Member Reviews
I love Frieda- I did not love this book. Besides being absolutely insane (and not in the way her books usually are), it was just ick after ick after ick.
Another snappy mystery from Frieda, and as usual I feel as though I have it all figured out only to once again be surprised by a twist!
I've read and enjoyed many of McFadden's books, and The Teacher is the darkest one I've read yet. Fast past and propulsive, with characters you are meant to hate. Will be recommending it to others!
The Teacher is a slow (but good) read at first but once you get to part 2, its a whirlwind! You think you have the famous Freida twist figured out but like usual, you have no idea until it hits you! Throughout the entire book you fight with the battle of who's the protagonist and who's the antagonist, in the end do we really get the answer? Is Addie the innocent one? Is Nate a great teacher and husband? Who is Eve really? This book keeps you guessing at every page turn and in all honesty, I'm not even sure I know the answers after finishing the book. I still have so many questions but that just means I'm STILL thinking about this book after finishing it. Though Freida doesn't like doing sequels, this book would be a great one to have and I think I can speak for all of us when I say we need a Hudson perspective! But you won't know why until you read this great book!
I really enjoy Freida's books. I've read them all. However, this was not a favorite. The story seems disjointed and haphazard. I found myself rereading to verify information. Hoping for a better story in the next book.
Digging a grave in the dark by an unnamed character.
There is no other way I would rather start a book. This is the tenth book I have read by McFadden and she did not disappoint.
In The Teacher we meet Eve, a high school math teacher, who has a passion for shoes and where she buys them. Eve is known as the tough math teacher at school who is struggling with the sudden departure of a fellow teacher who has crossed paths with a troubled student, Addie. When Eve finds out that she has Addie in her class this year she is nervous. However, she is more concerned that Addie is also in her husband, Nate’s English class. Opposite of Eve in every way, Nate is charismatic, fun, good looking, and well liked at Caseham High. Eve is worried that the rumors about Addie are true. Can she mend her marriage before something happens or should she buy another pair of red bottom shoes?
McFadden keeps her readers engaged to the very end with her own M. Night Shyamalan twist. She has such a gift for letting the reader come to their own conclusions or judgments of these characters, even if they might not be an accurate depiction. I appreciate McFadden’s attention to each character's flaws and determination in their own selfish needs. For this mystery/thriller I rated it a 4 out of 5 stars and cannot wait for her next page turner.
Wow! I did not expect the twists and turns (exactly) but the last twist had my head spinning. I loved that I expected certain twists to have a surprise - for instance I did not believe that Kenzie was just messing with Addie, and I thought there would be a revenge rather than a bond - yet did not see the final OMG ending. I did have one question about this as I could not imagine Eve not recognizing Jay (also known as J) as one of the high school students as he was on the football team and seemed to be dating the loathsome Kenzie.(she states and I am just paraphrasing that Jay seemed familiar.) I did question Hudson (Jay) from the beginning, and did think that there was something wrong with his story which had me more invested in his role in the story. I will state that I did not like any of the characters - Eve, Nate, Addie, Kenzie or Hudson - but did believe that Nate was the biggest culprit and did deserve his punishment. I loved that he was mentally tortured and the tie-in to his favorite poem was perfect. I could go on about the way Nate was a creep from the beginning, and how you just wanted to first throttle him and then send all his victims (and they were victims) into group therapy. I love this book because I know that this will lead to many great book discussions.
This being my first ever Frieda McFadden book.. I’m not disappointed!! This was so undeniably addictive with the plot twists, secrets, lies, and revenge aspects! An absolute page turner 1000%! Very easy to read, and fast paced.
And I just have to say starting the book off with burying a body.. is INSANE. And when you think you know something.. WRONG. Frieda keeps you guessing throughout the whole journey.
The Teacher follows a married couple (Eve/Nate Bennett) as High School teachers at their local school. The year prior there was a student-teacher incident, with troubled teen Addie who just so happens to be in both of the Bennetts classes. Addie is seen as an outcast teen who lies, destroys lives, and hurt people - at least that’s what everyone says. But nobody knows the real her, or the secrets that could destroy her. And she will and does anything to keep it quiet..
Throughout the first bit of the book, I really liked Nate as a character, and hated Eve. But that quickly changed, as did my perspective. I loved the multiple POVS throughout, so you really get to understand what the characters are feeling during all of this.
All in all? Nate is a gross pedo, who should never step foot in a high school ever again - should 1 million percent be behind bars. Addie is absolutely nuts, and definitely needs help like they suggested lol.
BUT - this is a 5 ⭐️ read for me! I loved that she kept me guessing, and that I was wrong every single time lol.
