Book Review: The Teacher by Freida McFadden

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Frieda McFadden has officially mastered the art of keeping me up past my bedtime, and A Teacher is no exception. This one dives into the dark, messy world of student–teacher relationships—but with McFadden’s signature twisty flair that makes you keep turning the pages even when you’re side-eyeing the characters.

The story follows Addy, a high school student, and her teacher, Nate—who is, to put it mildly, one of the worst decision-makers I’ve encountered in fiction recently. The narrative is fast, addictive, and tense, and I found myself constantly asking, “How much worse can this get?” Spoiler: it gets worse.

What I enjoyed: McFadden doesn’t hold back on the drama. It’s compulsively readable, and her pacing makes it ridiculously easy to fly through. The unreliable narration kept me hooked, and the morally gray chaos was exactly what I expected going in.

What didn’t fully land: some of the character choices felt over-the-top, almost to the point of unbelievable. While I don’t expect characters in thrillers to be perfectly rational, a few moments had me muttering, “Really? That’s the plan?” I also wanted a bit more depth in places—it leaned hard into shock factor but sometimes at the expense of nuance.

Still, this is classic McFadden: a messy, bingeable thriller that you’ll inhale in one or two sittings. It’s not quite on the level of The Housemaid for me, but it definitely scratched the “just one more chapter” itch.

Which McFadden book do I need to pick up next?

Book Review: The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides

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This book had me questioning everyone, including myself, and honestly? I respect that level of psychological chaos.

The Silent Patient is one of those thrillers that sneaks up on you. On the surface, it’s about Alicia Berenson, a famous painter who shoots her husband and then… stops speaking. At all. Ever. Enter Theo, a psychotherapist who is way too invested in “fixing” her. And from there, things spiral into obsession, art, trauma, and enough red flags to start a parade.

What I loved: It’s eerie without ever being over the top, and the mystery around Alicia’s silence keeps you hooked. The clinical setting and art references add this extra layer of intrigue that makes the story feel unique compared to your standard domestic thriller.

And yes, let’s talk about that twist. If you know, you know. It’s one of those endings where you have to sit there, blinking at the page, trying to figure out how you missed all the little breadcrumbs along the way. It’s clever, it’s shocking, and it’s absolutely why this book blew up the way it did.

Why not a full 5 bookmarks? For me, the middle dragged just a tiny bit, and Theo’s perspective can get a little heavy-handed at times. Still, it didn’t take away from the overall experience—it just meant I wasn’t completely feral the whole way through.

Bottom line: The Silent Patient is a sharp, unsettling psychological thriller with an ending that will stick in your brain long after you finish. If you like unreliable narrators, mind games, and that “I need to talk to someone about this immediately” kind of book, this one’s for you.