Happy Happy TUESDAY, everyone!
You guys, we arrived home late last night from our Spring Break trip to St. Thomas and are back in action today with “all the things”.
I am going to do a lot of laundry, shake the sand out of my suitcases, tackle my inbox and order my groceries. Lots more on St. Thomas to come but in the meantime, I have our MARCH BOOK CLUB right here! Anyone else so excited that it’s Book Club Day?! I love it when we chat books 🙂 .
Now, if you’re about to be “returning from a trip” too, make sure you check out my 9 KEYS TO RETURNING FROM A TRIP for my easy tips, tricks and ideas to make reentry easier for you and your family.
Here we go…
Okay, just to recap before we begin…
Here are the books we discussed in 2024 along with my own personal “star ratings”…
The Last Love Note by Emma Grey 4 STARS
The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon 5 STARS
The Heiress by Rachel Hawkins 3 STARS
The Many Lives of Mama Love by Lara Love Hardin 3 STARS
Darling Girls by Sally Hepworth 4 STARS
The Paris Novel by Ruth Reichl 2 STARS
Swan Song by Elin Hilderbrand 3 STARS
Husbands & Lovers by Beatriz Williams 3 STARS
By Any Other Name by Jodi Picoult 4 STARS
Madwoman by Chelsea Bieker 4 STARS
Tell Me Everything by Elizabeth Strout 2 STARS
And so far in 2025, we’ve discussed:
In January: The Secret Book of Flora Lea by Patti Callahan Henry 5 STARS
In February: Brooke Shields is Not Allowed to Get Old by Brooke Shields 2 STARS
If you want to check out any of these Book Club posts, they are all HERE!
Before we get to today’s book, let’s revisit the “rules” of Shay’s Book Club:
Here are the details:
1: On the 22nd of each month (or in today’s case, the 25th!), I will share a BONUS blog post that is only about the book we read together that month. So, if it falls on a weekend, look for it that day, if it falls on a Tuesday, expect a food post, a normal lifestyle post AND third post just for the book review discussion.
2: I picked the 22nd because I want this post to come out BEFORE our normal monthly BOOK REVIEW POSTS. I will still share my normal monthly book reviews (where I average 4 to 6 books a month) at the end of each month. I will reference said “book of the month”, but I will not be reviewing it on that post, I will be linking back to the BOOK CLUB POST. Why? Because I want all of the content about the one specific book club book in one spot instead of spread out over multiple spots.
3: Each month at the end of the Book Club blog post, I will share what the book will be for the following month. This will give everyone one month to read this one particular book.
4: Let’s be real, I’m going to try to pick new/popular/relevant books every month, but I’m also going to pick books that speak to me. If you have any suggestions, please feel free to share them with me. I’m going to *try* and make the books different genres each month. I would love for us to read a variety of fiction, non-fiction, memoirs, chick lit, thrillers, etc this year. That’s the *goal*.
5: What are the rules of the book club? I know a lot of book clubs have rules and perhaps I’ll add some as we go, but basically, if you want to read along with us, we’d love to have you and on the 22nd we’ll dive a little deeper in the comment section here about that one particular book. Easy as that! That post is the one place where we’ll discuss the book so that all thoughts/opinions/questions/etc can be in one location.
6: In this blog post and in the comment section, WE WILL BE DISCUSSING SPOILERS. If you are interested in reading this book, you might not want to read below this line. In MARCH’S BOOK REVIEW later this month, I will give a quick recap and let you know if I recommend the book or not, so if you haven’t read it, you might want to wait until that official BOOK REVIEW because there will be no spoilers and based on that, you can decide whether or not to read the book. Anything below this though will include spoilers as everyone commenting here has already read the book.
Make sense?
Here we go!
This month’s novel was…
……The Crash by Freida McFadden.
Okay, I liked this book but didn’t love it…and I ran through alllllllll the emotions as I read it.
