I simply could not get into this novel so did not finish. I found the writing uninspiring and the premise very cliché. I will not be leaving any public reviews for Frieda McFadden's 'The Inmate.' I had thought I'd read a book I enjoyed by this author, which is why I requested this one. But, now, upon searching for the books she's written, I cannot find one I've read before, so I must be mistaken. I am just not the audience for these types of not very well written psychological thrillers that are shallow and clichéd.

Thank you to Poisoned Pen Press and NetGalley for my advance reader’s copy. I am a huge fan of Freida’s popcorn thrillers so I was over the moon to receive this ARC. I was not disappointed! This was another well-executed psychological thriller that turned into a twisty who-dunnit murder mystery… Pacing was excellent and each new "clue" along the way left me guessing from start to finish.

I thought this book was good. It was fast paced and I didn’t know where the story would go.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for a copy of this book.

This book had me in a chokehold from the very beginning! I was back and forth so much as to who I thought did what and where I thought the story was going, only for McFadden to get me in the end anyway!

I loved this book so much, and I may or may not have stayed up until 4am trying to finish it. It definitely took me less than 24 hours to read this and it’s definitely a five star read for me.

The Inmate, by Freida McFadden, is a murder mystery filled with unexpected twists. While this one grabbed my attention from the beginning and kept me reading well into the night, it fell a bit short regarding everything being believable. Even with all that had happened, the mom seemed to be way too trusting, all the way to the end. Thanks, NetGalley and the publisher, for providing me with the ARC ebook that I read and reviewed. All opinions are my own.

The Inmate, by Freida McFadden, is a fast-paced psychological thriller, with short chapters.

I got this book on NetGalley, as an ARC, but from what I see, it's actually an old book that's been republished. So I'm a little late to the game, but here I am! Hahaha

It's not the first Freida McFadden book I read, and like the others, it reads very easily. The writing is nice and keeps you entertained.

I enjoyed the book overall, but I guessed most of the plot twists. Not all of them though, that's why it's still a 3.5. BUT, I have to say that some plot twists were unrealistic and a bit far-fetched. Even if I didn't get all the plot twists right, it wasn't all that surprising.

The main character was super naive, and may I even say, stupid 😅 I really didn't care much for or about her.

Brooke moves back to her hometown after her parents death along with her 10 year old son. She takes a job at the local prison, even though her son's father is in prisoned there and she is the one that put him there. She runs into her old best friend Tim, and they begin to date even though Shane from prison told her not to. When things start to turn around and Shane is released from prison and Tim is put in prison, is she safter than before or not.

This is a fast page turner that keeps you guessing. It is my first Freida McFadden book, but will definitely be reading more from her.

3/5 ⭐️s
The Inmate by Freida McFadden is a twisty murder mystery/thriller. It kept my attention for sure and just like all of Freida’s books, I wasn’t able to figure out “who did it” from the get go. The MC was pretty dumb and the situation was definitely unrealistic. It’s a fun read, but don’t expect to be blown away.

So good! This was like popcorn- I couldn’t put it down. The Inmate was twisty and turny and just went I thought I had it figured out bam!

Although this book was written in McFadden's typical rudimentary writing style, it did make the book easy to read. So many questions with how a protagonist could be so unbelievably naive. Some things just didn't make sense with the character relationships and twists in the plot, other things added up a little too perfectly. Overall a quick, entertaining read.

Oh Frieda, another good one! Following her hit formula Freida takes us on a trip to max security prison where a killer is incarcerated . Our narrator knows this as she was the survivor of the murderous encounter as a teenager. Mix in twists, turns and surprises and you can read this one in two or three elongated sittings and feel weirdly satisfied at the end.

I was a little let down by this one, I have to be honest. I found it very obvious, and there wasn't much of a plot twist. I practically guessed this book from within the first 50 pages, which is a shame as I'm not normally one for being able to guess how it will end. I found the fmc a little naive for my liking, and the story as a whole read more like a YA thriller. That being said I really enjoyed the pacing, as with all Freida books it was fast paced and I flew through it relatively quickly. Overall I did enjoy it for the most part but not one of my favourites of Frieda's books.

What can I say? I love Freida McFadden. But this book? Slightly disappointing. There are some books by this author that I cannot put down, but this book wasn’t the case. I think the plot was kind of predictable. The main character Brooke was simply dumb and very naive, which made her unlikable and it was hard to get by when reading. I would, despite some drawbacks, recommend this book to others who want to get into the mystery and thriller genre. The short chapters and writing style are bonuses that make reading McFadden novels so addicting!

