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Dead Med
From #1 New York Times bestselling author Freida McFadden comes an electrifying medical thriller, Dead Med, originally published as Suicide Med.
"All I can think about is how pathetic it would be to die in the anatomy lab. The last thing I want is to become one of the dead bodies."
When Heather McKinley dreamed of becoming a doctor, she imagined curing sick kids and sporting pink stethoscopes. She never anticipated the sleepless nights, grueling exams, and endless labs. And she certainly never knew that her medical school earned the nickname Dead Med thanks to the tragic history of students overdosing on illegal drugs.
But Heather would never consider doing anything like that. That is, until her longtime boyfriend dumps her, she finds herself failing anatomy, and her world starts to crumble.
Everyone has a breaking point.
Then, on the night before the final exam in anatomy, a shot rings out through the hallways of Dead Med.
The school has claimed yet another casualty. One of Heather's classmates has done the unthinkable, and before her desperate 911 call even connects, it will happen again.
And the night is just beginning.
Dead Med was originally published as Suicide Med. Dead Med is a revision with 20% new material.
"All I can think about is how pathetic it would be to die in the anatomy lab. The last thing I want is to become one of the dead bodies."
When Heather McKinley dreamed of becoming a doctor, she imagined curing sick kids and sporting pink stethoscopes. She never anticipated the sleepless nights, grueling exams, and endless labs. And she certainly never knew that her medical school earned the nickname Dead Med thanks to the tragic history of students overdosing on illegal drugs.
But Heather would never consider doing anything like that. That is, until her longtime boyfriend dumps her, she finds herself failing anatomy, and her world starts to crumble.
Everyone has a breaking point.
Then, on the night before the final exam in anatomy, a shot rings out through the hallways of Dead Med.
The school has claimed yet another casualty. One of Heather's classmates has done the unthinkable, and before her desperate 911 call even connects, it will happen again.
And the night is just beginning.
Dead Med was originally published as Suicide Med. Dead Med is a revision with 20% new material.
474 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 27, 2024
15838 people are currently reading
54627 people want to read
About the author
Freida McFadden
65 books236k 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!
Note that I am maxed out on friends, so I apologize in advance that I can't friend anyone back!
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 4,135 reviews
July 31, 2024
so much was going on but nothing was happening??? 😭
February 5, 2025
1 star
dumb and pointless, ending was terrible.
dumb and pointless, ending was terrible.
September 26, 2024
WHY.
why was this advertised as us learning about HEATHER to ONLY get 94 PAGES about her POV. why were we left on a cliffhanger from EACH pov to NEVER find out what happened.
the prologue? nope, why would we learn more about that? any of the cliffhangers? *yawn* booooring.
RACHEL?! I DON'T CARE IF YOU DON'T HAVE BOOBS WEAR A BRA
this was a clusterfuck. A. CLUSTER. FUCK.
funny story rachel sleeps with ALL of her professors and makes them think that she likes them so she can get good grades and then ALWAYS calls heather dumb, and then when she actually falls for dr. colon he already knew her game and she gets blackmailed by rachel because they weren't sneaky at all
finished this last night and i'm STILL angry. WHY?! ok spoilers but doesn't matter because we didn't find out why - when abe got blackmailed by his boss for work because he found out he was the one dealing drugs (never rly knew if it was true bc his pov just ended) and a guy came in asking for some drugs abe ended up shooting him and then heather finds blood on abe's scrubs because they're together she freaks out and they break up AND THEN WE NEVER HEAR ABOUT THEM AGAIN well we do but when the other pov starts out it starts from the first day
abe was the only good person. heather, ok. rachel, your pov was SUPER boring, go wear a bra, stop sleeping with ur professors, mason, EW. EW. i did not sign up to learn about what you do when you think about rachel and her little nipples AND HOW SMALL SASHA IS. WE GET IT. WE. GET. IT. DID YOU HEAR ME? NO? ITS PROBABLY BECAUSE YOUR IN JAIL.