About 40% of the way through, I almost quit it because Polly holding Tegan hostage made me really uncomfortable. I know it’s fiction, and I assumed she would get released at some point, but I just really, really didn’t enjoy reading that part. It felt very “Misery” to me. About 70% of the way through the book, I had given it TWO STARS in my head, but by the time I got 100% of the way through, I bumped it to THREE.
Thoughts:
-I just never really felt like any of the storylines got flushed out. I feel like the storyline between Tegan and Simon could have been expanded on. And the storyline between Tegan and her brother. And Polly and her actions before she was fired as a nurse. And Polly and Mitch. I don’t know…I felt like every story line went about 70% of the way, and I needed them to go 100%.
-I thought it was super bizarre that her brother was trying to kill her (or if we believe him in the epilogue, only hurt her). That didn’t really add up to me. I needed to know more backstory than just “he wanted the business deal to go through and he was mad about his own car accident”. It seemed very extreme to me. (And pretty farfetched.)
-I understand that Tegan is grateful that in the end Polly saved her life, but I also think Polly needs some realllllllly good therapy and perhaps does need to go to jail because she held a pregnant injured woman hostage and then was going to kill her while she was in the hospital. I felt for Polly, but I think the author had her go a bit too far on the criminal side for me to be 100% compassionate towards her. Perhaps if she didn’t head to the hospital with the intention of killing Tegan, I would have been more sympathetic.
-I was happy at the end that Jackson ended up being a good guy and that they ended up happy together.
Overall, this book was really just okay. I didn’t hate it, I didn’t love it…I am curious if this reads like the other McFadden novels? There were times when I thought the writing seemed a little simplistic. Am I the only one? If you’ve read her other books, I’d love your opinion on this one versus other ones.
Okay, coming up next…
…One Good Thing by Georgia Hunter.
This one sounds really good, y’all! I hope we love it!
Please head to the comment section to share your thoughts on today’s Book Club pick today! I am very anxious to hear what you thought about it.
Happy happy Tuesday! I’ll see you all back here tomorrow! xx
JoAnn Campbell says
I agree with everything you said! It was definitely suspenseful and yes very bothersome and almost creepy with the way she was held hostage. I did read it in 2 days because I needed to see what happened, so it did hold my attention for sure! I definitely didn’t see it coming that her brother was part of it. I thought Jackson was, so that was definitely a twist. I have read one other Freida book (I won’t say which one so I don’t spoil anything) but I felt the ending was the same as this one where the “killer” got away with it and wasn’t held responsible for what he/she did! From what I’ve read so far from her, she likes the “bad person” to get away with what they’ve done and have the happy ending.
Elspeth Mizner says
I still have the crash on my to be read list! Thanks for the review! Welcome back!
http://www.elspethsdaybyday.com
Kristen Thompson says
I’ve been excited to hear your and others thoughts on this one! I’d personally give it 4 stars. It kept me intrigued and wanting to find out what was going to happen. I think o read it in two days because I wanted to know how it was going to end! There were definitely parts that freaked me out and I agree Polly needs some serious help. I thought it was an interesting lesson on perspective and initial thoughts on people: Tegan thought that Mitch was the “bad guy”, Polly thought that Tegan would be a bad mom, the reader would think her brother was a great guy who took care of Tegan after their parents passed. I really liked this one!
Brandi says
I found it very repetitive. The characters just kept saying the same words over and over, instead of developing the story line and telling us new information! I liked it, but didn’t love it.
Susan Jeffries says
Our book club read The Crash in February and I gave it 4 stars. I typically enjoy Freida’s books. They are simple to read, don’t involve a lot of thought, and include a plot twist most of the time. They aren’t the riveting books of the year for me, but I do typically enjoy them. I just finished The Good Dream and rally enjoyed that one. I will be reading along with you in April!
Sarah Nienhuis says
Completely agree with you! The twist with her brother didn’t jive at all because we didn’t even know her brother. I love love love a good twist and this was maybe the worst one I’ve ever read. I also didn’t like that her pet name for the baby was Tuna, but I also listened to this book so maybe it was hearing “Tuna” over and over instead of reading it that bothered me lol. Overall it was fine, but there are so many better ones out there!! Want the best twist ever? Read “Behind Her Eyes”!!!!
