The Tenant

I got The Tenant by Freida McFadden because I needed something quick and easy to read and that's exactly what it was! This story begins with Blake losing his job and suddenly having money problems. At the time of reading this book, I already really liked the story because it felt like Blake's life was going to go downhill in a major way. As soon as he and his fiancé decide to rent out a room and Whitney moves in, you get that sense that something is going to go wrong, you just don't know what. I liked how the small problems in the house gradually became larger, such as food spoiling, items being lost and Blake feeling like someone is playing with him. It made me want to continue reading to see what will happen next.

I found it a little slow at first but held my interest. The first half is used to introduce Blake and his character, his pride in his job, his money worries, and his not-so-rosy relationship, despite his constant desire to rent off the room as he hates living in the house anyway. I initially felt it was dragging too long, but I realised the reason for it being written like that, as the twists can work better if the characters are known. When the story really starts to kick in, it moves pretty quickly and the second half was the funniest part of the story as the change in perspective allows you to realise that the events have not been random bad luck, but of long planning.

I never felt sure about anybody, which is what made the book fun to read. Blake appears to be a good guy at first, but there are things you start to notice, such as his lying, how he looks at women and how he hides some of his past, which makes you question him. Despite seeming polite and normal, Whitney quickly becomes suspicious and Krista becomes less so as the story unfolds and the truth about who she really is, emerges. What I really liked about the book is that my feelings for the characters changed throughout, making it not easy to predict what would happen. I didn't mind some of the unrealistic aspects of the story, especially the extent of the revenge and how it connected with the past, as it was a fun read.

There were a couple of slow moments in the middle too as Blake frets about money, the house, the tenant, etc., and those became somewhat tedious after a while. I also feel as if some side characters may have had more of an impact, as some of the neighbours and coworkers appear and are important but then they vanish too quickly. But the overall narrative was interesting enough that I didn't stop reading it, and the end of the book was irresistible when the truth began to come out, and you realize how long the revenge had been planned.

Essentially, I read this for fun and that it did. It was readable, had a lot of ‘twists’ and maintained my interest for most of the time. It's not a deep or serious book, but it's the type of book you read when you are looking for something exciting and a little crazy. I'd give it 4 out of 5 stars because it held my attention, had some really good twists, and was fun to read even when it was not perfect.