This is the second Freida McFadden book I've read but this wasn't as fast paced. It was more of a slow burn with a socially awkward main character Dawn who struggles with intimacy and making friends. There is one thing she does love and that's turtles, pretty much mentioned every chapter from her POV.

Natalie is someone you enjoy hating, although even towards the end I'm not actually sure whether the events that happened in the office, the bullying of Dawn, were real or fiction..

It started to ramp up in the second half although I could foresee what was going to happen. This was a quick enjoyable story.

Thanks to Dreamscape for the ALC.
I’ll start with the narration. I thought the narrator did a great job capturing the different ranges of the types of characters she had to voice. It was easy to keep everyone straight and I had no problem following character switches. My complaint is with the story. I’m so over using the autistic main character as someone for everyone else to make fun of. It’s not cool and makes for a mean plot. There was so much more to Dawn than just turtles. I’ve read this author before and may again, but this wasn’t one for me.

A fairly good, slow burning read….short and simple. If you enjoyed Mean Girls and Pretty Little Liars...then this book is for you...just substitute high school for an adult workplace. I opted for the audiobook version of the book and almost tapped out after the prologue. It's plausible that reading this bit instead of listening to it could have generated a different start to the book. Almost all the characters were so vapid with questionable motives...who supposedly knew Dawn. About 4-5 chapters in, the action finally kicks off…then putters out for a bit. The storyline slowly builds to good suspenseful thrills and twists. Ending was much better than predicted. I’d recommend….especially if you enjoy hearing about turtles, turtles and more turtles every few pages. 🐢

Sidenote: This is one of the few times that the narrator did not seem like a good fit for the book. Her cadence was a little off and it was difficult to “feel” the characters. Can't fault the rating for this...possibly just be me.

Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for the gifted ARC (audiobook)…as all opinions are my own.

Huge thanks to NetGalley for this ARC!
Natalie & Dawn are total opposites, but they are work “friends”
Natalie appears to be a total hot mess express but when Dawn goes missing Natalie wants to find her however the police think she is likely part of the problem. There was plenty of office drama🫖
I’ve read all of Freidas books and while this was not my favorite there were some good twists & endings reveal was great!
I do recommend this book and will tell my friends and family to read this :-)

Didn’t t love it as much as I loved all the rest of her books I read. But it was still ok. Felt like it took a long time for a storyline to take place. It wasn’t bad, just wasn’t as good as her others.

Thank you to NetGalley, Dreamscape Media, and Hollywood Upstairs Press for the advance copy of this audiobook.

I am still trying to decide exactly how I felt about this book. I've only read one other Freida McFadden book, which made me want to read them all. So when I saw this on NetGalley I jumped at the chance. While the twists and turns of this book were great, other aspects of it grinded my nerves a little bit. I felt like I was reading (listening to) a high school drama rather than an adult workplace drama. And the consistent use of the word "turtle" was a bit much for me.

I feel like the narrator was spot on for how the characters were intended. And the cover is a bit deceiving.

