OKAY. okay. okay. what an absolute whirlwind. I honestly felt like this was one of Freida's best books ever. I honestly felt like I was picking up on the clues and trying to keep a watchful eye on all the side characters. BUT I did not see that ending coming. I feel like the narrators did an excellent job in playing the part they were meant to play. Adam Blanford played a phenomenal teenage boy, and Victoria Connolly played a fantastic 34 year old woman struggling in the dating scene. I couldn't recommend this book more, if I tried. If you love the show "You" on Netflix or are a huge fan of all things thriller; then. this is 100% the book for you. 5 STARS.

I had no idea where this book was going at some points! Just like every freida book it kept me on my toes and I enjoyed every second!

I really liked this!

In true Freida McFadden fashion, this was a fast paced twisty thriller!

I did guess the twist but I still enjoyed the book and the narrators did a great job bringing these characters to life. I liked that it went back and forth between past and present, it made the story more engaging for me.

I think this is a great read for spooky season and I would definitely recommend it to anyone looking for a fun thriller!

3.5/5

I thoroughly enjoyed this book by Freida McFadden. It was great getting to see that worst date come full circle. IYKYK. I may or may not have yelled at Sydney for being an idiot a time or two while listening, but that’s what makes it worth the read.

Frieda, you are a mastermind. Another book that had me hook right away. I really thought I had it all figured out but just then, things flipped!

Thank you so much for this advanced audio! I absolutely loved it.

The Boyfriend
Freida McFadden
Genre: Mystery, Thriller, Psychological
Sydney Shaw mother keeps reminding her, her biological clock is ticking. Sydney wants a family, a husband and children but she never seems to find the right guy. Sydney had a live-in boyfriend for about a year, but Jake was married to his job as a police detective. She wants a man that will put her first, a man that causes sparks when they look at each other and causes her to melt when they kiss. A recent date when terribly wrong, Kevin didn’t want to take no for an answer. A dark strange, steps out of the dark and her date apologies and goes away.
Boonie one of Sydney’s girlfriends says she has found the perfect man through Cynch the dating app. Sydney finds her mutilated body. There was blood everywhere. Jake is the detective on the case. He keeps trying to warn her to stay off the dating apps. She ignores his advice. The main suspect is a man that dates the women he mutilates and murders.
She and the handsome stranger begin dating. He is all she has looked for in a man, handsome, polite, and a doctor. She begins to have doubts when she notices too many contradictions. Maybe he is too perfect. Maybe he all isn’t as it appears.
This tale is told from dual timelines and through alternating points of view. The Narrators Victoria Connolly and Adam Blanford are superb! The character: Sydney is very naïve; she is an accountant, in her mid-thirties and looking for an ever-after relationship. She lives in New York City. Her mother is applying pressure for grandchildren. She spends most evenings drinking wine and search for the perfect man on her dating app. Tom, Kevin, and Randy are not likable. Tom was too perfect, he was pretending. Randy was crude and Kevin was just downright weird. While Sydney is the first point of view, Tom is the second. We learn about his childhood, an abusive father, a girl he cares about, his aspirations to be a surgeon and his fascination with blood.
The plot is filled with unexpected twists. Just as I thought I had it, it figured out it would twist another direction. There are parts of the plot that are almost humorous such as the terrible dates.



Thank you NetGalley for the review copy

This was a good book, but I did not care for the male narrator. His voice changes were a little much and really took away from the enjoyment of the book. Freida has really brought the joy back to getting lost in a book for me. Twists and turns and keeps you guessing until the very end.

Loved it - The Boyfriend is now one of my favorite reads from Freida! The twists and turns kept me guessing right until the very last page. I couldn’t put it down and finished it in just two days. The audiobook narrators also did an amazing job. Highly recommend!

The Boyfriend is another twisty book by Freida McFadden that is suspenseful and face-paced! The story follows two timelines from different points of view, the past follows a high schooler named Tom, and the present follows Sydney, a woman who is dating and looking to find true love. The mystery begins when Sydney’s best friend is murdered in their apartment building.

Even though I knew to expect the twists, I still didn’t have it quite figured out until the end. I loved how both timelines clashed together, and when it’s all said and done, this could be my favorite Freida book so far!

I can always count on Freida to get me out of a reading slump. This book had 2 time lines which i liked,and the twist at the end was pretty good. I would definitely recommend this to my friends.

