Great book. Very creative plot and I enjoyed the storyline and how it played out and wrapped up. Would totally recommend to friends.

"There are three rules Brooke Sullivan must follow as a new nurse practitioner at a men's maximum-security 1) Treat all prisoners with respect. 2) Never reveal any personal information. 3) Never EVER become too friendly with the inmates. But none of the staff at the prison knows Brooke has already broken the rules. Nobody knows about her intimate connection to Shane Nelson, one of the penitentiary's most notorious and dangerous inmates. And they certainly don't know that Shane was Brooke's high school sweetheart―the star quarterback who is now spending the rest of his life in prison for a series of grisly murders. Or that Brooke's testimony was what put him there. But Shane knows. And he will never forget."

The idea of this book was so intriguing to me! I haven't read anything like it and I just enjoyed it so much! So. Many. Twists!!! Just when I thought I had it figured out, something totally unexpected would happen! I could not put it down!! I highly recommend this book and all of Freida McFadden's books!

Freida McFaddens' newest book, "The Inmate," is a fast-paced suspense thriller. Nurse Practitioner Brook Sullivan takes a job at a prison and reconnects with her ex-boyfriend. He is doing time for a multiple murder committed during their teen years. Did he commit the murders? If not, who did? The uniquely flawed and unreliable characters were written with Freida McFaddens' usual style and kept me guessing. The ending was a wow!! I find that so many suspense books have a similar story and structure. McFaddens writing is fresh and keeps me very engaged. Thank you Netgalley for the ARC of "The Inmate," in exchange for my honest review.

3.5 stars

the intrigue was a iota palpitante in the commencement but at some point the storytelling froze into an eternal loop of who’s the veritable villain. it ricocheted from the nice guy to the bad boy again and again, inlassably until the suspense part of the storyline distilled it’s appeal. the author’s prose was to say the least engaged and it kept on my toes, jaw dropped on the floor more than once !

many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing an arc in exchange of an honest review!

I really enjoy reading books by this author. This one was really fun to read and I liked all the twist and surprises.

I have read a lot of Freida's books and although this isn't my favourite, it was still a captivating read.

Maybe I have read too many of these kind of books? But I did know what was coming before it happened & the lack of intelligence in the main character did drive me mad.

Nonetheless this was another page turner and you just wanted to keep reading to find out what happened next!

Brooke and Shane have history between them. Not only were they high school sweethearts but something terrible happened years ago and Brooke’s testimony put Shane in prison. She is a Nurse Practitioner now and has started a new job at the prison Shane is doing time in. As if that is not disturbing enough, she has kept a secret from him this entire time.

I cringed when she began working at the prison. It was so uncomfortable knowing she was the medical professional there and they would eventually bump into one another. Also, this story is unpredictable; very shady characters that will absolutely throw you off as to who is good and bad. I love the surprise I felt when it turned a little “Agatha Christie” while approaching the middle of the story. The conclusion satisfies the thriller lover’s appetite.

Another great book by Freida McFadden is coming your way. Put The Inmate on your TBR because you won’t want to miss this one. It will have you frustrated, hopeful, scared, mad, sad, and reading with bated breath until the bitter end.

Thanks to NetGalley and Hollywood Upstairs Press for the ARC of this book.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and all books from Freida McFadden. The twists and turns kept me on my toes and had me wanting to keep saying “just one more chapter!”

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced reader copy of this book.

Creepy in the best way possible! A little far-fetched but aren’t all the great thrillers?

Due to some unforeseen circumstances, Brooke ends up back in her hometown and her childhood home isn’t the only thing back from her past. When she takes a job as a nurse practitioner in very prison where her ex-boyfriend is serving a life sentence for trying to kill her, you just know it won’t be smooth sailing.

McFadden with another hit!

Another amazing book by the thriller queen herself! This was a very good book filled with twists and turns. I swore up and down I had it all figured out and then got smacked with even more twists. This was an easy read and very enjoyable! It will definitely keep you guessing!
Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to review this book.

THE INMATE – by Freida McFadden

3.5/5.0 Stars

‘The guiltiest people aren't always the ones behind bars…’

‘As a new nurse practitioner at a maximum-security prison, Brooke Sullivan is taught three crucial rules . . . . . But nobody knows that Brooke has already broken the rules. Nobody knows about her intimate connection to Shane Nelson, one of the penitentiary's most notorious and dangerous inmates. They certainly don't know that Shane was Brooke's high school sweetheart―the star quarterback, the golden boy who's serving a life sentence for a series of grisly murders. Or that Brooke's testimony was what put him there.’

My thoughts . . . Welp, there are several perceived twists to the storyline, one that may ring familiar, and others that made me want to Gibbs the main character a time or ten due to her naïveté as an adult, which, admittedly, makes for a frustratingly good read.

Overall, an engaging thriller, though there is unnecessary repetition in the narrative that may have been cut from this uncorrected proof before publication.

