The Coworker by Freida McFadden

 

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🐢 Book Review (FULL SPOILERS!): The Coworker by Freida McFadden

⭐️ 4.5 out of 5 stars | Genre: Psychological Thriller / Office Revenge / Corporate Chaos
🚨 SPOILER WARNING: If you don’t want the twists ruined (and oh boy, there are a lot), stop reading here!

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🏢 The Coworker — When Office Drama Goes FULL PSYCHO

Let me just say: this is my second favorite Freida McFadden book so far (after The Teacher). The Coworker is like if The Office had a baby with Gone Girl — a dark, twisty, wild ride where the HR violations are the least of anyone’s worries.

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📌 The Plot (All the Juicy Spoilers!)

🐢 Dawn Schiff: Turtle-Lover, Accountant, Revenge Mastermind

Dawn is that coworker you barely notice… until she goes missing and the cops are knocking on your door. She’s quirky (read: obsessed with turtles), socially awkward, and very into emailing her best friend, Mia Hodge.

Except — Mia’s been dead for years.

Mia had cerebral palsy and was Dawn’s best friend (and Caleb’s half-sister) in high school. She tragically died by suicide, thanks in large part to relentless bullying by the real villain of this tale: Natalie Farrell.

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👑 Natalie Farrell: Queen Bee with Dirty Secrets

Natalie’s a charming, successful salesperson at Vixed, a supplement company. She’s beautiful, confident, and has the ethics of a used car salesman in a bad infomercial. Oh, and she’s skimming money from a charity 5K in memory of “dear Mia.” 🫢

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🩸 The Disappearance

Dawn vanishes. There’s blood. There’s a suspicious turtle figurine. There’s a phone call that sounds like Dawn whispering, “Help me.”

Natalie lies to the cops about her alibi. Evidence piles up — blood in her car, the murder weapon (a giant ceramic turtle, naturally) planted in her house. Natalie’s life implodes.

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💀 But Wait… Dawn’s ALIVE?!

Plot twist! Dawn is very much alive, hiding out with Caleb (Mia’s half-brother, Dawn’s secret boyfriend/partner in crime). Together, they set Natalie up as payback for Mia’s death.

✅ The fake murder scene? Dawn staged it, cutting herself to smear blood everywhere.
✅ The planted evidence? All Caleb’s handiwork.
✅ The creepy turtle figurines? Yep — Caleb again.

And just when Natalie thinks it can’t get worse… she’s arrested during a charity run live on TV.

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🪦 Enter Tara Wilkes

Remember Natalie’s high school BFF who helped bully Mia? Surprise: Dawn killed her. She’s the body found in the woods, not Dawn.

And Dawn? She’s now planning to end her own life — thinking a real body will finally seal Natalie’s fate in court.

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🚨 The Pier Showdown

Natalie, Caleb, and Seth (Natalie’s boss/complicated ex-lover) track Dawn down just in time.

✅ Dawn’s on a pier, cinderblock tied to her ankle, ready to jump.
✅ Natalie talks her down — with a bit of mace to the face, for good measure.
✅ Dawn is arrested but claims she was just confused after a turtle figurine fell on her head (sure, Jan).

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🎉 The Epilogue

One year later…

✅ Dawn and Natalie are smiling and waving at each other at the annual Mia 5K.
✅ Caleb proposes to Dawn — she says yes.
✅ Natalie? Still skimming off the charity funds (some things never change).
✅ Oh, and Seth? Probably next in line for Natalie’s web of schemes.

Both women walk away dangerous, damaged, and keeping each other’s secrets — for now.

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😂 My Thoughts

✅ Classic McFadden — messy, twisty, and a total blast to read.
✅ The turtle symbolism? Equal parts hilarious and chilling.
✅ Loved the pacing — this is one of those books you inhale in a day.

❌ A few moments were a liiiiittle over-the-top (but honestly, I live for that in her books).

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📚 If You Liked This, You’ll Love:

👩‍🏫 The Teacher by Freida McFadden — my top McFadden pick!
🏠 The Housemaid by Freida McFadden — more twisted domestic thrills
🧠 Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn — if you want more unreliable narrators

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🛒 Buy The Coworker

👉 Get it on Amazon (affiliate link)

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💬 Did you see all the twists coming? Or did the ceramic turtle totally take you out? Drop your thoughts below!