I was so confident in what I thought was gonna happen. I was like surely that’s it. Nope. Wrong.

So addictive, read it just over a day. Perfect fast paced read.

Thank you NetGalley and Penguin for the eARC!

The Inmate
Frieda McFadden

Freida will always be a good option, she delivers binge worthy stories that are captivating and often twisty.

“Sometimes people do exactly what you think they’re going to do, and they still manage to disappoint.”

I personally love the concept of a jail setting. And the rules, namely are;
* treat all prisoners with respect.
* Never reveal personal information.
* Never get too friendly with the inmates.

But unfortunately Brooke has broken the rules. Nobody knows that Brooke has an intimate relationship to one of the penitentiaries most notorious and dangerous inmate. They don’t know that they were high school sweethearts and most definitely don’t know that it was Brooke’s testimony that landed him inside.

But he knows and he won’t forget it.

“I look like I’m in college, and feel like I’m fifty. Story of my life.”

Another fantastic thriller and thank you @penguinbooksaus!

This book was exactly what I needed to kick my reading slump to the curb, and boy, did it deliver! I devoured it in just a few short hours, completely swept away by Freida McFadden's trademark fast-paced, page-turner style.

But oh, Brooke, our main character—she left me feeling torn. Her trust seemed to come a bit too easily, and her flip-flopping decisions left me scratching my head in confusion.

Now let's talk about that twist—it caught me completely off guard, and the ending sentence stole the show, wrapping up everything in a perfect bow.

In the end, while Brooke may have earned the award for the most oblivious character, 'The Inmate' was a enjoyable read and I would definitely recommend it!

Thank you to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the eARC!

I’m not sure how to feel about this. I love Freda’s writing but I definitely think this wasn’t her best. All the plot twists happened at the end it felt like it was just the same thing over and over again till the end.

Unfortunately, I did not enjoy anything about this book, I honestly should have DNF'd. The writing, the characters, the plot, the twist - none of it seemed believable to me, and the characters were not relatable, the plot underdeveloped, and the twist too far out there.

I really enjoyed this book! I was definitely kept on my toes throughout the story. Some things I saw coming, but others (like the ending), made my jaw drop! I only gave 4 stars because there were points where I felt like it dragged on just a little and some of it was a bit to cliche for my liking, like her relationship with Tim right after she moved back home. With that aside though, it was such a great and quick read that I would definitely recommend!
Thank you to @netgalley for an advance copy in return for my honest opinion.

This book had me hooked. I flew through it. I think the author did a nice job tying the timelines together while going back and forth. It feels like we get the full picture. One thing I really enjoy about Freida’s books is how fast paced they are. I thought I knew where some of it was going early on I was wrong. But the twists and turns kept it interesting. Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for sharing this with me!

This book was ok. The ending was pretty ridiculous, and far fetched to be honest. But it is McFadden.
I think she should have stuck with the first twist and stopped there.
Brooke moves back to her hometown with her 10 year old son after her parents death. She is now living in the house she grew up in, interacting with people from her haunted past, and working at the jail where her ex boyfriend is being incarcerated for the murder of her high school friends - along with her attempted murder.
The plot to this had a lot of potential and it was entertaining but I was unsatisfied with the ending.
3 solid stars.
Thank you netgalley for the ARC.

I thought this would just be a simple thriller, that the killer was pretty obvious from the start. But Freida McFadden’s talent is confusing you and making you second-guess yourself again and again. She’s called the Queen of Twists, and rightfully so. Even the epilogue had a twist!

This is the second book that I’ve read by this author, and I don’t know if it’s her trademark, but she always makes use of scents in her books. Which is really clever, because it’s another device to give clues or confuse the readers. And though I couldn’t stand the FMC Brooke because of her naivety, I still enjoyed this entertaining thriller.