short story is........sasha ends up drugging her hookup partner mason so mason goes crazy and kills then professor rachel was sleeping with (dr.colon) so mason goes to jail and sasha ends up getting a good job. so don't have morals because those are just stupid
POOR DR. COLON. freida made him sound like SUCH a creep but he was just lonely and actually liked rachel for who she was (whoever that is) 😭 in everyone besides rachels they made him out as such a creep when all he wanted to be was a surgeon before SOMEONE ELSE shot him in the head when he was in med school 😬😭
this isn't even one of the books i hate but it was so bad its comical this was just POINTLESS in the epilogue whoever kiera is all we learn that they all became professors at dead med and the drug problem is gone and that one of them drugged sasha's drink but idk who bc i didnt pay attention to last names 💀
--
freida mcfadden, will u do this one right?
why was this advertised as us learning about HEATHER to ONLY get 94 PAGES about her POV. why were we left on a cliffhanger from EACH pov to NEVER find out what happened.
the prologue? nope, why would we learn more about that? any of the cliffhangers? *yawn* booooring.
RACHEL?! I DON'T CARE IF YOU DON'T HAVE BOOBS WEAR A BRA
this was a clusterfuck. A. CLUSTER. FUCK.
funny story rachel sleeps with ALL of her professors and makes them think that she likes them so she can get good grades and then ALWAYS calls heather dumb, and then when she actually falls for dr. colon he already knew her game and she gets blackmailed by rachel because they weren't sneaky at all
finished this last night and i'm STILL angry. WHY?! ok spoilers but doesn't matter because we didn't find out why - when abe got blackmailed by his boss for work because he found out he was the one dealing drugs (never rly knew if it was true bc his pov just ended) and a guy came in asking for some drugs abe ended up shooting him and then heather finds blood on abe's scrubs because they're together she freaks out and they break up AND THEN WE NEVER HEAR ABOUT THEM AGAIN well we do but when the other pov starts out it starts from the first day
abe was the only good person. heather, ok. rachel, your pov was SUPER boring, go wear a bra, stop sleeping with ur professors, mason, EW. EW. i did not sign up to learn about what you do when you think about rachel and her little nipples AND HOW SMALL SASHA IS. WE GET IT. WE. GET. IT. DID YOU HEAR ME? NO? ITS PROBABLY BECAUSE YOUR IN JAIL.
short story is........sasha ends up drugging her hookup partner mason so mason goes crazy and kills then professor rachel was sleeping with (dr.colon) so mason goes to jail and sasha ends up getting a good job. so don't have morals because those are just stupid
POOR DR. COLON. freida made him sound like SUCH a creep but he was just lonely and actually liked rachel for who she was (whoever that is) 😭 in everyone besides rachels they made him out as such a creep when all he wanted to be was a surgeon before SOMEONE ELSE shot him in the head when he was in med school 😬😭
this isn't even one of the books i hate but it was so bad its comical this was just POINTLESS in the epilogue whoever kiera is all we learn that they all became professors at dead med and the drug problem is gone and that one of them drugged sasha's drink but idk who bc i didnt pay attention to last names 💀
--
freida mcfadden, will u do this one right?
September 25, 2024
“i was a very sexy toddler” i say
“undoubtably” he says
- the quote that made me want to take a leaf out of those students books and die too 🙂👍
“undoubtably” he says
- the quote that made me want to take a leaf out of those students books and die too 🙂👍
May 29, 2025
“And because I love her so much, I refuse to let her die today.”
I do love the ending 🤌but that b*tch deserve worst! 🙄
Bitterness & jealousy RUINS lives! 👏
I do love the ending 🤌but that b*tch deserve worst! 🙄
Bitterness & jealousy RUINS lives! 👏
June 29, 2024
I love Frieda McFadden. I've read all of her books. There is only one I couldn't complete, and that was "Brain Damage.""
I actually abandoned this book because it was all too familiar. It was way too much like "Suicide Med." Even the characters were the same. I'm confused as to why Frieda McFadden would write a book so closely resembling one she already wrote. I enjoyed "Suicide Med" but I just couldn't see myself basically reading the same book with a different title.