Mix and Match Mama says
You know what? I didn’t love Tuna for the nickname either.
Paula Hobbs says
I agree with Sarah, the brother thing was farfetched and I couldn’t get behind that baby nickname at all. It was a little creepy, but it did hold my attention so I rate it between 3-4. Can’t wait for the vacay recaps. Hope everyone has an amazing week!
~B~ says
I did NOT like Tuna for the nickname!
Allison says
Ughhh. TUNA. Hated it.
2 stars for me. I honestly just thought it was dumb. I wouldn’t tell anyone to read it.
Katie Compton says
Oh the Tuna nickname kept getting to me too! I read it, no audio, and I just kept trying picturing Charlie Tuna the StarKist mascot. LOL!
Kimberly Gray says
This book. It got me all over the place. Primarily the hostage thing and the concern for the baby (blame my momma heart) combined with one action after another by persons that had a lot to unpack just made me feel icky not suspenseful or entertained. 2 stars.
Jolie Harper says
I thought the brother trying to hurt her was a little far off also, and hated the baby being called Tuna. I have read a few of her books and enjoyed them. This one wasn’t my favorite.
Sheaffer says
I’m just sitting here waiting “patiently” for the trip recaps.
Jessica says
Me too!!! We need the details!!
Brittany Swain says
I usually like her books, but this one fell flat for me. I agree that it was all pretty extreme and seemed less believable because of it. I think her writing in tone can be pretty simplistic, but I usually love her stories and can’t put them down. This one was probably my least favorite that I have read by her. It kept my attention the whole time, but at the end, I felt unsatisfied!
Katie Compton says
I agree with all of your review! I’ve read a few of McFadden books and they always leave me feeling “meh”. They are fun while I’m reading them, they go quick, usually a good twist… but not books I tell all my friends to read. They pass the time, if that makes sense. This one wasn’t my favorite, for all the reasons you listed. The Housemaid was my favorite of her books… but I didn’t love the follow up books in that series.
Laci says
I just finished The Boyfriend by Freida and it was GOOD! I could not put it down and had it finished in two days!
Sarah Shaneyfelt says
I can’t wait to read your St. Thomas trip recap! The IG videos looked dreamy!
MeetTheShaneyfelts
A says
I have read pretty much all of Frieda McFadden’s books. Let me just say, if you are looking for something with substance, these are not your books. My friend and I call her books psycho chick lit. Bc they are psychological thrillers, the “chicks” are always pyscho, and they are light and fluffy reads like chick lit. I don’t usually rate her books very highly because they aren’t very high quality, but they are an easy, fun read. That being said, The Crash was not even close to being my favorite of hers. I found the main character to be way too stupid (for lack of a better word) for my taste. None of the characters were believable or likeable, really. I still enjoyed reading it, though!
Kristen says
Not book related, I can’t believe what happened to your brother!! Glad he is ok. Saw some footage on inside edition on tv the other night and what a terrifying experience!
Chrys says
It’s funny that you mention that the writing seemed “simplistic” because that is my number 1 complain about her books. I have friends that are big fans of her books. And I have read several to give her a chance, but I feel like I am reading something written by a child. I hate to say that because in no way am I bougie with my authors lol, but I just do not vibe with her writing style. I was on the fence as to whether I should give this one a chance, so thank you for your review!
Jenny Curtis says
Don’t read the housemaid series by her because they’ll be too creepy for you, but please give one more book by her a chance. Read The Teacher. It’s really good! A little suspenseful but not gory or creepy. Her books always have a twist at the end and I did not see this one coming in that book.
Jami says
I’ve read several of her books and this one definitely wasn’t my favorite. I had a few issues.. the biggest being she did not need to drive into a snowstorm. She had a place to stay, she could have left the next morning, she didn’t need to work a double shift. Then the issue with not taking off her boot, She says she wants to be a nurse? It all just felt clunky to me. I read The Boyfriend back in January and enjoyed it much better, while it had its faults I felt the female lead made better decisions.
