It was an okay thriller but I did not like it as much as the housemaid. Enjoyed the writing and twists overall but grown tired of the narrative of always adding twists to keep the story interesting.

I feel a bit confused. I love Frieda McFadden. I’ve read so many of her books. I was excited to see a new book in NetGalley only to discover it’s not a new book. As soon as I started reading this I realized it looked familiar….yep I’ve already read this book. So I need to be careful requesting books now. I didn’t realize NetGalley kept books that have already been published years ago.

The drama, the plot twist, this book had me guessing who the killer was the whollleeee time. It's definitely Shane no wait maybe it's Tim but like the aftershave but like wait Tim kinda sus and knew that one girl..... got me going back and forth the whole time lol. This was a great thriller/mystery that I sped through soooo fast.

Freida truly is one of the queens of twists and turns! As usual, I saw some of them, but others I did not!! 👏❤️

I knocked a half a star off solely because of the FMC. Woman, don’t believe everything a man tells you!!! 😂😂 She had a good heart, but man she was so gullible! 🤦🏼‍♀️

Definitely recommend this one to thriller fans! The twists are worth it!! ❤️

Thank you to NetGalley, Poisoned Pen Press, and Freida McFadden for the opportunity to read and review the eARC in exchange for my honest review!

3.5 maybe? This was a quick and easy read. The short chapters definitely helped it move faster, even while trying to build up suspense and mystery. A large portion of this book had the same vibe as when the characters in a horror movie go on their own to investigate the sound after multiple people turned up dead so even though it was predictable in a lot of ways, there was still a suspense aspect to it. This did a good job of making all the potentially suspicious male characters unlikeable and sketchy. Honestly, by the end, I was rooting against even the innocent men in the book. The end of this felt like it was going for a Scream movie series kind of vibe but it fell short for me. A small portion of the stuff I didn't predict, but overall I saw the majority of this book coming well in advance. Like it was still enjoyable as a light read that didn't take too much heavy thinking but I definitely wasn't surprised.

This book was amazing! I loved it, so much suspense and just when you think you know who did it, it's an entire twist at the end! Freida is an amazing writer

Rating: 2.66 leaves out of 5
-Characters: 3/5
-Cover: 3/5
-Story: 2.75/5
-Writing: 3/5
Genre: Mystery, Psychological Thriller, Suspense, Thriller
-Psychological Thriller: 2/5
-Suspense: 2.5/5
-Mystery: 3/5
-Thriller: 2/5
Type: Ebook
Worth?: Ehhh

Want to thank Netgalley and publishers for giving me the chance to read this book.

I have recently gotten into Freida and from the books I have read I liked but this one may be my least favorite so far, not that I will stop reading her books though! This one just felt very immature, even at an older age. There were parts I gasped at and other parts I was asking why.

Frieda’s writing is absolutely fantastic. Although this wasn’t my favourite story by her, I still enjoyed myself and just when I thought I knew the end, I didn’t!!! Thank you so much for giving me the opportunity to read this on net galley 🫶🏼

I love almost every Frieda McFadden book I’ve read, but The Inmate fell a little short for me.
The MC, Brooke, is a fairly new nurse and just got a job at the prison. She’s also mom to a 10-year-old. With just those two facts, you’d think she would be pretty mature. But she really gives off immature vibes throughout this entire book.
Her ex and baby daddy are also in said prison. And she’s the one that put him there.

There weren’t a whole lot of characters so it was easy to keep track of everyone. But I definitely had this one figured out by the halfway point.

Fun concept, but needed a little more mystery and maturity.

Thanks to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for this advanced copy in return for my honest review.

Pub date: 05 March 2024

Brooke Sullivan is the newest nurse practitioner at a men's maximum-security prison. The same prison that houses her former live interest, Shane. She's also the reason why he's there.

This suspenseful thriller had me on there's edge of my seat until the very end. From the introduction, I felt that Shane was conniving and manipulative, but there were times when I also believed his story. The character development was superb and the numerous plot twists were amazing. I nearly dropped my device when I got to the ending, because I did not see that coming.

I highly recommend this book by page turner by @fmcfaddenauthor.

Definitely a great plot twist.. Another great book from Freida McFadden! You spend so much of the book not knowing exactly who to trust which is so exciting. Frieda knows how to write a story where you want to root for the characters and are on the edge of your seat the entire time!

I received this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

When you open up a book by Freida McFadden, you know its going to a fast, thrilling and twisty read. This book was no exception. Who tried to kill them 20 years ago? Who should Brooke trust? What is the truth?

McFadden is known as a powerhouse when it comes to writing thrillers and this one is not as exception, even given my lower rating. As far as story went I really enjoyed this and loved how much I went back and forth trying to figure out who the real bad guy was. My main reason for a lower rating is I absolutely HATED Brooke. When a main character is constantly doing things that make you want to shake them it’s so hard to find yourself truly into the book. Somehow she’s shocked people recognize her in her hometown? Why are we so focused on her being an unwed mother? Overall a solid idea that fell flat for me.