I actually abandoned this book because it was all too familiar. It was way too much like "Suicide Med." Even the characters were the same. I'm confused as to why Frieda McFadden would write a book so closely resembling one she already wrote. I enjoyed "Suicide Med" but I just couldn't see myself basically reading the same book with a different title.
July 26, 2024
Freida baby this one should have stayed in your head 🥴
October 7, 2024
2 ☆
So much happend but also like… nothing happened? Idk if it makes sense 😕
So much happend but also like… nothing happened? Idk if it makes sense 😕
July 8, 2024
DeWitt Medical School is nicknamed “Dead Med” because over the past few years, there have been quite a few deaths, many being drug overdoses. Some students even jokingly say the professors make classes so difficult that everyone is forced to resort to amphetamines to get by. They even have a wellness counselor, Dr. Patrice Winters, that all students are mandated to see. The drug epidemic at the school is the primary mystery/thrill, but we have some excellent characters as well, most of whom are in the same group in their anatomy lab. I love the way this book is laid out; sometimes that makes a big difference and this author never misses. We have several different parts, each narrated by our main characters:
-Heather, who feels like she’s in over her head at DeWitt. Her long-distance college boyfriend broke up with her after only a few weeks apart, and she can’t seem to understand anatomy. She’s struggling and questioning if she’s really cut out to be a doctor.
-Abe is a giant teddy bear of a man, making his way through med school by working at a clinic as well as trying to keep up academically. He is immediately smitten by Heather but her boyfriend was in the way, at first. Soon she’s available…but he quickly screws things up and has a hard time getting over it.
-Rachel is bored and doesn’t like anatomy class but she’s hoping her penchant for sleeping with her professors can at least help her pass. She finds her roommate Heather, who hums a lot, very annoying; she feels the same about most people, as she’s more on the dark and brooding side.
-Mason is the sexy and charming fuckboy whose parents have a lot of money and a lot of pull. His father is a world-famous cardiovascular surgeon who expects nothing but perfection from his son. It’s not exactly a psychologically healthy thing for Mason, nor is his inability to sleep.
-Sasha is a quiet girl, studious and serious about school after an accident as a child. She wants to make her Russian family proud by becoming an American doctor, and desires to be first in the class, but she is always coming in second to Mason no matter how hard she studies.
-Dr. Conlon is their anatomy professor, who happens to be disabled. He left medical school after his injury, but it’s clear that teaching anatomy is his life.
Between this group of exhausted and stressed out people and the mystery of who is behind the spread of drugs on campus, this was a very fun book that needed to be read in one sitting (and the epilogue was perfect, as per usual!). I’m very close to finishing Freida McFadden’s books, and “Suicide Med” was going to be next. Then this came out, and after a bit of Googling, it sounded like Freida wanted people to read this remake first. I’ll still read Suicide Med; I’m interested to see how it compares to this one. Dead Med is great, though! 4.5 stars, rounded up.
-Heather, who feels like she’s in over her head at DeWitt. Her long-distance college boyfriend broke up with her after only a few weeks apart, and she can’t seem to understand anatomy. She’s struggling and questioning if she’s really cut out to be a doctor.
-Abe is a giant teddy bear of a man, making his way through med school by working at a clinic as well as trying to keep up academically. He is immediately smitten by Heather but her boyfriend was in the way, at first. Soon she’s available…but he quickly screws things up and has a hard time getting over it.
-Rachel is bored and doesn’t like anatomy class but she’s hoping her penchant for sleeping with her professors can at least help her pass. She finds her roommate Heather, who hums a lot, very annoying; she feels the same about most people, as she’s more on the dark and brooding side.
-Mason is the sexy and charming fuckboy whose parents have a lot of money and a lot of pull. His father is a world-famous cardiovascular surgeon who expects nothing but perfection from his son. It’s not exactly a psychologically healthy thing for Mason, nor is his inability to sleep.
-Sasha is a quiet girl, studious and serious about school after an accident as a child. She wants to make her Russian family proud by becoming an American doctor, and desires to be first in the class, but she is always coming in second to Mason no matter how hard she studies.
