A review by minimicropup
The Boyfriend by Freida McFadden

dark funny lighthearted mysterious fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

I liked this! It was suspenseful, I didn’t see the twist, but even for the predictable parts I was interested in how things would turn out. 
 
Energy: Entertaining. Shady. Energetic. 
 
🐕 Howls: The twist was good, but I didn’t love how that situation turned out (seemed like a convenient set up for a sequel and it had a romanticizing tone the rest of the story didn’t have). 
 
🐩 Tail Wags: The main character was dumb, but it didn’t feel contrived and her short-comings were woven into the plot in a believable way. How the characters had distinct personalities. Natural humour and dialogue. Show-not-tell writing style (and easily readable). The suspense from the dual timeline. Mix of predictable and unexpected twists. 
 
Scene: 🇺🇸 Manhattan NYC and a tiny town in upstate NY, USA
Perspectives(2): The Before perspective follows a quiet, well behaved high school student struggling with a difficult home life while navigating attention from their crush. The After perspective follows a 34 year old whose dating history is filled with let’s-not-meet, when a handsome, mysterious stranger rescues them from another date-gone-very-wrong situation.  
Timeline: August to December (2010s or 2020s). 1990s.  
🔥 Fuel: Will Tom be able to control his impulses? What happened in his past and how has that turned out for him? Was he able to change or is he dangerous? Will Sydney clue in to some red flags? Can she trust her new boyfriend?  
📖 Cred: Suspended disbelief
 
Mood Reading Match-Up:
First date rescue call. Google. Knife. Chinese food. Tiny apartment. Restaurants. Nose bleed. 
  • Tagging along, peering over shoulders, characters speaking to us
  • Then and Now timelines that eventually connect
  • Knowing more than the main character (usually)
  • Casual, breezy writing style and short chapters
  • Mix of morally grey, sympathetic (maybe), troubled, and foolish characters
  • Coming of age first love, high school crush
  • Conflicted can-she-trust-him romantic interest
  • Let’s not meet dating fails and red flags
  • Dramedy elements
  • Lovers to enemies
  • Monsters among us popcorn thriller
  • Psychological romantic suspense
  • Serial killers and soulmates
 
Content Heads-Up: Blood. Body shaming (weight). Domestic abuse (violence, emotional, verbal, physical). Homicidal tendencies, intrusive thoughts. Loss of best friend. Misogyny. Murder (multilation, discovery of body). Nicotine (cigarettes). Pandemic, lockdowns (very brief mention). Sexual assault (verbal, physical advances). Sexual harassment (stalking, not taking no for an answer). 
 
Rep: American. Cis. Hetero. Pale, freckled skin tones. Von Willebrand disease. 
 
📚 Format: Kindle Unlimited
 
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