The rise of “BookTok” has completely altered the world of books and publishing, and if you walk into a Barnes & Noble, you are guaranteed to see at least one table displaying “BookTok sensations.” BookTok is a determining factor in what books dominate the charts and which authors you are going to return to for their new releases again and again.
As such, romance readers are likely acquainted with the authors such as Emily Henry or Ana Huang, fantasy readers have bought a box set of Sarah J. Maas’s acclaimed “A Court of Thorns and Roses” series, and we have all been told to read Jennette McCurdy’s moving memoir, “I’m Glad My Mom Died” at one point or another. For thriller readers, the author most worthy of TikTok fame is Freida McFadden.
How did McFadden manage to become the most recommended thriller author online? There are a few reasons for this, some more obvious than others.
Every single one of McFadden’s books is included as part of Amazon’s reading subscription service, Kindle Unlimited. This makes her books widely accessible to already dedicated readers who have access to this digital library.
The majority of her books are less than 400 pages, with chapters that tend to be fewer than 10 pages each, making her novels quick and easy to get through. Other than her famous “The Housemaid” trilogy and the “Dr. Jane McGill” duology, all of McFadden’s books are standalone, so there is no specific order that her books are suggested to be read in.
And of course, all of her books have multiple jaw-dropping twists to keep them interesting till the very last page. I have read 14 of McFadden’s novels and can confidently say that I was shocked during each one.
However, just because a book is quick and accessible, that doesn’t automatically mean it is good. Since March 2020, McFadden has published 18 primary works, in addition to multiple novellas, with her newest novel “The Boyfriend” scheduled to release on Oct. 1, 2024. This means that McFadden releases a whopping four to five books each year.
Like all authors, McFadden has stronger and weaker novels in her backlist, all utilizing different creepy settings and thriller tropes to create unique, twisted stories. However, the area that McFadden always falls short in is her prose. Even if you can’t guess the “whodunit,” you will not be able to overlook the redundancy in her narration.
McFadden will always prioritize the ambiguity of the plot over how she delivers it to the reader. Many of her books read similarly to those in the young adult demographic, as opposed to the adult demographic she writes for.
With books that are gripping, quick and taking “BookTok” by a storm, it only makes sense that McFadden has become a sensation. If you are new to the thriller genre and have come across her work through word of mouth, McFadden is one of the best places to start.
