Frieda McFadden rarely misses for me, The Teacher continues that trend and is a thriller that I truly love.

Eve and Nate are married and are both teachers at the same high school. A troubled student Addie is in both of their classes. The year before Addie was part of a scandal that saw a well-respected teacher forced to resign. Eve is very suspicious of Addie but Nate becomes protective of her and tries to bring her out of her shell and get her involved with the school's poetry magazine.

Throughout the story, you learn a lot about the trio and everything keeps getting more interesting and even more crazy. All the way up to the conclusion that was a little far-fetched and convenient but still really worked.

My only complaint is I would have loved to learn a little more about the scandal with Addie but in such a fast-paced book I can understand why we didn’t. I just love the characters and the worlds that McFadden builds and want to get as much as I can.

The reigning queen of popcorn thrillers does it again! Although I didn’t enjoy this one as much as some of her other books, it was still a solid three-star read for me. I think my main issue with this story was how uncomfortable the content made me while reading it. Trigger warnings for inappropriate relations with and grooming of minors. The first half of the book was a bit slow, and it was heavily focused on these themes in a way that I really didn’t like. It just gave me the ick and I didn’t enjoy reading about it. I also never really liked or connected with the two POV characters. I found them both to be insufferable at times. In typical McFadden fashion, it has a wild, twisty ending, if a little far-fetched. Overall, it was just an okay read for me. She has definitely written better ones. If you’re new to the author, I’d recommend starting with something else. If you’re an avid reader of McFadden’s books, then I’d say it’s still worth a read, but I wouldn’t expect a favorite out of it.

Oof, this audiobook packs some punches and definitely caught me out at the end with those final twists! This story provides an insight into the disturbing marriage of a pair of high school teachers. Their unhappiness is not clarified to begin with, but we soon discover the root of their troubles. The narrative point of view also encompasses that of troubled teen Addie. Rumours of an affair with a teacher after the death of her dad, had the teacher removed from his job and have left her ostracised at school and from her best friend, who is the only other soul who knows what really happened last year. Disturbing secrets abound in this novel and fester until they all come spilling out. A great listen. #theteacher #freidamcfadden #netgalley #audiobook

Oh, this was my first McFadden book. I'm not sure about her... It was a great story full of twists, until the very, very end. As a former educator, it was a bit disturbing to read parts of it, but that's what's the story is all about, right? I can't wait for others to read it and discuss!

2.5 I rounded up

I am only giving this book 2.5 stars because of the epilogue, sorry about it 🤷🏼‍♀️

The writing: Freida did well in this book bc I think her writing sounds like a 16 year old girl… again, sorry abt it. I will say she did a fantastic job between the three POVs, I loved it

The plot: 95% of this book was so unbearable for me but the last 5% WOW WOW WOW. Unbearable in the sense that i was cringing and it was predictable, this doesn’t necessarily mean bad. But I did think it was SO predictable. The only part that truly surprised me was the Jay plot twist.

The epilogue, I can’t say enough for it. This was phenomenal.. really the last 40 mins of the book (if you’re listening.. if reading, about 87% on) was iconic.

👠 I’m sorry but the shoe fetish thing.. so effing weird and dumb I hated it more than anything

The characters: hated them all. I guess in a good way… Freida does a good job of making every character kind of morally grey ya know???? Just didn’t want happiness for anyone. I’m glad it all worked out for the girls tho

Thanks Freida, NetGalley, and poisoned pen press for an advance copy in exchange for my way too honest review Lmao 📚📚📚🫶🏼

Below : copying my notes that I took live while listening .. enjoy 😂

📝 “The teacher - FM
Omg how many times can she say they only have sex 1x a month jesus

Her writing is so good for a highschool girl bc that’s how she always writes 💀

The shoes/high heel fetish is too much

When they have sex and she thinks “if only mrs Bennett wasn’t around, it would be easier” or whatever, I think she’s abt to kill that bih

The poem from the cop!! Nate totally set her up

Loved when he was at the burial site and and gets whacked

eve after waking up in the grave how fun I loved this scene 🥰

LOVED the twist that eve was his student and the same poem thing

The BABY - jays BABY wow”

Check TW, teacher and student trope, with murder mystery.

