The Inmate

[4.5] this is how you write a thriller!! this book is by far my favourite one by freida mcfadden that i've read so far. the flashback scenes really reminded me of the 'scream' movies (especially the first one, with some theories i had at some points), but the present day storyline also had me hooked the whole time. the way both male main characters were written was so clever - although i had different theories at different points, they were both so convincing and i had no idea who to believe on multiple occasions. all of the plot twists in this got me, i think my mind will be blown for a long time!!

📚🔪 **Book Review: Another Twisty Ride from Freida!** 😱✨

Ms. Freida did it *again!* This book had me *hooked* from page one — if I didn’t have to work in the morning, I’d have devoured it in one sitting! ☕📖 The suspense was *chef’s kiss* 👌 and I kept flipping between suspects like I was playing Clue in real time. 🕵️‍♀️🔍

BUT (and it’s a sharp but, like a horror-movie jump scare 😅)... our **FMC** made me want to throw my Kindle across the room. 💀 As a nurse *and* a mom, her “gut instincts” were running on low battery — I kept yelling at the pages, *“Girl, no! Don’t go in there!”* 😩🙃

The pacing? 🔥 Fast, engaging, and full of “wait, what just happened?!” moments. The plot show more though... a little wobbly underneath the adrenaline. And while it gave off *major* Scream vibes 🎭🔪 (which I personally love), it did lean a bit *too* close for comfort in some parts.

So after all my internal debating (and yelling at fictional characters), my rating lands at a solid **⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ / 5**.
Fun, twisty, and totally binge able — just be ready to side-eye the main character more than once. 👀😂

🎬 *Perfect for fans of fast-paced thrillers, unreliable narrators, and that classic Freida “wait, WHAT?!” ending.*

quotes:
“I had to do what I did. After all, I would do anything for my mom.”

“Ugly men are good in bed, you know.”

Tropes:

Unreliable narrator
Untrustworthy romance
Confined space
Hidden family secret show less

Brooke Sullivan has a new job as a nurse practitioner at a maximum security prison. One of the inmates, Shane Nelson was Brooke's high school boyfriend and he is in jail because Brooke testified against him.

I've been on a bit of a Freida fest lately due to the books from the library being ready for me altogether and not been able to renew. Having read one after another they are becoming a bit samey. This doesn't stop me from enjoying though I'm just getting like I need a change to a different author.

Like the previous books this one had an interesting but unbelievable plot. The story was fun to read with the usual twists. I did guess about one particular character very early on. The ending was predictable as always and plot was full of show more holes.

I am certainly enjoying the books by Freida Mcfadden but I think I need a break. I will certainly continue to read the other books by the author in the future. show less

Okay I did like this one a bit, I had never been so split in who I was certain of. I will be honest girly pop was pissing me off not listening to A DAMN THING ANYONE TOLD HER EVER. You’d think after one bad thing she would have put her listening ears on. NOPE. That was very infuriating. Anyways the only thing I’m left with at the end is was that really the same necklace?

I can confidently say that I’m a “McFan.” Currently, the Goodreads Community Challenges for this summer include several of her books as qualifying titles. This perfectly aligns with my goal of reading her backlist. The Inmate by Freida McFadden has been on my radar for a while, so I decided to take advantage of this opportunity to read it.

Brooke Sullivan, a newly hired nurse practitioner, is taking a risk by working at the same men’s maximum-security prison where her high school boyfriend is incarcerated for murder. Desperate for this job, she is determined to keep their relationship a secret. However, her former boyfriend has not forgotten that Brooke’s testimony helped convict him and send him to prison for the rest of his show more life.

I was particularly drawn to The Inmate because I’m a retired therapist who worked in a prison. I was immediately impressed by how accurately Freida described the prison environment. While each facility operates slightly differently in terms of policy and practice, the setting she created is realistic. I enjoyed Freida’s style of manipulating my brain and making me repeatedly question the killer’s identity. I think I was as confused and uncertain as Brooke. Freida also included a couple of nice twists that I didn’t predict, especially the ending!

While I thoroughly enjoyed this book, I found myself growing somewhat bored with Brooke’s character. She seemed naïve and gullible to me. I understand that a book wouldn’t exist if she had trusted her instincts and simply avoided returning to her hometown as an adult. However, it was challenging for me to observe a female protagonist with strong and valid concerns yet easily dismiss her own instincts. Despite this, Brooke did prove to be a capable mother and a qualified nurse.

I borrowed the audiobook of The Inmate from my local library using Hoopla. Leslie Howard, as always, delivers an excellent narration of Freida’s books.

I have photos and additional information that I'm unable to include here. It can all be found on my blog, in the link below.
A Book And A Dog show less

Just a twist too far...

Brooke Sullivan gets a job as a nurse practitioner at a prison where her old high school boyfriend is incarcerated. Shane Nelson is there because Brooke testified against him at his murder trial. He had, she swore, attempted to strangle her as well as commit the other crimes. All of this occurred 10 years ago. Brooke comes face to face with Shane again and starts to question whether or not he was actually the killer.

Told in a back then (the night at the farmhouse when the murders happened) and present-day narrative with Brooke working and trying to raise her 10-year-old son while a single mother. Could it be that Brooke got it all wrong about what really happened that night?

This started off well and then rapidly show more veered off into wild and crazy nonsense that just kept coming. There is no way that Brooke could be as dumb as she acted. Her lack of judgement and common sense are so blatantly obvious that the reader wants to shake her out of it. And scoff that anyone wants to be in any sort of relationship with her. And the hits keep on coming with one insane twist after another until a story that seemed totally predictable turns with a climax that changes everything. Oh, guess away, but until that moment with the big reveal, I thought I had figured it all out. In any event, Brooke was a complete twit and I begrudge her a happy ending. And just when you think, ok, so that's that -- there's the epilogue. Nope. No.

I can't really recommend this. The writing is more tell than show and lots of repetition with fickle Brooke having no clue about the motives of those around her. I had both the audio version and the book to flip between. The narrator was OK and didn't get on my last nerve as she performed the various voices. It was a quick listen/read. I've read other books by this author that I have enjoyed a lot more so I will read future titles.

Thank you to the publisher for the advance editions. show less

After reading her Housemaid series, I purchased Freida McFadden's earlier books and am now reading my way through them! Brooke Sullivan is a nurse practitioner newly hired at a maximum-security prison. Not her first choice but the only job available in her hometown. The only problem, and it's a big one is the fact that her high school sweetheart, Shane Nelson is serving a life sentence for a series of murders. And, it was Brooke's testimony that put him there. Once again, fasten your seat belt, it's a another wild ride!!! Over the top? Definitely! Convoluted? Yes! But, I enjoyed it! Next up, and my last unread book of Freida McFadden is The Teacher!