I thought I was getting a spooky Halloween read. Then Freida McFadden did what Freida McFadden does best.

I went into The Witch by Freida McFadden expecting something a little different from her usual psychological thrillers. I mean, it’s called The Witch, it came out in October, and the description sounded like we were getting a creepy haunted house story with some supernatural stuff thrown in.

And for most of the book, that’s exactly what I thought I was reading.

Then I hit about the 80% mark, and Freida reminded me why I love her books so much. The twists started coming, the secrets started spilling, and suddenly I was questioning everything I thought I knew.

Let’s get into what The Witch is about, what I loved, and whether it’s worth adding to your TBR. Then, for those of you who’ve already read it, we’re getting into ALL the spoilers because we need to talk about those endings. (Don’t worry, I’ll warn you when those are coming.)

What’s The Witch About?

The story takes place in two different timelines, one in the 1600s and one in the present day. Both are set in Massachusetts, and they’re connected by a sprawling family estate called Pemberton.

For much of the book, these feel like two completely different stories, and I kept wondering how Freida was going to bring everything together.

The 1600s: Witch Trials and a Killer on the Loose

In the historical timeline, we meet Caroline, a woman married to a man named Archie. Unfortunately for Caroline, she’s living during a time when being a woman with an opinion could get you accused of witchcraft and sentenced to death.

Think Salem witch trials, where pretty much anything could be considered evidence that you were a witch. Have a strange mark on your body? Witch. Do something your neighbor doesn’t like? Probably a witch. It’s absolutely ridiculous, especially knowing this kind of thing happened in real life.

To make matters worse, there’s also a murderer on the loose in town. So Caroline is dealing with the possibility of being accused of witchcraft while a killer is running around, and things get dangerous very quickly.

Present Day: Welcome to the Creepiest House Ever

In the present-day storyline, we meet Julia, who’s having a pretty rough time. She’s out of a job, needs somewhere to live, and ends up moving into her family’s enormous estate, Pemberton, to help care for her aging grandmother.

Her grandmother is becoming increasingly forgetful, and Julia’s great-aunt Ethel also lives in the house, along with Mick, the longtime groundskeeper.

Julia has always found Pemberton creepy, even when she visited as a child, and moving in doesn’t exactly change her opinion. Strange things start happening almost immediately, and she’s convinced the house might be haunted.

She’s also starting to suspect that her grandmother and great-aunt are hiding something.

As Julia investigates, she meets a man who works at a museum interested in purchasing Pemberton and turning it into a historical museum. The house has been passed down through generations, and Julia is believed to be a descendant of Caroline’s husband from the 1600s storyline.

The chapters alternate between the two timelines, and you’re left trying to figure out what happened in this house hundreds of years ago and how it connects to what’s happening now.

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Historical Fiction? Yes, Please!

I’ve read quite a few Freida McFadden books, although I still have plenty left on my TBR, and this is the first one I’ve read where she goes this far back in history.

I wasn’t sure how I’d feel about that because I typically pick up a Freida book when I want a fast-paced psychological thriller with some wild twists. But I ended up loving the historical storyline, and I think she did a great job with it.

The witch trial scenes were especially disturbing because they were inspired by something that happened in real life. I even did a little research while reading because I couldn’t get over how ridiculous some of these accusations were.

Women were being accused of witchcraft, put on trial, and executed based on claims that made absolutely no sense. And the fact that people could destroy someone’s life with so little evidence? Infuriating.

Freida manages to capture how horrifying that time was for women while still keeping the story entertaining. She also gives us some very satisfying moments of redemption, which I appreciated because I was getting pretty angry on Caroline’s behalf.

Did The Witch Feel Like a Thriller?

For most of the book, I would have said no.

The historical storyline, the creepy house, and the possibility of something supernatural made this feel different from what I’ve come to expect from Freida. I was enjoying it, but I was also wondering where she was going with everything.

Then we get to that final 20%, and OH, THERE SHE IS.

The twists start coming, and suddenly this becomes the kind of psychological thriller that made me a Freida McFadden fan in the first place.

I loved how she connected the two timelines, and I thought the ending was incredibly satisfying. There are some big reveals, a few characters who get exactly what they deserve, and even a couple of happy endings.

If you’re looking for a fun, fast-paced thriller with a historical twist, I’d absolutely recommend this one. And despite the title and October release, I think it’s a book you can enjoy any time of year.

