Okay, You NEED to Read Dear Debbie — Here’s Why

So I just finished (well, “just” is doing some heavy lifting, I basically inhaled it in two days) the new Freida McFadden book, Dear Debbie, and I have to tell you about it. If you’ve read The Housemaid — you know, the one everyone and their mom was talking about a couple years back — this is from the same author, and honestly? I think it might be even more fun.

It came out in 2026 from Poisoned Pen Press, it’s a little over 300 pages, and it’s basically a revenge thriller with a dark sense of humor. Perfect beach read, perfect “I just want to be entertained and also mildly unsettled” read. Let’s get into it.

Okay But What’s It Actually About?

So there’s this woman, Debbie Mullen, and for years she’s been writing this advice column called… you guessed it, “Dear Debbie.” Women all over New England write in with their problems — mostly about husbands who ignore them, put them down, or worse — and Debbie’s the one dishing out the “here’s what you should do” wisdom. She’s basically everyone’s favorite internet aunt, except in newspaper form.

Except plot twist: Debbie’s own life is a total disaster right now. She loses her job. Her teenage daughters are acting weird and clearly hiding something. And then — the big one — she finds out her husband’s been keeping secrets. How? She installed a tracking app on his phone, which, okay, a little unhinged, but also relatable if you’ve ever had that gut feeling something’s off.

And that’s basically her breaking point. All those years of telling other women “leave him” or “stand up for yourself”? Debbie decides it’s time to actually take her own advice. Except she’s not just going to leave and move on quietly. Oh no. She’s going full revenge mode on everyone who’s wronged her. And honestly? Good for her.

Why Debbie Is Kind of Iconic

Here’s the thing I loved most — Debbie isn’t your typical “poor sad victim” character. She’s not a villain either, exactly. She’s somewhere in that delicious in-between zone where you’re like “wait, should I be rooting for this? …yeah, I’m rooting for this.” Kirkus Reviews literally called her a “gleefully sadistic” antihero, and yeah, that tracks.

There’s also something kind of clever going on under the surface — this woman’s whole career is telling other people what they should do when they’re mistreated, and now she has to figure out if she can actually follow her own advice. It’s a little bit “physician heal thyself,” except with more scheming and less actual healing.

The Vibe / Themes (If We’re Being Fancy About It)

Without getting too English-class about it, here’s what the book’s actually poking at underneath all the fun revenge stuff:

• What happens when you spend YEARS being the calm, understanding one and it finally catches up with you
• That very 2026 anxiety of, like, does my partner actually have secrets on their phone (the tracking app subplot is so of-the-moment it’s almost funny)
• Women getting to be messy and angry instead of just quietly sad — which, yes please, more of that
• The gap between the person you are in public vs. who you are when nobody’s watching
• Being a mom while your entire life is falling apart, because apparently that’s not stressful enough on its own

What People Are Saying

I’m not the only one who’s obsessed, for the record. Booklist gave it a starred review and basically said it keeps surprising you right up to the end. Publishers Weekly called it “darkly funny” (accurate) and said Debbie’s moral compass is messed up but somehow still makes sense (also accurate, weirdly). And Shari Lapena — who wrote The Couple Next Door — blurbed it saying Debbie’s “such an endearing psychopath” that she couldn’t stop reading. Which, honestly? Same.

Should You Actually Read It?

Look, if any of these describe you, you’re gonna have a good time with this book:

• You loved The Housemaid and want more of that same “wait WHAT” energy
• You’re into morally gray main characters who you probably shouldn’t root for but do anyway
• You want something fast-paced that doesn’t take itself too seriously
• You like a little dark comedy mixed in with your thrillers instead of just straight doom and gloom
• You’ve ever fantasized about getting a little petty revenge on someone who deserved it

If you liked Verity by Colleen Hoover or My Lovely Wife, add this to your list immediately. It’s giving similar chaotic-woman-you-can’t-look-away-from energy.

Where to Grab a Copy

Real talk, this thing has wait lists at libraries everywhere, so don’t sleep on it. Here’s where to look:

• Dear Debbie on MIT Press Bookstore — has the full description plus a bunch of the reviews I mentioned
• Pop over to Goodreads and search “Dear Debbie Freida McFadden” to see what other readers think
• Check your local library’s site (or WorldCat) to see if there’s a copy nearby — though fair warning, you might end up on a waitlist

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If You’re Sharing This Post Yourself

Quick tip if you’re posting your own version of this somewhere: link back to other book reviews you’ve written (especially other McFadden books or similar thrillers), throw in a couple of trustworthy outside links like the ones above, and if you know any fellow book blogger friends, ask if they’ll link to your post too. Little things like that genuinely help people find your stuff.

Bottom Line

Dear Debbie is exactly the kind of book you devour in a weekend and then immediately want to talk about with someone. It’s fun, it’s a little wild, it’s got just enough heart under all the scheming to actually mean something. Go read it, then come tell me what you thought — I need to talk about that ending with someone.