The Crash

I loved this one! I love this author, but I love her protagonists' random and neurotic thoughts-chatter, in particular.

I tittered at Tegan’s worries that the person malingering on her front stoop was there to mug her, that the baby she is carrying is or isn't moving, that the silent giant of a man with the long unkempt beard whom she has hailed down after crashing her car in a rural wilderness during a blizzard will instead kidnap her and keep her prisoner in his basement, that he is beating his wife, that they are trying to poison her, (you get it...there is a long list of fears that every neurotic screwball like me can relate to).

In fact, some of her neurotic chatter is grounded, but most of it is mistaken and she fails to see the show more real threats lurking in the background. The character of Pamela would be a hoot, if there wasn't some mental health issue attached. Pamela's inability to have a baby (having lost one) has driven her over the edge and has caused to her to do some crazy things to compensate. P's random and neurotic thoughts-chatter was nearly as hilarious as Tegan’s - in a dark sort of way.

Despite two "baddies", I loved the rest of the characters - warts and all!

Tegan is eight months pregnant and penniless after what she thought was a drunken, one-night stand. She remembers nothing of that night, but finding herself pregnant, decides she wants to keep the baby and raise it on her own. She works in a supermarket at minimum wage and has had to temporarily abandon her dreams of becoming a nurse as she is completely destitute and has no family other than her loving brother who has protected her and looked after her since their father died (what a "surprising" literary development).

One day Tegan sees a photo in a news article and recognizes the father of her baby. She contacts him and after taking a paternity test discovers that this once charming man is less than happy about the fact that the news could ruin his perfect family life and reputation. She must sign an NDA and he will provide a generous settlement. Although she could remember nothing at all of that fateful night, until she meets the creep, Simon, for the first time since, at the signing of the Agreement. His cologne suddenly produces a rush of memories….

That is all you get...if you want the twists, suspense, mystery and chase you will have to read on your own.

The crash is available on KU - but sadly without the audio, which is very good. The audio version is instantly available on Hoopla! if your library subscribes. show less

This was a fun popcorn thriller, but also kind of dark, and sad at times. I've heard others say that it's different from Freida McFadden's usual books, but since I've only read THE HOUSEMAID, I can't comment on that. I think THE CRASH is more a "how will she survive this awful predicament?" suspense novel versus a twisty thriller, though there are a couple of surprises. I enjoyed it! Fast paced with lots of tension.

Tegan Werner is an unmarried, pregnant 23-year-old living a hardscrabble existence as a grocery clerk when this story begins. She is in regular contact with an attorney representing the baby's father, who is willing to pay a large sum of money to have his identity concealed following their one-night encounter. Tegan refuses the money when she remembers the events of that night and her drugged condition. She seeks the solace of her one contact, her ski instructor brother, and sets out on a 2-hour drive to his home. She is driving an old car with lots of mileage when a snowstorm turns into a blinding blizzard. She becomes lost, runs off the deserted road and crashes her car into a tree. She is terrified that she will freeze to death with show more a broken ankle until help arrives in the form of a very large man in a pick-up truck.

This is when her nightmare begins. There are elements of Stephen King's Misery when she feels trapped in the basement of a remote house. Nothing and no one are what they seem. This is my first book by McFadden and was an entertaining novel of suspense. show less

An addictive and contrived story. The author kept me interested and I read the book in two days. I kept reading because I wanted to find out how she concluded the story. Interesting, but unbelievable, ending. Not a deep read at all.
Kirkus: Aremembered horror plunges a pregnant woman into a waking nightmare.

Tegan Werner, 23, barely recalls her one-night stand with married real estate developer Simon Lamar; she only learns Simon’s name after seeing him on the local news five months later. Simon wants nothing to do with the resulting child Tegan now carries and tells his lawyer to negotiate a nondisclosure agreement. A destitute Tegan is all too happy to trade her silence for cash—until a whiff of Simon’s cologne triggers a memory of show more him drugging and raping her. Distraught and eight months pregnant, Tegan flees her Lewiston, Maine, apartment and drives north in a blizzard, intending to seek comfort and counsel from her older brother, Dennis; instead, she gets lost and crashes, badly injuring her ankle. Tegan is terrified when hulking stranger Hank Thompson stops and extricates her from the wreck, and becomes even more so when he takes her to his cabin rather than the hospital, citing hazardous road conditions. Her anxiety eases somewhat upon meeting Hank’s wife, Polly—a former nurse who settles Tegan in a basement hospital room originally built for Polly’s now-deceased mother. Polly vows to call 911 as soon as the phones and power return, but when that doesn’t happen, Tegan becomes convinced that Hank is forcing Polly to hold her prisoner. Tegan doesn’t know the half of it. McFadden unspools her twisty tale via a first-person-present narration that alternates between Tegan and Polly, grounding character while elevating tension. Coincidence and frustratingly foolish assumptions fuel the plot, but readers able to suspend disbelief are in for a wild ride. A purposefully ambiguous, forward-flashing prologue hints at future homicide, establishing stakes from the jump.