W H O A ! W H O A ! PAUSE! Freida McFadden, BIG FREIDA. You did your big one with this one, I enjoyed the housemaid series ; but I LOVE this book because, honestly, this is a realistic story, and Freida did a great job telling it. The audiobook painted the story amazingly. The narrator did a good job, I finished this book in one sitting!
We have 3 different POVs. Eve is the local math teacher at the high school. Addie is a 16 year old student at the high school. Then Nate, (insert cuss word), who is the English teacher at the same local high school. The twist and turn this book takes is mind-blowing. I didn't see the ending coming. The ending is MIND BLOWING!

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC! I love Freida McFadden! The subject matter on this one was a little rough compared to her other books but it was still a major page turner. I did guess a few of the twists but there were still a few surprises at the end.

Freida McFadden books never fail to disappoint in being quick fast paced thrillers. The Teacher immediately draws you in with how wild and over the top it is. Some parts were honestly a bit cringey, and made me want to roll my eyes at how absurd everything was, but ultimately something about the way Freida writes her thrillers just keeps me wanting to come back for more.

Although this was a quick and fact paced read, the first half was rather slow moving in my opinion with a lot of setup. Things really picked up around the second half though and then I absolutely devoured it. This story was absolutely bonkers and I loved every minute of it. I read this via audiobook and the narrators did a fantastic job ensuring the suspense of the story was captured.

Thank you so much to NetGalley, Dreamscape Select, Hollywood Upstairs Press, and the author Freida McFadden for this audiobook ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Freida McFadden books always immediately draw me in and are such quick reads/listens. I had the audio and enjoyed the narration.

We meet Eve and Nate who both teach high school. Addie, a student of both, was involved in a scandal last year that ended with another male teacher losing his job. Despite it appearing Eve and Nate have a great marriage, we learn that is not the case. Eve is cheating on him with a guy at the local shoe store. And she has a major show addiction, that she hides from Nate, or so she thinks. Nate is no faithful husband either. Will he be tempted by a student?

This book is filled with secrets, lies, twists and turns. Just when you think you know what's up, there's another twist thrown at you. And the final twist I was not expecting at all.

Filled with a bunch of unlikeable characters and POVs that keep you on the edge of your seat.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Dreamscape Select/Hollywood Upstairs Press for an ALC in exchange for my honest review.

3.5 stars rounding down to 3 stars on Goodreads.

Get the popcorn ready because this is THE POPCORN Thriller of all popcorn thriller! I could not look away. Parts of it were cringy but I just had to find out what happened. I will say it lost me in the epilogue (unbelievable) and it dropped down my rating. The epilogue is a gaping plot hole!! Yes it was a normal McTwist that had my head spinning but it just doesn’t work if you think about it.

The narrators did a spectacular job and created an enjoyable atmosphere.

Since I was entertained the whole way through, with the exception of the epilogue, I ended up giving it 3.5 stars.

****Many thanks to Dreamscape Select and NetGalley for the ALC in turn for an honest review.

I love Freida McFadden's books because the suspense and excitement is always top notch, but this is probably my favorite McFadden book. This story starts off as a subtly and beautiful story that reminds me more of a contemporary drama about abuse and grooming. Meanwhile, it also is was subtle and slowly building levels of suspense that you don't even see coming. But once I hit the second half of this book, it became extremely fast-paced and pulse-pounding. I was on the edge of my seat for every moment as the twists and turns came unexpectedly. Even though the setup for suspense was a little slower than McFadden's other books, the suspense hit so much harder for me. I do think that McFadden could have handled some of the sensitive matters a little better.

Wow! Although the topic of teacher/student relationships tend to ick me out. I think this was a very quick read(listen) and I did NOT see the ending coming. I did think it was a little too far fetched that Eve would have escaped death 3 times. Freida Mcfaddne really got me with the ending that Jay was in fact Hudson.

The audio experience was a delight, with narrators skillfully bringing the story to life. Their expressive delivery added depth to the narrative, creating an immersive journey. Unexpected plot twists, though occasionally challenging to grasp, contributed to the overall intrigue.

The narrators' ability to convey emotions and the unpredictable storyline kept me engaged throughout. However, there were instances where the narrative took unexpected turns that required a moment to fully absorb. Despite these occasional complexities, the overall experience was captivating, thanks to the engaging narration and the suspenseful plot.

In the realm of storytelling, surprises can be both intriguing and challenging. While the narrative occasionally introduced elements that demanded careful consideration, the skillful narration ensured a memorable and engaging audio experience.

