The story starts with Brooke getting a job as a nurse practitioner at the maximum security prison in her hometown- a town she hasn't been back to in 10 years since someone attempted to murder her. & the person who is serving time for the attempt on her life, who also happens to be her baby daddy, is an Inmate at said prison.

Brooke was truly a moron from start to finish- ignoring red flags CONSTANTLY. But- the story wouldn't work if she had any common sense. I will say that I think Freida's writing superpower is setting up an obvious path the book is taking for final resolution to make the reader think they have everything figured out, and then at the last second, throwing in a curveball twist that NO ONE could have seen coming.

I liked this book, but definitely preferred The Housemaid and The Teacher.

This book had my attention from the very beginning and it had me trying to guess the plot twists along the way. I was up until 4am reading just to finish this book so I could see how it ended and WOW. There were so many twists and turns along the way and the ending.... I'll be thinking about this book for a while. It will probably even be one that I re-read in the future just to see what I missed the first time I read it. 10 out of 10!

I actually ended up buying this book before I got approved, as this is one of my favorite authors. It was a good storyline that could have been extremely boring and predictable, because essentially the twist was between two characters, but the author did a great job of keeping you guessing. Normally I love a twist that I didn't see coming, but I actually enjoyed not being able to decide who was lying and who was telling the truth between 2 people. It kept me engaged and reading. I would definitely recommend this book. It wasn't my favorite from this author, but definitely worth the read!

Classic Frieda thriller with a naive FMC and unlikeable characters. I had an uneasy feeling the entire time reading but I think that's what the author was going for.

Bad decisions were made by all - but what else can you expect?!

Twisty, but satisfying ending.

The Inmate by Freida McFadden marks my second venture into this author's works, and it did not disappoint. The narrative revolves around Brooke Sullivan, a nurse practitioner who takes on a job in a prison, only to find herself face to face with a man she had put behind bars a decade ago.

The novel is very faced paced, I read it in two days. Some of the plot twists were within my anticipation, others managed to catch me off guard, adding an extra layer of excitement. The only thing that I didn't like was the main character. At times when the author subtly hinted at red flags and provided clues about the truth, the protagonist seemed oblivious and even acted downright foolish. Because of this, I had to give it four stars. I can't wait to read more from this author.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley and for early copy of this book!

I thought Brooke was so unlikable and naïve, so it was really difficult to follow her perspective. She just kept making dumb decisions. I'm over here shaking my head because I couldn't believe she was doing the things that she was doing. The twist at the end was definitely very twisty, especially the epilogue (though I will say that I didn't really like the epilogue either because it realistically doesn't sit right with me). This is not my favorite Freida McFadden book, which is really sad because I had high hopes for it. Though, this book is very fast pace so it was very easy for me to get finish it in one day.

This was the best book I have read in a long time!
Plot twists. Romance. Deceit. Revenge.
What more could we need? Utterly loved it!

The Inmate by Freida McFadden
Once upon a time six teens decided to party in a house where the parent was away. What happened that night impacted them all.

Brooke returns back to her hometown, re-connects with an old friend, and starts a new job at the local prison. Both at her job and in her community she is confronted by her memories of the past. McFadden keeps the reader guessing what exactly happened during that long ago night. A study of guilt and innocence from start to finish. Entertaining read, highly recommend.

3.5 stars rounded up

The Good:
I was entertained.
It was an easy to gobble up thriller.
I didn’t see the twist coming.

The Bad:
That epilogue was not it for me.

The Ugly:
I’m sorry but the main character Brooke was dumb. She was like a child at times. You know when you tell a child not to touch something and they immediately touch it anyway. That’s Brooke in a nutshell. I’m supposed to believe her trauma is so bad she loses her shit over a necklace but is just fine being around her attempted murderer? I got whiplash from how quickly she changed direction on her feelings.

Overall this book is good but not great. I will definitely read more books from this author.

HUGE Thank you to NetGalley, Freida McFadden and Poisoned Pen Press for the ARC!

So, this definitely wasn't what I was expecting, but I can't say I'm disappointed. I'm just not sure this is the right title? But I'm no author so... LOL This is not my favorite book by Freida, but it was really good. Unlike her other books I have read, I wasn't surprised by the twists. I knew there was something I couldn't figure out, but I wasn't surprised when it was revealed. The epilogue was what really got me. She kills it with the epilogues, every time!

Brooke has started her new nurse job at the local maximum security prison. There are many rules to follow, including don’t get close with the inmates. No one knows that one inmate, Shane Nelson, was her high school boyfriend and she is the reason he’s there.

For a while while reading this, I was thinking “this is not my favorite of hers”.I thought it was becoming predictable. I should have kept my faith in Freida. Everything changed up and turns out it wasn’t predictable at all. I really enjoyed it when I turned the final page. If you aren’t loving it in the beginning (as I always have with her books), keep at it.

“I was there that night. If it were up to him, I would be dead right now. I can never forget that. And I will never forgive him.”

The Inmate comes out on paperback 3/5.

