Name: Vera Parker's review of The Teacher by Freida McFadden
Item: The Teacher
Rating: 4.5
Author: Vera Parker

Freida McFadden

A mind-bending, psychological thriller from the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of The Housemaid! Lesson #1: trust no one Eve has a good life. She gets up each day, gets a kiss from her husband Nate, and heads off to teach math at the local high school. All is as it should be. Except... Last year, Caseham High was rocked by a scandal, with one student, Addie, at its center. And this year, Eve is dismayed to find the girl in her class. Addie can't be trusted. She lies. She hurts people. She destroys lives. At least, that's what everyone says. But nobody knows the real Addie. Nobody knows the secrets that could destroy her. And Addie will do anything to keep it quiet. From the New York Times bestselling author Freida McFadden comes a story of twisting secrets and long-awaited revenge.

The Teacher

Angie

taci

"Girlfriend?" His smile becomes sheepish as he rubs the scar he got on his forehead back when we were stupid kids worming under the fence surrounding his house. You could say that. She...uh...she really liked shoes and used to come to the shoe store all the time, and, um, yeah." Hudson's pale skin turns bright pink, which makes me think this customer at the shoe store was a whole lot more than just a customer, but for whatever reason, he doesn't want to admit it. Of course, that makes me wonder even more who she was. And if he had fallen for her the way I'm starting to fall for him. "Does she go to our school?" I ask. For a moment, he looks like he's not sure how to answer the question. "She used to," he finally says.

"Later, Jay," the other kid says to Hudson. As Hudson climbs into the driver seat next to me, I say to him, “Okay, I've got to ask. How come all your football buddies call you Jay?" "Well, you know, we all call each other by our last names," he says. "But Jankowski? That's a mouthful. So they just call me J for short.I kind of like it." That's fine, but he'll always be Hudson to me. "All right," he says, "we better go. 

Shortly after that, he goes blessedly silent. We keep shoveling in dirt until the hole is completely filled. And as I put the finishing touches on my husband's grave in the woods, I recite to myself the poem he once wrote for me many years ago, back when I was fifteen years old and he was my English teacher fresh out of college who swore to me I was his soulmate: Life nearly passed me by Then she Young and alive With smooth hands And pink cheeks Showed me myself Took away my breath With cherry-red lips Gave me life once again

The grave is empty. I fall to my knees, sinking into the mud, as tears prick my eyes. Aside from the sound of the pouring rain, the pumpkin graveyard is silent. The silence is unbroken, and the only word spoken is my own whisper: Eve.. And as I wait for an echo to murmur back the word, something slams into the back of my head and everything goes black.

“Nate was so kind to me," she murmurs. “He paid so much attention to na way that my parents never did anymore. And he's so.. I mean, couldn't stop thinking about him. So when he kissed me. This doesn't make sense. Nathaniel told me he had never been unfaithful to his wife before. Also, if he was with Kenzie since she was a freshman, she was only fourteen years old then. Nathaniel would never... He told me I was his soulmate." She lets out a barking laugh. "I completely believed it. I was so stupidly in love with him. I would've done absolutely anything for him. And then when all that stuff happened with you and Mr. Tutle, he said we had to cool it. He couldn't see me anymore because there was too much scrutiny." She chews on her nail again. That's why I was so mad at you this year. Nate barely spoke to me, and I felt like it was you fault

I narrow my eyes at Kenzie. "How do you know he wrote me that She starts chewing on her fingernail again. “Because he didn't write it Yes, he did. Trust me." poem" for you." No." She shakes her head. "He wrote it for me.

aposto que ele escreveu o poema a várias

I can see in her eyes that she really does know. She's not asking, she's not digging, she knows. She must have seen us sneaking into the darkroom together or... I don't know. Oh my God, this is the worst thing ever. The worst possible person has found out about the worst thing I've ever done- well, the second worst. I wonder how she found out. "I saw the poem," she says. That is the last thing I expected her to say. «What?" "When we were in the cafeteria and you spilled your lunch tray," she reminds me. That's a nice way of describing the day when she threw my lunch on the ground. There was that poem in your notebook. He wrote that and gave it to you. You know... 'Life nearly passed me by, then she, young and alive- " "Stop it!"

