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The Ex

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Cassie thinks she has met the perfect man.

Joel is sweet, handsome, romantic, and best of all, he’s crazy about Cassie. She thinks she’s found the guy she’ll spend the rest of her life with. Have children with. Grow old with.

Yes, she knows about his perfect ex-girlfriend, Francesca. The beautiful, brilliant chef, beloved by all his friends. But she thinks Francesca is out of the picture. She thinks Francesca is gone for good.

Think again, Cassie.

347 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 18, 2019

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About the author

Freida McFadden

38 books116k followers
#1 New York Times, USA Today, Wall Street Journal, Publisher's Weekly, and Amazon Charts bestselling author Freida McFadden is a practicing physician specializing in brain injury who has penned multiple Kindle bestselling psychological thrillers and medical humor novels. She lives with her family and possessed cat in a centuries-old three-story home overlooking the ocean, with staircases that creak and moan with each step, and nobody could hear you if you scream. Unless you scream really loudly, maybe.

Note that I am maxed out on friends, so I apologize in advance that I can't friend anyone back!

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5 stars
29,757 (31%)
4 stars
34,837 (37%)
3 stars
22,393 (24%)
2 stars
5,079 (5%)
1 star
1,018 (1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 5,455 reviews
Profile Image for Amy.
918 reviews56 followers
February 21, 2021
That rating is because this book pissed me off.

It was engaging and compulsively readable. Didn't see the twist coming. But then the timeline got wonky and you had to think way too hard about previous chapters. And while I appreciate the antagonist's initial motive, I FUCKING HATE the secondary motive of "woman goes crazy because she can't have more babiezzzzz".

Also, how stupid do you have to be to run a failing bookstore that sometimes has no customers, just med students asking for medical text books, yet it takes you to the epilogue to decide to start selling medical text books?!
4 reviews
May 4, 2019
Ending was confusing and poorly written. There was no ending.

The book was not clever and the ending was stupid. Too many plot holes and the female characters were not believable.
Profile Image for Sue.
1,378 reviews5 followers
March 19, 2023
THE EX is a psychological thriller by bestselling author Freida McFadden.
Having loved “The Housemaid”, and “The Surrogate Mother”, I was eager to starting reading all of her standalone novels. As an avid reader of psychological thrillers, I can only say, treat yourself and read all of her books! Her books are so good!

Her Standalone Books Include:
Baby City (2015)
The Surrogate Mother (2018) (Read)
The Ex (2019) (Read)
The Perfect Son (2019)
The Wife Upstairs (2020)
One By One (2020)
Want to Know a Secret? (2021)
The Locked Door (2021)
Do Not Disturb (2021)
Do You Remember? (2022)
The Housemaid (2022) (Read)
The Inmate (2022) (Read)
Never Lie (2022)

This is my review of The Ex.

Cassie, who runs a used bookstore, thinks she has met the perfect man...that she’ll spend the rest of her life with…have children and grow old with.

Her perfect man is Joel, an emergency room physician who is sweet, handsome, romantic, and best of all, he’s crazy about Cassie.

But it wasn’t to be when Joel suddenly sprang the news on her that he wanted to “move forward”, and tells her their relationship wasn’t working for him anymore.

Cassie is devastated with this bad news. She knows about his perfect ex-girlfriend, Francesca. The beautiful, brilliant chef, beloved by all his friends. But she thinks Francesca is out of the picture. She thinks Francesca is gone for good…but is she?

The chapters alternate between, “The New Girl” (Cassie), and “The Ex” (Francesca), and makes it easy to follow the characters and the storyline.

And then without providing any spoilers, there is a major reveal/twist a few chapters from the end of the book that blew me away. At first, I have to admit that I was confused and had to go back and reread the passages, to check that I hadn’t missed anything…and then everything comes together right at the end. What a twist, and one that I never saw coming!

