The Tenant

Freida McFadden always creates such gripping stories that are filled with suspense. Once again I did not expect that plot twist, especially because it was very over the top, which might be the reason why this didn't get 5 stars from me. Blake and his fiancée have to find a tenant for their house, because Blake was recently fired and they can't pay for it on their own. Whitney is the perfect candidate and soon she moves in with them. But something is off. Ever since Whitney moved in, Blake has been sabotaged almost every day and strange things keep happening, making him seem crazy and even his fiancèe decides she's not safe with him anymore. Who is responsible for everything that is happening and is it even real or is Blake really going insane?

The story centers around a couple who rents out a room in their brownstone house to a quiet but mysterious tenant - someone who may not be as harmless as she seems. To be honest, I struggled with the first half of the book. While McFadden tries to build suspense, much of the early chapters feel repetitive and padded with dull details. There’s a lot of setup with the main character’s background and the apartment setting, but it takes a while for anything truly gripping to happen. But nonetheless, I wanted to know how the story continued. Thankfully, the second half picks up significantly. Suspicion starts to mount, secrets are slowly revealed, and the tension finally begins to deliver. The author does a good job of sowing doubt about who can be trusted, and there are some genuinely creepy moments that pull the reader in. I did not see that plottwist coming. Unfortunately, just as things are getting good, the ending comes flying in out of nowhere. Major twists are dropped way too quick in just a few sentences and to me, the resolution felt rushed and slightly implausible.