Now, let’s talk about what happens because I have THOUGHTS.

MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD!

If you haven’t read The Witch and don’t want the ending ruined, this is your warning to stop reading. We’re getting into the murders, secret identities, and everything that happens in both timelines.

The 1600s

In Caroline’s storyline, there’s a creepy man named Jonas whom everyone suspects of being responsible for the murders happening around town. Caroline encounters him, and he scares the heck out of her.

Eventually, Jonas gets arrested and thrown in jail, which seems like a good thing considering everyone thinks he’s a murderer.

Meanwhile, Caroline’s friend is accused of witchcraft and sentenced to hang. Caroline stands up for her during the execution, even though her friend warns her that speaking out is going to make her the next target.

And guess what happens?

Caroline gets arrested and put on trial for witchcraft. Because apparently defending someone who’s about to be executed for something she didn’t do is suspicious behavior.

The Witchcraft Accusations Are Absolutely Insane

When Caroline goes on trial, people start coming forward with the most ridiculous accusations you’ve ever heard.

She has a burn on her arm, and someone claims it’s the mark of the devil. She once fed a stray cat, so obviously she must have been feeding the devil disguised as an animal.

I cannot with these people.

And one of the people testifying against her is her own housekeeper, Molly, who’s been secretly sleeping with Caroline’s husband, Archie.

THE AUDACITY.

Caroline is found guilty and sentenced to death, and at this point, I was ready to jump into the book and start yelling at everyone.

The Jailbreak That Changes Everything

Caroline ends up in jail with Jonas, the man everyone believes is a murderer. But as they spend time together, she realizes he’s much kinder than she expected.

The two come up with a plan to escape, and it’s pretty clever.

Jonas pretends Caroline is casting a spell on him and starts having convulsions. When the sheriff opens the cell to help, Skye overpowers him, and they lock the sheriff up instead.

Then they escape and set the jail on fire, hoping everyone will believe they died in the flames.

The plan is to disappear and start new lives somewhere else, but Caroline needs money first. So she heads back to Pemberton to steal some from Archie.

And this is where things get REALLY good.

The Real Killer

While Caroline is inside the house, she hears screaming upstairs. She thinks Molly is in trouble and goes to help her, even though she knows she should stay hidden.

And what does she find? ARCHIE IS STRANGLING MOLLY! Her husband has been the murderer this entire time!

I loved this reveal because we’d spent so much time being suspicious of Jonas, and meanwhile, Caroline was married to the killer.

Of course, now Archie knows Caroline has discovered his secret, so he decides he needs to kill her too. Thankfully, Jonas gets tired of waiting outside, comes into the house, and shoots Archie before he can murder Caroline.

Good riddance, Archie.

The First Big Identity Switch

Now Caroline and Jonas have two dead bodies to deal with, and this is where the story takes another interesting turn.

They bury Archie and Molly in the backyard and decide to take over their identities.

Everyone believes Caroline and Jonas died in the jail fire, while Archie and Molly supposedly ran away together. In reality, Caroline and Jonas are alive, living under their identities, and getting a second chance at life.

I was so happy Caroline got her happy ending after everything she’d been through.

But remember that identity switch because it’s VERY important when we get to the present-day storyline.

Family Secrets

Back in the present day, Julia is convinced Pemberton is haunted. She’s even bringing in a ghost hunter because she’s determined to figure out what’s going on in this house.

But she’s also becoming increasingly suspicious of her grandmother and great-aunt Ethel.

While snooping around in the attic, Julia finds old letters Ethel wrote to her parents. In those letters, Ethel reveals she’s pregnant and plans to keep the baby.

There’s just one problem.

As far as Julia knows, Ethel never had children.

Julia starts doing the math and realizes Ethel’s pregnancy lines up with when Julia’s father was born. Could Ethel be Julia’s biological grandmother instead of her great-aunt?

It’s a pretty reasonable theory, so Julia and her museum curator friend decide to do a DNA test.

And the results are WILD.

Ethel Isn’t Related to Julia AT ALL?!

The DNA test comes back, and there’s no biological match between Julia and Ethel.

None.

This woman Julia has known her entire life as her great-aunt isn’t biologically related to her. So now the question becomes, who the heck is this woman living in Pemberton? And why has she been pretending to be part of Julia’s family for decades?

