Reviews tagging 'Emotional abuse'

The Inmate by Freida McFadden

21 reviews

filipa_maia's review against another edition

dark mysterious sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

This was my first Freida McFadden book. Her books are so hyped now that I wanted to see for myself what was all the fuss about.

I really enjoyed the story. Fast, compelling, mysterious and dark - just my type of book. Although, at some points, I felt like the story was going nowhere, I think that overall, and by the end, everything went that way it was supposed to. And that ending? My God, I was not expecting that! Nice!

I will definitely read her other books now. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gaslighting, Emotional abuse, Murder, Violence, Death, Abandonment, Toxic friendship, Police brutality, Death of parent, Medical content, Confinement, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Grief, Car accident, and Bullying

Minor: Gun violence, Abortion, and Kidnapping

yvo_about_books's review against another edition

dark emotional tense fast-paced

4.0

Finished reading: February 22nd 2024

"Sometimes people do exactly what you think they’re going to do, and they still manage to disappoint you."

*** A copy of this book was kindly provided to me by Netgalley and Poisoned Pen Press in exchange for an honest review. Thank you! ***

I'm aware that Freida McFadden is a very popular psychological thriller author, but somehow I had never actually picked up one of her books before. It seemed like a sign that just when I promised to myself to change this in 2024, an ARC of previously published The Inmate popped up on Netgalley. Of course I couldn't resist this opportunity, and especially since I always love a good thriller with a prison angle... And I definitely understand why so many people seem to enjoy her books now!

The Inmate uses a dual timeline structure, where we switch between the present and eleven years earlier when the murders happened. As often with dual timeline structures, I did prefer one over the other, as the flashbacks just had a bit too much teenage drama for me. That said, once Brooke and the rest are at the farmhouse, things get intense enough to keep your attention. The present timeline is mainly your typical psychological thriller with a main character with unreliable narrator vibes... The last especially once she starts questioning her own memories. It was this present timeline that kept me on my toes, as I was fully invested in discovering the whole truth about both past and present events.

This story is definitely more character driven, and the main characters are all flawed. I had mixed feelings about Brooke, who could behave in an incredibly stupid way in parts... But I can't deny that the manipulation, gaslighting and building up of doubt and confusion are really well done. This is one of those stories that makes you think you have everything figured out, only to drop a plot twist bomb on you that makes you question everything... Not every twist is completely credible, but it does make for a very engaging story. And that ending! I definitely didn't see that last chapter coming, and it was a great way to end things on a high note.

I'm keeping this review short to avoid possible spoilers, because The Inmate will have so much more impact if you go in blind. While this story is mainly a character driven psychological thriller, there are also plenty of moments of tension and things can get pretty graphic especially in the flashbacks. I enjoyed the prison scenes, and I loved how this book made me doubt everything I thought was a given fact. Recommended if you enjoy the genre! I will definitely be diving into Freida McFadden's backlist ASAP. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Child death, Toxic relationship, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Emotional abuse, Stalking, Medical content, Pregnancy, Toxic friendship, Police brutality, Confinement, Kidnapping, Car accident, Grief, Bullying, Gun violence, Death of parent, Death, Gaslighting, and Violence

avidreaderandgeekgirl's review

dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

    Brooke moves back to her hometown with her son after her parents die. She gets a job at the prison where her ex-boyfriend/son's father is incarcerated after she accuses him of a massacre the night of her son's conception. But did he do it? Or was it the boy next door she's now falling in love with?
    This was a good thriller. I was bouncing back and forth between who could have done it. It was one of the guys, but I wasn't 100% sure who it was.
     And the final twist with the son was interesting, though I'd figured out something was up with that little hint someone dropped.
   The characters however weren't very likable for the most part, which made it a bit harder to enjoy.

Narrator Rating: 3.25 stars
   The narrator was decent but pronounced some words oddly. Her voice was harder to tune out which was good. She just didn't make the book come alive as much as I would have liked.

Elemental Levels:  Fluff-NA   Heartfelt-4/5   Helpful-NA     Horror-1/5    Inspiration-NA  Love aka Romance-2/5   Mystery-4/5    Predictability-2/5   Spice-0.5/5    Suspense-3/5   Tear- 2/5  Thrill-4.5/5 Humor-0.5/5 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Death, Emotional abuse, Blood, Murder, Gaslighting, Medical content, Grief, Panic attacks/disorders, Injury/Injury detail, Confinement, Gun violence, Bullying, and Alcohol

Moderate: Toxic friendship, Infidelity, Child death, Classism, Mental illness, Death of parent, Toxic relationship, Stalking, Physical abuse, Kidnapping, Police brutality, Gore, and Cursing

Minor: Ableism, Pregnancy, Sexual content, Car accident, Fatphobia, Abandonment, Body shaming, and Abortion

mlf3711's review against another edition

mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

The cheesy rom com of thriller books

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Medical content, Emotional abuse, and Murder

Minor: Bullying, Car accident, and Death of parent

alex_bousquet's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

This was my first Frieda McFadden book and I could not put it down!! The twist at the end was beyond unbelievable. I love books where you think you have it all figured out then BAM huge moment and it changes everything. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Blood, and Murder

syd11's review against another edition

fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic relationship, Emotional abuse, Murder, Gun violence, Confinement, Medical content, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail

aas's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Gaslighting, Grief, Kidnapping, Murder, Emotional abuse, Death, Medical content, Pregnancy, Toxic relationship, Blood, Confinement, Death of parent, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Domestic abuse, Mental illness, Car accident, Stalking, and Violence

iamabriannaa's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

I LOVED THIS BOOK SO MUCH. 

Just when I thought I had figured out the book and what actually happened, here comes Freida McFadden with ANOTHER twist. There was like 3 twists at the end. Such a wild ride, and I loved every minute of it. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Emotional abuse, Car accident, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Death, Stalking, Kidnapping, and Gun violence

ky001113's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Gaslighting, Murder, Physical abuse, Violence, Gore, Death, Death of parent, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Medical trauma, Stalking, Car accident, Gun violence, Medical content, Blood, Toxic relationship, and Emotional abuse

Minor: Abortion, Pregnancy, Bullying, Kidnapping, and Sexual content

sam019's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Wow such a good book! 

This is my first book of this genre and I really enjoyed it. I just wished there was more romance and hated that the limited romantic scenes were FTB but that's just my personal preference so I still adored this book. 

I was hooked from the first chapter! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Death of parent, Murder, Blood, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, and Gun violence