Freida McFadden is such a solid author. Every book of hers I've read has been completely engaging, with complicated, interesting characters and really fun twists and turns. The Teacher is another fantastic psychological thriller that I could not stop listening to! It was such a fun read, and put an interesting spin on teacher/student relationships. I was truly riveted throughout this book, and was totally shook by the ending, while wishing it could keep going! LOVED it!

Freida Mcfadden proves by this book that she’s simply the queen of psychological thriller. Absolutely unputdownable!
Gripping unexpected plot that kept me on the edge wondering & amazing narration.

Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for the ARC.

Eve and her husband Nate are both teachers at Caseham High School. Eve teaches Math and Nate teaches English. They both have Addie in their classes, a student who was involved in a scandal the previous year that rocked Caseham High. This year their paths all collide in many ways.

Freida McFadden has done it again! I always know I am in for a wild ride when I pick up one of her books. This one did not disappoint. McFadden has written another addictive, shocking, book full of twists. Definitely clear your schedule for this one because once you start it you won’t be able to put it down. Leslie Howard did an excellent job narrating the characters of Eve and Addie. It was easy to tell which character was talking when. I also enjoyed Danny Montooth’s narration of Nate. I highly recommend this book to anyone that enjoys thrillers! Please check trigger warnings before reading. I give it 4.5/5 stars.

Every time I read a book by Freida McFadden I get to escape from life for a few hours. There is always a lot going on that wraps up nicely at the end. I thought I had figured out the twists, but not all of them.

This story was wonderfully messy, reminiscent of best Freida McFadden chaos. I was initially wary of the mean girl vibes, but it all clicked in the end. And the Edgar Allan Poe tie-in – pure perfection.! The ending was classic Freida McFadden bringing everything full circle in an unexpected way. Easily ranks in my Top 3 FM books alongside Never Lie and The Housemaid. While some may find the relationship dynamics challenging, it was a definite win for me! A male POV was also a refreshing change!

2.5⭐
Genre ~ psychological thriller
Setting ~ Massachusetts
Publication date ~ February 6, 2024
Est page Count ~ 402 (p+ 80 chapters +e)
Audio length ~ 9 hours 35 minutes
Narrators ~ Leslie Howard, Danny Montooth
POV ~ dual 1st, present tense
Featuring ~ 3 part story, bullying, stalking, infidelity, manipulation, grooming, shoe fanaticness

*There is plenty of high praise for this one, so my review will have little effect on the overall rating for this super popular author. I'm here to be honest with my thoughts, so here is goes with possible spoilers*

That's quite a gripping prologue!

30 year old Eve is a Math teacher married to 38 year old Nate, the English teacher.
16 year old Addie is in both of their classes. One teacher can't stand her and the other likes her a little too much. Can you guess which is which?

Might I have liked this one a bit more if I wasn't a mother to a 16 year old girl right now? It's not like I have anything to worry about, and I know things like this probably really do happen more often than we know, but this is very inappropriate behavior. Although it still would not have been ethical, making the teenager 18 would have been slightly better. Out of curiosity I looked up the age of consent and in 31 states it's 16 in case you were wondering.

Regarding the bullying ~ I can see why Addie felt like she had to take it and couldn't stand up for herself. It's tough being a teenage girl and add in rumors from a scandal the previous year and it's even harder. So when someone shows a little interest in you it's easy to fall under their spell. I can also see why Kenzie was dishing it out because she was hurting too. If I wasn't already disgusted by how old Addie was it's way worse when we find out Kenzie's age. The manipulation and grooming is really sickening.

Look there is no doubt this author knows how to give us a shocking twist, but this one is very much 'what's good for the goose is good for gander' and I just couldn't believe it. There's a crazy plot hole at the end with the car rides, too, but I won't give anything away with that.

So, I'll just chill over here in outlier land, which is perfectly fine because I enjoy hanging out with my delightful self. Anyway, if I do read this author again I am going to make absolutely sure every character is over 18, maybe even 21 for good measure. I mean I don't even want a couple with a baby just in case.

Narration notes:
Leslie did an outstanding job for both female characters. She gave them both a voice and Addie sounded properly aged. Her emotions were on point. Danny doesn't have as many chapters, but he did a fine job too.

Freida McFadden is the queen of twists and turns. Just when you think you have it figured out, wham! She hits you with another one. I've read every single novel by this author, and this one takes the cake. My favourite one yet!

I listened to the audiobook version of this novel, and it was so well done. The narrators did a fantastic job bringing the story to life! I didn't want it to end. Thank you so much to the author for continuing to write such interesting psychological thrillers!