I feel like Freida McFadden never disappoints and that would be the case with this book. I loved it! I thought I knew what was going on but boy was I wrong! So many twists! It took me a few chapters to get into it but when I did man oh man was it good! This was such a good read and I can’t wait for her next one!

Thank you to Netgalley and Freida McFadden for the ARC!

Overall I have this one 4 stars, for me it was a slow start the first half of the book. But the second half came with all the twists and I thoroughly enjoyed it! I love Freidas writing style, she never fails to give us all what we want!

Dawn is the office weirdo and everyone at Vixed, the nutritional company she works as an accountant, seems to think the same thing. Dawn doesn’t show up for work one morning and her coworker Natalie, the popular top sales rep, gets worried especially after receiving a strange phone call. Something terrible has happened to Dawn and it’s enough to murder over.

If you have read any of McFadden’s books, this follows the same template. The first half of the book, the reader starts to feel like they know what is happening then the second half comes and everything you thought happened was a total lie. Much like her other books, I never saw the twist and turns coming and it was so good. This book is a good reminder to be nice to everyone you meet because you never know who is a psychopath and may turn around and try and off you. This book is definitely a roller coaster I wish I could ride again.

This was excellent. Fast paced, interesting. Freida McFadden is a master at writing characters and twists. A must read thriller!

I read The Coworker in one day! And it’s significant to note that this was not a case where I skimmed a couple of sentences or a paragraph on each page because it didn’t hold my interest. Just the opposite! One characteristic I believe is a hallmark of Freda McFadden books is her mastery of the art of twisting and turning both the characters and their evolution so that you can’t wait to turn the pages to see what happens next. Just when you think you get glimpses of the role each character plays, her deliberate delivery of a new detail or a new perspective is such that you find yourself reconsidering the anticipated outcome. Using the background of emails to tell much of the story in The Coworker was an excellent tool that worked effectively to establish a solid background, while still allowing McFadden to retain a good bit of control in driving a plot forward. Not only would I recommend it, but I’m happy to say it’s a “page turner.” 4 1/2 stars for the win!

Freida does it again

Another fantastic twisty book that kept me on the edge of my seat the entire time. I found myself trying to guess the twists as always. Didn't even come close to getting it right.

I couldnt help but wonder if the writer happened to know this much information about a specific reptile that appears throughout the book, or if she had to do a bit of research to get all those facts.

One small thing I noticed was the use of the term "one off" throughout the story line. It may be a regional thing, but I had never heard something referred to a one off in that sense before. After I googled it to see what it meant, I felt like that term was over used quite a bit. Again, didn't damage the book or the story line but I felt like it got used a lot. Likely because I had been paying attention to it because I wasnt familiar with the term

The Coworker took me on a rollercoaster of emotions, leading me to believe I had everything figured out, only to surprise me with unexpected twists at every turn. The characters, each with their flaws, are so human that I found myself wanting to keep my distance from them in real life. However, Freida, true to her skill, managed to captivate me and draw me deep into the narrative.

Despite my slight reservations about the frequent references to turtles and the narrative jumping back and forth in time, the intricately woven plot held my attention from start to finish. The author skillfully kept me hooked, eagerly anticipating what would happen next.

In the end, I must say that this book was indeed a captivating read. It managed to both challenge and exceed my expectations, making it a truly satisfying experience.

Thank you, NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press, Inc for granting me access to the e-book! It's a pleasant read and looking forward to more.

So good. So many twists & turns. I felt close with every character. The descriptions, everything so good. Definitely another a great one by Freida McFadden. Thank you to Netgalley, Freida McFadden & Poisoned Pen Press for the ARC COPY.

Well that was a fun ride! Thank you NetGalley for this arc! I have read several books by Frieda now and what I absolutely love is that the twists keep coming all the way until the end. I have to admit in this book neither one of the main characters were like-able. It seemed “too easy” to just feel bad for Dawn and just as “too easy” to hate Natalie. A quick read by an awesome author! Can’t wait to read another one from her!

I really liked this book. I was so excited to be given this e-arc by NetGalley, because I absolutely love Freida McFadden’s works. And this one did not disappoint.
“The Coworker” was a very easy ready. It grabbed me from the start, and even though I figured out the twist, I had a feeling that there was more to come. And I was right. Excellent read, I really recommend it!

Natalie is determined to find out what happened to her cubicle mate, Dawn, after she’s declared missing. But the more Natalie digs, the more it appears like Dawn’s been murdered. And all the evidence happens to point right back at Natalie.

Frieda McFadden knows how to write a propulsive thriller. I basically finished it within a sitting. Some of the logic fell apart for me at the end, but I’d still recommend to readers who are fans of the genre. Bonus points if you're into turtles …. which i learned an outstanding amount about throughout the book.

Thank you NetGalley for the e-ARC.

3.5
Kindle e arc provided by NetGalley

I devoured this book. It was an easy read. I knew right off the bat that Dawn was Autistic, or at least neurodivergent. But my Autism Tech Degree tells me she is on the spectrum.

I thought Melinda had something to do with it at first. I knew the whole time that Dawn was framing Natalie. I just couldn't figure out who was helping her.

I was a little thrown by the girl in the woods. That reveal had my eyes go wide. 😳

Overall, I don't think this was bad and I can see why so many people love it. I hated the character that was being portrayed through the emails. I did think Mia was a little...not right, but that makes sense now.

