The Divorce

by Freida McFadden

What is a happily ever after really worth?

Naomi was living the quintessential love story. Boy meets girl. They fall in love, get married, buy a dream house, start a family...

Then—he kicks her out, hires the city’s best divorce lawyers, drains their accounts, and takes up with a 20-something.

It’s a brutal end to the story. Naomi should accept move into a dingy apartment, get back into the workforce, and piece together the shattered remains of her life.

Except, why should she?

Instead, Naomi fixates on her husband’s new girlfriend. What begins as cynical curiosity soon twists into obsession—and then into something far darker. As Naomi uncovers secrets she never imagined, she realizes her own life may be in danger.

But if it keeps her perfect family intact, isn’t it worth it?

In The Divorce, #1 New York Times and internationally bestselling author Freida McFadden delivers a razor-sharp, subversive thriller where love curdles into vengeance, and survival becomes the most dangerous game of all.

Genres: Thriller, Audiobook, Mystery, Mystery Thriller, Fiction, Suspense, Psychological Thriller

Hardcover

First published May 26, 2026

About the author

#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!

Reviews

[Laura Lovesreading · Rating 2 out of 5]

FREIDA I’M GONNA HOLD YOUR HAND WHEN I SAY THIS…

YOU NEED A WELL DESERVED BREAK! 🫩🫩🫩

Freida ‘I’m convinced someone is holding her by pen and paper point’ McFadden is back with her third release of the year (yes I know its May) with The Divorce.

In this book we are following Naomi who is blindsided when her husband asks for a divorce. Refusing to let him go and trying to keep her family together, she finds herself in legal psychological trouble trying to outsmart her wicked husband.

*takes a deep breath* I am still trying to process what was the reasoning for this book. At first I was intrigued by the woes of Naomi and her having to deal with a gaslit prick of a husband but after a while the sympathy started wearing off and I was asking myself...

IS THE THRILLER IN THE ROOM WITH US?

I have no issues with contemporary thrillers, but this wasn’t thrilling. It was for the majority reading about a woman being gaslighted by her narcissist husband and her for some God forsaken reason still wanting him. I don’t particularly care to read about that and if I do I don’t want Freida narrating it.

The characters are so dull, one dimensional and nonsensical (not in the fun entertaining way). It indeed does make a fast easy read, but I got nothing else from them. I didn’t connect, I wasn’t interested and if they all got zapped by an alien invasion I wouldn’t have blinked twice.

The way the story was told at times felt like it was written by a man not attuned with reality. The behaviors and reaction from the characters was honestly comical and dumb.

The Twist… Give me a break

The Ending… Cut me some slack

The Epilogue… Stop doing those Freida!


It’s a shame because I have enjoyed her last two releases, but this one just fell flat unfortunately and was not a memorable read at all. But credit due, it was a one sit listen and I was able to get on with my daily chores with this read playing in the background.


Freida… I’ll see you in ‘The Witch’ 😅😅



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
pre read
At this point Freida just carry on as you are!
We will all sleep on your behalf!
Lets get this show on the road!
💜🤍♥️💜

[evi · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.75 stars
Review coming soon i have A LOT to say.

Pre read
I’m convinced she writes with her feet when her hands get too tired
- no no no no no i need you to imagine it somehow, frieda striking some pose like that to type from her toes.
-okayyy your boy got the arc 😛😛 starting it rn.

[Salma [inactive]]

Freida, girl, I'm exhausted for you...

[Conny Godefroy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Freida could release 200 more novels with the exact same formula and unfortunately I’d eat it up every single time.