-Dr. Conlon is their anatomy professor, who happens to be disabled. He left medical school after his injury, but it’s clear that teaching anatomy is his life.
Between this group of exhausted and stressed out people and the mystery of who is behind the spread of drugs on campus, this was a very fun book that needed to be read in one sitting (and the epilogue was perfect, as per usual!). I’m very close to finishing Freida McFadden’s books, and “Suicide Med” was going to be next. Then this came out, and after a bit of Googling, it sounded like Freida wanted people to read this remake first. I’ll still read Suicide Med; I’m interested to see how it compares to this one. Dead Med is great, though! 4.5 stars, rounded up.
July 6, 2024
Dead Med by Freida McFadden is a revision of her 2014 version of Suicide Med. I did read the first one and I’m one of those who cannot remember many books once I’ve read them. So with that being said, I loved this latest by Frieda and had a hard time putting it down. Per Freida’s own words “This is a remake of Suicide Med. I changed 25% of the book and cut the length of the book by 20% and eliminated a strange plot point.” So I loved it! But then I am a huge fan of Freida McFadden and I love everything she writes!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 11, 2024
3.25⭐️ disclaimer: I did not read Suicide Med, only this one! which Freida said she revised and rewrote 20% and then re-released it under this new title, Dead Med
I really don’t know how to feel about this book??? I loved the short chapters, the multiple POVs, the med school setting, and all the little ways the plot came together like pieces of a puzzle falling into place but it was also just kind of anticlimactic to me
also soooo much time was spent on POV characters in the beginning that really amounted to very little
the typical Freida epilogue was good but didn’t hit AS hard as I was expecting
I really don’t know how to feel about this book??? I loved the short chapters, the multiple POVs, the med school setting, and all the little ways the plot came together like pieces of a puzzle falling into place but it was also just kind of anticlimactic to me
also soooo much time was spent on POV characters in the beginning that really amounted to very little
the typical Freida epilogue was good but didn’t hit AS hard as I was expecting
February 5, 2025
story 3.75 stars**
audio 4 stars**
Narrators Patricia Santomasso & Scott Merriman
audio 4 stars**
Narrators Patricia Santomasso & Scott Merriman
September 10, 2025
An over the top popcorn thriller where everything was happening all at once yet nothing actually happened....
April 2, 2025
This is definitely a popcorn thriller but over-the-top in the best ways possible, making for a truly enjoyable ride. I appreciated the multiple points of view, which kept things engaging and helped dive deeper into the story, and the epilogue did a good job of tying up most loose ends. It was a little long for my liking but overall still entertaining.
Recommended for anyone looking for a fun and twisty read!
Recommended for anyone looking for a fun and twisty read!
August 1, 2024
I liked the multiple POVs and how little tidbits from each charecter came together with each POV but wow what a Lame ending with no shock factor whatsoever especially considering this is a 2024 revised version of an old book. Sad Frieda, so so sad.
November 27, 2024
Здається, це найтупіше що я читала. Мені взагалі нічого не сподобалось, взагалі. Хоча тут є медичний аспект. Почнімо з того, що сюжет йде від 5 здається осіб (Саша, Мейсон, Рейчел, Доктор Конлон та на початку забула як 2 звати). І оці перші почали зустрічатися, там теж фігня якась була. Найгидкіший персонаж для мене це Саша, мало того що росіянка, так ще йобнута на всю голову. Бачте, їй не подобається коли хтось розумніший за неї, і вона почала Мейсону підсипати наркотики, а той подумав на Д-��а Конлона і вирішив застрелити того, бо вважав ще, що він вбив їхнього «Френка» той труп, який вони досліджували. А ще ця Саша, вважала, що її мати винна в тому, що помер її батько, хоча він же сам написав розпорядження про відмову чи щось таке. Ось на початку, вона була адекватна, як пішла розповідь від неї все, хуйня повна. Ну хоч Рейчел через 7 років щось там намутить, бо там був маленький епілог, що не дуже то і зрозуміло.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 22, 2024
This book was not at all what I expected. I really enjoyed the different POV’s.
