Freida McFadden is a physician specializing in brain injury who has penned multiple bestselling psychological thrillers and medical humor novels. Freida’s work has been selected as one of Amazon Editors’ best books of the year, and she is a Goodreads Choice Award winner. Her novels have been translated into 40 languages. Freida lives with her family and black cat in a centuries-old three-story home overlooking the ocean, with staircases that creak and moan with each step!
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…
The Boyfriend is another addictive, twisty popcorn thriller from bestseller writer Freida McFadden. This book infuses dark romance along with some popular thriller tropes, including the mysterious stranger, the intelligent psychopath, so many lies, the stalker, and the plot twist! The multiple timelines and dual POV in this book make the story more compelling, especially with its numerous suspects and their shady backstories.
The story begins with Sydney Shaw, a serial-dating, mid-30s New Yorker, on an online date that goes horribly wrong. When a mysterious stranger comes to her rescue and then vanishes, she becomes determined to find him. Many of the plot points that follow are predictable and unoriginal, but McFadden knows how to keep her readers hooked by using very compelling dialogue and introducing intriguing potential culprits. Like many of the female characters from McFadden’s previous books, Sydney makes a lot of poor decisions during the story. When she begins dating a man who appears too good to be true, she blatantly ignores all the red flags surrounding him, making her character quite irritating and flawed.
The story escalates into a lot of drama and suspense towards the end that will have readers second-guessing who the killer is multiple times. In true Freida fashion, just when you think you have it all figured out, the rug is pulled out from under you. Unfortunately, the epilogue that follows the explosive ending is unnecessary and even more far-fetched than some of the previous implausible plot points. Even still, some readers will appreciate having a bit more story to enjoy and be pleased with further resolution.
Overall, The Boyfriend is another fully entertaining popcorn thriller from Freida McFadden that readers and listeners can easily devour in a single day. The compelling characters and fast-paced storyline take readers on a rollercoaster of emotions, and the final plot twists are shocking and pleasing. With their clear, authentic, and emotive voices, the audiobook’s dual narrators, Victoria Connolly and Robb Moreira, do a great job bringing all the suspense and drama to life, making it an unstoppable listen. If you’ve enjoyed previous books by Freida McFadden or love to devour popcorn thrillers, you’ll very much enjoy this one!
