Freida McFadden is one of my favorite authors. I usually like her books. But this tenth one was an exception. I was enjoying the plot and the alternating POV’s until…the twist. Until then, I had the characters straight and could keep track.

Post-twist, I was so confused. The story became unnecessarily complicated and convoluted. ( )

This book man! This freaking book! If you like a thriller that keeps you on the edge of your seat and constantly has you saying WTF?! This is the book for you, just when you think you have it figured out… BOOM! You didn’t know anything at all. ( )

This book man! This freaking book! If you like a thriller that keeps you on the edge of your seat and constantly has you saying WTF?! This is the book for you, just when you think you have it figured out… BOOM! You didn’t know anything at all. ( )

This book man! This freaking book! If you like a thriller that keeps you on the edge of your seat and constantly has you saying WTF?! This is the book for you, just when you think you have it figured out… BOOM! You didn’t know anything at all. ( )

Wow, what an absolute joy this book was to read! THE EX by Freida McFadden is a fascinating tale of obsession, revenge and lies.

Told in alternating chapters between the ex and the new girlfriend, and even though the plot is not an original one by any means as it has been tried and tested many times before, I was, nevertheless, absolutely enthralled by this novel from the very first page, which I attribute to Freida McFadden’s superb writing.

The ex, Francesca Mascolo, is Italian and is expecting to marry her adorable boyfriend, Dr Joel Broder, who works as an Emergency Room physician at the local hospital. They have been together many, many years and have travelled and worked abroad together, until one night he dumps her in a crowded restaurant, saying that their relationship didn’t work for him any more. Francesca repeatedly begs him to reconsider - she is very much in love and can’t afford to pay the rent for their flat on her own earnings.

Cassie Donovan is the new girl, twenty-six-years-old and runs a small, used book-store called Bookland, that she inherited from her grandparents Grandma Bea & Grandpa Marv, when she was twenty-two. Her best friend, Zoe Malloy is also her business partner and they were room-mates at college. Cassie offered her a share in Bookland for some help with running Bookland. Cassie is the accountant and Zoe, who has a degree in Communication, manages the sales. Bookland is in a bit of financial trouble and the girls haven’t yet managed to drag it out of the financial hole it was in when Cassie took over. Zoe is gorgeous with bobbed jet black hair, red lipstick and black nails and glowing personality. She’s chatty, everyone’s friend, and kind to the homeless.

Cassie’s not interested in dating, she’s too busy trying to keep Bookland afloat. And all of her most recent dating endeavours have been bitterly disappointing.

Joel is in his mid-thirties and is very much a “Hot Doctor.” He has vivid blue eyes, a lovely smile, an attractive laugh, and lovely biceps. Joel and Cassie first meet in Bookland and Joel is so sexy that Cassie starts to waver about not dating. He is as attracted to Cassie as she is to him.

I loved that Joel is a bit of a romantic and that there is a connection between the two of them straight-away. One of the best bits of the book is following how their romance develops, however, everyone has a past and some people are keeping secrets and hiding their emotions …

I really liked Freida McFadden’s character development and her straightforward writing style. She managed to create exactly the right amount of suspense to keep the story interesting so that I felt that I needed to read just one more chapter.

Freida McFadden writes with great flair, which helped to make this novel as wonderful as it is. This book will be extremely enjoyable for anyone who loves a good psychological thriller. Overall, THE EX is a highly recommended, incredibly entertaining story with a surprising and fulfilling ending.

{Thank you to Hidden Gems and Freida McFadden for the free copy of this novel and for giving me the opportunity to provide an honest review.} ( )