Heather Ptashnik says
I agree with this soo much, I felt like it seemed far fetched and the whole boot thing… Teagan came across very gullible and naive, which bothered me!
K.K. says
I like suspense, but this wasn’t my favorite!
Can’t wait to hear more about your trip, Shay.
Sue Jones says
I just finished reading The Secret Book of Flora Lee. Wow! I enjoyed this book so much! Definitely five stars for me!
Mix and Match Mama says
AMAZING, right?!
Michelle H. says
I give this book 4 stars. This was my first Freida McFadden book I’ve read and it won’t be my last. I finished the book within 2 days. It kept my interest, it was fast paced, and was an easy read. Suspenseful!
Ashley says
Loved reading this review, Shay! I haven’t read this book but have read several by McFadden. I love her, but I have definitely felt that uneasy feeling more than once reading her books. The Housemaid series is my favorite but goodness, I cringed so many times!
Hope you have a fantastic rest of your week and can’t wait to see a post about St. Thomas!
Make Life Marvelous
Jessica says
I couldn’t get into it and ended up giving up by the 4th chapter. I really tired, but Frieda McFadden just doesn’t do it for me.
And naming the baby Tuna, noo, just nooo
Charise says
I gave this book ONE star. I felt it was very farfetched and that none of the storylines really wrapped up at all. I will say though this was my first Frieda McFadden book and I spent the few days after reading this consuming the entire Housemaid series. I REALLY enjoyed the writing in those books, but felt that her writing in The Crash was not even on the same level.
Kristy says
I agree completely with your review. I read it quickly because it made me neevous and wanted it to make sense. It never did make sense to me because it seemed so far fetched. It did make me think about how I interpret what others are thinking and feeling and I may not always be right.
Betsy says
Agree! Her other books are wonderful, but this one was very boring and hard to get in to.
Kate says
I agree. I usually like her. Her books are def more simple but entertaining and I usually love the plot twists. The Housemaid and The Inmate are two of my favs
Kara says
I wanted to love her books but they are just ok to me.. not great, not terrible. Very simple and not a lot of content. I was hoping this one would be better. It was just ok and I agree with everything you said! Tuna-weird.
Jen C says
I would give this 2.5 stars – I agree with your thoughts about not developing the characters, but it did hold my interest because I wanted to to see what happens at the end. I pushed through all the mentions of Tuna, and Tegan being in pain. So many things left me thinking “huh”? Like Tegan being so afraid of Hank for no real reason except that he’s tall and strong, when Tegan was completely quiet when her brother was in the house, Hank letting Polly do whatever she wanted given her history, Polly having no problems getting in the hospital, Sadie witnessing her dad getting murdered by her neighbor and she’s just fine with it. The whole book left me feeling “meh” about all the characters and the story.
Carol says
I came very close to actually hating this book. I gave it a generous two stars! I also listened to it, and I was not crazy about the reader.
Mix and Match Mama says
I laughed out loud at this comment because it resonated with me so much.
Margaret says
Haha I did not like the baby being called tuna either!
I have read of ton of her books and they are not masterpieces but what is great about them all is the following: easy to read from page one, can read them in two days because you want to find out what happens and always twists and turns.
They are a perfect books to bring on a plane ride – they will keep your attention. Glad you had a fun spring break. We loved St Thomas/ St. John’s years ago when we took our kids there for spring break. Now the last of our four is a senior in college. I miss those days!
Christina says
I would give it 3 stars. I didn’t always love it, but I finished it in 2 days because I wanted to know how it ended. I agree, a lot of things didn’t make sense. I did not see the brother trying to hurt/kill her coming. I thought Jackson was a good guy despite his initial reaction to her
Looking forward to the next book! I loved We Were the Lucky Ones and liked how the author told the story. The Hulu series was also good.
