This was a fast paced and binge worthy book. The pace and suspense kept me engaged from beginning to end. I liked the use of Dawn's e-mails to show insight into her character and provide backstory, We follow the POV of Natalie and Dawn. True to McFadden's writing style, the plot felt predictable only to be blind sided with a surprising twist for the last part.

Thank you NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an early copy of this book! Below is my honest review.

This book is full of drama! When you pick up and read this book, make sure you got an empty cup with you because the tea is HOT. At first, the main character Natalie seems all innocent as she's the one who notices that Dawn, who is notoriously at her desk at the same time every day, is missing. No one else cares that Dawn isn't at work, so Natalie takes it into her own hands to find out what happened to her. Little does she know that she's in for a real treat when the cops start looking at her.

I wouldn't say this is my favorite mystery book ever, but the twist at the end was definitely very interesting and it made a lot of sense. (I hate plot twists that literally come out of nowhere and isn't related at all to the plot.) I will say though that I wasn't a huge fan of the ending since I envisioned it going in a different direction (if you know, you know), but this book was enjoyable nonetheless.

Would I recommend this book? Yes!

The Coworker by Freida McFadden

"It wasn't right of me to ask him to lie to the police. That's not the kind of thing you ask your boyfriend of less than two months to do for you. That's more of a six-month relationship request."

Natalie and Dawn work for the same company and share the same cubicle space. Although Dawn has some quirky habits, Natalie does her best to be cordial and inviting to her new cubicle mate. One morning, Dawn doesn't show up for work which is extremely uncharacteristic of Dawn. Natalie begins to stress about her new friend when she receives an anonymous phone call that changes everything....

Freida has become an instant read author for me. She is so talented in hooking readers in within the first few chapters. This book was no different! I was once more transfixed with the storyline and where it was going to go.
I had to know what happened to turtle girl Dawn. (That's my new nickname for her because she is OBSESSED with turtles).

The turtle talk did feel a little daunting sometimes. it made the plot feel like it was developing slowly, but it also strengthened the perverseness of Dawn's character for me. I love feeling immersed in the mind of the characters and that was for sure delivered to me with this book.

Thank you so much for allowing me to be an ARC reader for this book!

You will enjoy this book if you are into:
+ mysteries
+ slow burn thrillers
+ turtle facts LOL
+ twists and turns

Thank you for the ARC! This book started out a little slow. I can't say I cared too much about it until around 60%. But once it got good, it got GOOD. The twists just kept coming and you didn't know what to believe until the last page. The twists were really well done!

My concern with the book is that Dawn is supposed to be an Autistic character, but she presents as a caricature of Autism. It's possible to make Dawn a "weird person" without venturing into that territory. I was pretty uncomfortable with this characterization, it feels ableist.

This book starts off with a mystery… Where is Dawn? Dawn is the accountant at Vixed, a nutritional supplement company. She is never late to work and would most certainly never miss a meeting. Dawn is obsessed with turtles. She is odd and doesn’t have any social abilities, which is completely opposite of Natalie. Nat is the beautiful saleswoman that works across the cubicle from Dawn. Natalie is the mean girl of the office. Natalie’s life seems to be crumbling around her, and it all starts with the disappearance of her coworker. She has to find out what happened to Dawn!

The way Frieda’s mind works is just different. Every time I try to guess the twist, it’s never what I anticipated. Her books are so fast pace, which keeps the reader intrigued. This book has mystery, workplace drama, romance, and revenge.

Another great, fast paced, binge worthy psychological thriller by Freida McFadden! I mean, Can this woman write a bad book?

Two women.
Completely opposite.
Natalie, whom is described as beautiful, well kept and high maintenance and a go getter.
And, Dawn, very smart, simple, keeps to herself, fact driven and goes completely unnoticed… until she’s not.

In this book you will see how the past comes back to haunt in a little mind bending, yet deadly, game of cat and mouse. But who is the real victim?

Guess you have to read to find out!

I received a digital ARC from Netgalley and it was hard to put down. I really liked how the different points of view had me liking a character in 1 chapter, disliking them the next, and how that continued back and forth throughout the book. There were a few pieces I was able to put together, but ultimately there were plenty of twists in the end I didn't see coming. I definitely recommend this book.

