ARC Review

The Boyfriend
By Freida McFadden

5 stars

A new, twisting thriller from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Teacher and The Housemaid!

She’s looking for the perfect man. He’s looking for the perfect victim.

Sydney Shaw, like every single woman in New York, has terrible luck with dating. She’s seen it all: men who lie in their dating profile, men who stick her with the dinner bill, and worst of all, men who can’t shut up about their mothers. But finally, she hits the jackpot.

Her new boyfriend is utterly perfect. He’s charming, handsome, and works as a doctor at a local hospital. Sydney is swept off her feet.

Then the brutal murder of a young woman―the latest in a string of deaths across the coast―confounds police. The primary suspect? A mystery man who dates his victims before he kills them.

Sydney should feel safe. After all, she is dating the guy of her dreams. But she can’t shake her own suspicions that the perfect man may not be as perfect as he seems. Because someone is watching her every move, and if she doesn’t get to the truth, she’ll be the killer’s next victim...

A dark story about obsession and the things we’ll do for love, #1 New York Times bestselling author Freida McFadden proves that crimes of passion are often the bloodiest…

This thriller was a fast-paced page-turning, nail-biting story. I ate this up!! I for sure thought I had this murder mystery solved after years of reading Freida’s books. OF COURSE I WAS WRONG! This is my favorite Freida book to date. I almost called off work to read this in one sitting, but alas, I adulted and read it in my spare time instead.

@fmcfaddenauthor - you are brilliant! Your writing is so captivating and bewitching. I don’t know what you sprinkle in between the lines, but please don’t stop!

Special thanks to @poisonedpenpress and @netgalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review. I literally squealed and danced around my livingroom with my daughters when I received it.

#freidamcfadden #theboyfriendbook #poisonedpenpress #netgalley

Mrs.Freida McFadden has done it again!

You will not see what’s coming until it’s coming. Definitely one of my favorite reads of the year.

Sydney has terrible luck dating. She is using a dating app but only seems to find losers. One night a stranger extracts her from a tricky dating situation and she is hooked. They meet again and begin dating. She starts seeing red flags and wonders who is she dating.

This is an fast-paced thriller. Just when you think you have a grip on what is going on it changes. This is definitely a page turner and you will not want to put it down. For me the ending was a surprise. I did not see it coming. Wow! If you like thrillers I would highly recommend reading this book.

Thank you to #NetGalley, #FreidaMcFadden and #PoisonedPenPress for a copy of this book.
#TheBoyfriend

Freida has done it again! If you haven’t already preordered this book, do it! It was such a fun, twisty read! I thought I knew what was going to happen at least 3 times and was proven wrong every time. In true Freida fashion, this book kept me guessing until the last page of the epilogue. Sydney Shaw is such a relatable and fun character to follow. You’ll be rooting for her and yelling at her to stop being so naive all at the same time. My favorite Freida book up till now is The Ex, and this book very satisfyingly delivers the same thriller with a side of romance style, with characters you want to root for, even after you find the skeletons in their closets. The only negative I can say about this book is that it kept me up until 1:30am because I could NOT put it down!

I absolutely loved this book. From start to finish it was filled with twists!! Easily became one of my favorite Freida books! Kept me on the edge of my seat and wanting more the entire time I was reading!

While I typically go for romances because of the guarantee of a happily ever after, books like “The Boyfriend” and their unpredictable endings are the reason I love thrillers! I was drawn in from the start, just like I was for “The Housemaid,” and was rooting for Sydney to finally find her own happily ever after. Despite her string of bad luck with meeting men in New York, Sydney meets a great guy who’s different from all of the others she’s met on dating apps. But who’s responsible for the local murders that have been taking place around her?

Many thanks to Poisoned Pen Press, NetGalley, and, of course, Freida McFadden for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I received an ARC copy of this book from Sourcebooks. As with any of Freida's books this is a thriller, and has it's fare share of plot twists. Sydney is tired of the dating scene and just wants to find love. After a series of many unfortunate dates, she finds Tom. He's charming, handsome and he's a doctor. He seems perfect, almost too perfect. There also happens to be a serial killer on the lose who's victims are connected to Cynch, which happens to be the same dating app that Sydney uses. Sydney finds out that Tom has been hiding things, and he's been unclear about other things. Her suspicions to start to brew about Tom. Could he be the killer? If you've read Freida's Mc Fadden's books before, you know nothing is as it seems. Be prepared to be shocked! It starts off slow, but revs up to be a page turner!

Freida did it again!! This book was amazing and I did not expect that twist. My mind is blown 🤯 Thank you FM and poisonedpenpress for the ARC. You guys will not be disappointed when you read this!!

Thank you to NetGalley, Poisoned Pen Press & Freida McFadden for providing with the opportunity to be a First Reader for this book. All opinions are my own.

“And I’m terrified that the moment I get her alone, I will wrap my fingers around her pretty, white neck & squeeze the life out her.”

