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The Boyfriend  by Freida McFadden

Thriller

The Boyfriend

by Freida McFadden

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Quick take

After a dating losing streak, she thinks she’s found Mr. Right. But is he a dream come true or a nightmare in disguise?

Good to know

  • Illustrated icon, Psychological

    Psychological

  • Illustrated icon, Multiple_Viewpoints

    Multiple viewpoints

  • Illustrated icon, Nonlinear_Timeline

    Nonlinear timeline

  • Illustrated icon, NYC

    NYC

Synopsis

She’s looking for the perfect man. He’s looking for the perfect victim.

Sydney Shaw, like every single woman in New York, has terrible luck with dating. She’s seen it all: men who lie in their dating profile, men who stick her with the dinner bill, and worst of all, men who can’t shut up about their mothers. But finally, she hits the jackpot.

Her new boyfriend is utterly perfect. He’s charming, handsome, and works as a doctor at a local hospital. Sydney is swept off her feet.

Then the brutal murder of a young woman―the latest in a string of deaths across the coast―confounds police. The primary suspect? A mystery man who dates his victims before he kills them.

Sydney should feel safe. After all, she is dating the guy of her dreams. But she can’t shake her own suspicions that the perfect man may not be as perfect as he seems. Because someone is watching her every move, and if she doesn’t get to the truth, she’ll be the killer’s next victim…

Content warning

This book contains scenes that depict domestic abuse.

Free sample

Get an early look from the first pages of The Boyfriend.

The Boyfriend

Prologue

BEFORE

TOM

I am desperately, painfully, completely, and stupidly in love.

Her name is Daisy. We met when we were four years old. I’ve been in love with the girl since age four—that’s how pathetic I am. I saw her at the playground feeding bits of her sandwich to the hungry squirrels, and all I could think was that I had never met any living creature as beautiful or as kind as Daisy Driscoll. And I was gone.

For a long time, I didn’t tell her how I felt. I couldn’t. It seemed impossible that this angel with golden hair and pale blue eyes and skin like the porcelain of our bathroom sink could ever feel a tenth of what I felt for her, so there was no point in trying.

But lately, that’s changed.

Lately, Daisy has been letting me walk her home from school. If I’m lucky, she lets me hold her hand, and she gives me that secret little smile on her cherry-red lips that makes my knees weak. I’m starting to think she might want me to kiss her.

But I’m scared. I’m scared that if I tried to kiss her, she would slap me across the face. I’m scared that if I told her how I really feel, she would look at me in sympathy and tell me she doesn’t feel the same way. I’m scared she might never let me walk her home again.

But that’s not what I’m most scared of.

What I am most scared of is that if I lean in to kiss Daisy, she will let me do it. I’m scared that she will agree to be my girlfriend. I’m scared that she will allow me into her bedroom when her parents aren’t home so that we can finally be alone together.

And I’m terrified that the moment I get her alone, I will wrap my fingers around her pretty, white neck and squeeze the life out of her.

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Why I love it

I’ve seen many dating success stories over the years. I’ve also heard one too many dating horror stories. Whether we’ve gone through our own personal dating disaster or heard our friends’ wild stories over drinks—I think it’s safe to say that dating is not for the faint of heart. But, Frieda McFadden may have topped all crazy dating fiascos in her latest novel, The Boyfriend.

Anyone currently on the dating scene will probably see a little of themselves in Sydney Shaw, a single woman living in New York, who has had terrible luck with dating. From men lying on their profiles to evident mommy issues coming to light on the first date, she’s been going through it. Her luck seems to be turning, though, when she meets her new boyfriend. He’s handsome, charming, and to top it off, a doctor. By anyone’s standards, he’s perfect. But after a woman is murdered in her building, Sydney begins to see connections between the mysterious murderer and her boyfriend. Maybe she hasn’t found happily ever after all? It’s hard to say for sure, but Sydney quickly learns that if she doesn’t uncover the truth soon, she may just be the murderer’s next victim.

The Boyfriend is Freida McFadden at her best. Easily one of the most propulsive books I’ve read this year—I read this in one sitting simply because I couldn’t wait to discover what would happen next.

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