The Backyard

Earlier in the story, Julia’s grandmother wanders outside and digs up a human bone. Apparently, Pemberton didn’t have enough creepy things going on already.

Julia takes the bone to her museum curator friend, who determines it’s around 300 years old. He tells her to put it back for now because they don’t want the police descending on the property before they figure out what’s happening.

So Julia goes outside in the middle of the night to put the bone back, which seems like a perfectly normal activity to be doing at 1 a.m. While she’s out there, she spots Ethel walking around with Mick, the longtime groundskeeper.

And considering Julia now knows Ethel isn’t even related to her, things are getting VERY suspicious.

Ethel Is CELIA?! Excuse Me?!

Here’s the big reveal in the present-day storyline.

The woman everyone knows as great-aunt Ethel is really Celia, a former housekeeper who worked at Pemberton. Celia had been having a relationship with Mick, the groundskeeper, and she wanted a better life for herself.

The real Ethel had been pregnant and gave birth to Julia’s father. Shortly after the baby was born, Celia murdered Ethel, buried her in the yard, and stole her identity.

YES. SHE JUST DECIDED TO BECOME ETHEL.

Celia had a criminal record, very little money, and a difficult life, while Ethel came from a family with this enormous estate. So Celia decided she wanted Ethel’s life and took it… and she’s been pretending to be Ethel for decades, including Julia’s entire life.

Can you imagine finding out someone you’ve known your entire life is a complete stranger who murdered your real relative and stole her identity?

That’s some classic Freida McFadden craziness right there.

And Then Celia Starts Killing People Again

Once Julia’s museum curator friend figures out what’s happening, he calls the police. But before they arrive, Celia kills Mick, the man she’s been involved with all these years. So much for loyalty.

And now she’s ready to kill Julia too. Thankfully, Julia’s grandmother has a moment of clarity and hits Celia with a shovel, giving Julia enough time for the police to arrive.

GRANDMA WITH THE SHOVEL FOR THE WIN!

I loved that moment. After spending so much of the story watching Julia’s grandmother struggle with her memory, it was so satisfying to see her save the day.

How the Two Timelines Connected

For most of The Witch, I kept wondering how these two stories were going to come together. We had witch trials and murders in the 1600s, then a possibly haunted house and family secrets in the present day.

The connection ended up being so clever.

In the 1600s, Caroline and Jonas escape their old lives by taking the identities of Archie and Molly. In the present day, Celia murders Ethel and steals her identity so she can take over her life.

Both timelines revolve around murder, stolen identities, and secrets buried at Pemberton. And I loved that Freida found a way to connect these stories through something that feels right at home in one of her psychological thrillers.

The whole time I thought I was reading something that might have a supernatural explanation, and then she brought everything back to murder, deception, and people pretending to be someone they’re not.

Very Freida. Very satisfying.

Those Endings

One thing I especially appreciated about The Witch was that both timelines ended on a satisfying note.

In the 1600s, Caroline survives the witch trials, escapes with Jonas, and gets a second chance at life. Archie, who turned out to be the real murderer, gets exactly what he deserves. After everything Caroline went through, I was so happy she got her redemption.

In the present day, Celia’s decades-long deception finally comes to an end, Julia survives, and the truth about her family comes out. Pemberton is eventually sold to the museum, which feels like a fitting ending for a house that’s been holding on to so many secrets for hundreds of years. Julia also stays in the area and ends up with the museum curator.

Another happy ending!

I love a thriller that gives me wild twists and then wraps everything up in a way that leaves me satisfied. Freida delivered on both.

My Final Rating: 4.5 Stars!

I loved The Witch, and I think it’s one of the more surprising Freida McFadden books I’ve read.

The historical fiction storyline was a fun change of pace; the witch trials made me furious, and the two timelines kept me wondering how everything would connect. Then those final twists reminded me exactly why I keep picking up Freida’s books.

I would love to see her write more historical fiction because I thought she handled it really well here.

And while the title might make you think this is strictly a Halloween read, I’d recommend it any time of year. If you enjoy psychological thrillers, family secrets, dual timelines, and endings that make you want to immediately discuss the book with someone, put this one on your list.

4.5 out of five stars from me!

Now I want to know what you thought. Did you figure out that Archie was the killer or that Ethel was really Celia? And which timeline did you enjoy more, Caroline’s story in the 1600s or Julia’s in the present day?

You can find me on Bookstagram or BookTok and join the conversation!