Thank you so much @PoisonedPenPress for giving me this ARC in exchange for my honest and unbiased review (Release Date | 05 March 2024)

SYNOPSIS | Brooke is a nurse practitioner who has recently returned to the town she grew up in with her 10-year-old son (Josh). She is working at a men's maximum security prison, but what she failed to disclose when she accepted the job is that her ex-boyfriend (Shane) is also there serving a life sentence for murder.

WHAT I LIKED:
- this author knows how to write a good bingeable popcorn thriller
- red flag after red flag after red flag
- fast pacing throughout kept me flipping the pages
- the epilogue!

WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE:
- Brooke just didn't seem very intelligent & kept making the same naive terrible decisions. She was a very frustrating perspective to read from & ultimately really hampered by ability to enjoy this story.
- the flip flopping between who was the murderer
- overall the plot felt quite farfetched compared to some of her other stories

Entertaining in a trashy TV kind of way. Compulsively readable but not a lot there to sink your teeth into. And the main character’s gullible-ness had me face palming several times throughout this one.

Brooke put her high school boyfriend away for life after he tried to murder her. Eleven years later she’s back in their hometown after the death of her parents with her secret ten year old son in tow, having recently gotten a nurse practitioner job at the same prison Shane is housed in. As she starts getting closer to the only other living witness from that night, her childhood best friend Tim, she starts to question her recollections of that night — and which man she should trust. Both are telling her the other is dangerous and choosing the wrong one could have fatal consequences.

A fine read if you don’t need your FMC to be the smartest tool in the shed and you don’t dwell too long on some pretty big plot holes.

I could not put this book down... Brooke moves back to town 10 years after the most horrible night of her life. Her high school boyfriend attempted to murder her (or so she thinks) and when she gets a nursing job at the jail where he is, everything she thought starts to change. I don't want to give anything away, but I read this book in 24 hours- could not put down. And what a twist at the end!! So good.

I love Freida McFadden books and this one did not disappoint! This book had me hooked (like all of her books) and I couldn't put it down. If you like books with lots if twists and turns you'll love this one.

Thank you to the Author, Publisher and Netgalley for allowing me to review this book.

BOOK DESCRIPTION:

There are three rules Brooke Sullivan must follow as a new nurse practitioner at a men’s maximum-security prison:

1) Treat all prisoners with respect.

2) Never reveal any personal information.

3) Never EVER become too friendly with the inmates.

But none of the staff at the prison knows Brooke has already broken the rules. Nobody knows about her intimate connection to Shane Nelson, one of the penitentiary’s most notorious and dangerous inmates.

And they certainly don’t know that Shane was Brooke’s high school sweetheart—the star quarterback who is now spending the rest of his life in prison for a series of grisly murders. Or that Brooke's testimony was what put him there.

But Shane knows.

And he will never forget.

• Thanks Netgalley & publisher for the ARC •

While this book wasn't badly written, the story didn't cut it for me. As a seasoned thriller reader, I spot the twist-untwist a mile away, and that soured my reading experience.

Another problem I personally had with the story is that the main character isn't a complex, realistic person. That, paired with the unrealistic decisions made by the other characters, turned reading this book into a chore for me. I could spot the "Scream" and "Friday the 13th" rehashed, re-cooked references a mile away.

Hopefully, other people with fewer expectations might enjoy it more than I did.

Brooke is nearly murdered by her high school boyfriend. Fast forward 10 years her parents are killed and she moves back to her hometown with her son. She wants a fresh start and her parents left her their house. Unable to find work as a nurse practitioner in the area she takes the only job she can find. This happens to be working the jail where the x boyfriend is incarcerated. She’s forced to see him again. Another old friend comes back into her life. It’s unclear who’s manipulating her and what really happened all those years ago. It takes a very unexpected turn. I love her books as always. Very fun, easy read. I really wanted to get to the bottom of what happened to Brooke and who was really the bad guy here!

I feel like the very beginning of this was a bit of a slow starter; however it very quickly picked up pace! after a bit of a slump I managed to read the last two thirds of this in one sitting!

I questioned every single character multiple times, changing my mind about who did what. I definitely didn't see a couple of the twists coming - and there were a lot of twists! Kept me gripped.