Twisted Thriller by Best-Selling Author Named No. 2 ‘Most Read Book’ So Far this Year by Goodreads

Author Freida McFadden has published more than 30 novels since she burst on to the literary scene in 2013.

In 2026, McFadden will publish a whopping three standalone novels. The first, Dear Debbie, was published in late January, 2026. The psychological, buzzy, twisted thriller was an instant hit among readers, and was recently listed as the number two Most Read Book of the Year (so far!) according to the reading website and tracker, Goodreads. Dear Debbie was solely outranked by the sci-fi hit, Project Hail Mary.

Upon release, Dear Debbie shot up the charts and became a New York Times bestseller in combined print and e-book fiction, as well as the took the top spot for paperback fiction.

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Dear Debbiefollows protagonist Debbie Mullen, a suburban housewife and advice columnist who has spent years doling out advice through her “Dear Debbie” column. However, despite her picture-perfect life, Debbie fully snaps after receiving criticism for her advice, getting fired, and suspecting her husband is having an affair. Debbie begins seeking out a way to enact justice on her own, and along the way uncovers far more than she bargained for.

Readers have praisedDear Debbie for being entertaining, unhinged, and even borderline crazy at times. For fans of messy thrillers with twist after twist, this seems to be a pick!

“The writing is addictive, sharp, and relentless 💉✍️⚡ Debbie as a character is completely unhinged but somehow grounded enough to feel disturbingly real 😈🧠👀 A menace. An icon. A walking red flag 🚩💅🔥”

“I know it’s early in the year, but I’m calling it now: when the Goodreads Choice Awards roll around—whether in the thriller category or any mystery-related award—this book already has my vote.”

“Like all of Freida’s books, this one is incredibly fast-paced and easy to sink into. The pages absolutely flew for me. I went into it while at the start of a reading slump, and once again she pulled me right out of it.”

Dear Debbie is out now and available wherever books are sold.

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