This is what I love about Freida’s books…you never can underestimate where this author will take you. I am still at a loss and processing everything. So good!
2 reviews1 follower
February 1, 2022
not easy to follow

After I finished this book I laid awake in bed trying to make sense who everyone was and how they fit. Timeline jumped all over the place. I got up the next morning and had to skim the book again to make sense of who everyone was. I love Freida’s books but this one I was disappointed with.
Profile Image for Nic.
543 reviews21 followers
February 27, 2022
⭐️⭐️ 2 disappointing stars.

I’ve really enjoyed all other books I’ve read by the author but not this one.

The book started well and I was curious about what secret the ‘other girl’ was hiding - that turned out to be disappointing.

The book store is struggling - it’s next to a hospital where students need books - why does the answer to this puzzle get saved for a ‘revealing’ epilogue?!

Then, a few chapters from the end there is a sudden ‘reveal’ that comes from nowhere and is so confusing, I had to go back a few times to check I hadn’t missed anything - it could have been written in far better which would have made it a better twist.

If this is your first Frieda book, don’t be put off and read some of her others.
Profile Image for m..
39 reviews40 followers
May 29, 2023
I still don’t understand.

How does Anna play into all this and why? I mean I guess I know why, she and Joel dated before Francesca but.. I have never been so confused in my entire life.. and Dean is Con? The ex was not Francesca… because Francesca is dead. What!?




Update: Okay, everybody was stalking everybody pretty much. The ex was actually Anna and she was stalking Francesca (even offed her as well), Lydia stalked Cassie. Ok, but that doesn’t explain why Francesca’s grandmother Nonna kept telling her to call Dr. Dino = Dean.. but then we later figure out that Dean is Con? Anna’s husband. Or what about in the beginning when Lydia said it would be complicated for them to still be friends after her breakup with Joel.. was she talking to Francesca or Anna? Idk. I’m gonna have to reread the last 15-20% again. BRB
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Theresa.
260 reviews5 followers
February 12, 2020
Mediocre at Best...

It was just okay for me. I though it was without substance, the storyline and the characters. Joel was weak, Cassie was just silly and naive to a fault and let's not even talk about Lydia and Anna. The author left out huge, vital parts of the story.  There was literally no insight as to what  brought this long term relationship to what appeared to be an abrupt end...no backstory.   The reader knew absolutely nothing about their relationship.   The gaps created unnecessary questions. There were only two characters that the reader was allowed to have insight and that was Francesca (don't want to spoil it) and Cassie.  It was surprising that the reader didn't know Joel as he was a main character. Overall, the story felt as if there were missing parts that the reader should have know. Towards the end, things were revealed, but it was too late and too much information crammed into a small section, which made it feel disjointed and chaotic. Not my type of book.
Profile Image for Rosie Piper.
38 reviews4,470 followers
May 1, 2024
gave me the wife between us vibes - it was pretty good, the twists at the end kinda fell flat for me!
Profile Image for rodina ㅤᵕ̈.
140 reviews292 followers
September 17, 2024
⭐️ 1.75 stars —
⤿ no spoilers ahead.

here’s the thing. this thriller had insane potential, the first sixty percent genuinely flew by — until miss freida mcfadden decided to toss the entire build-up down the drain by providing the most delusional, and unbelievably far fetched, plot twist known to man. what was THAT?
August 26, 2023
Freida has to be one of my favourite psychological thriller writers ever but i honestly don't know how to rate this book. It kept my interest, that's for sure but i knew that there was something big coming along. I can't say that the ending did not comfuse me. It took me a while to process what was happening and then it clicked though it was a bit messy and unrealistic for my taste. It was not much of a story either. All the time, the readers, can feel that the writer is misleading them by not mentioning the the ex's name in her narration and can feel that there's something off about her. However, the revelation at the end is far from what the majority of the readers are expecting. I had some theories myself that went down the drain .
While reading this book you know there's bound to be a twist but it's hard to predict it and when it's revealed it is kind of lame.
Therefore, i can't rate this book with more than two stars!
Profile Image for Jayne.
767 reviews461 followers
March 28, 2022
"The Ex" should not be "ex-ed" off your "to read" list.

It's a fast-paced and ultra-compelling book that will make you think twice before dating any person, even if he/she is a HD (hot doctor).