The story opens with Dawn missing from work. Dawn works next to Natalie. Natalie knows Dawn arrives to work early everyday except for today. Natalie informed her boss that this is out of character for Dawn. When Natalie returns to her desk she gets a phone call from someone who says “help me”. When her boss brushes off her concerns Natalie takes matters in her own hands and looks for Dawn.
…
The Coworker is about Natalie and Dawn who are coworkers. A detective shows up at the workplace questioning everyone. Suspicion falls on Natalie. What transpires is a reveal party regarding Dawn’s quirky personality and her love of turtles. Dawn isn’t painted in a favorable light. These coworkers come across as juvenile kids being mean to Dawn. Dawn has a tendency of annoying her coworkers with her quirks and odd behavior. Everyone picked on Dawn while Dawn just wanted to make friends with her coworkers. The coworkers made a point to exclude Dawn.
…
This is my tenth read by Freida McFadden. Unfortunately, I usually sit middle of the road with her writing style. The concept almost always intrigues me but then the story fizzles early on. I realize Freida’s writing voice doesn’t always line up with my reading style. I’ve struggled through a few of her books except for one book Ward D. All the others have been average.
…
The dialogue isn’t wasn’t I’ve grown to expect from Freida McFadden. It came across as cheesy. The workplace coworkers were unprofessional and grade school level bullies. It was hard to follow the email correspondences via audiobook. I’ve come to conclude Dawn must be on the spectrum eventhough it’s never mentioned in the book. It’s the only explanation for Dawn’s odd and unusual behavior.
…
I envisioned murder at the workplace in a sinister manner not this suspicious read of everyone being a suspect. When you look at the cover and see blood on the elevator it implies the crime happened at work. Then the high heel is misleading when you read who the victim is. I pictured a high class lawyer dressed to the nines being murdered.
…
Narrator:
Alyson Krawchuk is the solo female performer of The Coworker. Alyson did a decent job at reading the CoWorker. She managed to hold my interest were limited interest was. Her ten years of audiobooks skills is recognized. Alyson has narrated two other audiobooks written by Freida McFadden. This is my first audiobook listen by Alyson. I felt she portrayed the voice of Natalie and Dawn just as Freida intended l
…
I listened using the Netgalley app. The sound quality was fantastic. Although,
I’m at a disadvantage by limiting my experience to an audiobook. This story would be better received by using the ebook as a guide to help keep track of the email correspondences and the numerous coworker interviews by the investigator. For me it’s hard to stay focused. I’m a visual and audio person. To stay invested I need to see the words as they are being read to me.

My thanks to Net Galley and Dreamscape Media for allowing me to review this audio book.

Dawn Schiff is a "turtle obsessed ,possibly on the spectrum " coworker of Natalie Farrell who doesn't show up for work one day and calls Natalie and says "help me." What she sets in motion is a twisted series of revenge against Natalie tying to an event of the past.

Twisted, but I could have done without all the turtle narrative.

Natalie and Dawn are complete opposites, but they are good friends at work. Natalie seems like a hot mess. When Dawn goes missing, Natalie wants to find her, but the police thing she is potentially part of the problem. Overall, there were some good twists and the big reveal at the end was great!

The Coworker wasn't for me. The extreme overuse of the word "turtle" by chapter 10 got on my last nerve as well as the slow pace and not any likeable characters.

Thank you, NetGally and Dreamscape Media for this advance copy in exchange for my review.

Another fast pace twisty unhinged story from Freida!
I always enjoy Freida's short chapters and fast paced books (especially the audiobook versions)
They're great to listen to while I work and easy to follow along, and The Coworker was great.
I also enjoyed the autistic representation in this book. Freida did a great job describing how special interests can really center themselves in your daily life.
I loved the ending of this one especially. It might be my favourite ending of hers yet.

My one criticism that I will say is there was an instance of some fatphobic comments in the first 5 minutes. If this was the first time that's come up in Freida's writing I probably would have ignored it, but unfortunately it is not.
There is enough of that in the real world, it's very frustrating reading nasty comments like that when I'm trying to escape.

3.5 stars rounding up.

Thanks so much to Dreamscape Media for the advanced listening audiobook!

This audiobook really was everything I want in a thriller:

- Approximately 8 hours
-Great narration
-Attention grabbing
-Never boring
-Twists I didn't see coming

Was it crazy? Yes. Was it believable? No. Was I highly entertained? Yes. Do I recommend? Yes

Definitely add this one to your list of 'listen to in one day' audiobooks!

4.5 rounded up for GR

📚 Review: The Co Worker 👠 💻 🐢
Whoa!! This book was just crazy! Freida does it again ya’ll. The first twist in this book actually had me shocked at first, mouth hanging open and all, saying what???? Then I started shaking my head laughing. I was shaking my head and saying to myself, “Of course she did it like this! This is why I love her so.” Freida, you got me. (Again)
I was so happy when I received this as an ALC from NetGalley. I listened right away and basically only stopped because I had to. But if I had the chance, I would’ve binged this audio all day long. I loved the narrator. She was Alyson Krawchuk. She is a repeat voice of some of Freida’s books and I just love her and what she brings to the stories. So that was also a plus for me. 👏🏻👏🏻
For those who don’t know, this book is about two co workers, Dawn and Natalie. (There also is a character in the office named Kim and I just loved that too. Another plus 😉) But this is mostly about Dawn and Natalie. Dawn is newer at the company and tries to fit in and be friends with others. But she’s a little strange. She e-mails everything and she has a crazy obsession with turtles. She has everything turtles. 🐢 But anyway, Dawn goes missing and her disappearance is being investigated. It could be a number of suspects at the office, but who? Who wants Dawn dead? 🤷🏻‍♀️ That’s all I want to say in fear of ruining anything for anyone. Just know it was another hit from Freida.
The twists were just like 😳😳🤯
This was for sure ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 stars for me! You all need to get this book when it comes out. You won’t regret it!

