★★★★★ 5
Addictive as almond M&M's
Format: Paperback
I once read a book that blew the whistle on the abuses in the system that produces young elite figure skaters and gymnasts. One mother said of another mother that she was very likeable, but she'd cut your throat behind your back. That describes a lot of Freida McFadden's heroines (and their besties) to a t.
At least one of the following always occurs in these novels.
1. If someone says, "Eh, I'm sure it's nothing," it's not. If someone believes their husband is too busy working to have an affair, he isn't. If someone suspects a knife is missing from the block, it is.
2. If a child or teen bitterly complains of being a victim of peer conflict, there's a good chance he/she is the instigator. They may even have committed or assisted in a murder in the past.
3. At some point, you will be told point blank that the character you have just spent a good chunk of the book with is the polar opposite. And even if you're familiar with the books, it may come as at least a partial surprise since this doesn't occur in most novels.
4. Everyone in the book has a secret, even if it's just hair dye.
5. There's also what I call the "Cold Case" rule: Don't argue near stairs. Ever. But I digress.
At first, happily married to a great guy Naomi Roth doesn't really protest when her husband Jeremy, after having changed the locks, insists that she go and stay at the apartment he bought for his now-deceased parents. She believes, despite a few stray doubts, that he is telling the truth when he says that it's just renovations and that it will be better this way - and he's even thoughtfully packed for her. However, soon after that, Naomi is told in no uncertain terms that Jeremy wants a divorce, which makes her a pariah with her fellow mothers, except one. Is her husband having an affair, and if so, what secrets does his mistress have? And who the heck committed the murder in the preface (there's almost one in every book, so it isn't much of a spoiler)?
As always, the author makes writing fiction look effortless, which if you've actually sat down to write some, know it usually isn't. Another addictive read.
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Reviewed in the United States on May 27, 2026
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