This is going to be a short review, maybe my shortest one yet. Because this was a very, very short read. It’s a novella, and there’s not a lot I can say about it… mainly because there isn’t much to say. But for once, that’s not a bad thing. This book is a satirical thriller. The story has no head, no tail, and it doesn’t make sense but because it’s satire, it does make sense.
So here’s what happened: I was reading another book for about 20 minutes, then I got distracted, picked up my phone, and started watching Instagram reels. That’s when I saw this girl recommending this book. Since I’ve read Freida McFadden before and really liked her, I was interested in what the girl had to say. She said, “This is the creepiest book I have ever read. I was walking in a corridor while reading and I just froze.” Naturally, I thought, Oh really? That creepy? But nothing in her review gave away that it was satire.
Luckily, the book was available on Kindle Unlimited. I don’t usually have a subscription, but this month I did, so I thought, Why not? It was 1:15 a.m. when I downloaded it. At 150 pages, I figured it would take me about an hour and a half. Totally doable—I had nothing important the next morning, so I could stay up late. I started reading at 1:30 a.m. and was done by 2:40 a.m. One hour and ten minutes flat.
So I basically went in expecting a solid, short thriller. But the whole time I kept thinking, "What am I even reading? Is this building up to some huge twist at the end? How is this going to work out? None of this makes sense." And honestly—it was a ride.
Once I finished, I went on on Goodreads and finally realized, Oh. It’s satire. And then I felt so dumb, because the whole time I was reading it with my “Sherlock glasses” on, overanalyzing every little detail like, Maybe this is the clue, maybe that’s the twist. Meanwhile, the joke was on me. I mean, yes, I could tell it was written in a light, fun way, but it never clicked that it was pure satire.
Once I realized it was written like a satire, everything finally clicked. And honestly, that added to the fun. Apparently, Freida has a Facebook fan group where she shares little Easter eggs and inside jokes, and a lot of those made their way into this book. So if you’re part of that group, you’d probably enjoy it even more.
For me, though, going in blind was half the experience. I kept asking myself: Is this a joke? Is the narrator joking? Or is the joke on me as the reader? I was so confused, but that confusion actually enriched the whole thing. I don’t usually read novellas, but if Freida writes more like this, I’ll definitely pick them up.
She didn’t miss a single thriller cliché in this book. Not one. She included them all—and that’s exactly what made it so hilarious. Okay now as I am writing it, she did miss a cliche. A female protagonist who drinks alot. For some reason, I feel like in so many thriller books the female lead is an alcoholic. That aside, the book was confusing (for me), smartly written, and just plain fun.
If you’ve got some free time and want a quick, chill read that you can still brag about as “a thriller,” then give this a shot. Even the title itself should’ve been a dead giveaway that the book wasn’t serious. It reminded me of the Netflix satire starring Kristen Bell, The Woman in the House Across the Street from the Girl in the Window. Once you make that connection, it’s obvious. But at the time, I thought, Well, authors title books weirdly these days anyway, so I ignored the hint. Also, while hunting for the book cover image for this review, I realized it literally says ‘A Satirical Novella’ right there on the cover. How did I miss THAT? In my defense, it was late at night and my brain just wasn’t braining. Looking back, I’m glad I went in blind. Sure, I felt a little dumb afterward, but it made the experience more surprising, confusing, and fun.
So, if you are even a little bit curious, just give this book a try. I promise you won't regret it. And even if you do (whihc you won't) it's only 1.5 hours of yoyr life!