Thank you to @netgalley and @dreamscapemedia for this advance audio copy in exchange for an honest review!
Pub Date: August 29th, 2023

Do you love Freida McFadden like me? Name your top 3 books of hers below that you’ve read.

When Dawn Schiff, the odd woman from the office, goes missing, all of the other employees could be considered suspects.... but when it comes out that someone in the office has been bullying Dawn, a few coworkers, like top saleswoman Natalie Farrell, jump to the top of the list.

As always with Frieda McFadden books, this one has interesting characters and great plot twists. One of them I saw coming (a first for me in a Freida book!) but the other I didn't. It's hard to explain without spoiling anything, but this is another fantastic book from FMF!!! If you're not reading her, you're missing out!

The only thing I didn't like about this book had nothing to do with Freda, or the narrator, who I also loved, but the format. The story included a lot of emails and I absolutely loved how the story jumped back and forth between characters and e-mails Dawn has been writing to her best friend Mia, and they all started with the information: To: Mia From: Dawn Schiff, Subject: Re: Whatever..." and it got extremely repetitive in the audio book version. I think even just omitting the "Subject: Re:" part would really have helped make it a smoother listen.

Thank you Netgalley and Dreamscape Media for the ALC.

Story: 🌟🌟🌟🌟
Narration: 🌟🌟🌟🌟
Overall: 🌟🌟🌟🌟

The Coworker is another fun, thrilling popcorn read from Frieda McFadden. Dawn and Natalie are opposites, but they are also coworkers. When Dawn goes missing, Natalie is concerned and goes to check on her. At Dawn’s house, she finds even more questions and more trouble.

I just love how Freida McFadden never holds back. Her books are always unhinged. They are fast-paced and entertaining and addicting. This book will probably cause another McFadden binge-read.

ALC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Dawn Schiff is different. For instance, she is obsessed with turtles. And she often doesn’t know the “right” thing to say, and wants very badly to be friends with her coworker Natalie. But Natalie isn’t the nicest person. Secretly, she bullies Dawn and makes fun of her behind her back. But when Dawn doesn’t show up to work one day, it’s Natalie who is worried about her. Because she knows Dawn is always on time and would never miss a day of work. So she goes to her home to investigate only to find a ton of blood! As if that isn’t disturbing enough, the police seem to think Natalie is involved with Dawn’s disappearance.

In true Frieda McFadden fashion, the twists were ones I did NOT see coming! I tried to think of the most bizarre circumstances in which these people could fit together but my thoughts didn’t come close to what actually was going on. But what was different fro Frieda’s previous books, in my opinion, was the amount of emotion and love in this story. At its core, beyond the twists and turtles, this was a lovely story about how just because someone is different, it doesn’t make them less. This story celebrated Dawn’s differences and explained how her mind worked, showing it wasn’t “broken” but just different. I also don’t know that I ever smiled at the end of a book by Frieda, but I did with this one! If you love mysteries, celebrating people’s differences and turtles, this is one you will enjoy! Thank you to Frieda McFadden, Dreamscape Media, Netgalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the ALC! “The Coworker” releases August 29, 2023.

This review will be shared to my instagram blog (@books_by_the_bottle) shortly.

Book Title: The Coworker
Author: Freida McFadden
Audiobook Narrator: Alyson Krawchuk
Publisher: Dreamscape Media/ Poisoned Pen Press
Genre: Psychological Thriller
Pub Date: August 29, 2020
My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5 Stars
Pages: 368

I have been following ‘The Adventures of Sheldon (the turtle)’ on Ms. McFadden’s Facebook page so have been anxious for this one.