Then who left those dirty shoes at my door? It occurs to me that there is one other person who could have done this. Someone besides Addie or Eve's mystery lover or the ghost of my dead wife. There is one other person who knows just enough to bury me, and if that person is the one taunting me, I am in deep, deep trouble.

They are a startling shade of red with long, pointed heels. Eve must have ordered them prior to her death. Of course she did. Eve was always ordering shoes. Unlike the others, though, this pair will be sent right back to Amazon. I start to pull them out of the box, but before I can free them entirely, my blood turns cold. I drop them like they scalded my hand as I realize what I am looking at. The soles of the shoes are covered in dirt.

"Also..." Sprague reaches into her trench coat pocket and pulls out a folded piece of notebook paper. She hands it over to me. "Did you write this to Mrs. Bennett?" Mom leans over my shoulder to read the paper she gave me. My knees wobble as I read the angry scribbles. No. Oh no. It can't be. I'd like to gouge out your eyes, then fill the sockets with hot coals. I'd like to stab you right in the throat with my pen... My mother claps a hand over her mouth. “Addie!" "Did you write this?" the detective presses me. 

"Hey, listen," he says. "I just remembered thatI never grabbed her purse from the trunk. It would probably be better if we threw that in here with her. We can power down her phone." “Okay." He glances at his watch. “Let me go grab it. Il be right back." "Tl go with you." Nathaniel gives me a look like I'm stupid. “Addie, you have to keep digging. We ve got to get this done. I told you-l be right back." I don't want to be left here alone in this stupid pumpkin graveyard. But it's clear from Nathaniel's expression that he is not going to let me tag along with him. And he does have a point. I need to keep digging. "Hurry back," I say. I promise I will." He gives me a long look. “Remember, whatever else happens: deny everything."

"You're not telling anyone about this, Eve," he growls. “I won't let you." His grip tightens around my neck, and I can't get a breath in anymore. It feels like my eyes are bulging out of their sockets, and black spots dance in my vision. I desperately claw at his hands, but Nate is much stronger than I am, especially since I just got knocked unconscious. The next five seconds seem to last an eternity as I realize that my husband has every intention of choking the life out of me. He will do anything to keep me from ruining his reputation-even this. My vision slowly fades to black. I am dying. This man is killing me, right here and right now. I can't even take a last dy ing breath because he is crushing my windpipe. And as I die, I wonder who will care that I'm gone. Not my parents, who barely speak to me anymore except on holidays. Jay might care, although on some level, he'll also be relieved. And certainly not my husband, who is the one squeezing the life out of me and is the last face I see before I die.

It feels like an ice pick is jabbing me in my head. I can't have this conversation right now. "Can we talk about this later?" I clutch the side of my head, pressing on my aching scalp. You need to call an ambulance. She really smacked me hard."

EVE BENNETT GOES DOWN the second I hit her with that frying pan. It's heavy, and I got in a good whack. She crumples and collapses to the floor, her eyes rolling up in her head. But even after I hit her, I still feel the rage coursing through my fingertips. So I hit her again. And again.

I have to," I say quietly. Addie lets out a heart-wrenching scream. The sound of it chills me to the boneit almost sounds inhuman. I take a step toward her, reaching out a hand to attempt to comfort her, even though I recognize I'm the last person she wants near her. But just before I can touch her, she snatches the frying pan off the counter. It all happens so quickly, I couldn't react if I wanted to. Addie brings that frying pan down on my head with all the force in her young teenage body. It connects with my skull with an eardrum-shattering impact. And a split second later, everything goes black.

While I'm contemplating what to do next, I hear another sound from the kitchen. This time, I distinctly hear the sound of a girl swearing. Addie?