3.5 stars. I typically enjoy Freida McFadden’s books. This book is no exception except that I predicted the whole book very early on. I was still entertained and finished the novel but I prefer her style of writing in her earlier novels!

Thank you netgalley! Freida did it again! Full of twist! When I thought I had it all figured out Freida had other plans! What a wonderful read!

At 8:45 a.m. sharp each day, Dawn is at her desk at Vixed. She’s meticulous and precise in all that she does (even with the placement of her beloved turtle collection), so when she doesn’t show up to work one morning, her coworker Natalie instantly knows something is amiss. While others in the office don’t bat an eye, Natalie starts investigating Dawn’s disappearance and winds up as the number one suspect.

I enjoyed Freida’s previous work, The Housemaid, so I was excited to get the chance to read this. The Coworker, however, didn’t really do it for me. The characters were hard to like and I struggled to really connect to the story. The ending had some good twists, but overall, this was mediocre for me. Even though this one wasn’t my favorite, it has received several positive reviews, and Freida fans are sure to enjoy this one.

Thank you to NetGalley, Freida McFadden and Poisoned Pen Press for an early copy of this book for an honest review.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book.

3.5 stars

This book has a slow beginning, but despite being slow is easy to read. Not much happens for the first 50% or 60% of the book. There's a LOT of set up. There's for sure clues scattered in all of the backstory.

The story and mystery themselves are good and enjoyable, but it's the writing that brings this down for me. The writing just isn't that polished. It reads more like an everyday person typing up a story than a polished published work. Which is fine. It all depends on your reading preferences if this will deter you or not.

If this won't bother you and you want twists at the end, then you should pick this up for sure.

This was an excellent book! Thank you to NetGalley for letting me read it. I was on a roller coaster ride. Hating a character then to feeling sorry for them and just when they have my sympathy it’s broken. This story is a perfect example that people are not always who they seem or portray themselves to be. Everyone has secrets! Knowing their secrets could mean life or death.

Freida McFadden has done it again! I thought I had it, but the twist at the end got me. Then the epilogue, as always had me reading with my mouth hanging open. This book doesn’t get released until August 29th, but I won a free advanced copy. I got the email notification and couldn’t wait to get to devour it. Thought I read my ARC, I’m excited to read it again upon release. Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to read my ARC⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Freida did it again. She kept you interested from the beginning and gave you twists and turns to keep you going. One of my favorite authors.

A twisty page turner! Dawn, an accountant who loves turtles and routine, doesn't turn up for work one day and Natalie, who sits next to her, goes looking for her- and finds blood. Dawn reads like a person on the spectrum and she's generated a lot of dislike among her colleagues, many of whom bully and tease her, for her rigidity. Natalie is different but now it seems someone might be trying to frame her for Dawn's disappearance, No spoilers from me. This is zippy and fast paced and if there are plot holes and unlikely characters- well, it's still zippy. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. A good read.

I have read a few titles by this author and I love how suspenseful they are! I picked up The Coworker yesterday and finished it the same day! I just couldn’t get enough of the story and needed to know how it ended! The story is about a missing coworker and how another wants to find out what happened to her. There’s so much that happens that I don’t want to spoil it! Just when you think you have the story figured out, there’s twists and turns in the best way possible! I absolutely loved the ending and was surprised and would have never guessed it!

Thank you Freida McFadden and Netgalley for the chance to read this ARC!

As someone who is also Neurodivergent, Dawn was difficult to “listen” to….which means Freida, as usual, captured her perfectly.
Excellent plot twists, an interesting storyline, and an ending that looks happy on the surface but of course has more lurking just beneath.

This was my first book ever by Freida McFadden and holy cow! She definitely lived up the the hype! So many twists and turns I almost hurt my neck. At so many different points I thought I had it figured out, I had another theory. After about my 5th or 6th theory, I had to give up guessing! This book is a wonder story on just how far someone is willing to get vengeance.

I read this ARC in one sitting. This read was a face paced thriller with some suspense.
The big reveal didn’t have the shock factor I was expecting. The book was good but definitely not her typical writing style.

Thank you to Mandy and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Freida is at it again! This was a fast paced thriller that I read in two sittings. While all of the main characters were heavily flawed and unlikable at times there was good character development and all of the twists in the story kept me hooked until the end. This cat and mouse game kept me entertained only as Frieda can!