Freida McFadden, the supreme author of thrillers, has accomplished it once more. A psychological thriller that moves quickly. What a crazy ride that was! I had the good fortune to be selected to receive the audiobook in exchange for an unbiased review via NetGalley and the publisher. I also adored the narrators! Freida is outstanding!

I’m a fan of the author but this book was not my favorite. The lengths to which the character(s) went for revenge were just too much of a stretch. That, and to think the main character, with all of her quirks, could or would actually pull off what she did was simply not believable. That said, the book was enjoyable enough and the narrator in the audiobook version was excellent.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with the opportunity to read and review this book.

"The Coworker" is a book that takes you on a slow-paced journey, which may not be everyone's cup of tea. While the plot had potential, I found myself wishing for a more dynamic and faster-moving storyline. At times, the narrative seemed to linger, and the lack of significant progress left me yearning for more excitement. One aspect that left me uneasy was the portrayal of a neurodivergent character. The book failed to paint them in a positive light, and just painted them a certain way. It left me uncomfortable. However, the twisty ending was intriguing, and I did appreciate that unexpected turn of events.

Alyson Krawchuk did an acceptable job overall. However, I must admit that her voice portrayal of Dawn didn't resonate with me. Personal preferences play a role in audiobook enjoyment, and while it didn't quite align with my taste, others may find it more to their liking.

I'm a newer fan of Freida McFadden - loved the Housemaid and the Housemaid's Secret - I need to read more of her backlist too! I could not stop listening to the audio book and binged this in a day! I enjoyed the multiple POVs. Knowing Freida's style - I did guess the big twist and a couple smaller ones but they worked for the characters. The narrator voices for multiple characters and I thought this really could have benefited from at least as second narrator. Both Dawn and Natalie are unlikable main characters but I still was so invested to learn more of their secrets and what they had on the other person. You do have to suspend reality to make some of the jumps in here but still bingeable and fun.

Recommend if you enjoy:
Unreliable narrators
Unlikable main characters
Turtles and a lot of turtle facts
Mean Girls in the office place

This was an engrossing audiobook that I did NOT want to stop listening to. I enjoyed the multiple viewpoints and did not guess the twists. I know that when I start a Freida McFadden book that I better not have much else planned for the near future and that pattern continued with this book! Thanks to Netgalley for an ARC of this audiobook.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publishing company, and the author for this audio book ARC opportunity!

I found the narrator to do a great job with most of the characters, especially the main character Natalie- unfortunately, the voice of Dawn fell flat for me. I acknowledge it is likely difficult to narrate several voices and I found the other characters to be entertaining.

The book begins in an office, with Natalie, a beautiful woman who has great sales, and Dawn, a woman who works in accounting and has her quirks, including an obsession with turtles, which, believe it or not, play an important part in this story.

I found this story to have a good amount of twists that kept me guessing. I enjoyed trying to keep ahead of them to figure out “who did it”, who is a “good guy” and who is a “bad guy.” I was right, but also wrong, on several occasions, which definitely kept me reading.

The ending was both satisfying and unsatisfying- but that’s what makes a great psychological thriller!

Dawn is a new employee at a vitamin company. She is trying to fit in and make friends. Natalie is the quintessential popular girl at work. She’s gorgeous and everyone wants to be her friend.

Dawn is very punctual and you can set a clock to her comings and goings. One day, she just doesn’t show up for work. Everyone knows something must be terribly wrong. What kind of danger is she in? What happened to her and why?

Secrets are revealed and there are several twists to keep you guessing. The epilogue left me shocked.

If you like unreliable narrators, this book is for you!

Thanks to NetGalley and a very special thanks to Dreamscape Audio for the ALC in exchange for an honest review.

By far from the three Freida McFadden books I have read, this was by far my favorite. The Coworker is an entertaining thriller about relationships in the workplace. Who knew that working with others could lead to death? Duh Duh Duh.

