This book was such a quick and easy read and kept me on the edge of my seat the whole time. I read it in a day and was not able to guess the plot twist at all!!!

Synopsis: Dawn is the newly hired accountant at a nutritional supplement company called Vixed. Everyone seems to think Dawn is just a bit strange. She never says the right thing. She has no friends and a slight obsession with turtles. 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… 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?

Much like two of the other books I have read by the author (The Housemaid and The Housemaid's Secret), it seems to follow a particular formula. It is somewhat predictable and I did guess most of the twist - though there were a few that I missed - I still found it to be enjoyable. I started reading and I was immediately sucked in and finished this book in one sitting because I had to know if I was right about what was going on!

My biggest complaint with this book would have to be that part 2 just seemed to go a little bit off the rails to wrap up the story. It just seemed like a rushed conclusion, although it wasn't totally unsatisfactory. I did enjoy the way the epilogue ended things. This is why I bumped it down to 3.5 rounded up to 4 stars. Overall another enjoyable read from this author! Thanks to Poisoned Pen Press for this ARC!

I have no words. Freida does it again. What a great book, with many twists and turns.
When I think I have it all figured out, BOOM! is not what I am thinking!
I had no idea that Dawn and Caleb were working together; that twist did it for me. I didn't see that coming.
Now Dawn and Natalie each have a secret from each other that they need to keep.
Oh, I did learn a lot about turtles; it was very interesting.
Thank you to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for providing me with a copy of this ARC. I was so happy when I got the email. I'm a huge fan of Freida's books and love her writing.

Frieda McFadden has done it again!! While I have only read a few of her books so far, I think this might be my favorite!

Like most of her books, I felt pretty confident I knew how it was going to end early on, but I was very wrong. The amount of twists and turns in this book (up until the very last page!!) are insane and there are so many details that lead to the ending that are impossible to guess.

This book was entertaining, fast-paced, exciting, crazy, and heartbreaking. Frieda had me loving a character in one chapter to hating them in the next and vice versa.

I am so excited to continue reading more of her books!

And thank you to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for sending me an ARC of this book!

Queen Freida has done it again! I read this in one sitting because I just could not stop turning pages!! I was instantly hooked by the first chapter in this fast-paced thriller set in a toxic corporate "cube city" We follow the POV of "it girl" coworker Natalie and the "unpopular" Dawn through emails she's sending to her friend. In typical Freida fashion, she will flip everything over on you just as you think you know what's going on!

The Coworker by Freida McFadden
4.5 Stars!
I loved this book! It gave me "Clockwatchers" vibes (anyone remember that movie?) And also, Dawn reminded me of Dwight Schrute from The Office! I am a former corporate girlie, so this was right up my alley to read. I really enjoyed the plot line, and the twist once again, I could NOT figure out! I absolutely loved how it all came together in the end! The book was set in Boston, which was also a cool touch! I really enjoy Freida's books and this is DEF one to check out if you enjoy her writing/books!

I feel like Freida McFadden never disappoints and that would be the case with this book. I loved it! I thought I knew what was going on but boy was I wrong! So many twists! It took me a few chapters to get into it but when I did man oh man was it good! This was such a good read and I can’t wait for her next one!

Thank you to Netgalley and Freida McFadden for the ARC!

Overall I have this one 4 stars, for me it was a slow start the first half of the book. But the second half came with all the twists and I thoroughly enjoyed it! I love Freidas writing style, she never fails to give us all what we want!

Dawn is the office weirdo and everyone at Vixed, the nutritional company she works as an accountant, seems to think the same thing. Dawn doesn’t show up for work one morning and her coworker Natalie, the popular top sales rep, gets worried especially after receiving a strange phone call. Something terrible has happened to Dawn and it’s enough to murder over.

If you have read any of McFadden’s books, this follows the same template. The first half of the book, the reader starts to feel like they know what is happening then the second half comes and everything you thought happened was a total lie. Much like her other books, I never saw the twist and turns coming and it was so good. This book is a good reminder to be nice to everyone you meet because you never know who is a psychopath and may turn around and try and off you. This book is definitely a roller coaster I wish I could ride again.

This was excellent. Fast paced, interesting. Freida McFadden is a master at writing characters and twists. A must read thriller!

I read The Coworker in one day! And it’s significant to note that this was not a case where I skimmed a couple of sentences or a paragraph on each page because it didn’t hold my interest. Just the opposite! One characteristic I believe is a hallmark of Freda McFadden books is her mastery of the art of twisting and turning both the characters and their evolution so that you can’t wait to turn the pages to see what happens next. Just when you think you get glimpses of the role each character plays, her deliberate delivery of a new detail or a new perspective is such that you find yourself reconsidering the anticipated outcome. Using the background of emails to tell much of the story in The Coworker was an excellent tool that worked effectively to establish a solid background, while still allowing McFadden to retain a good bit of control in driving a plot forward. Not only would I recommend it, but I’m happy to say it’s a “page turner.” 4 1/2 stars for the win!