Step into the intense world of “The Inmate,” where nurse practitioner Brooke Sullivan navigates the treacherous corridors of a men’s maximum-security prison, bound by three strict rules. With tension as thick as the prison walls, Brooke harbors a dangerous secret: her intimate past with Shane Nelson, a notorious inmate serving a life sentence for heinous crimes. As Brooke struggles to uphold professionalism, Shane’s vengeful gaze follows her every move, threatening to expose the truth. With her past closing in and danger lurking around every corner, Brooke must tread carefully to survive the chilling consequences of her forbidden connection.

It was an enjoyable, quick read that kept me interested in the plot. Startled, I dreamed of diving into this novel to bring some logic to it, or hoping to God that Freida would soon make more intelligent heroines. The protagonist was often far too trusting of this man, which drove me a bit insane. I also felt that some of the story twists were so obvious that they almost had me roll my eyes. The narration alternated between the past and the present in a nonlinear fashion.

This has it all: thrills, crime, mystery, suspense, and chillingly dark secrets! Heart-pounding, nerve-racking, and never-ending suspense. I believed I had this thrilling thriller figured out from the start! Despite this, I found the novel to be engaging and read quickly. I had a hard time putting the book down after devouring it in two sittings. My brain was spinning, especially the last ten chapters. She writes twists like no other, therefore I’ll be reading her other works!

This is another fabulously twisty thriller by this amazing author.
I was completely enthralled in the plot and loved the ending. It’s definitely one of my favourite books by Freida McFadden.

I cannot say enough about how great this book was. Going from the past to the present, it’s hard to discern just who the bad guy is. Just when I thought I figured it out, a twist happens and I’m at starting again trying to piece the story together.
This is a story of a bunch of teens dying late one night and the girl who survived. It’s about how she returns home to start over only to try and figure out what happened that fateful night. Be prepared for a lot of twists and turns until you come off the roller coaster to figure out who dunnit.

Wow! It’s not often that an end-of-book twist surprises me, but Frieda McFadden never disappoints! This book is now one of my favorites. I read it cover to cover in one sitting!!!

I gave this a good chance, but when your thriller/mystery relies on the main character being fucking STUPID, the reader suspending disbelief, and a ton of conveniences, your thriller/mystery is not for me.

I see a lot of people calling this a popcorn thriller, as in, it's just entertaining, but I disagree. I don't have a good time when the main character is as stupid as Brooke and doesn't have much depth and when the plot is too weak to make me care about anything. Also, this sounded so juvenile even during the present-day chapters. It was so odd!

I got to 39% before I decided to drop this and then I went online and read about what happened after that point. I would've been annoyed to have wasted more time on this book based on that payoff.

I admit that the epilogue twist is a good one if not original, but a good twist does not a good thriller/mystery make. At least not in my opinion. I doubt I'll give this author another chance, tbh, I just didn't vibe with this at all.

This was good and a bit twisty. The ending was just creepy though with how much Josh might really be like his dad.

Absolutely loved the Inmate!

Such a thrill and definitely threw me off to the last page! The author did such an amazing job at continuing the story plot and keeping the surprises going till the last page. There were lots of twists that were unexpected and that’s not surprising with any of Freida McFadden’s books! I highly recommend this book as she does everything she can as the mother of her son and with her son’s father in prison but there’s only so much she can do.

This was entertaining, though not my favorite by the author. The end felt too ridiculous, but overall, an engaging read,

I ended up reading 13 Freida McFadden books in a row thanks to the introduction through Netgalley! Highly recommend and have already purchased several physical and digital copies for library collections.

— 3,5 stars

Thank you Netgalley for the e-ARC.

I had a blast reading this story about the night where brooke almost got killed, but the question is who did it?

This story was kind of insane, brooke was a little naive. But I had a really good time reading it. It was easy to read so that was very nice.

The twist at the ending was not super shocking. Although, the epilogue from Josh's POV was! It was the perfect ending

Thanks to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the opportunity to read this book.

Having previously read some of Freida McFadden's books I know how well she incorporates twists and turns into the story. And I was not disappointed by this book, I stayed up way later than usual because I just had to keep reading!
I didn't pick part of the major twist which is always good because I think it makes the story more interesting and keeps the reader on the edge of their seat and engaged in the book.