Book Review: "The Crash" by Freida McFadden
Genre: Thriller/Psychological Suspense
Pages: 336
Synopsis: Eight months pregnant and desperate for a fresh start, Tegan sets out through a dangerous snowstorm with nowhere else to turn. But when a crash leaves her stranded, she is taken in by a seemingly kind couple living in a remote farmhouse.
At first, Hank and Polly seem like exactly the help Tegan needs. But as the storm traps her inside their home and unsettling details begin to surface, Tegan realizes safety may not look the way she hoped. With her baby’s arrival getting closer, she has to figure out who she can trust before it’s too late.
Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
My Review:
Spoiler Alert!
This review contains spoilers for The Crash. If you haven’t read it yet and want to experience the twists for yourself, you might want to hold off on reading further!
I was especially excited for The Crash because I’ve been wanting to read a Freida McFadden thriller for ages. Her name carries a ton of hype, and I kept seeing her books pop up in my recommendation lists. So, with all the buzz around McFadden’s work, I went into The Crash expecting a mind-blowing, “unputdownable” experience.
Let’s get one thing straight: I could not put this book down. The pacing was solid, and McFadden kept me engaged the whole time. The short chapters, shifting perspectives, and mounting suspense had me racing to the end.
That said, did the twists completely shock me? Not really.
I wasn’t surprised that Liam (Teagan’s brother) was involved. From the moment she had to drive to him in a storm, while pregnant, I had a bad feeling. My family would never let me travel in a storm while pregnant. That whole setup felt shady from the jump.
I did expect Simon Lamar’s assistant, Jackson, to be in on the mess. I was fully convinced that all three of them were working together, so I was shocked when he wasn’t.
I wasn’t surprised that Hank killed the drunk neighbor, but it also wasn’t something I saw coming beforehand. It was more of an oh, okay moment rather than a jaw-dropping one.
I knew that Polly was eventually going to adopt Sadie. The setup was there, and it just seemed inevitable.
What did make the book stand out was the way it flipped a common thriller trope. Usually it’s the husband being shady, unhinged, and doing all kinds of off-the-wall things while his wife makes excuses for him. This time, it was the wife, Polly, who was out here doing the most and her husband was the one supporting her every move. That role reversal made things feel fresh and unsettling in the best way.
I’ll admit, I don’t usually love books with heavy inner monologue, but in The Crash, it worked. Instead of just dumping backstory, the characters’ internal thoughts gave insight into how they saw each other in the moment, which made the story feel more personal.
At first, when we were in Teagan’s perspective, I genuinely thought Polly was being held against her will. Then, when we switched to Polly’s POV, I had that ohhh, wait a minute moment realizing we were about to see the same events unfold through her eyes. The contrast between what Teagan thought was happening and what Polly actually felt made the story more intriguing. They both had biases, and those different perspectives added layers to the book that kept me engaged.
Even though The Crash didn’t completely blow me away, I still had fun reading it, and I can see why Freida McFadden has such a loyal following. I’m definitely open to reading another one of her books. I just need to figure out which one!