The Coworker is about the lives of Dawn Schiff, Natalie Farrell, Caleb, and Seth. They work at a vitamin sales company. When one day Dawn Schiff does not show up for work. Natalie is worried about her friend and goes on a mission to solve the mysterious disappearance of Dawn Schiff. Natalie is getting unusual phone calls while at work with a woman moaning and saying "help me" which leads to her reporting Dawn missing. All appears well with an investigation underway until Natalie is put under scrutiny. Does she know more about what really happened to Dawn? Did she hurt Dawn? Are you truly safe when going to work?

There were several aspects of The Coworker that kept me going. I enjoyed the character development. Neither Natalie nor Dawn are likeable characters but that is what made me want to read more about them. Natalie is described as beautiful, popular, and loved as well as eloquent. I imagined a perfect barbie doll (this imagery really stuck since this year the Barbie movie was released). While Dawn is the total opposite. She is often picked on, not extremely popular and is quirky. The descriptions and behaviors led me to believe that Dawn was a high functioning person with Autism or Aspergers. She has a fascination with sea turtles (I have never looked at sea turtles as sinister creatures, well this book will shed new light}, her food must be certain colors, always likes things in a certain order etc. Both Natalie and Dawn are more than they seem.

The other thing I enjoyed about this book was the differing perspectives. The Coworker is from Natalie's and Dawn's point of view, and it goes from the past to present as well. I love books that can switch between the two allowing me to see more depth into the psyche of the characters and their actions.

I thought the twists in this book were good and worked for the characters. I enjoyed the ending and how the entire story wrapped up. There was more than one twist, I predicted some incidents in the book, but not all.

There was one gripe I had about the book. About 2/3 through I thought some of the scenes were monotonous. At one point I wanted to give up and just skip to the end. I thought some of the romance was not needed for the book, and I was about to get mad about some of the decisions of other characters. But I persisted and I am glad I did. So do not get discouraged if you get to that point of the book, just keep reading.

I highly recommend this book and I am more knowledgeable about sea turtles. Thank you, Freida McFadden. This book will keep you on your toes. Read this book you will not regret it.

Thanks to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for allowing me to listen to this ARC audio version of The Coworker by Freida McFadden.

This was my first book from Freida, who has been to my list to read/listen to for a long time.

Sadly, this particular book was a challenge for me. I found all the characters to be highly immature and annoying.

I listened to the audio book, and I'm not sure if the narrator helped much with the immaturity or if she was meant to have a whiny tone for most of the book.

The twist was an ok one but ridiculous all at once. I was expecting something huge but it fell flat for me.

While this is my first book from this author, and I wasn't a huge fan of it, I'm still looking forward to reading more. Especially since all her books are sitting my Kindle screaming Read Me!! Not every book is for everyone, but I'm definitely trying some more of hers.

Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher to the copy of the audio book!

My first Freida McFadden!!
I really enjoyed this one. The are not one but two unreliable narrators which was great. Kept me guessing. Neither characters were likeable and I was certain I knew what was going on until the reveal. Really well done, I still kinda guess though.
The narrator for the audiobook was great and I was so gripped and could not put it down.

Thanks to NetGalley and Publisher for a copy of the audiobook for review!

Highly recommended. I now really need to read The Housemaid.

Talk about twisted. I love this author she always has me guessing until the very end. This book was no different. I kept debating what was really happening the whole time. One thing I do know the parents in this book sucked. All of them.

DNF @ 20%. After hearing at least a hundred times how obsessed the missing woman was with turtles, I was ready to claw my eyeballs out. This is one of those stories where you have a niche "strange" thing for a character to like to give her some backstory and interest, but the author beats you to death with it instead. The language came across real juvenile and made certain already questionably believable elements truly comical.

I listened to the audio for this one, and the narrator is robotic at any speed and difficult to listen to. I may have had an easier time with this in print, but I think it's a miss all around for me.