Told from the POV of Coworkers Natalie Farrell ~ Now
And Dawn Schiff ~ Then.
(They tell us their POV on the same situation ~
Natalie considers herself loveable and
Dawn sees her as someone abusing her verbally and emotionally.

Starts with an email exchange between Dawn and her boss Seth
Dawn is a bit OCD others would say ~ Oh! She is way more than a bit!”
Dawn is an accountant at Vixed a nutritional supplement company and is scheduling an appointment and wants an exact time when to meet. When he suggests – just drop by;
she nearly goes off the rails. They settle on 2:00p.m. the next afternoon.

Dawn has a strict routine including being at work promptly at 8:45am.
When Dawn doesn't show up for work and no one knows why, Natalie, her coworker who has the cubicle next to Dawn is very suspicious.
Natalie notices a turtle figurine on her desk. Everyone knows Dawn has an obsession for turtles. So Natalie knows the turtle is from Dawn (as she gave her a turtle some time ago and it fell and broke- so Natalie thought she had replaced it.) Now Dawn’s phone rings, Natalie answers and hears two words nearly a whisper ~ “help me”.

Natalie is sure it was Dawn’s voice. Later she decides to visit Dawn’s apartment and screams when she enters her living room.
Aww the plot thickens!!!


There is no doubt these characters are interesting ~ I did feel sorry to Dawn (she reminded me a bit of Eleanor Oliphant because of their autistic behavior and a wicked mother). Some characters like Seth were unlikeable. I had no doubt that Natalie was a mean girl but wasn’t positive mean enough to kill Dawn.


I am a big psychological thriller fan and Freida McFadden is one of my favorite authors! I know to expect twists, twists, turns, and deceptions; this is number thirteen for me! Yep! Another gripping psychological thriller!!!
There are several twists~
 The big reveal at the end of part one had me cheering.
 Another reveal had me saying - Hmm I kind of suspected something like that
 But other twists had me saying ~ Oh that Freida never disappoints!!!

The narrator Alyson Krawchuk did a GREAT job performing all the characters!

Want to thank NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for granting me this early audiobook.
Publishing Release Date scheduled for August 29, 2023.

I love Freida's books, the quick chapters, twists and turns that always kept me guessing and this one was no different. The narration was excellent and kept me engaged.

🎧3.75⭐️ which I’ve rounded up

One of my most read authors who can be relied on for a quick easy twisty entertaining story. I was keen to get the new release ASAP.

I love the cover, it’s simple but very striking with bold colours.


I had the audiobook read by Alyson Krawchuk. Unfortunately I didn’t like her style of narration, I found her overly dramatic, it settled down to some degree.

Bullet points for The Coworker
📕main characters are socially awkward character Dawn and a typical cheerleader type Natalie- beautiful, popular, successful
📕a bullying is a theme, and may contain triggers for some
📕an obsession with turtles which was mentioned so much it got a bit irritating

Dawn is a solitary person with a very set routine it’s not specified but it would seem she has Austim Spectrum Disorder (ASD) I felt really sorry for her, as at work she is given such a hard time, the sales team are b*tches about her and to her face, and her manager dismisses her rudely. It was hard reading about adults in the work place behaving so badly. I really felt for Dawn.

Natalie ends up being the prime suspect for her murder.

Natalie doesn’t have any redeeming features, she is hateful. She relies on her looks to get ahead in life. I wasn’t batting for her at all.

There was a lot of use of emails, which don’t work as well in audiobook format.

It’s a book of 2 halves for me, the first half was surprisingly slow paced for Freida (3⭐️), lacking the anticipated level of interest. The second half moved up several gears being twisty and interesting , it has a strong ending 4.25⭐️ overall I’ve rated it a 3.75⭐️ which doesn’t make it a favourite for me. I’m sure Freida fans will love it.

Another great thriller!!! This is my second book by this author and she is just knocking it out of the park! Just when I think I know how it’s going to end, she throws a curve ball. This book kept me on my toes and I loved every minute of it!