This was a good old Freida McFadden thriller! Many times, I questioned my theories about who the killer was and was thrown off until a little bit before the reveal. Although this would probably be classified as cheap thrills, I thoroughly enjoyed it and would highly recommend it to anyone interested in reading more from Freida. I think if you've enjoyed stuff from her in the past, definitely give this one a try!
* I have received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. *

Freida McFadden gets me every time!
I was rolling my eyes a quarter of the way through the story thinking I had it all figured out only for the author to plant a seed of doubt and then continue to blindside me.
I had no idea who to trust and I thoroughly enjoyed it!
My only complaint is that the main character's internal dialogue was a bit repetitive and I found myself thinking "we get it, you're conflicted!"
I have read 4 of this author's books and one novella so far and they have all been great! I can't wait to pick up my next one!

Thank you so much to Netgalley for approving me for this book before the paperback comes out!

Brooke moves back to her hometown after her parents pass away. She get a job at the local prisoner, and runs into an inmate that she has known for years...her ex boyfriend that she put there. She immediately gets thrown for a loop when they run into each other, and falls back into a routine of being open with him, even though one of her rules is to never become friendly with the inmates. She starts to slowly think maybe she made a mistake? Did Shane really commit the murders that happened all those years ago? Did she put the wrong person behind bars? For me,

I have been on a Freida McFadden kick for the past few days and have been binging her books within a few hours. This one was no different. It started out a litte slower than the other books I have read by her. Brooke isn't my favorite main character out of all her books. Her inconsistency in her story pissed me off because all the wrong people were hurt in the end. Her simping over her ex boyfriend that almost trie to murder her was ridiculous, but overall it was okay. The book is told in two different time periods. One during present day and one of what happened that night 11 years ago. It makes you want to keep reading because you're invested in certain parts of the story, and one you're invested, it takes you to a different time period that you just want to read fast through that one to get to the one you're invested in. I really did think I had it all figured out by the time things started to pick up in the book. Freida McFadden has this thing where she has the story going one way but takes crazy twists and turns until the very end. You think the book is finished, but those last few pages reveal these insane details, that in your head, you're like "wtf?". This ending had me like that. I didn't see anything coming of how this book finished.

Overall, this was an excellent thriller and I highly recommend it to anyone who is a fan of Freida McFadden.

As always with Freidas books, I could not out this down!
Shocking, twisty and gripping. Cannot wait for the next one!

This was my first Freida McFadden book, and it definitely won't be my last. This was a wild ride, and I truly still don't know if I have processed all of the twists and turns... THAT ENDING?! I am mind blown in the best way!

Brooke and her son leave their life in Brooklyn behind because he’s being bullied so they need a fresh start. They move back to her childhood home after the death of her parents, who she wasn’t very close to because they didn’t support her when she chose to keep the baby when she got pregnant. She gets a job as a nurse at the penitentiary where her ex-boyfriend, who by the way, is incarcerated for trying to kill her, and doesn’t think that’s going to be a problem either. She runs into her estranged longtime best friend Tim, who is now the assistant principal as her sons new school, and they start up a relationship super quickly, despite the red flags her gut is giving her. Next thing you know, she discovers a body in Tim’s basement and she’s getting Shane out of jail and letting him move in with her! What the heck? No way would this happen. Brooke makes so many dumb choices it’s hard to root for her. There’s so many plot holes and it is just overall not the authors best work. That being said, I’ve enjoyed her other books, so I’m sure I’ll be picking up her next one.
Thanks to Hollywood Upstairs Press and NetGalley for this eArc in exchange for my review.

*SPOILER-FREE*

"The Inmate" is a thriller with an intriguing premise. Brooke Sullivan is brought back to her hometown in upstate New York following the death of her parents. The only job she is able to get is at a maximum security prison where Shane Nelson, the man who tried to kill her over a decade prior, is currently detained.

The premise itself is what carried me through to the end of the book and was certainly the book's greatest strength. From a character standpoint, it didn't seem reasonable for Brooke to want to be in close proximity with Shane. I'd figure that PTSD would prevent her from wanting to be close. Sometimes Brooke's core motivation disappears, leaving her to respond to a situation based on how she's being influenced by the person closest to her. Other characters tend to have stronger motivations and goals and consistently pursue them, which makes Brooke feel like the kind of character who is very much reacting to situations rather than trying to be proactive.

The book's action scenes are mostly reasonable, given that this is a thriller. A few elements are on the fantastical side or don't make a lot of logistic sense, but that's excusable given that it's a thriller. The plot itself starts to sag in the middle but the end of the book picks up, and there's sufficient twists that come at a solid pace that gives you power to push to the end of the novel. The ending gives a feeling that it makes sense in the moment, but I'm not sure it's a book you'd want to reread to see if you can spot clues.