Soapy, suspenseful fun! show less

In "The Crash," by Freida McFadden, twenty-three-year-old Tegan Werner is in dire straits. She is single, eight months pregnant, has a low-paying job, and lives in a rundown apartment. There is a chance that she could come into a substantial amount of money that would give her and her future child a chance at a decent life. However, for the time being, she decides to visit her brother, who is a ski instructor. Tegan starts driving to her destination, is caught in a snowstorm, and loses control of her car. What happens to her next is the stuff of nightmares.

The heroine, whose left ankle is likely shattered, ends up in the home of Hank, an auto mechanic, and his wife Polly, a former nurse. Even after the storm clears and the roads become show more passable, the couple ignores Tegan's pleas to transport her to the nearest hospital. She is in agonizing pain, tries in vain to reason with this bizarre pair, and even makes a feeble attempt to fight back physically. She fears that it will take a miracle to survive this ordeal.

Although it is not in the least bit realistic, "The Crash" is a tense and suspenseful novel about a vulnerable woman who senses that time is running out for her and her baby. The backstory of Hank and Polly is poignant and heartbreaking, and there is an additional subplot about a neighboring little girl, Sadie, who is abused by her drunken lout of a father. This is not a feel-good book, but it moves along at a breakneck pace, and we become invested in Tegan's fate. The ending has a predictable twist, but it does not detract from the intensity and impact of this engrossing psychological thriller. show less

Freida McFadden, known for her psychological thrillers, has written another captivating novel, The Crash. The story follows Tegan, an eight-month pregnant woman whose life takes a sudden turn when her plans for her and her baby fall apart. Facing uncertainty, Tegan decides to stay with her brother while she devises a plan B. However, her efforts to delay her road trip departure lead her to work another shift at the grocery store. Unbeknownst to her, she drives into a blizzard, resulting in an inoperable car and a broken ankle. In a desperate attempt to survive, Tegan is rescued by a couple who take her in until the roads are cleared and the power is restored. Initially, Tegan is hopeful that this cabin in the woods will provide her with show more the safe haven she had envisioned. However, her skepticism grows as she becomes increasingly wary of the couple and harbors concerns about the health of her unborn baby.

The Crash exceeded my expectations. As the story unfolded, it became increasingly suspenseful. I particularly enjoy Freida’s writing style, which allows the reader to experience the story from each character’s perspective. It’s fascinating to learn directly from a character what they’re going through and how they interpret the actions of others. However, their interpretations are often inaccurate and influence their decision-making process. The book is filled with twists and unexpected turns. The ending was perfect—very sweet and tender. It wasn’t what I’ve come to expect from Freida, so I thoroughly enjoyed this unexpected twist to her creativity.

While reading, I couldn’t help but feel a sense of Misery, which might be because my Stephen King book club had recently read Misery for their April meeting. The story begins in Lewiston, Maine, a place that King frequently uses in novels. I’ve spent some time in Lewiston and always get a nostalgic feeling whenever it’s mentioned in a book.

I borrowed the audiobook of The Crash from my local library using the Libby app. Leslie Howard’s narration was an excellent choice for this particular cast of characters.

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

Trying to think of a way I can give this any kind of spin, but I can’t. It was terrible.

Let me count the ways:
1. Calling the baby little Tuna and the number of times she used her baby voice. That seems a crime against literature.
2. Hideous characters - all of them. And yes, our main character was the worst of them all despite the fact that Polly was actually mentally ill. Majorly delusional and stupid. The neighbors.
3. Completely unrealistic basement scenes with 8 month pregnant Tegan with her post crash injuries and the repetition of the injuries.
4. How convenient to have a Jackson.
5. Predictable denouement and unsurprising climax.
6. The conclusion. Just no.

I have said it before but this time I really mean it. No more McFadden. I show more like a good thriller with some surprises and twists that fit the situation and make sense. I like clever writing and dangling clues. Chilling suspense. I don’t like crazy over the top scenarios and dramas with unlikeable characters. I hate a fairy tale ending. I see all these glowing and gushing reviews for her books and I just don’t get it. It was a waste of a couple of hours. Definitely not for me.

I listened to the audiobook while following along in the e-book ARC. I didn’t really care for the narrator’s voice and the way she spoke the different characters. But, honestly, it may have been more that the lines were so bad that I maybe shouldn’t blame her. show less