Kay says
I 100% agree with every single thing you said about this book! I have read almost all of Freida’s books, and I actually liked this one the least. So if you are ever in the mood for another page turner/suspense book, try the Housemaid series or even ‘The Boyfriend.’ They are really good! Her writing at times is definitely simplistic. But she always delivers a great plot twist and makes her novels hard to put down. This was a fun read! Although I did share your discomfort about her keeping Teagan for so long. And I kept thinking to myself, is this not Misery????
Paige says
I ageee with everything you said. The misery of it all!! Ooohhh….April’s read looks so good!!
WhittyWife (Lindsay) says
This certainly wasn’t my favorite, but I loved her Housemaid series!
With that said, DO NOT read The Teacher by Freida. It’s disgusting and seems to glorify child sexual abuse. Spoiler alert: everyone was a pedophile. Disgusting. That book made me wary of the author, ever though I loved the Housemaid books.
Tami says
I have to confess that I read the endings to every book I read before I read it!! It helps me relax through the whole book and I enjoy it more. I barely share that because I know people will think I’m crazy or weird. This book was a perfect example of me knowing what was eventually going to happen.
Renee Williams says
Tami… I literally do the same thing. It drives people crazy to know that about me. They think it ruins the story but I need to know before I can relax into the story… hahaha.
Maddie says
I really liked it! After reading yours and everyone else’s thoughts, I do agree that it was a little repetitive and some of the storylines needed more detail while others needed way less! I read it super quick, and I think I just liked that it’s a thriller.
Erika Slaughter says
YAY!! Glad you’re back! I like Frieda books. They’re always quick, easy reads, usually good twists and are relatively short so a lot happens in a few pages, kind of thing. But I haven’t read this one. Sounds like I’ll skip it!
Deb says
I skipped this one because I had just read a scathing review of it. The plot seemed triggering so I didn’t bother! I’m hoping this one is good!
Marla says
Oh Shay I don’t even think I can can give this 2 stars. It was way too far fetched which made it unbelievable and not scary/suspenseful to me. Plus, the twist with her brother just felt very sad and was probably the strongest emotion I felt through the entire book….I spent way too much time shaking my head at the extreme , and again unbelievable, circumstances. Just a very forgettable book for me.
I have read the Housemaid series with the first one being my favorite Freda book. I don’t know if that’s because it was the first one I read because the more I read the more mundane and simplistic her writing seemed. I agree the books are fast and easy reads and sometimes that’s just what we want and need. Obviously she’s not my favorite author, but I do like reading that other people totally enjoy her which just emphasizes how wonderful it is that we all have our own tastes and preferences.
Looking forward to next month’s book and hearing all about your spring break!
~B~ says
Well Shay, you nailed it. You basically wrote what I would say word for word. It reminded me so much of Misery and though I knew that the hostage situation would somehow be resolved, it was almost too suspenseful for me regarding that. I too would have much preferred the ending if Polly hadn’t came there with the intention of killing her. And the brother being the bad guy…just fell a bit flat as I needed more backstory. Though I guess that made for a good twist/surprise. But still. I listened on Audible and unfortunately hearing “Tuna” over and over got to me…probably because it’s at the top of my least favorite food list. 😑 Thanks for sharing your review!
Yolanda McLean says
I would give this 3 stars. It was so far fetched and the Tuna thing was so disturbing. It did keep me drawn in though and that is the only reason this isn’t 2 stars. I kept saying to myself and to my husband, this would never happen. So dumb in so many places.
Sarah says
I gave it 2 stars because I finished it to see how it ended, which wasn’t very satisfying. I’ve read her other books and they seem a little derivative of better ones, but I always get sucked into the plot with the short chapters. After the first book I read of hers, googled to see if she maybe wrote her books in a different language that was translated to English because of her sentence flow. I think simplistic is a good way to describe the writing style!
Caroline says
While I do enjoy Freida McFadden a lot of these comments and your thoughts on this book are true. Some of her books are better than this but for me, so don’t write (ha – pun intended) her off yet!