Freida does it again

Another fantastic twisty book that kept me on the edge of my seat the entire time. I found myself trying to guess the twists as always. Didn't even come close to getting it right.

I couldnt help but wonder if the writer happened to know this much information about a specific reptile that appears throughout the book, or if she had to do a bit of research to get all those facts.

One small thing I noticed was the use of the term "one off" throughout the story line. It may be a regional thing, but I had never heard something referred to a one off in that sense before. After I googled it to see what it meant, I felt like that term was over used quite a bit. Again, didn't damage the book or the story line but I felt like it got used a lot. Likely because I had been paying attention to it because I wasnt familiar with the term

The Coworker took me on a rollercoaster of emotions, leading me to believe I had everything figured out, only to surprise me with unexpected twists at every turn. The characters, each with their flaws, are so human that I found myself wanting to keep my distance from them in real life. However, Freida, true to her skill, managed to captivate me and draw me deep into the narrative.

Despite my slight reservations about the frequent references to turtles and the narrative jumping back and forth in time, the intricately woven plot held my attention from start to finish. The author skillfully kept me hooked, eagerly anticipating what would happen next.

In the end, I must say that this book was indeed a captivating read. It managed to both challenge and exceed my expectations, making it a truly satisfying experience.

Thank you, NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press, Inc for granting me access to the e-book! It's a pleasant read and looking forward to more.

So good. So many twists & turns. I felt close with every character. The descriptions, everything so good. Definitely another a great one by Freida McFadden. Thank you to Netgalley, Freida McFadden & Poisoned Pen Press for the ARC COPY.

Well that was a fun ride! Thank you NetGalley for this arc! I have read several books by Frieda now and what I absolutely love is that the twists keep coming all the way until the end. I have to admit in this book neither one of the main characters were like-able. It seemed “too easy” to just feel bad for Dawn and just as “too easy” to hate Natalie. A quick read by an awesome author! Can’t wait to read another one from her!

I really liked this book. I was so excited to be given this e-arc by NetGalley, because I absolutely love Freida McFadden’s works. And this one did not disappoint.
“The Coworker” was a very easy ready. It grabbed me from the start, and even though I figured out the twist, I had a feeling that there was more to come. And I was right. Excellent read, I really recommend it!

Natalie is determined to find out what happened to her cubicle mate, Dawn, after she’s declared missing. But the more Natalie digs, the more it appears like Dawn’s been murdered. And all the evidence happens to point right back at Natalie.

Frieda McFadden knows how to write a propulsive thriller. I basically finished it within a sitting. Some of the logic fell apart for me at the end, but I’d still recommend to readers who are fans of the genre. Bonus points if you're into turtles …. which i learned an outstanding amount about throughout the book.

Thank you NetGalley for the e-ARC.

3.5
Kindle e arc provided by NetGalley

I devoured this book. It was an easy read. I knew right off the bat that Dawn was Autistic, or at least neurodivergent. But my Autism Tech Degree tells me she is on the spectrum.

I thought Melinda had something to do with it at first. I knew the whole time that Dawn was framing Natalie. I just couldn't figure out who was helping her.

I was a little thrown by the girl in the woods. That reveal had my eyes go wide. 😳

Overall, I don't think this was bad and I can see why so many people love it. I hated the character that was being portrayed through the emails. I did think Mia was a little...not right, but that makes sense now.

3/5 ★

Natalie & Dawn both work at Vixed, where their cubicles sit side by side. Despite their close proximity, the two could not be further apart in terms of their personalities. Natalie is the company mean girl, if you will; she's the bully who peaked in high school. Dawn is the eccentric & somewhat reclusive office turtle expert (unofficially, of course). Despite the series of strained interactions they've had, Natalie tries to find Dawn when she fears something has happened to her. Unfortunately, the tables turn, and Natalie finds herself on the receiving end of suspicion & accusation. With the help of her boyfriend(s), Natalie tries to prove her innocence; a task which proves to be much harder than anticipated. On top of the heaping pile of physical evidence against her, Natalie finds that the sh*t has hit the fan when the local PD discovers a body...

While 'The Coworker' wasn't bad, it definitely wasn't one of my favorite Freida McFadden books. The plot was very well thought out and the characters were dynamic, but something about it just fell a little short for me. I think it was the predictability of it; I usually never guess the plot twists in Freida's books, but this end game in this one seemed pretty obvious from the beginning. Other than that one aspect, I enjoyed 'The Coworker' overall!

Anything Freida McFadden writes is absolute crack! This was no different! Thank you to #netgalley for giving me early access to The Coworker. I finished this in less than 24 hours. This was the prefect amount suspense with twists and turns that weren’t as outlandish as her usual stuff. Super fun and fast read!