This book kept me reading wel past bedtime. I read it in 2 sessions! The twist with the other student just being thrown in there at the end is odd to me. I feel like it just didn't fit into the story that all of a sudden Nate is worried that Kenzie may have told the police about them. I didn't see the twist at the end coming of who Jay was. Overall it was a good story that I will reccommend to others.
Okay... I can not get enough of Freida McFadden! She is on my must buy list the day the book comes out!! I was excited to receive this as an ARC!! She did not disappoint! I could not put it down and read it in one sitting!! There are teacher/student relations, but it was very well written! And the twists... OH MY!!! I was left with my jaw dropped! I would definitely recommend this book to everyone I know and I have!!!!
As much as I've heard about McFadden having some amazing twists in her books, this one really didn't shock me all that much. I mean, there was one in the epilogue that I'm still trying to figure out, but the rest of it all seemed pretty spot on for how I was feeling while reading.
Overall if you like domestic thrillers, you'll probably like this one. It was a good time, I was interested to see how everyone ended up and I liked it.
I have very mixed feelings on this book. On one hand, I was constantly wondering what would happen next. On the other hand, I think that a student-teacher relationship is absolutely disgusting. I did not like that this book was focused on that. If this book went another way, it would be a five star read like most of her other books that I have read. Due to the topic matter I have to give it three stars. I will recommend it but with the caution going into it.
No character in this book is redeemable. Only a few of their actions were believable. The entire time I read this, i summarized for my husband what bad choices the characters made, and how silly I found it.
I kept reading because I needed to know what happened. I guessed a couple of the twists, but I didn't guess the big reveal at the very end at all.
I found the book entertaining enough, but I'm not sure Frieda is for me.
Thank you to the author, publisher and Netgalley for letting me have this copy early.
Loved this book! Freida has done it again and keeps you guessing until the very end. This book hits you in all the feels at one point or another. It has scandal and a twisted plot. Love and heartbreak. Teenage angst and Adult drama. Everything you want in a good mystery. I couldn’t put it down. I have recommended this book to anyone who asks.
As always, this was an easy fast read for me. Freida always sucks me in. I struggled a little with the ending as I questioned how that could actually happen but I have to remember it’s a story and not real life. I usually find the twist very believable but this one was a stretch for me. That being said, the book itself delivered and I devoured it in a day!
I LOVE FRIEDA. Forever. Was this completely insane? Yes. But did I still read it in one day? Also yes. And that Epilogue? Don’t even get me started lol sometimes you read for vibes and this was one of those times
This was my first time reading Frida McFadden and it will unfortunately (most likely) be my last. I have heard great things about her other books, but this book had me in a constant state of frustration. The prologue was promising, but it was just annoying character after annoying character. I ended up DNF-ing this book at 25% and by looking at the synopsis, I am sooo glad I did not spend my time reading this.
As dramatic as this sounds, this book encapsulates everything I can't stand about contemporary mystery/thrillers: spouses that hate each other, cheat on each other, student/teacher "taboo" relationships, outlandish twists at the end that make no logical sense and are purely used for shock factor. Every character was unlikeable and wildly immature.
Definitely check Content Warnings TW (grooming, cheating, underage/pedophilia, etc).
Thank you for NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Usually I love Freida McFadden's books. I've read the Maid and a handful of others and always had a good time with the twists and reveals and POV switches. This one, while still having all of those things, I liked a lot less. Mainly because I used to be a teacher and I really hate on-page description of student-teacher relationships. Which this has. More than once. I skimmed through as much as I could but it still was not a great reading experience for me. I don't remember there being any references to the student-teacher relationship in the synopsis, but I took awhile after downloading to start so I take responsibility if it was mentioned and I missed it. Overall, the twists and reveals were less believable in my opinion than other McFadden books. (especially the final one, there's just...no way.) Personally, I'd choose the Maid and McFadden's other titles over this one. It felt a little more recycled, a little less fresh than the other ones. And if you're not a fan of student-teacher relationships, I would not recommend this at all. But if you're looking for more the same sort of pacing and secrets found in other McFadden books, you'll probably like this.
The Teacher by Frieda McFadden did not disappoint. The author's style of writing keeps one guessing throughout the book. Once you think you have it all figured out, there is another plot twist. The characters are well thought out and you feel as though you are part of the story. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who loves mystery and of course, Frieda McFadden books.
Great book! I would definitely recommend this book. It was short but fast paced could not put it down. Definitely has everything I was looking for in a book. Has suspense, twist, turns and whatever you think is going to happen its not.