[shanayaa · Rating 1 out of 5]

freida take rest please, i beg of you🙏🏻

[Nikos Drosinos · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5⭐️- Thriller who? 👀💀😂

Yeah… this one is a hard pass from me 🚫📚

Having read Freida’s entire thriller backlist, I spent this whole book feeling like I was trapped in a weird déjà vu simulation 🔁😵‍💫 I swear I’ve read this exact story about five times already, just with different character names and slightly rearranged furniture 🛋️😂

Sure, it has Freida’s signature super short, bingeable chapters that basically force you to keep reading 🍿⚡📖 And yes, I flew through it in less than 24 hours because her books are ridiculously easy to consume. But at this point the formula is starting to feel copy-paste 🫠

The plot was repetitive, the characters were painfully dull, shallow, and unlikeable 😬🙄 and the twist… THE TWIST 😭💀 Flat. Lifeless. Barely a pulse. I kept waiting for that jaw-dropping moment and instead got “oh… that’s it?” 🤡

Also, calling this a psychological thriller feels extremely generous because where exactly was the thrill? 🧐🔎 My heart rate remained stable throughout 😂

I’ve genuinely loved some of Freida’s recent releases, so this one was extra disappointing because it completely missed the mark for me 🚮

Was it entertaining enough to keep me turning the pages? Sure 👍✨
Was it memorable? Absolutely not 😭🫣
This book will evaporate from my brain faster that Amazon’s next day delivery 🚚 📦


————————————————
Pre-read:

If publishing had fast fashion, it would be Freida McFadden. The books drop nonstop, and I’m trapped in a toxic relationship I have no intention of escaping. She knows… - Obvs added in my never ending TBR 🛍️📚💀

[Francesca (pavisfrancesca) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ok FREIDA. Did I eat this up in 24h, yes. Did I see the twist coming, yes. Will I continue to recommend this author forever, also yes.

It's hard to rate books from this author fairly as if you are entering the thriller world these would easily be 5 stars, they're fast paced, short, keep you guessing and ultimately simple to read.

HOWEVER, as someone who's read more than 400 thrillers, they are becoming dare I say, repetitive. This is more of a comment on the author's backlist as opposed to this book specifically.

[Ayman · Rating 3 out of 5]

at this point, “I love my husband” is the biggest red flag in a Freida McFadden book.

[Sydney Books · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was okay, although I feel like I’ve gotten too good at predicting these 🤣 This one felt like a lot of telling instead of showing, but it was fine.

Keep em comin’ Freida LOL

[Rebecca]

someone needs to check on Freida to make sure she is not being forced to write 100,000 words every day or something lol

[Nina (ninjasbooks) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Didn’t exactly adore these characters, and the coincidences required for the twists were as unlikely as seeing an alien in my back garden.

[Jayme C (Brunetteslikebookstoo) · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 🍿stars!

The Divorce by Freida McFadden ✍🏻
Narrated by January LaVoy, Marin Ireland and Edoardo Ballerini🎙️

🎧Listening time: About 8 hours at 1x or 5 hours 20 minutes at 1.5 x

Naomi really believes that she and Jeremy are happily married.

So when her key doesn’t work in the lock and her bags are packed, she believes she is just going to their apartment temporarily while their home is renovated, to get it ready for their 6 year old son, Teddy.

And, when-instead of joining her-Jeremy asks for a DIVORCE, clears out their bank accounts and cancels her credit cards-she is convinced it’s just a “midlife crisis” and a temporary blip in their Happily Ever After.

She also tells herself that his gorgeous, much younger girlfriend Veronica (Ronni) is just with Jeremy for his money-and that she will grow tired of playing “Step Mommy” to Teddy, very soon.

Part One starts strong but Naomi’s obsession with Ronni was getting just a bit too OTT for me when PART 2 begins and we get a big PIVOT in the story!

Okay-you have my attention now!

What exactly is the TRUTH?

Although I didn’t enjoy this book as much as “Dear Debbie” it WAS entertaining, and perfect for listening to while multi-tasking.

A buddy read with DeAnn! Watch for her review to see if she enjoyed it too!

AVAILABLE NOW!