Sometimes you choose a book from the genre or the title. Others it's the author, as was this case with The Inmate by Freida McFadden. What an absolute treasure! I've adored all her books, and I see such growth in each one. Queen of the Plot Twist! Visiting a prison to see how her ex is doing, wondering if she put him behind bars incorrectly, risking her life as a nurse when some of the inmates just want to mess with her. Lots to deal with, and at times, I thought the books was brilliant. But, sadly, there were moments of "why is she doing this?" and "why did the killer murder the first person?" and well, I'll stop there because it's the kind of book where you have to forget logic and go for the ride. Tensions. Thrills. Suspense. And some drama that couldn't actually happen. But it's a book, and it made me eagerly turn the pages, so win win!

After ten years away from her hometown, Brooke Sullivan returns there when her estranged parents are killed in an auto accident and she inherits the family home. Hoping to make a fresh start with her ten year old son, the only job this nurse practitioner can find is in a maximum security penitentiary. She is not looking forward to the job as the man who tried to kill her ten years ago is imprisoned there; it was her testimony that sent him to this institution.

I chose this book because McFadden’s books are such best sellers and I had never read one. I can see why she is so popular…she weaves a heck of a story. There were the requisite twists, turns, and red herrings. There also were cliches, the story was a bit over the top, there were times I wanted to shake Brooke for her naiveté, and I thought there were a few unanswered questions. Yet, I couldn’t put this book down. Told in two timelines, it was a fast, engrossing read and my life stopped until I finished it. I loved the epilogue.

It is what I would describe as a popcorn thriller.

Oh my god this book was AMAZING. I absolutely inhaled it in two sittings, which with a 6 month old baby at home is pretty damn good going. Freida Mcfadden very quickly became an auto buy author for me and possibly my favourite author of 2024 so far. This was honestly just mind-blowing good. I can't wait to read her other work!

Another great book by Freida McFadden with the usual twists and turns that make for a great story. However, it was incomprehensible to me how Brooke could easily ignore such huge red flags- especially given the trauma of her past. Still made for a fun read that kept me turning the page!

As always Freida keeps you guessing and gives a giant twist at the end. The male main characters are easy to like and fall in love with. Brooke has a tragic pasted and questions her own gut instincts leading to even more tragedy!

4.5⭐️/5⭐️
I really enjoyed this book!
Brooke starts her new job as a nurse practitioner in a maximum security prison. This was the only place that accepted her resume without much questions when she decided to move back to her home town after the death of her parent. Shane Nelson is one of the inmates of the prison she works in, also her ex and the father of her 10 year old son but most importantly he is the one who tried to kill her 11 years ago and she’s the one who put him in prison for the rest of his life.
She also has a best friend, Tim Reese, who testified that Shane killed their friends that night 11 years ago and tried to kill Brooke.
While living back in her hometown she started seeing Tim more and more often, Tim always been in love with Brooke but his love sometimes was overwhelming and through the book I had many questions while Shane seemed to be sweet and understanding while seeing Brooke in prison for medical seek. Brooke was warned that Shane can be very manipulative but she couldn’t understand why because all she could see was that he’s been nice and sweet with her. Even Marcus Hunt, a prison worker who shows much hate towards Shane, also who went with them in the same high school ( witch he hides) tried to warn her about Shane but in the same time he is showing interest toward her and seems like he knows a lot about her personal life with Tim and warns her to be very careful!
So, can she fully trust Tim? What Marcus Hunt tried to warn her about? Was Shane actually the one who tried to kill her that night?
Brooke gave me an impression of a very naive and “I’ll ignore all the signs/warnings” woman. After what she had experienced you’d think she’ll be more cautious, but no, she was very easy to manipulate with.
I have to admit, I’ve been going back and forth about the killer, the suspense was there!
The last chapter was my favorite! The ending…. Loved it!!!
This is my first Freida McFadden book and I really liked it. I keep hearing good things about her writing and her books so I’m definitely going to check out her other works.
Thank you NetGalley for a copy of this book.

First of all thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for selecting me to read this book in exchange for an honest review. This was such an easy and fast paced book just like every book by this author. I really enjoyed the storyline it was defiantly a page turner making you guess what was going to happen next!!!

A twisting, turning thriller that kept me guessing right to the end. I thought I knew exactly what the outcome would be but I was completely wrong. A great thriller that you can devour in a day.

Freida McFadden has become an author I go to for a fun time. Are the plots far out there? Of course. Are there plot holes or gaps in logic? Definitely. Is the thriller a fun time? Hell yeah!
THE INMATE is Freida McFadden's up-next release, following this month's THE TEACHER. It is about a nurse named Brooke Sullivan who is hired to work for a maximum-security prison, the same one that her high school boyfriend is now serving a life-sentence. Nearly eleven years ago, he was accused of murdering several of Brooke's classmates and nearly killed her.
As Brooke begins to question her memory of that night, and as she gets closer to the only other survivor of that night, we are left wondering if the wrong man is behind bars.
This is a cotton-candy thriller. It is a fun and easy read filled with twists and turns and high-stakes. If you pick up this book and expect anything other than a breezy, twisty ride--you probably will hate it. This isn't Karin Slaughter, or Tana French, or Gillian Flynn. Freida McFadden is always a good time. If you can suspend your disbelief and you pick-up one of her books for a good time, THE INMATE is a sure-fire hit. If you judge it by any other standard than entertaining as hell, you will come away from the reading experience with a less-than-satisfied disposition.
Thanks to Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.