Reviews tagging 'Ableism'

The Coworker by Freida McFadden

37 reviews

fiercereadsfiction's review against another edition

dark mysterious sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying

Moderate: Infidelity and Suicide

Minor: Ableism and Suicidal thoughts

annetteskye's review against another edition

dark medium-paced

• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

1.0

This book is very ableist. One character is autistic-coded and constantly called crazy - her questionable life choices mixed with her love for turtles and sensory sensitivities with no distinction between what makes her “crazy”. As an autistic person, this book was very disappointing. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism

luna_98's review against another edition

challenging dark funny mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

the narrator was great and really pulled me in. the twists did surprise me and i felt invested in the story. 
that being said, it was more on the mediocre side of freida books!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood

Moderate: Suicide, Suicide attempt, and Murder

Minor: Ableism

k8lynn's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

this may have to be my new favorite by Freida. i loved how you couldn't tell which narrator was the more reliable one. as per usual, she kept me guessing the whole time!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Body horror, Bullying, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Infertility, Mental illness, Self harm, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Grief, Suicide attempt, Murder, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, and Injury/Injury detail

bookfulthoughts's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

Intriguing and full of twists ✨

“After all, there’s nothing that binds two people like a shared secret.”

I was in a terrible reading slump, and this book got me out of it. I enjoyed how easy it was to get into, and the writing style, twist, and different personalities hooked me. I wasn't sure what to expect because I went in blind, but I wanted to get more into thrillers, and this did not disappoint. 

The plot was well-developed, and the twists weren't predictable! I enjoyed that each character was layered, and pieces were revealed as the story progressed. I was constantly jotting down different theories and explanations to see if I could solve the mystery before it got revealed. I have to admit that I was shocked a few times! This book had me thinking, gasping, and buzzed with excitement to reach the end. 

Overall, this was a solid read. I'd recommend this book, especially to people getting into thrillers☺️! Side note unexpectedly I did learn a lot about 🐢🤣.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Body shaming, Bullying, Death, Emotional abuse, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Grief, Suicide attempt, Murder, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Cursing, Infertility, Infidelity, Mental illness, Sexual content, Grief, and Stalking

dkamada's review against another edition

dark inspiring mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

Chilling! Fast paced and lots of twists

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Ableism, Bullying, Child death, Death, Infidelity, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Terminal illness, Blood, Grief, Murder, and Toxic friendship

Minor: Chronic illness

amberboo61997's review against another edition

adventurous dark funny mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

If you like turtles, the book is already 30% geared towards you. 
I neither loved nor hated The Coworker by Freida McFadden. The book is fast-paced, mysterious, and keeps you on your toes as each twist throws you for a loop. However, like some McFadden books I've read in the past, she definitely knows how to write a despicable and unlikable main character. Especially a main character like Natalie, who really embodies the "dumb blonde" trope in a sense as she bumbles through her own lies and bad personality traits once the heat starts being put on her. However, I can't even fault Natalie for the majority of the book since other characters featured in the book have their own flaws and nastiness within them. 
The Coworker overall is a tale about the effects of bullying in both schools and the workplace and how it can have a detrimental effect on anyone involved. Does it get this point across? Yes. But the readers might be in for a shock when the aftermath doesn't give them a sense of "justice" nor does anyone deal with the consequences of their actions. Instead, it feels rather lukewarm. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Suicide attempt, and Murder

Moderate: Ableism, Body shaming, Infidelity, and Mental illness

Minor: Blood

I'm also going to say this. Everyone in this book needs serious help and their priorities are so low it's in Hell. Like how are you smart and you've been plotting a revenge plot against a person for nearly a decade and yet there are so many flaws and holes in your plot that it's honestly embarrassing? Dawn's obsession with Mia turned their relationship into one that was akin to sisterhood, to one that felt more alike to a "scorned lover" plot. Which would've probably been a better plot than trying to convince us that these two were just high school best buddies. And then lets add on the turtle talk like that's going to make her character any better. Also, how are you going to be going on and on and on about how Mia deserves justice and Natalie deserves to rot and yet the ending is you two having a mutual agreement. What happened to all that gusto? I guess murdering only one of the bullies was enough for Dawn. Which we never come back to by the way. Let's just mention it and shrug it off. Also, Natalie is just...there's not much else I can say on her in terms of bad personality and bad decisions. Much to our displeasure, she'll probably keep winning in life due to her luck and good looks, but it would've been nice to see her actually lose. I feel like Natalie just got slapped on the wrist and because of that, it made the ending very unsatisfactory for me.

bechlette47's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Frieda McFadden is an amazing mystery/thriller writer. I enjoyed the plot twists! 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Ableism, Bullying, Gaslighting, and Toxic friendship

saraellenme's review against another edition

dark mysterious sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Suicide, and Murder

Moderate: Ableism, Death, and Blood

vinjii's review against another edition

mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

1.75

Eh. Suspension of disbelief is tough with this one, and I guessed the reveals far too early (although, not the why.) That's the second McFadden book I didn't enjoy, maybe it's time to call it quits. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Ableism and Bullying

Minor: Suicidal thoughts