[Delaney · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐️
Unhingedddddd 😅 shoutout to Freida for being my go-to slump cure

[Caz (Underlined) · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Divorce by Freida McFadden is a psychological thriller about marriage, betrayal and secrets that should’ve been talked about instead of ignored.



The story follows Naomi, who thinks she has a stable marriage with her husband Jeremy. That changes when Jeremy suddenly asks for a divorce and leaves her for a younger woman called Veronica. Naomi is left trying to deal with everything changing quite quickly.



As Naomi looks into what happened, she finds out more about Jeremy and Veronica. Things aren’t simple at all and every answer seems to lead to something else she didn’t expect. It becomes clear not everyone is being honest and there’s a lot going on.



What stood out was how the characters kept changing as more stuff came out about them. You think you’ve got them figured out and then it shifts again. The short chapters make it easy to just keep reading.



There are parts where you just think it could’ve all been avoided if people actually spoke to each other instead of letting it all spiral.



Overall, it keeps your attention and makes you think about how everything ended up like that.

[Josh · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5/5 ★

Fast, twisty, and addictive, but I wish the characters had been more memorable to make the story stronger.

In The Divorce, Naomi’s picture-perfect life collapses when her husband leaves her for a younger woman, but her fixation on his new girlfriend soon spirals into something darker. As secrets surface and danger closes in, Naomi must decide whether survival is worth risking everything.

Freida McFadden never fails to write a book that I fly through once I have time to fully dive in. The Divorce was the perfect thriller to make a flight go by quickly, though it did have some noticeable flaws compared to some of her other books that I enjoyed more.

Starting with what I liked, the story was as fast-paced and twisty as I expect from McFadden. It starts quickly, and things only spiral from there. As I mentioned, it was very easy to get through and never lost momentum.

The twists were definitely not what I expected, which is usually the case with McFadden’s thrillers. However, they didn’t hit quite as hard as some of her past twists because of the issues I had with this story.

My main complaint is that the characters felt very much like stock characters from a typical thriller, to the point that they were hard to connect with. As someone who loves character-driven thrillers, this was disappointing, especially because the characters are hugely important to the story.

I also found the setting and descriptions to feel similarly familiar from other thrillers I’ve read, which made the story feel less unique.

The twists were great, but the build-up felt more generic to me, so they didn’t land as strongly as they could have. I think a more character-driven version of this story would have made the main twist hit so much harder. Regardless, my jaw still dropped at one of them.

I would recommend several of McFadden’s other thrillers over this one, but I still think The Divorce is worth reading if you want a fast, addictive thriller to get you out of a reading slump or help a flight fly by.

—

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[Liana Gold]

Someone needs to book Freida a vacation, she’s popping these books out every 4 months.

[manas (traveling)]

what do you mean this shit is out??? 😭😭😭

[˚⟡˖ ࣪ desiree ˚⟡˖ ࣪ · Rating 2 out of 5]

The prologue? Instantly intriguing, as always. The kind that pulls you in and makes you think, okayyyy, maybe this is about to be really good. But with books like this, a strong opening can only carry so much—the real test is everything that comes after. Unfortunately, that’s where things slowly started to unravel for me.

Part I was interesting enough to keep me reading, even if nothing about it truly stood out. Naomi was easy to root for at first; I genuinely felt bad for her and didn’t mind being in her head yet. The writing itself was solid—nothing incredible, nothing terrible. Just fast-paced, bingeable writing that made it easy to keep turning pages. All the other characters included added a little intrigue too, with just enough messiness to keep things moving.

That said, there were definitely moments where the story felt like it was dragging its feet. Certain conversations and situations started repeating themselves, like the book was circling the same ideas just to stretch things out. Still, I stayed invested. Even when it frustrated me, it remained just intriguing enough to make me want to see where it was going.


...Then Part II happened.

And wow—remember when I said I liked Naomi? Yeah, scratch that. The deeper the story went, the more frustrating she (and honestly everyone else) became. What started as sympathy quickly turned into irritation. The decisions felt so painfully irrational that instead of feeling suspense, I mostly felt annoyed. At some point, it stopped being "tense" and started becoming exhausting.