As in true Freida fashion, she grabs your attention in the Prologue & holds it tight until the very last sentence. There were so many times where I actually thought, yes I finally figured out a Freida book before the end, but the next chapter usually meant a new twist (& me being wrong). The Boyfriend is definitely one of my favorite Freida books.

Thank you to Freida McFadden, NetGalley, and Poisoned Pen Press for the eARC of The Boyfriend!

What can I say? Freida has done it again. Me at any given point during this book (and every other book she writes): Oh I know who did it. I know what’s going on. Nope I don’t. I did *partially* have this one figured out which is more than I can say for any of her other books and I’m kinda proud of myself. Haha! Face paced, page turner as usual, and a great read! Already looking forward to the next one.

Frieda does it again! I read this in one day, couldn’t put it down!

Two timeframes give us the winding backstory and intertwines with the present immaculately. I thought I had the twist pegged but I definitely did not!

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

Frieda McFadden delivers yet another gripping thriller in The Boyfriend, a novel that keeps you on the edge of your seat from start to finish. True to her style, each chapter ends in a way that makes it nearly impossible to put the book down—you’re constantly craving to know what happens next.

This was a thrilling, fast-paced read and easily one of my favorite McFadden books so far. The characters are well-drawn and easy to follow, and the dual timelines of past and present are woven together seamlessly, adding depth and intrigue to the story.

Overall, The Boyfriend is a fantastic read that will keep you hooked until the very last page. Highly recommended for anyone who loves a good psychological thriller!

SIGH. I typed this great review and accidentally hit the X. Let me just say after a dry spell from thrillers, Freida has revived me. This book was like no other, and Queen Freida continues to outdo herself. The Boyfriend has officially paved the way for the top thriller of 2024 and my favorite so far.

Dating sucks, and 95% of the time nobody is who they appear to be. After leaving a relationship where she felt unimportant Sydney is back to Cynch, an online dating website. The issue is, everyone she meets has issues! Or maybe she’s too picky, who really knows. Throughout the book Sydney is navigating the dating scene after her neighbor and close friend was brutally unalived by a mysterious k!ller. Is Sydney safe from her new mystery man?

10/10 forever. Thank you Freida, Mandy, & NetGalley for a copy of The Boyfriend in exchange for an honest review

Freida has done it again with this book and I just couldn't put it down. Just when you think you have the plot sussed along comes the twist! Fantastic read and 100% recommend this book. Cant wait for the next book!

Fredia does it again! I never see it coming. Was so excited to get a early release and it definitely did not disappoint! a new top book for me!

This murder mystery/whodunit was a very enjoyable read! The story was fast-paced, and I couldn't turn the pages fast enough due to the anticipation of where the twists would go. I thought I knew where the story was going until nearly the end, but I was shocked by the final few twists.I love the way Frieda's books resemble an exciting rollercoaster ride, filled with tension, thrills, and the gratification of a satisfying conclusion. This might be my favorite non Housemaid series book by her.

Thank you to NetGalley and to Poisoned Pen Press for my copy of the book.

Freida does it again! Anyone that has been through the trauma of online dating (because let's be real- it sucks and there's rarely a ring in the end) is gonna get the heebie jeebies from this book. Dark. Creepy. Sinister. And dare I say bloody?! Easily slides into top 3 of all time Freida books! Perfect for Spook-tober!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book but would need to give it a 4.5 rating overall. The only reason I rated it a 4.5/5 and not a 5/5 is because I just couldn't understand how the FMC was so oblivious to everything in front of her. As a single female in Manhattan, it just doesn't fully make sense why she would overlook certain things in the book, or some of her overall actions. It's a personal observation and opinion and not all will see it that way, but it's why I couldn't justify a full 5-star review. The story itself was incredibly entertaining and had me on the edge of my seat waiting to see what would happen next. I read this in one sitting since I could not put it down! I love Freida's books, and she really does a great job at creating stories and twists that you can't predict. It was the same with this book. I constantly thought I knew what was going to happen and I was wrong every time. Very good read and have already been recommending it to others. Again, my opinion of the main character is my own and not everyone will have that same opinion, so I do highly recommend reading it for yourself.

so amazing!
I was so excited to be chosen to read this book and it was better than expected. I thought I had it figured out towards the middle but as usual, I was wrong. It was a great twist and a very good read!

First off thank you Freida and Mandy at Poisoned Pen Press for my digital ARC of The Boyfriend. This was my first ARC and was thrilled it was a Freida book!

I would have to say that I would give this one a 3.5/5 stars. Personally I felt the book was little slower to get to plot twists than a lot of her other books. Although per usual the big reveal I did not figure out even though I thought I may have, and did shock me a bit. Which is why I would give 3.5 instead of 3.

I think this wasn’t my favorite also due to the fact that I really didn’t like the main character Sydney. She just seemed very ignorant compared to most of the women characters Freida creates. Still would recommend as a read and thankful I was able to read it early! Can’t wait for the next Freida book in January.