I recognize that if l bust Nate here now, I will ruin three lives: his, mine, and Addie's. He deserves to have his life ruined, but I don't. If I make a scene and expose him this way, I will never be able to continue working in the school. It will be too humiliating. And his shame will taint me as well. As for Addie, the truth is she doesn't deserve it either. Whatever else I can say about her, she is only sixteen years old. She's a child. It's not her fault she fell in love with her handsome English teacher. It was Nate's responsibility to keep this from happening.

No, he's not just kissing her. It looks like he's trying to figure out how her lunch tasted. That kiss.. That's not a first kiss. That's a kiss between two people who have kissed many times before and probably done a lot of other things. And now it all makes sense. I understand why Addie hates me so much. I understand why she was Sneaking around the bushes on the side of my house. I understand why every time I try to tell Nate about something she's done, he defends her.I understand why my husband has zero interest in sex with me except when he wants me to do something to help her. That bastard is cheating on me. With her.

. Maybe because when I was at the curb, I felt like she was watching me specifically. Somehow it didn't hit me that she could have been at the house to see somebody else. Oh my God. She's stalking Nate. This makes much more sense. I warned him about being too nice to her

 "Nath.. Mr. Bennett was going to enter me in that poetry contest. And then you went to the principal about it and made him enter you instead." She stares at me for a moment, an astonished expression on her face. “Are you serious?" Her lower lip juts out. That isn't what happened " "I never said a word. Mr. Bennett took me aside a week after you told me about the contest, and he said he decided to go with my poem instead, ""

I thought I was in big trouble, but then it turned out that Mr. Tuttle was the one in trouble. Principal Higgins started asking me all these questions about him and our “relationship." I didn't know what she was talking about at first, but then she started asking me if Mr. Tuttle ever touched me. And that was when I knew what she meant. She was asking if he ever touched me in an inappropriate way, which he never did. But he did touch me. Like one time when we were studying after school, I got to talking about my father and how hard it was when he came home drunk, and I started to cry, and Mr. Tutle touched my shoulder. So yes, he did touch me. But not like thatnot even close. Still, she saw my hesitation when answering her questions, and she seized on that. 

I twist harder, and this time, the knob does turn. Thank God it was just stuck. I push my way into the house, and before I slam my front door closed, I catch a glimpse of a figure darting across my front yard. And for a moment, I can make out her face in a slice of moonlight. It's Addie Severson.

I sit up straight, my heart pounding. That is the poetry contest that Nathaniel entered me in. The one where he chose my poem out of all the others to feature. He was only allowed to choose one, so if the winner is from from our school, that means that I won. I actually won a prestigious statewide poetry contest! The principal continues, We would like to congratulate Mary Mary Pickering!" What? Mary Pickering? That's Lotus. But he didn't enter Lotus in the competition that's why she was so upset. So I don't understand. How could she have won if he didn't even enter her? I look over at Nathaniel, but he is looking away. It's like he's refusing to catch mny gaze.

Hallie

There was so many twists and turns. Freida McFadden never ceases to surprise me with her writing style.

Vera Parker

Georgia

Sam Sibilia

Katie Roberts

Was annoyed the whole time, but the ending made up for it - the J(ay) thing was a bit overkill imo 

Lili

My head is still spinning!! Can’t believe the ending and putting all the pieces together! Such a fun and quick read that kept me guessing. 

Lacee Foutch 

Nicole Mills

I really really should of dnfed this. I was so disgusted by most of the book... and the twist at the end was not worth it

Quinnie

solid, easy read. for the vibes and how much i enjoyed this, i’d give it a 5 lmao. but for writing and plot purposes, it was fine. hence a 3.5.

i liked how throughout the book i had to piece together why we were reading from eve and addie’s povs for a bit. and when things started connecting, i couldn’t put the book down. now the crime was messy, all that shit that happened after 50% was fucking wild lol, but y’know what? love a little chaos. it was enjoyable and fun! also the surprise fact at the end really shocked me!! i had no idea.

