Freida McFadden has made a name for herself within the thriller community, releasing fast-paced novels that always have a signature twist at the end. The Crash is one of her most recent novels, and it does not deviate from her normal formula. While I’ve enjoyed books from Freida before (The Teacher made me gasp out loud), this one missed the mark for me.
This novel follows Tegan, a young woman who is 8-months pregnant. She is on road a trip to visit her brother at his ski resort when she crashes her car on the side of the road in a snowstorm. A kind stranger comes and picks her up and lets her stay at his house with him and his wife, but there may be something more sinister to the couple than meets the eye…
What I Liked
One thing that Freida McFadden never fails at is to produce a fast-paced, easy-to-read thriller. The Crash was no exception. The plot moved along great and I never felt like it was moving too fast or slow. It also wasn’t a difficult book to read/listen to. I feel like Freida’s books are great options when you just want to turn your brain off and be entertained.
I guessed half of the twist at the end, but there was still a reveal that surprised me. Honestly, I do appreciate a book that always keeps me guessing. This book did not disappoint in that area.
What I Didn't Like
My biggest issue with this novel was how stupid Tegan was. Is that harsh? Maybe. But I swear I’ve never seen someone be so OBLIVOUS. She had zero ability to read people. Polly’s actions were so incredibly suspicious throughout the entire book, yet Tegan insisted on continuing to mistrust Hank. I just wanted to scream at her to get her head out of backside! Truly, all three main characters in this novel were so unlikeable.
My other issue was the baby talk. Little Tuna needed to hush! You know that meme that goes, “I want to sit back and relax and enjoy my evening, when all of a sudden, I hear this agitating, grating voice…”
That’s exactly what Little Tuna was to me. I listened to the audiobook, which made it 10x worse! I never thought I’d be actively rooting against a fetus, but here we are. There was no reason for there to be that much baby talk in the book.
Final Thoughts
The Crash is your typical Freida McFadden book. I wouldn’t go into this novel expecting anything new or groundbreaking. If you just want something to read that is going to entertain you without requiring a lot of brain power, this might not be a bad choice. Just don’t expect there to be more than one braincell between all of the characters.
Have you read the book? What did you think about it? Let me know in the comments below!