Whilst this book was a thriller and succeeded in being pretty suspenseful, I actually found myself pretty invested with the love story of two of the characters. Quite unusual for me. The characters really grew on me.
A great story, which kept me guessing, with a very worthy epilogue.
I will certainly not be rethinking my career choices and attending med school based on this book! 🩸
Whilst this book was a thriller and succeeded in being pretty suspenseful, I actually found myself pretty invested with the love story of two of the characters. Quite unusual for me. The characters really grew on me.
A great story, which kept me guessing, with a very worthy epilogue.
I will certainly not be rethinking my career choices and attending med school based on this book! 🩸
March 11, 2025
“I was a sexy toddler.” EXCUSE ME WHAT?!?! The plot holes were everywhere & the epilogue didn’t give us any answers as to what actually happened after that ‘night.’ I’m a huge Freida fan but this was very disappointing. Do not recommend.
July 16, 2024
I really love what she did with editing this one! It's just different enough from Suicide Med to feel like a brand new book! I had so much fun reading this as per usual with Freida's books, the twists and turns and whodunnits to keep me on my toes. So excited for October!
July 11, 2024
✩‧₊ 1.5 stars ★ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆
･ ｡ﾟ☆:Dead Med *.☽ .*:☆ﾟ
⁺₊★·.´🎧✩°｡ 0:56 ──♡───── 3:32 ⁺₊🎧★·.·´
Note:I’m a romance avid reader so this is all new and interesting to me .
🎶 They think she did it but they just can't prove it. They think she did it but they just can't prove it 🎶
When Heather McKinley (h) starts medical school, she's excited to pursue her dream of becoming a doctor, but soon finds herself struggling with the demands of the program. After a failing grade in anatomy, Heather's world begins to unravel. Heather is faced with a new reality: at Dead Med, the medical school with a notorious reputation for drug use and tragedy.
─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: THOUGHTS *.☽ .*:☆ﾟ. ───
The way this book was organized was really weird. I honestly didn't expect multiple POVs. I was already getting comfortable with Heather and Abe and thought the whole book was going to be about them. However, it took a turn as soon as I saw Rachel's point of view and her relationship with Matt, and then it shifted to Mason and Sasha. Make up your mind‼️‼️‼️! I really wanted dual POV because it didn't give me enough time to care about what happened to all of them.
If I'm being honest, Abe was being very suspicious and he was a bit too cheesy with falling for Heather as soon as he saw her. Dude, get a grip! He was too cheesy. The plot didn't make sense to me. Was this book all about the professor who was selling drugs to students? I didn't care. Was the professor not involved the entire time? Wow. Honestly, Rachel and Matt were low-key the most interesting part, but too bad he died. I don't fault Mason; yes, he committed murder, but he was experiencing intense paranoia, and honestly, he just needed help. If someone had talked to him or encouraged him to sleep 😶🎤, I don't think he would have been that delirious. I think it got to a point where he didn't know what reality was and wasn't sure who he was safe to talk to.
I thought it was completely obvious that Sasha would be the main villain, considering she's super quiet and those are often the ones you have to watch out for ❓❓❓ I hope she gets what's coming to her; I truly despise her for what she did to Mason. He wanted to be a doctor, and he wasn't using connections to get ahead; he genuinely worked harder than anyone in the group. Was that a crime? She made him feel insane, and he lost it; he didn't deserve that, and I'm upset that she ruined his future over something as petty as feeling mediocre in her field. Get a grip ‼️‼️‼️! I genuinely believe she's the worst person in this book because why would you do that to someone who is genuinely just an ambitious person? Yeah, he might've been a flirt and a little bit of a jackass, but he just wanted to be good enough for his family at all. I hope what she did haunts her forever, and it's interesting to see that the same thing is happening to her - it's kind of poetic. I love karma.