I especially enjoyed the way the author structured the book with alternating POVs of a HD's new girlfriend and his ex-girlfriend.

The book was a 5-star read for the first 80% of the book. 

Unfortunately, the book's ending was convoluted and deeply flawed.   To avoid spoilers, additional details are not being provided.

I listened to the audiobook read by narrator Nicol Zanzarella.   Even though the narrator did an outstanding job, the book would have benefited from two different narrators since it was told from two POVs.  

This is my second book by author Freida McFadden and I look forward to listening to future titles by this author.
Profile Image for Francesca (pavisfrancesca).
221 reviews2,794 followers
March 2, 2024
Definitely not my favourite Frieda McFadden book… the points of view were disjointed. They switched between past and present and also by first and third person.

BUT the story played out brilliantly at the end, so many secrets, this is basically a romantic thriller. The ‘twists’ were great but all right at the end, and getting there was a challenge.

Enjoyed it (particularly the fact my name was heavily featured, which *never* happens!) but wouldn’t be my first thriller recommendation x

Profile Image for Beth Roger aka Katiebella_Reads.
545 reviews34 followers
February 10, 2023
Um..... good?

I found this book kind of disjointed. It switched between to speakers but also switch between tenses. Sometimes in first person and sometimes in third. It also switch time lines, making it kinda hard to read and follow. All in all the story was amazing and it all played out beautifully in the end. It was getting to the last few chapters, that made it all make sense, that was the hard part.
Profile Image for kiwi.
182 reviews13 followers
July 14, 2023
(3.5⭐️)

i did like the idea of the twist but i‘m still a bit confused abt some (many) parts
April 9, 2024
Given that I have now read too many Freida McFadden books that I have found are just way too similar to or much the same as other books published first that I've read, I have decided to reasses my ratings. I'll leave my original review for what I thought at the time, but I don't want to support this.

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1 June 2022

Where to start... my mind is BLOWN! Immediately upon finishing this book I picked up my phone and text my sister to ask her to please read it so we could discuss. Really need to debrief on this psychological thriller.

A chance meeting between the young, book loving romantic, Cassie and the hot doctor, Joel.

After a few dates and a progressing relationship, the out of the picture Ex isn't so out of the picture. The Ex's loyal friends make sure the new girl knows she has big shoes to fill.

Some classic gossipy and nasty friends and the lovely, kind other friends all make the new relationship interesting. Meanwhile, no one seems to know the danger Cassie may be in.

This was easy to read, the characters were (mostly) likeable, the story was gripping and fast, and as always, Freida McFadden nails the twist.

BUT, I literally need someone to talk through it all with, to piece it all together and make sense of it. Whilst very clever, I had to stop and process the book before finishing. It wasn't a clear cut ending to me, reducing my rating to 4 stars.



** Spoilers below **



*** Seriously stop reading now or the book may be ruined ***



What the h*** just happened?!

The Ex is not and never was Francesca, but it is Anna!? Anna!? Sweet, kind Anna. Woah. This blew my mind. It took me AGES trying to piece all the past chapters together.

If I had to compare that level of shocking, twisty, cannot possibly be accurate to any other book, it'd be The Perfect Son by the same author. I like it, but I also find it a bit frustrating from feeling the need to reread the whole book to work it out and see if it all actually works, and from having to stop so close to the end to process everything. Some seriously good writing to cause that!
Profile Image for Shari Ring Wolf.
562 reviews
November 29, 2020
Pretty awful

This book is all plot; very little dialogue or character development. I really don't understand the rave reviews. There were so many "twists" in the plot that it became mangled. Badly mangled.

I have the same complaints other reviewers mentioned. Apart from the psychotic hatred and feelings of abandonment exhibited by our main girl, there is no explanation why the characters behave as they do. No motive, no reason why or how, just reporting one silly "twist" after another. The pacing was erratic as well. The story wrapped up quickly, with a change in format, almost as if another author was brought in.

The story was told in alternate points of view, one view in first person, the next in third person. But at times, the third person voice slipped temporarily into first person. There was bad punctuation and wrong use of words: "...ringing her hands."