The Boyfriend had me on edge the whole time, full of suspense, mystery, and a touch of romance. Freida McFadden did an incredible job creating a suspenseful, edge-of-your-seat story that had me hooked from the first chapter. Sydney Shaw’s dating misadventures take such a dark and twisted turn, and it’s so well paced that I was constantly questioning who could be trusted. The tension kept building and just when I thought I had it figured out, another surprise was thrown in.

On top of the gripping storyline, the narrators, Victoria Connolly and Adam Blanford, were amazing! They really brought the characters to life and perfectly captured the suspense and paranoia feeling throughout. Their performance made the whole experience even more immersive and kept me fully engaged. If you're looking for a thriller that combines mystery, romance, and some serious twists, this one is a must-read/must-listen!

Phenomenal!
Freida never disappoints. Amazing plot with shockingly unexpected twist. Highlighted by the great narration.

Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for the ALC.

Have you ever finished a book and felt an overwhelming need for both a hug and quiet reflection? That’s exactly how I felt after reading this one. Freida has a remarkable way of drawing readers in, making us empathize with the characters while simultaneously revealing their deep flaws. Yet, despite this connection, I found myself not entirely loving them—perhaps because their struggles left me genuinely concerned.

Freida is undoubtedly a masterful storyteller. Her writing captivates, inviting readers to delve into a world where the characters are complex and their imperfections drive the narrative forward. I listened to the audiobook (my second of hers), which offered a dynamic experience through multiple perspectives. Each viewpoint guided me seamlessly through their lives, experiences, and pivotal moments.

Set in New York City, the story introduces us to Sydney and her friends. Sydney, in her mid-thirties, is eager to find a meaningful relationship, and her mother’s pressure to settle down looms large. The brilliance of this novel lies in the tension between what you believe is happening and the unexpected twists that unfold, especially toward the end, where things become even more intricate.

By the conclusion, I was left savoring the story and pondering whether I could truly like any of these characters as real people. But that, in itself, is part of the book's charm. I highly recommend it. When I say I didn’t "like" the characters, I mean I couldn’t connect with them in the usual sense—yet I thoroughly enjoyed reading about them, perhaps because their lives were so distant from my own. Pick up this book; you won’t be disappointed.

Thanks NetGalley for the ARC of this audiobook. This Thriller storyline was a little basic and overdone but the ending was amazing. I didn’t see that coming even though the entire time the author was eluding to the killer the entire time. The ending was super shocking and unexpected. Definitely worth getting this book.

I normally love McFadden’s books, but this one left me underwhelmed. The story of the perfect boyfriend, who in reality, is anything but, just seems like it’s been done too many times

Let me start by saying I really enjoy Freida McFadden's books—I devour them., I feel a little guilty admitting that I just couldn’t fully get into “The Boyfriend” though. It wasn’t until about halfway through that my curiosity was truly piqued, and while the ending did deliver a shocking twist, for the first time, I guessed half the twist. It was just okay for me.

Twisty and propulsive as always with Freida. Great narrators for this audio version--happy there were male and female voices.

Frieda McFadden never misses! The Boyfriend is another book by McFadden that I just could not put down. This is a one-sitting kind of book because you just need to know what happens.

The book follows two timelines both from a different point of view. The present day follows Sydney who is going on date after date trying to find love. She pauses dating when her best friend is murdered in their apartment building. After a couple of months, she starts dating Tom, who seems just a little too perfect.

The past timeline follows Tom in high school. It shows what kind of person Tom really is and how different the old Tom seems to be from the new Tom. Since I have read so many books by McFadden I knew nothing is as it seems and I was definitely not disappointed. I love how both timelines clashed together.

Every book that Frieda McFadden has put out has been a book that has sucked me in. I will continue to read anything that she puts out.

Frieda McFadden has wowed me with her latest thriller, THE BOYFRIEND. I couldn't listen to this one fast enough! She really kept me guessing here until the very end, which I thoroughly enjoyed. I liked the dual timelines and the humor that was thrown in as well. I'll be anxiously awaiting her next book which releases in January.

Many thanks to Freida McFadden and NetGalley for my gifted copy.

This review will be shared to my Instagram account (@coffee.break.book.reviews) in the future.

Ok ok ok you got me, that was a good one.
I didn’t guess all of the twists, I gasped out loud and whilst I was alone in my car it had me shouting.
Leading lady was a little dopey but sometimes you need that to keep a good thriller going along.
Audio narrators were great