To be fair, it never became unreadable. I kept turning the pages but not because I was thrilled. I was waiting for the story to finally pay off, and it never really did. Every chapter somehow became messier, more ridiculous, and increasingly over the top. I genuinely found myself wanting to go back to Part I because suddenly that felt reasonable in comparison.

And the twist? Ooofff ahha yeahhhh.

Not terrible... just painfully familiar. The kind of reveal that feels like it’s been done a thousand times before. Nothing shocking, nothing particularly clever, just a very “oh… okay” moment instead of the big payoff the story clearly wanted it to be.

By the time Parts III and IV rolled around, I was mentally checked out. I’d hit that point where I wasn’t even reacting anymore, I was just trying to get through it. Survive the rest of the book and be done.

And yes, there’s an epilogue!! Of course there is. Sometimes epilogues add something meaningful. And sometimes they don't.
This one… I’ll just pretend it never happened.

...

The marketing calling this a “razor-sharp subversive thriller” honestly made me laugh a little because… where?? This isn’t really an edge of your seat thriller. It’s much more of a messy domestic drama wrapped in thriller packaging—full of manipulation, toxic relationships, gaslighting, and chaotic decision making. There’s drama and lots of it, sure. But genuine tension or suspense? Thrills? Not really.

At this point, I’ve kind of accepted that this tends to be my experience with books like this especially when it comes to freida. If you go in expecting a dark, soapy, popcorn style drama filled with messy people making terrible choices, you might have fun.
But if you’re expecting a gripping psychological thriller that actually delivers on its twists, you’ll probably walk away disappointed.

Messy, addictive, chaotic drama? Absolutely.

A sharp, unforgettable thriller? Not quite.

[Jayne · Rating 4 out of 5]

➡️ SEPARATION?

Separation from this unputdownable divorce book was difficult.

➡️ Surprises and twists? There are always surprises when couples separate and a marriage falls apart. Buckle up for an unrelenting barrage of jolting secrets, betrayals, and unexpected revelations.

➡️ Did this popcorn thriller make my eyes roll?
Yes. But isn't that what popcorn is for?

➡️ Was I repeatedly asking myself, "How well do I really know my husband?" Yes.

➡️ Were the protagonist's husband's unscrupulous legal tactics, strategic maneuvering, gaslighting, and manipulation jaw-dropping? Yes.

➡️ Will Freida fans enjoy this book as much as I did? Please comment and let us know.

Overall, I found the legal gamesmanship and psychological warfare of the first half far more compelling than the book's ultimate contrived resolution.

I listened to the audiobook, expertly narrated by January LaVoy, Edoardo Ballerini, and Marin Ireland.

Narrators don't get better than this.

The story unfolded from multiple POVs, and all narrators gave outstanding performances.

➡️ Going with the audiobook is highly recommended. 🎧🎧🎧

➡️ 3.5 Stars, rounded up.

[Yaya · Rating 5 out of 5]

One sitting.

That is all it took.

I started this book at 3:00 PM and finished it at 11:00 PM because putting it down simply was not an option.

Freida McFadden has done it again. Without question, this has become one of my favorite books from her.

The twists keep coming, but what stood out to me most was how often this story made me question myself as a reader. You find yourself wanting justice. Then suddenly, you are questioning what justice even looks like. Who are you rooting for? Should you be rooting for them? And Ezra... oh, Ezra.

Without giving too much away, expect exactly what thriller readers want: sharp pacing, constant tension, twists that force you to rethink everything, and that classic Freida ability to convince you that one more chapter is a reasonable life choice.

The Divorce delivers drama, emotional weight, complicated family dynamics, school drama, difficult choices, and enough suspense to make canceling your plans feel like an excellent decision.

This is the kind of thriller that grabs your attention immediately and refuses to let go.

Highly recommend with absolutely no reservations.