It just makes me angry that he lost everything just because of one girl 🤬🤬🤬, and it's crazy too because I think he was generally starting to like Sasha and he would never have suspected her of doing anything like this. He genuinely believed that he was going insane and that the teachers around him were plotting together to get rid of him. I understand how someone could go insane with thinking that there's someone else out to get you. Mason was, quite frankly, the one who was the most tolerable😔✋🏽 - he was smart and hot. Was that really a crime? He was too perfect for Sasha to be out for him; I hate her.
─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: OVERALL *.☽ .*:☆ﾟ. ───
I hated this book, honestly ‼️🥊. I wasn't having fun; it was all over the place. I don't like multiple POVs. I like being in one person's mind or dual. This was not it for me. The story was being told over and over again, and at one point, I didn't care about what happened in that freaking school. 🏫
･ ｡ﾟ☆:Dead Med *.☽ .*:☆ﾟ
⁺₊★·.´🎧✩°｡ 0:56 ──♡───── 3:32 ⁺₊🎧★·.·´
Note:I’m a romance avid reader so this is all new and interesting to me .
🎶 They think she did it but they just can't prove it. They think she did it but they just can't prove it 🎶
When Heather McKinley (h) starts medical school, she's excited to pursue her dream of becoming a doctor, but soon finds herself struggling with the demands of the program. After a failing grade in anatomy, Heather's world begins to unravel. Heather is faced with a new reality: at Dead Med, the medical school with a notorious reputation for drug use and tragedy.
─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: THOUGHTS *.☽ .*:☆ﾟ. ───
Mason is taken away in handcuffs, mumbling to himself the whole time. He’ll never be a doctor.
The way this book was organized was really weird. I honestly didn't expect multiple POVs. I was already getting comfortable with Heather and Abe and thought the whole book was going to be about them. However, it took a turn as soon as I saw Rachel's point of view and her relationship with Matt, and then it shifted to Mason and Sasha. Make up your mind‼️‼️‼️! I really wanted dual POV because it didn't give me enough time to care about what happened to all of them.
If I'm being honest, Abe was being very suspicious and he was a bit too cheesy with falling for Heather as soon as he saw her. Dude, get a grip! He was too cheesy. The plot didn't make sense to me. Was this book all about the professor who was selling drugs to students? I didn't care. Was the professor not involved the entire time? Wow. Honestly, Rachel and Matt were low-key the most interesting part, but too bad he died. I don't fault Mason; yes, he committed murder, but he was experiencing intense paranoia, and honestly, he just needed help. If someone had talked to him or encouraged him to sleep 😶🎤, I don't think he would have been that delirious. I think it got to a point where he didn't know what reality was and wasn't sure who he was safe to talk to.
Why should I help him? Nobody ever helped me. He looks back up at me, the desperation plain on his face. He’s having his first lucid moment in a long time, and he’s realizing what is happening to him.
It’s almost heartbreaking.
Almost.
I thought it was completely obvious that Sasha would be the main villain, considering she's super quiet and those are often the ones you have to watch out for ❓❓❓ I hope she gets what's coming to her; I truly despise her for what she did to Mason. He wanted to be a doctor, and he wasn't using connections to get ahead; he genuinely worked harder than anyone in the group. Was that a crime? She made him feel insane, and he lost it; he didn't deserve that, and I'm upset that she ruined his future over something as petty as feeling mediocre in her field. Get a grip ‼️‼️‼️! I genuinely believe she's the worst person in this book because why would you do that to someone who is genuinely just an ambitious person? Yeah, he might've been a flirt and a little bit of a jackass, but he just wanted to be good enough for his family at all. I hope what she did haunts her forever, and it's interesting to see that the same thing is happening to her - it's kind of poetic. I love karma.
The student who killed the professor was sentenced to life in prison—first-degree murder charges, I guess. They thought part of the reason he did it was because he’d been abusing drugs
It just makes me angry that he lost everything just because of one girl 🤬🤬🤬, and it's crazy too because I think he was generally starting to like Sasha and he would never have suspected her of doing anything like this. He genuinely believed that he was going insane and that the teachers around him were plotting together to get rid of him. I understand how someone could go insane with thinking that there's someone else out to get you. Mason was, quite frankly, the one who was the most tolerable😔✋🏽 - he was smart and hot. Was that really a crime? He was too perfect for Sasha to be out for him; I hate her.