3/5 ★

Natalie & Dawn both work at Vixed, where their cubicles sit side by side. Despite their close proximity, the two could not be further apart in terms of their personalities. Natalie is the company mean girl, if you will; she's the bully who peaked in high school. Dawn is the eccentric & somewhat reclusive office turtle expert (unofficially, of course). Despite the series of strained interactions they've had, Natalie tries to find Dawn when she fears something has happened to her. Unfortunately, the tables turn, and Natalie finds herself on the receiving end of suspicion & accusation. With the help of her boyfriend(s), Natalie tries to prove her innocence; a task which proves to be much harder than anticipated. On top of the heaping pile of physical evidence against her, Natalie finds that the sh*t has hit the fan when the local PD discovers a body...

While 'The Coworker' wasn't bad, it definitely wasn't one of my favorite Freida McFadden books. The plot was very well thought out and the characters were dynamic, but something about it just fell a little short for me. I think it was the predictability of it; I usually never guess the plot twists in Freida's books, but this end game in this one seemed pretty obvious from the beginning. Other than that one aspect, I enjoyed 'The Coworker' overall!

Anything Freida McFadden writes is absolute crack! This was no different! Thank you to #netgalley for giving me early access to The Coworker. I finished this in less than 24 hours. This was the prefect amount suspense with twists and turns that weren’t as outlandish as her usual stuff. Super fun and fast read!

Every time I start a Freida book I think, “this isn’t like her, it’s so predictable”. And then… BOOM!! Absolutely every time. I loved The Coworker. Twist after a twist and I couldn’t stop listening. Perfect narrator to match the book! You are going to want to preorder this one!

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

I want to preface this review by saying I have read almost all of Freida McFadden’s books and enjoyed them! Unfortunately, The Coworker fell flat for me. It had work place drama and multiple point of views but I did not feel the “thrill” until the last 30%. It seemed repetitive and slow for majority of the book which is not what I normally get from her. It did pick up at the end with multiple twists and turns that I did not see coming! Overall a decent read but not my favorite of hers. 🐢👠💼

Thank you, Poisoned Pen Press and Freida McFadden for this ARC!
Pub Date: 8/29

Surpassed all my expectations! Freida really knows how to set up her characters. I loved and hated everyone in that office! It was a thrill to be fooled everytime I thought I had it figured out! And the Sheldon hype on FB has been fantastically tied to this story (IYKYK). A coworker obsessed with turtles, a gorgeous gets it all blonde and a shuffle of crimes to make the dedicated detective very dizzy! Five stars for this WILD ride! ☆☆☆☆☆

Always always always obsessed with everything Freida writes and this was no exception. I have learned by now that whenever I read a Freida McFadden book I’m going to be throughly entertained and shocked with, most likely, more than one plot twist.
This was fast paced and will definitely keep you on the edge of your seat the entire time. I love that we jumped right in with the out of the norm, instead of easing in. It immediately made the book hard to put down and I needed answers asap.
Dawn follows a very particular schedule so when that schedule is completely off one day, it definitely sends out major red flags to her coworker, Natalie. Then to top it all off when Natalie answers the phone on Dawn’s desk and is convinced she hears Dawn asking for help, you’re immediately hooked and have to know where Dawn could be and what could have happened to her.
And Natalie for sure needs to find out where Dawn could be, but she ends up getting herself in quite the sticky situation and reading everything unfold was one hell of a ride.
An office filled with secrets, a possible murder?, a mystery involving turtles (you just have to read it to understand) and, in true Freida fashion, one hell of a plot twist.

Huge thank you to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for providing me with a copy of this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Everyone knows that Freida McFadden is the Queen of plot twists and this novel is no different!

This time we’ve got two FMC’s, Natalie and Dawn and a heavy group of support characters that were vital to the story. Natalie and Dawn both work for Vixed, Natalie being the star of the sales team and Dawn is in accounting. Everyone loves Natalie, including her boss, her best friend who works there and the guy she’s dating in the web design department. Dawn is the “weird” woman from accounting who is obsessed with turtles and whom everyone is always poking fun at. Dawn’s the odd woman out and is desperate to be liked and accepted. She hyper fixates on everything, especially trying to befriend Natalie who goes out of her way to make sure Dawn is excluded from everything, from office parties to intentionally setting her up to be late for meetings. Dawn is also extremely punctual. After setting up a meeting with the boss to discuss something of the utmost importance, Dawn fails to show up for work. After receiving an odd phone call at Dawn’s desk, Natalie decides to go by Dawn’s home after work. From here, shit gets weird.

As usual with Freida’s novels, it is well written, I felt the pace to be a lot slower than what I typically see with Freida’s books. I wasn’t able to connect with either of the FMC’s as they were both written to be immature and extremely annoying. Dawn’s character also seems have been written as being on the Autism spectrum and I can’t decide if it was done tastefully. At times it felt almost offensive. Also, in true Freida fashion, there were plot twists that you didn’t quite see coming. There are love interests, multiple relationships, mystery, lies and deceit.

I don’t feel this was one of Freida’s best novels but I did enjoy reading it.

I received an advanced reader copy and am leaving this review voluntarily.

When her coworker, Dawn, doesn't show up for work, Natalie tries to check on her and stumbles on a crime scene. As email exchanges provide glimpses into the months leading up to her disappearance, Natalie finds herself under increasing scrutiny from investigators.

This is very much a Freida McFadden book (in a good way). Fast paced, full of twists. While I toyed around with a couple theories, I did not have it figured out by the end. It was a fun read, although some of the Dawn points of view felt a little overdone.