Audiobook Review: The Intruder by Freida McFadden
The Intruder
Author: Freida McFadden
Narrators:
Patricia Santomasso
Tina Wolstencroft
Jo Hempel
Published: October 7, 2025
Audiobook: 8 hours 19 minutes
Reviewed By: Jessica
Dates Listened To: October 15-19, 2025
Jessica’s Rating: 3 stars
Book Description:
Who knows what the storm will blow in…
Casey’s cabin in the wilderness is not built for a hurricane. Her roof shakes, the lights flicker, and the tree outside her front door sways ominously in the wind. But she’s a lot more worried about the girl she discovers lurking outside her kitchen window.
She’s young. She’s alone. And she’s covered in blood.
The girl won’t explain where she came from or loosen her grip on the knife in her right hand. And when Casey makes a disturbing discovery in the middle of the night, things take a turn for the worse.
The girl has a dark secret. One she’ll kill to keep. And if Casey gets too close to the truth, she may not live to see the morning.
Jessica’s Review:
Freida, it really is time to take a break! Her last couple of books have just been average for me. I know she has her legion on superfans who finish her books the day it is released and must have her next book now even though the release is still months away. And they have ‘read all her books and don’t know what to do now’.
The Intruder is a darker novel that deals with child abuse and extreme hoarding. It also has an extreme YA feel, but that is because we are dealing with the past childhood of Casey and Ella is a teenager. Yes it will have that YA feel, which McFadden had to have taken from her teenage daughter.
The premise was intriguing for me but the delivery and ‘big twist’ just didn’t work. McFadden’s next book comes out the end of January 2026 and I am just thinking that it won’t be what I want it to be. I will listen to it at some point, but won’t be in a hurry for it.
Again, Freida: Take a much-needed break! Your legion of superfans will still be there, hungry for more.
Audiobook Review: The Surrogate Mother by Freida McFadden
The Surrogate Mother
Author: Freida McFadden
Narrator: Alyson Krawchuk
Published: October 10, 2018; **Being re-published August 19, 2025**
Audiobook: 7 hours 46 minutes
Reviewed By: Jessica
Dates Listened To: August 14-16, 2025
Jessica’s Rating: 4 stars
Book Description:
Abby wants a baby more than anything.
But after years of failed infertility treatments and adoptions that have fallen through, it seems like motherhood is not in her future. That is, until her personal assistant Monica makes a generous offer that will make all of Abby’s dreams come true.
Or all of her nightmares.
Because it turns out Monica isn’t who she says she is. The woman now carrying Abby’s child has dark, twisted secrets.
And she will stop at nothing to get what she wants.
Jessica’s Review:
This is another audiobook I got through in just a few days! But Freida McFadden will do that to you: Once you start you really can’t stop! I am slowly going though her backlog of self-published novels which are being edited again and republished by her new publisher. I listened to the older version before the re-release.
Surrogacy is used a lot in thrillers, and I would recommend for anyone with pregnancy related issues/fears or someone going through IVF/adoption/surrogacy, be advised to skip this one, as it could be triggering.
Alyson Krawchuk is the narrator and she did a great job with her narration. She is another narrator I look for with audiobooks!
The Surrogate Mother is a bit farfetched, but was a fun read for me. I enjoy guessing what will happen with McFadden’s novels knowing that I will be wrong, and I was yet again with this one! Maybe one day I will figure one of her novels out… Or maybe not!
Purchase Links:
**The re-release is tomorrow, August 19, 2025**
Amazon US
Amazon UK
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Audiobook Review: The Tenant by Freida McFadden
The Tenant
Author: Freida McFadden
Narrators:
Will Damron
Christine Lakin
Published: May 6, 2025
Audiobook: 8 hours 50 minutes
Reviewed By: Jessica
Dates Read: July 28- August 1, 2025
Jessica’s Rating: 4 stars
Book Description:
There’s no place like home…
Blake Porter is riding high, until he’s not. Fired abruptly from his job as a VP of marketing and unable to make the mortgage payments on the new brownstone that he shares with his fiancee, he’s desperate to make ends meet.
Enter Whitney. Beautiful, charming, down-to-earth, and looking for a room to rent. She’s exactly what Blake’s looking for. Or is she?
Because something isn’t quite right. The neighbors start treating Blake differently. The smell of decay permeates his home, no matter how hard he scrubs. Strange noises jar him awake in the middle of the night. And soon Blake fears someone knows his darkest secrets…
Danger lives right at home, and by the time Blake realizes it, it’ll be far too late. The trap is already set.
Jessica’s Review:
The Tenant is Freida McFadden’s newest novel and I enjoyed it. McFadden always seems to have a few things that stick out in her novels and this time I counted four: Limonene (which I had never heard of until this novel), fruit flies (ewww!), Snickerdoodles (nom nom), and Goldy the fish! (Small spoiler alert for the animal lovers: Goldy does not make it to the end of the novel. END SMALL SPOILER).
The three main characters of Blake, Krista, and Whitney were not likeable at all. And I kept thinking “Do we have an unreliable narrator in Blake?” My favorite character was Goldy. We have short chapters as always and two narrators, along with twists throughout the novel. This time the twists weren’t shocking or big for me. I got to the final twist and thought, “Yeah, I can see that”.
It’s not my favorite McFadden novel, but definitely not my least favorite. I need to read more of her backlog of novels she has written. (The Surrogate Mother is on my list of her to listen to next).
We had two narrators in The Tenant and they both did a very good job! Their voices fit the personality of the characters.
I enjoy McFadden’s novels, but hope she isn’t becoming burnt out. She has devoted fans that just seemingly demand more from her and “don’t know what they are going to do!” until her next novel comes out because they have read all of her novels. McFadden is also very active in her Facebook group which I am in. Please Freida, take a break if you really need it!
Purchase Links:
Amazon US
Amazon UK