─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: OVERALL *.☽ .*:☆ﾟ. ───
I hated this book, honestly ‼️🥊. I wasn't having fun; it was all over the place. I don't like multiple POVs. I like being in one person's mind or dual. This was not it for me. The story was being told over and over again, and at one point, I didn't care about what happened in that freaking school. 🏫
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 30, 2025
huh???? feel like so much happened but also.. nothing at all.
dead med. a medical school with a drug problem. everyone’s got a secret and we have some sort of Groundhog Day with different characters. the pacing is a mess and the timeline repeats over and over. some characters were really interesting (I love Abe) and some characters were so boring I wanted to scratch my eyes out (Sasha xx).
couldn’t even really tell you what the end result was to be honest? I was bored as by the end of it. DEVO!
Don’t recommend x
dead med. a medical school with a drug problem. everyone’s got a secret and we have some sort of Groundhog Day with different characters. the pacing is a mess and the timeline repeats over and over. some characters were really interesting (I love Abe) and some characters were so boring I wanted to scratch my eyes out (Sasha xx).
couldn’t even really tell you what the end result was to be honest? I was bored as by the end of it. DEVO!
Don’t recommend x
August 12, 2025
Med School, Murder, and McFadden at Her Best 🩺🔥
One of my new all-time favorite McFadden books! 🙌 When Heather McKinley dreamed of becoming a doctor, she pictured pink stethoscopes and saving lives — not sleepless nights, crushing exams, and attending the infamous “Dead Med,” a school with a grim reputation for student deaths.
And then… the night before the anatomy final, a shot rings out. One of Heather’s classmates is gone — and before she can even finish dialing 911, it happens again. The night? Just getting started.
🩸 Premise & Setup
Dead Med (formerly published as Suicide Med, now with 20% new material) is a tense, high-stakes campus thriller centered on heartbreak, academic pressure, and a string of suspicious student deaths that may not be suicides at all. The drug epidemic at DeWitt Medical School looms large — some students joke the professors make things so hard that amphetamines are the only way to survive. But in this world? Jokes have teeth.
🩻 Characters I Loved (and Loved to Side-Eye)
Heather — Heartbroken, failing anatomy, questioning whether she’s cut out to be a doctor. Relatable, stubborn, and in over her head. Abe — The big, lovable teddy bear. Works at a clinic while studying, instantly smitten with Heather. His self-sabotage game? Strong. 🙃
Rachel — Dark, brooding, and utterly over anatomy class. Thinks Heather’s humming is the worst crime against humanity.
Mason — Rich, charming, sleepless, and carrying the crushing weight of a surgeon father’s expectations. Certified trouble.
Sasha — Brilliant, ambitious, and desperate to make her Russian family proud — but always coming in second to Mason.
Dr. Conlon — Disabled anatomy professor whose injury ended his med school dreams, but whose passion for teaching is unmatched.
🧠 Why It Worked for Me
McFadden nails structure — the multi-POV format kept the tension high and gave us layered perspectives. The med school setting was immersive, the pacing relentless, and the mystery of who was really behind the campus drug crisis was addictive.
Also, I lived for the epilogue. Perfectly twisted, perfectly McFadden. 💀👌
💬 Favorite Quote:
“All I can think about is how pathetic it would be to die in the anatomy lab. The last thing I want is to become one of the dead bodies.”
⚖️ Final Verdict:
Unputdownable. Dark academia meets psychological thriller, wrapped in McFadden’s signature addictive style. If you love her books, this one should be at the very top of your list.
One of my new all-time favorite McFadden books! 🙌 When Heather McKinley dreamed of becoming a doctor, she pictured pink stethoscopes and saving lives — not sleepless nights, crushing exams, and attending the infamous “Dead Med,” a school with a grim reputation for student deaths.