Just one warning: clear your schedule first.

Thank you, NetGalley, Freida McFadden, and Sourcebooks for the ARC. All comments and opinions are my own.

[ashlyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

you know what… i’m glad freida is still pumping these books out, even if they aren’t all hits. imma hold your hand when i say this, girl… you might need to take a little break. it’s starting to show in the writing.

this one wasn’t terrible, but it felt rushed, predictable, and missing that addictive quality her older books had. i’ll probably still read whatever she releases next because apparently that’s my toxic trait, but i’m really hoping she takes her time with the next one.

[aira · Rating 1 out of 5]

wtf...I'm at a severe loss for words. 🥴

[Holly B · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 STARS

An entertaining listen on Audible with some great narrators! Audio is the way to go for this one. 🎧

This first half hooked me and I had the plot all planned out in my mind, at least how I wanted it to go! 😲

Someone says the "D" word and all hell breaks loose. Their "happily ever after" gets derailed and someone just won't let things slide. After all, they have a son, a dream life and are in love.

A fast paced popcorn thriller in true McFadden fashion! 🍿

A buddy read with Kaceey and we had such fun hating on a particular character! Be sure to check out her review! Pick this one up for a mindless, shocking, twisty escape!

OUT May 2026 / Audible/ KU

[kristyn ˏˋ°•*⁀➷ · Rating 4 out of 5]

NOBODY talk to me, i am watching monkey videos locked in my room waiting on snickerdoodles.

[~✡~Dαni(ela) ♥ ♂♂ love & semicolons~✡~ · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF @60%

Incoherent mess; degrading and offensive. We're supposed to believe Naomi is a doctor? My bad, she was not a MD but a "crystal healer."

Nah, the survival of the fittest theory blows that out of the water. That tracks.

McFadden almost always writes stupid women, but Naomi is a special kind of worthless, pathetic idiot.

And that "twist" ... dear god, McFadden needs help. And a vacation.

Someone please stop her from writing any more books (at least in this decade), I beg you.

Then stop me from attempting to read them. Use force if necessary.

[tiff · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 ⭐️

Okay, so this felt like a Lifetime movie written in book form.

For most of the story, I was frustrated with how a certain character was being treated, and by the end, I was honestly a little shocked. As with most Frieda books, I disliked almost everyone from the start (which is becoming part of the experience at this point 😂).

And Ezra… seriously? Why did the one character I could actually tolerate have to get done dirty? I have questions.

The twists got so outrageous by the end that I couldn’t help but laugh as everything unraveled. Was it entertaining? Absolutely. Did I love it? Not really.

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

You can always count on Freida McFadden for a bingeable popcorn thriller, and this one was no exception! I flew through it in just a few sittings because the pacing never let up.

The story was entertaining, the twists mostly landed, and the cast was packed with characters making increasingly questionable decisions. I did see parts of the mystery coming, but there was still enough intrigue to keep me invested and eager to see how everything would play out.

While it didn’t necessarily bring anything new to the thriller genre or stand out among my favorites, it was a fun, addictive read that delivered exactly what I was looking for: plenty of drama, suspense, and page-turning entertainment!

[chantalsbookstuff · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐

[tahalia :) · Rating 1 out of 5]

when is "The Retirement" coming out, Freida?? Please please please take a break from writing 😔😔

[iain jones uk 🇬🇧 · Rating 3 out of 5]

What can I say about this book.. remember that these are my thoughts, and they good thing about us humans we have different views sometimes and that’s good.

This is a typical McFadden book.. I started reading it and my thoughts were I know that there’s going to be a twist at the end, when it came i thought hmmmm ok, I wasn’t shocked with what was happening..
I’ve read a quite a few McFadden books and this was much of a muchnus (if that’s a word)!
You’re wondering why I gave this 3 stars, it’s that I enjoyed this book but it was just a muh!
As always these are my thoughts so don’t kill the messenger..