Tara Bounkeovisane

solid, easy read. for the vibes and how much i enjoyed this, i’d give it a 5 lmao. but for writing and plot purposes, it was fine. hence a 3.5.

i liked how throughout the book i had to piece together why we were reading from eve and addie’s povs for a bit. and when things started connecting, i couldn’t put the book down. now the crime was messy, all that shit that happened after 50% was fucking wild lol, but y’know what? love a little chaos. it was enjoyable and fun! also the surprise fact at the end really shocked me!! i had no idea.

At first I was like…ok this is just DRAMA but by the end I was like…ok this is insane. Besides from the fact that teacher/student affairs are awful and uncomfortable, I did NOT see this coming

Jessica Roberts

engaging and fast paced but the thriller part/plot twists just didn't make any sense 😭. 

Edna Aviles

It was quite similar to The housemimaid. I like her type of writing (two girls get away with murder bc of the abusive man they both fall in love with). Otherwise easy read if you wanna start reading crime or thriller and you need some good book to start with. I like how all of the characters have their own special character.

Interesting story but long and slow. Too many long stories that weren’t necessary. The ending didn’t really make sense. Jay went to the same school Addie went to and Mrs. Bennett didn’t know he was a student? Them being together was silly. Hearing Addie get so brainwashed and manipulated was hard, but it’s written very well. That could have been me at 16. I love that Addie and kenzi became friends. 

Ava DeFrances

Madilyn Taylor

Evie ruby bevan

Plotholes deeper than the Marianas Trench

Lisette

Maddie Kayani

ñee, comparado con otros libros de ella 

Valeria 

I absolutely loved this book the big plot twist at the end was so unexpected and i loved all the characters and the story as a whole. I would definitely recommend this book and it is an easy start to thriller. 

Kenzie❤️

I have learned to expect the unexpected with Freida McFadden.  She is the one author where I cannot figure out the ending.  But THIS BOOK has me reeling. 🤯 I can’t wait till my book club to talk this one out. Mind blown, flabbergasted, speechless, wanting to reread to see how I missed all the signs.  The woman plays mind games. 

From the description of the book:  Lesson #1 Trust No One (including the author of this book 🤣).  If you like psychological thrillers, this is a 🌟 ⭐️ 🌟 ⭐️ 🌟.

Nothing is what it seems.  Addie is a troubled students who has had a hard time lately.  She has secrets upon secrets that she doesn’t want anyone to find out.  Deny everything.

Eve and her husband are Addie’s teachers and they are about to get entangled in her secrets.  Deny everything.

Trigger warnings:  pedophilia, grooming, murder, violence 

Barbara Williford

I have learned to expect the unexpected with Freida McFadden.  She is the one author where I cannot figure out the ending.  But THIS BOOK has me reeling. 🤯 I can’t wait till my book club to talk this one out. Mind blown, flabbergasted, speechless, wanting to reread to see how I missed all the signs.  The woman plays mind games. 

From the description of the book:  Lesson #1 Trust No One (including the author of this book 🤣).  If you like psychological thrillers, this is a 🌟 ⭐️ 🌟 ⭐️ 🌟.

Nothing is what it seems.  Addie is a troubled students who has had a hard time lately.  She has secrets upon secrets that she doesn’t want anyone to find out.  Deny everything.

Eve and her husband are Addie’s teachers and they are about to get entangled in her secrets.  Deny everything.

Trigger warnings:  pedophilia, grooming, murder, violence 

Omg I didn’t see the twist coming at the end.  I love her books, each one I read I think “I’m going to figure out the twist this time” and I never do! 

Kate W

The book was great. I think the plot itself made me supper uncomfortable bc it kind of hits too close to home as grooming happens more often than we think 😵‍💫 However Miss Freida did a great job of making me feel so many emotions towards literally all the characters. Most of all frustration. The only person who I was able to tolerate was Kenzie in the end. Also do we think Eve knew Jay was in fact a student at her school? 👀🫣

Hallie &
The Teacher by Freida McFadden

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Hallie &The Teacher by Freida McFadden

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Hallie &
The Teacher by Freida McFadden