Overall, an amateur effort. A real eye- roller.
Profile Image for Alisonbookreviewer.
672 reviews65 followers
August 13, 2023
5 Stars

I enjoyed this thriller.
The story of Joel who breaks up with his girlfriend at the beginning of the book.
He then meets Cassie in a bookstore and things start to go awry.
Huge plot twist in the middle made me say What???
What is going on here?
The timeline is a bit off without notice. The exs pov takes a bizarre turn.
That's all I can say in this story full of twists.
Not bad FM
Profile Image for Tanya.
97 reviews4 followers
February 15, 2023
The prologue was sufficient for me to start rooting for the heroine or should I say anti heroine. The twist reminded me of Rock Paper Scissors. It’s rare that you get a lot of satisfaction with the way books end and omg the ending was served to perfection.

*spoiler alert*

Imagine being with a person for 10 years and they just decide you’re not working for them after 10 freaking years and choose a busy restaurant to dump you in. I cringed so hard when our poor girl thought she was getting proposed initially *sigh* Joel is a jerk
Profile Image for Alex ♈.
1,568 reviews1,334 followers
March 2, 2019
Very well and twisted written.
However the ending wasn't satisfying to me. I absolutely hated male character, who abandoned his older gf and dated OW. I wished he died. Dead, I wanted him dead!!!!!
The ex's identity shocked me. I thought she was F. At 80% I wanted to throw my kindle against the wall. Why didn't they kill the man??! He left his gf of many years!!! Not that he got a HEA, but I expected a bloody mess with him in the middle as a victim.
Since I won't spoil, or did I???, I shut up now.

Such a promising storyline!!!!!!!!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Arini.
857 reviews2,062 followers
July 2, 2023
2.5 stars

entertaining, but nothing gasp worthy. 👀

the way The Ex & The New Girl fight for the blandest man alive is giving Jolene by Dolly Parton. 🤣 i guessed right the person who harassed The New Girl, but i didnt realise that The Ex was talking about in her pov. also, the authors tendency to is getting old. 🤧

(read as an audiobook)
Profile Image for Ana | SheSaidYestoBooks.
1,740 reviews133 followers
September 23, 2023
3.5 stars ⭐️

I don’t think I’m smart enough for this book… 🤯 I feel like I need to re-read and take notes on each character, the plot twist was super confusing. I mean I didn’t see that coming but it felt forced to me. Like the author was trying too hard to be a character no one suspected, but in the end it just didn’t work for me. But a page turner anyways!
Profile Image for Heathers_reads.
501 reviews69 followers
March 8, 2024
Another fantastic read from the queen Freida 👏🏼👏🏼

The best part about Freida books is the plots are so relatable to everyday life it really makes you wonder how unhinged the people you know really could be 🤣

As always I give this book my stamp of approval and recommend the read!
Profile Image for Mark.
1,111 reviews129 followers
October 12, 2022
So my takeaway from this is that women are either crazy, insecure, or both. That, and they’ll do practically anything to end up with a doctor.

Still, the twist was pretty good.
Profile Image for Malia.
Author 7 books641 followers
April 7, 2024
Though this was entertaining and a quick read, I found there were just a few too many plot holes and would recommend starting with another one of the author’s books instead.
Profile Image for Morgan Taylor.
45 reviews1 follower
June 12, 2023
The ending was SO confusing.

It was so good until about 85% into it and then the timeline of everything switched up and I had to spend a solid 30 mins trying to remember what the hell happened at the beginning of the book and who each character was.

Disappointed to say the least bc I LOVE her books.

Frieda, if you’re reading this don’t hate me, bc I love you. I’m just too adhd for this shit. 😂🫶🏼
Profile Image for Jenna Moquin.
Author 12 books153 followers
October 18, 2019
Great thriller with a twist! This was a total page-turner that kept me guessing throughout! Sharp, funny, and suspenseful, with a twist I didn't see coming. I thoroughly enjoyed Freida McFadden's last book The Surrogate Mother, and I liked this one even more. Highly recommended!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 5,455 reviews

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