust. The plot is a mix of crazy and believable, while also being fast-paced. When you think you know how the story unfolds, you’re always thrown for a loop!

In the present timeline, the story follows Natalie, a salesperson at Vixed, a skincare and cosmetic company. One day, her co-worker doesn’t arrive to work. Knowing Dawn as well as she does, this is extremely unusual. Eccentric Dawn is a stickler for punctuality, everything in its place. She has a strict routine, or at least has had, up until now. Something is very wrong. Natalie searches for answers while trying to navigate suspicious Detective Santoro and finding herself as the police’s top suspect. It doesn’t help that her affair with someone influential in the company may go against her. But Natalie insists she had nothing to do with it, but evidence is stacked against her and the police begin to question her involvement. Was Natalie intentionally bullying Dawn Schiff? Was there a pattern of cruelty perpetrated by her.

The second storyline is about the turtle obsessed Dawn, the new accountant at Vixed, but cleverly exposed in emails to her best friend. In these messages, Dawn reveals the odd relationships with her co-workers and so we see an entirely different side of the story from Dawn’s unique mind. She felt excluded from meetings, an outcast at lunch time, and completely left out of parties. But Dawn’s perspective of how she was treated doesn’t quite line up with Natalie’s. Was Dawn simply jealous of Natalie’s sales record? Who is telling the truth? This is the point in every McFadden book where the twists keep getting twistier. 😉

It was a brilliant read and one I would definitely recommend. As with McFadden’s Housemaid series, this is another elegant mystery coupled with unbearable suspense you can’t put down. It’s hard not to get hooked on this hair-raiser!

I highly recommend this pitch-perfect novel of psychological suspense. It was a privilege to receive an early copy of The Coworker by Freida’s team at Poisoned Pen Press & Source Books.

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There’s always THAT co-worker. He or she is extremely popular and seems to reap all the benefits with little effort. Natalie is that co-worker, and she is part of the cube farm with Dawn, who is socially awkward and appears to be friendless. You will definitely become invested in these characters as the story takes you on a ride with twists and turns. I was totally hooked on this book and could not wait to see what happened next. A real page-turner. Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and publisher for the opportunity to review this book.

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Frieda’s back with a story that packs a Housemaid-level punch! The Coworker has everything Frieda does disturbingly well: intriguing and unpredictable characters, well-paced suspense, and unreliable narrators that have your mind spinning. I did guess a pretty large plot point VERY early on, but that's not too surprising given the number of Frieda McFadden (and psychological thriller) books I’ve read. Plus, there were so many other twists and turns that I remained completely entertained throughout.

Dawn Schiff, accountant at Vixed, has her routine down to a T. That's why, when she doesn't show up at work on time one day, alarm bells start ringing for her office cubicle neighbour (and our protagonist), Natalie. Upon answering a disturbing phone call from Dawn's desk, Natalie launches into investigation mode. Little does she know, she's about to get herself embroiled in quite the tangled web, whose intricate lattice becomes far more than she bargained for.

Dawn's shocking emails composed in the 9 months leading up to her disappearance, detailing her time at Vixed and revealing her alarming interactions with Natalie, prove to tell a story quite antithetical to Natalie's claims.

This book is a masterclass in suspense. Add this to your TBR if you’re looking for a fast-paced, gripping, shocking, bingeable psychological thriller that will have your jaw dropping for 5 hours straight.

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I’m being generous with this rating. I found the first half to be very slow and borderline boring. The saving grace to this book was the second half. There was more entertainment and I was more intrigued. I usually like her books more than this. If it weren’t for the second half the rating for sure would have been 2⭐️s.

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A decent book but wasn’t my favorite by Freida McFadden. The ending didn’t shock me like others I’ve read by her. I always look forward to the “wow” factor at the end of her books but this was a bit of a letdown. Dawn was difficult to connect with. I mean, who eats meals that are all one color and can you really be THAT obsessed with turtles? Regardless of my opinions about this particular book, Frieda McFadden still remains as one of my favorite authors and I’ll continue to read all of her books.

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Thank you Poisoned Press Pens and Netgalley for a copy of this e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

I have enjoyed every Freida McFadden book I've read and this book did not disappoint. I was gripped by the first chapter and flew threw the rest of the book. I even got my fiance to start reading it and he loved it as well. The characters were quirky and crazy, but they made me laugh. Freida is the queen of twists and just when you think you have a puzzle piece solved, she throws a wrench in the story. Overall, it was fun and I would recommend it to any mystery lovers.

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Everyone at the company where Natalie works thinks Dawn is a bit strange, with an obsession for turtles. The one thing about Dawn is , she's a creature of habit, from her arrival at work to her bathroom breaks. One morning Dawn doesn't show up for work and Natalie becomes concerned starting an investigation that you won't see coming.
This is my first book by this author and although I disliked the characters, I will still try other books by her. The story did keep me interested and the writing was good I just didn't feel satisfied by it.

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This was my first book by this author. Great read, full of suspense and lots of twists! I'll absolutely be reading more of her books

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I really enjoyed reading this book. A little too much of the turtles could tone it down a little. Definetly kept my interested and would recommended this book. I cant stop reading Frieda McFadden. Thank you for my advanced copy.

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This book was very easy to get into. The story is told through two POV's. Both women seem to be unreliable narrators. At times I became frustrated and bored. I felt the pacing needed to be a little faster.

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