Book Review: The Boyfriend | Freida McFadden

Are you looking for spoilers for The Boyfriend? Those are over on the spoiler review where I go into how it ended and where I think there could be a sequel.

I have a real treat today because I’ve read the newest Freida McFadden and I’m so ready to talk about it! McFadden has been crushing it in the sales, and her new book The Boyfriend was actually selected as a Book of the Month pick this month, which tells me they are trying to get new subscribers by baiting them with a big fish. Clever! I can’t hate the game, BOTM. Let’s get into The Boyfriend and feel free to join me over on my spoiler account where I go into the details we can’t help but want to discuss.

What is The Boyfriend about?

She’s looking for the perfect man. He’s looking for the perfect victim.

Sydney Shaw, like every single woman in New York, has terrible luck with dating. She’s seen it 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…

A dark story about obsession and the things we’ll do for love, #1 New York Times bestselling author Freida McFadden proves that crimes of passion are often the bloodiest…

What did I think?

I feel I’ve gotten the reputation of a Freida-hater and I get it but it’s not accurate. I actually thought her second book in the housemaid series, The Housemaid’s Secret, had an absolutely delicious ending that was pure fun if you ask me. Even the first book The Housemaid had a few tricks going on. I felt less enamored with The Housemaid is Watching, but they can’t all be winners.

So what about the new book? I enjoyed it for the most part! This is a standalone as far as we can tell, though I could see a follow up to it that will need to be discussed over in spoiler territory. The book centers around a past and present storyline. In the past, a boy named Tom is in love with a girl named Daisy, but he has so much going on. His dad is an abusive drunk. His lab partner hates him. And he can’t stop picturing seeing what Daisy’s blood looks like. Ok… that’s weird, Tom. I won’t pretend otherwise. Sorry about your dad, though!

In the present, a hot dummy (and we all know Freida loves a dumb female lead) named Sydney is on an absolutely atrocious date. One for the books! I actually got my first clue that she was not firing on all cylinders when she stayed and went through with the date after an entirely different man arrived who did not match his profile pic. Girl… The date from my nightmares did bring one good thing Sydney’s way—a brand new man who is dreamy, not a jerk (probably), and a doctor. Alright, now Syd is cooking with gas!

I won’t give any more details because the teaser is not only vague, but also not really accurate to what the book is about. I think a lot of Freida fans enjoy the ride, so I get why the teaser is just enough to give a hazy picture of the plot but no more. What I can say is that Sydney is going to be on a bit of a journey in this book, and it’s made interesting by the storyline in the past surrounding Tom. How will it tie together? Could it be that obvious?

No, it can’t be because Freida’s style is to shove a red herring so far down our throats that we nearly choke, only to pull a blindside or two that sometimes make sense and others don’t. But I think that is supposed to be why they are fun, and it’s not totally off base! I’ll just say that in true Freida fashion, you probably will have no idea where it’s going. This is a rare one where I actually guessed many pieces of the ending, but I certainly didn’t put them together in that way. I saw the red herrings a mile away but I didn’t mind it. Freida gave us plenty of suspects, which made it fun. As usual, the characters were lacking but it was made up by a quick-paced, interesting plot (for the most part).

Did you enjoy this one? I’m curious because I avoided reviews until I was done. Please feel free to join me over on the spoilers where I explain the ending of The Boyfriend and where I could see a sequel going if Freida wants to keep this party going. I would be remiss to not mention that the ending totally reminded me of another book (ugh!) but I think it could be coincidence. I won’t say which one here, but I’ll mention is over on the spoiler review.

Until next time!