Thank you, NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press (Sourcebooks), for providing me with an eBook of THE INMATE at the request of an honest review.

Interesting book.
⭐️⭐️⭐️
The plot was good, but I didn’t love how the story ended up. I feel like there were a lot of twists at the end, but they didn’t necessarily make sense. I would have loved more clues dropped along the way.

Brooke was a great mom that would do anything for her son, Josh. She moved back to where she was from and worked at a prison so her son could grow up in a nice community. She deals with meeting Shane again at work, a man she put in prison for allegedly trying to murder her and her friends. Through out the novel, she begins to wonder is Shane innocent after all, did she put an innocent man in prison, if she did, who is the real murderer and where is he now?

Overall, this book was fine but I,be liked the other Freida McFadden books I’ve read more!

Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to read this in exchange for an honest review.

Guilty pleasure for sure! Not the most well written mystery, but a super easy and quick read that kept me hooked.

"The Inmate” is a compelling read full of suspense and twists. However, while the plot is gripping, I found the protagonist, Brooke, lacking in assertiveness and common sense which made her character difficult to appreciate. Thank you NetGalley and Hollywood Upstairs Press for sending this ARC for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

INCREDIBLE. Truly incredible psychological ride, once again from the insanely talent Freida McFadden. This book was un-put-down-able. In every sense of the word, Freida smashed this one out of the park.

If you aren’t on the Freida bandwagon yet, please jump on. You won’t regret a single book of hers and any one you choose is set to be a fast paced emotional rollercoaster ride.

So.... The Inmate. Let's talk about it.
This book follows 28 year old Brooke (single mom) who returns to her hometown in the aftermath of her parent's death. She takes a job as a nurse practitioner at the local prison (where her baby daddy/attempted murdered "Shane" is incarcerated)
Eleven years ago, there was a party where Brooke and five of her friends spent the night at Shane's house.. only 3 of them made it out alive. Brooke (who escaped the killer), Shane (boyfriend at the time), and her best friend Tim who were knocked unconscious.
You follow her journey from present & past to figure out what exactly happened that night 11 years ago.
I think Brooke as a character overall is just very naive, there was so many red flags that she just refused to see. Tim was in love with her from the start of them being best friends. And there was so many parts to Shane that she didn't see.
The first part of this book had me HOOKED, from the start when she took the prison job. But okay first of all.. why would you take that job knowing he's there?! The middle is where it starts to get a little repetitive, but still bearable. But the last 20% is PLOT TWIST AFTER PLOT TWIST. Was Shane the killer? Tim? Did they work together? Was it someone else entirely? The last couple of chapters will have you question it all.
I throughly did enjoy this book. Just didn't lope it. Not as much as The Teacher, but good all the same.
I read this as on my kindle, so would I buy a physical copy?
Probably not. 🥲

Was I entertained? Yes. Was I impressed? Absolutely not. This is my first McFadden book and with all the praising surrounding the author I was honestly expecting a little more. I could not stand the main character and their lack of critical thinking regarding her and her son's safety because all she could think about was the person who she sent to prison for trying to kill her a decade before was hot. I didn't see the plot twist coming but I was not surprised by it either.

PLOT
Honestly, I haven’t read many thrillers, so I have little to compare it to, but I was pleasantly surprised by how gripping and engaging the plot was. From start to finish, I found myself eagerly turning the pages, completely immersed in the storyline. Despite the narrative jumping between present and past timelines, it never felt confusing. I was thoroughly impressed by a plot that kept me guessing until the very end.

CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT
While the plot kept me hooked, I couldn't help but feel a bit frustrated with Brooke, the main character. Her decisions often left me shaking my head in disbelief, and I found it difficult to empathize with her. It's rare for me to describe a character as 'foolish,' but Brooke's choices tested my patience throughout the story.

PACING
Despite my frustrations with Brooke, I have to commend the author for maintaining a gripping pace throughout the story. The pacing was so effective that I found myself reading late into the night just to satisfy my curiosity and calm my racing heart.

TWISTS & REVEALS
Wow, the twists in this book were truly mind-blowing! I figured out NOTHING. lol. What's impressive is that these twists didn't feel forced or contrived. The epilogue, in particular, was a masterstroke, it caught me off guard in a good thrilling way.

IMPACT/RESOLUTION
In the end, the book's resolution managed to tie up loose ends. I was convinced I had the story figured out, only to be pleasantly surprised by its conclusion. This book has left a lasting impression on me when it comes to this genre and has definitely sparked my interest in reading more works by Freida McFadden.

AMAZING!! Thought I had the storyline absolutely sussed until the ending. So many twists and turns, such an easy read. Binged this book in 2 days!

Another excellent thriller from Freida! She never stops! I was hesitant to read this one (just for a second) only because I don't love prison as a setting but it was not the main location for the story anyway. Loved this one as much as her others!