The Bookish Ashley

⭐️⭐️⭐️☆☆ – Twisty and readable, but not McFadden’s strongest

The Tenant by Freida McFadden delivers the fast-paced suspense fans have come to expect, but this time around, the payoff doesn’t quite match the setup.

The premise is a strong one: Blake Porter, a recently fired marketing exec, is desperate to keep up appearances—and the mortgage on his lavish brownstone—when he rents out a room to Whitney, a seemingly perfect stranger. But things spiral quickly into psychological thriller territory, complete with a rotting smell, paranoid neighbors, and creeping dread that someone knows exactly what Blake is hiding.

McFadden does a good job setting an eerie, claustrophobic tone, and the story moves at a brisk clip. Whitney is an enigmatic presence, and the unraveling of Blake’s life has enough sharp turns to keep the pages turning. However, the twists start to feel a little over-the-top and underdeveloped as the book goes on. By the time the final reveal arrives, it’s less of a satisfying “aha!” and more of a “wait, what?”

There are moments of sharp commentary on privilege, deceit, and the masks we wear, but they get lost in the melodrama of the third act. Blake himself is not the easiest protagonist to root for, which may be the point—but it also makes emotional investment difficult.

Overall, The Tenant is a popcorn thriller: entertaining in the moment, but it doesn’t linger long after the last page. A solid mid-tier entry from McFadden, best for readers who love a quick, twisty read and aren’t too concerned with tight logic or character depth.