Kristin's Bookshelf

📖 The Coworker
By Freida McFadden
🎧 Narrated by Alyson Krawchuk
⭐️⭐️

I’m sorry, but the audiobook version of this book just didn’t work for me.

My biggest issue was the narration of Dawn. While I don’t believe the book explicitly states that she’s autistic, the performance felt like it was intentionally leaning into that perception. As someone who has spent years (10+) working with autistic individuals, it came across more as a caricature than a nuanced portrayal, and I found it distracting enough that it pulled me out of the story.

I honestly think I would have enjoyed reading the physical book more. Without the narrator’s interpretation, I could have experienced Dawn as she was written instead of through a performance that didn’t resonate with me.

As for the mystery itself, it was entertaining enough, though I found it fairly predictable. Natalie remains a high school bully who never really earns redemption, while Dawn is the socially awkward coworker carrying years of hurt and resentment.

And for the first time ever… the adulterer ended up being my favorite character. I never thought I’d say that, but here we are. 🤷‍♀️