I’ve enjoyed everything that I’ve read by Freida McFadden and The Coworker is no exception. The Coworker is a fast paced, psychological thriller.
Dawn is an accountant in the office and doesn’t have anybody to talk to, except a friend that she emails. Dawn ends up going missing. Natalie is the top sales rep in the office along with many friends. Natalie becomes worried about Dawn not showing up at work and a meeting they were supposed to have.
The story takes you on a wild ride with some good twists and many secrets within the office.
Thank you NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Freida is the new IT girl and it shows. this one was truly amazing. it was twisty and I didn't see that ending coming. she's popular for a reason and the hype is real so deff recommend one of these!

Freida delivers another great binge worthy read!
I’ve read a lot of her books and they never disappoint!
The story definitely grips you in and has you guessing on who actually did what and when?!
Also queen of plot twist had my mouth on the floor!!
You will definitely learn about turtles listening to this one.
Dawn & Natalie are coworkers & one goes missing…. But what happened ??? Read to find out! Release date Aug 29
Thank you NetGalley for the ALC

Narrator is good at 1.6-1.8 speed if you don’t have it speed up the story seems too slow

The Coworker by Freida McFadden

Dawn a young woman on the spectrum it appears working for a company with people that don't understand her peculier ways ..they harras and bully her instead. When the Dawn goes missing every one looks to the lead bullyier for answers Natalie. As the story goes on it gets more convoluted and more is revealed.
Wow..this is a very good thriller. If you like lots of twists and surprises you will love this one.

Thank you NetGalley, Dreamscape Media, and Hollywood Upstairs Press for my ALC in exchange for my honest review.

I am so appreciative of a copy of such a highly anticipated book.

First, this was done on audio. The narrator sounds like a robot no matter what speed. It's awful. Also, there's parts where her taking drinks of water aren't edited out???

One character is clearly autistic coded, but then the writing for the other MC is exactly the same as the other, not differentiating between them in personality. I kept having to try to remember who the heck we are even babbling about.

This also went on way too long. And the twists were absolutely absurd. There's absolutely zero way any of this would happen. (Yes, yes, I know it's fiction. It's still goofy.)

Please, I can't handle this.

Eeeek. This was beyond a hard listen for me. I was a big Freida fan, but her last two books have been huge misses for me. Unfortunately, I wasn't a huge fan of the narrator. The reading felt so slow and robotic- especially the reading of the emails. The story itself felt very amateurish. Honestly, I felt like I was listening to a workplace version of "Mean Girls," as in the characters felt like they were still in high school and the book centered around bullying. The thing with Freida's books is that I am always in anticipation of the big twist or reveal and I will say that helped me fly through this more so that the plotline or writing itself in this one. I wouldn't say I was completely disappointed by the reveals in this book, but they were quite underwhelming. I don't know. I think I will continue to read her backlist because her old books were heavy twist-hitters I really enjoyed, but I won't be in a hurry to pick up any new releases as I once was.

2.5

Thank you NetGalley, Dreamscape Media, and Hollywood Upstairs Press for my ALC in exchange for my honest review.

I just finished The Coworker by Freida McFadden, narrated by Alyson Krawchuk. McFadden doesn't disappoint. This was a wild ride. I was able to get into the story right away. The narrator was fantastic. She has distinct voices for each character. With that said, I wish there were two narrators, one for Dawn and one for Natalie. It makes it easier to track when switching or not switching viewpoints from chapter to chapter.

Huge thanks to Netgalley and Dreamscape Media, Hollywood Upstairs Press for the advanced audiobook of The Coworker. #TheCoworker #NetGalley

I have loved Freida McFaddens books since I first read The Housemaid. The Coworker was another book I've added to my list of favorites. I loved the twists and turns that kept me guessing till the very end. I listened to this on audiobook and thought it was easy to follow at a 1.75x rate.

5 star rating. Thanks to Netgalley, the author, and publisher for an advanced copy for my honest review.