And then… the night before the anatomy final, a shot rings out. One of Heather’s classmates is gone — and before she can even finish dialing 911, it happens again. The night? Just getting started.
🩸 Premise & Setup
Dead Med (formerly published as Suicide Med, now with 20% new material) is a tense, high-stakes campus thriller centered on heartbreak, academic pressure, and a string of suspicious student deaths that may not be suicides at all. The drug epidemic at DeWitt Medical School looms large — some students joke the professors make things so hard that amphetamines are the only way to survive. But in this world? Jokes have teeth.
🩻 Characters I Loved (and Loved to Side-Eye)
Heather — Heartbroken, failing anatomy, questioning whether she’s cut out to be a doctor. Relatable, stubborn, and in over her head. Abe — The big, lovable teddy bear. Works at a clinic while studying, instantly smitten with Heather. His self-sabotage game? Strong. 🙃
Rachel — Dark, brooding, and utterly over anatomy class. Thinks Heather’s humming is the worst crime against humanity.
Mason — Rich, charming, sleepless, and carrying the crushing weight of a surgeon father’s expectations. Certified trouble.
Sasha — Brilliant, ambitious, and desperate to make her Russian family proud — but always coming in second to Mason.
Dr. Conlon — Disabled anatomy professor whose injury ended his med school dreams, but whose passion for teaching is unmatched.
🧠 Why It Worked for Me
McFadden nails structure — the multi-POV format kept the tension high and gave us layered perspectives. The med school setting was immersive, the pacing relentless, and the mystery of who was really behind the campus drug crisis was addictive.
Also, I lived for the epilogue. Perfectly twisted, perfectly McFadden. 💀👌
💬 Favorite Quote:
“All I can think about is how pathetic it would be to die in the anatomy lab. The last thing I want is to become one of the dead bodies.”
⚖️ Final Verdict:
Unputdownable. Dark academia meets psychological thriller, wrapped in McFadden’s signature addictive style. If you love her books, this one should be at the very top of your list.
July 26, 2024
This is the first book by Freida McFadden that I really struggled with. 😥 I don't like stories told from multiple perspectives, and this one had too many. Some plot points were not explained at all. Despite this, Freida is still my top author. I am eagerly waiting for her next books.
September 2, 2024
I saw a lot of people recommending this book but I think it’s (so far) my least favorite Frieda book. I didn’t love that each new person started the story from the same point of time.
January 12, 2025
400 pages too long
September 15, 2024
2.5 ⭐️
I normally love love LOVE her books, but sadly I have to say that this one was SO boring. After the fourth pov I didn‘t even care who was selling those drugs anymore😭
I normally love love LOVE her books, but sadly I have to say that this one was SO boring. After the fourth pov I didn‘t even care who was selling those drugs anymore😭
October 25, 2025
roses are red, violets are blue, i’m freaked out by this book and so should you.
August 30, 2025
*audiobook
January 1, 2025
In the last year and half I devoured most of Frieda McFadden's books. Dead Med was REALLY hard to come by. But when there was a sale on audiobooks over black friday, I was able to grab this for a couple of bucks and was WAY excited.
It's a solid storyline, and a great little twist at the end. But,..what I did not like was how we had to rehash several experiences over and over from different POVs. I loved the idea of seeing the semester through several people, but could have done without this repeat after repeat.
It also left so many questions of what happened to the characters. There is no closure on several characters and that would have bumped it up a star or two for me.
It's a solid storyline, and a great little twist at the end. But,..what I did not like was how we had to rehash several experiences over and over from different POVs. I loved the idea of seeing the semester through several people, but could have done without this repeat after repeat.
It also left so many questions of what happened to the characters. There is no closure on several characters and that would have bumped it up a star or two for me.
July 3, 2024
This book was originally published as Suicide Med. the author revamped the story, changed some things, and shortened it a bit. It’s much more streamlined without all the filler. Still a good story, but I felt like the premise of Suicide Med worked better than the supposed overdoses in Dead Med. I do think the weird storyline being cut out from SM was the right call. Kudos to Freida McFadden for knowing what didn’t work and being willing to improve.
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