The Tenant by Freida McFadden Review and Summary

Blake Porter had it all, until it all came crashing down. One minute he’s killing it as a VP of marketing, the next he’s jobless and staring down a mountain of bills he can’t pay. The brownstone he just bought with his fiancée? Not so affordable anymore.

Then comes Whitney. She’s gorgeous, easy to talk to, totally chill, and just happens to need a place to stay. It feels like the perfect solution. But something’s off.

Blake starts noticing weird changes. The neighbors act strange. There's this awful smell in the house that won’t go away no matter how much he cleans. And those noises at night? Definitely not normal.

It’s not long before Blake starts to wonder if someone out there knows what he’s hiding.

Danger’s moved in, and Blake’s about to find out the hard way that by the time you realize you’re in a trap… it’s already too late.

The Tenant by Freida McFadden did not disappoint. In her typical fashion, Freida managed to keep me in the dark until the end. From this point on, The Tenant review will contain spoilers. So if you haven't read it yet and you want to, come back later, or scroll to the bottom to read my thoughts.

The Tenant Summary

The story begins with Blake feeling superior over landing the VP position at this company after the previous employee met an unfortunate end. He appears to have it all: high-paying job, perfect fiancé, and a coveted brownstone in New York with their pet fish, Goldy. His only issue is his elderly neighbor across the street who seems to hate him for an unknown reason. Blake is feeling pretty great...until his boss calls him into his office to fire him over a apparent misunderstanding; his boss assumed he had sold a marketing campaign to a rival company. Blake tries to plead with him, but his boss won't budge. Ashamed, Blake packs his things and returns home.

For a while, Blake rots on the couch, while his fiancé, Krista, keeps them afloat. Eventually Blake finds a temp job, but it doesn't pay well. Krista suggests they take on a roommate so they can keep the brownstone. After interviewing several potential tenants, including one disturbing person named Quilizabeth who claimed to be a physic and had a vision of Blake murdering Krista where she stands, they finally met Whitney. She appears to be perfect and is offered the room after a quick background check by Blake.

Things seem to be improving overall for Blake. He happens to be attracted to Whitney, and after sharing a late night snack and reality T.V. binge, they seem to have gotten closer. He even allows her to share his soap and favorite cereal. However, things quickly go South when Blake runs out of soap and cereal far too soon. After complaining to Krista, Blake confronts her at her waitressing job and Whitney doesn't take it too well. At this point, Whitney and Blake become enemies.

The two fight constantly, and engage in malicious attacks toward each other. The brownstone has a worsening fruit fly infestation, and eventually Blake realizes why: it appears Whitney had left a bag of rotting apples in a cabinet. In a rage, he dumps the contents of the bag onto to Whitney's bed. One morning, they wake up to Goldy belly up in her fish bowl. Immediately, Blake smells bleach and accuses Whitney of killing her. Whitney denies all of it, and cries to Krista. Everything comes to a boiling point, when Krista decides she doesn't know Blake at all and decides to leave him.

Here's the twist. After deciding to do some research on Whitney, he calls her high school. The receptionist tells him she had been involved in various accidents involving students. Even one led to death. Fearful, Blake tracks down her parents and drives to their home. Whitney's mother has a lot to say about her daughter, and Blake resolves to get her out of his home at all costs. However, as he is leaving, he notices a photo that leaves him reeling. It's a picture of Krista, who is actually Whitney.

The POV switches to Krista now, and we learn she was behind everything. She set everything up after finding out Blake cheated on her with an assistant at work. In addition, Krista finds out Whitney stole her name and decides to blackmail her to do her bidding with Blake. Krista/Whitney is certifiably insane. She can hold a grudge forever, and gets her revenge in death. She gives Blake poisoned cookies, and he makes it home just in time to find Krista/Whitney about to murder Whitney. Blake is weak, but tries to stop her. He doesn't quite make it, but Whitney kills her at the last minute.

Alycia's Review of The Tenant

The twist was wonderful, as always. I am always amazed when I realize Freida is a freaking brain surgeon, and still finds time to write several books a year. I'd recommend The Tenant to anyone who enjoys a fast-paces, easy-to-read thriller. I gave it 4/5 stars. What do you guys think? Have you read it? Let me know in the comments!

-- xx Alycia