| Title | : | Brain Damage |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | - |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Kindle Edition |
| Number of Pages | : | 398 |
| Publication | : | First published April 28, 2016 |
Then one night, a bullet rips through the right side of her skull and she loses everything.
As Charly struggles to recover from her brain injury, she begins to realize that the events of that fateful night are trapped in the damaged right side of her brain. Now she must put the jigsaw pieces together to discover the identity of the man who tried to kill her... before he finishes the job he started.
Brain Damage Reviews
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I feel so torn about this book. At times it was a five-star read, but unfortunately I just got so mad in the last 5 chapters. Why? Because Charly simply was so dumb. There, I said it. It took forever for her to realize how bad her husband was, and it annoyed me that she was always moaning about how bad she looked and that no one would ever care for her. It also felt unsatisfying how the medical glasses magically made her better, and if they were so amazing, why did they not present her with them earlier in her rehabilitation? The first half of the book however, was amazing. It kept me engaged, and McFadden even made me laugh. So overall a mostly enjoyable read until the ending.
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Brain Damage by Freida McFadden
About the book:
After years of hard work, Dr. Charly McKenna finally has it all. Prosperous career as a dermatologist? Check. Spacious apartment overlooking Central Park? Check. Handsome lawyer husband? Double check.
Then one night, a bullet rips through the right side of her skull and she loses everything.
As Charly struggles to recover from her brain injury, she begins to realize that the events of that fateful night are trapped in the damaged right side of her brain. Now she must put the jigsaw pieces together to discover the identity of the man who tried to kill her... before he finishes the job he started.
My take:
The book has been described on Amazon as a twisted psychological thriller that will keep you guessing. Well, I was certainly left guessing till the end about what I was reading!
After reading amazing five-star reviews, I purchased this book. And after reading two other psychological thrillers from the same author which I loved reading, I had absolutely no doubt in my mind. But I was in for a very big disappointment. This is easily one of the worst books I have read.
The story is about Dr. Charlotte Mckenna, a dermatologist, who has a great practice and owns a plush apartment overlooking the central park. She marries Clark, a handsome lawyer, who was once her patient, and pursued her till she agreed. One day, she gets shot in the head and develops hemispatial neglect on her left side of the body, along with loss of memory.
I had expected it to be a nice thriller where the story builds to the climax where she gets shot, and we are left wondering who did it and why. However, right from page 1, you easily guess who did it and why.
The main character, Charlotte, is hardly likable in the part before she was shot. She has absolutely no self-esteem and probably that is how she tolerates the jerk of a husband she married without even getting to know him better. Her cat seems to have better intelligence and instincts. Even in the part after she was shot, he is absent from her life for the majority part, and then reappears to make a deal with Charlotte about taking care of her in return for using her disability payments to sponsor his and his girlfriend's stay at Charlotte's apartment, humiliating and insulting her in every way possible. The same girlfriend he was cheating on with before she got shot. And yet Charlotte puts up with him just because she feels she has no other option! This was too spineless for my taste!
There are hardly any other characters to make us even suspect anyone else, and none of the characters is well developed. Almost 80% of the story is like a memoir of a person who is recovering from severe brain injury and focuses on unnecessary details of speech therapy, occupational therapy, and physiotherapy that lead the story nowhere.
The only character I really liked was Jamie, but again, his character seemed very sporadic, he wasn't any valuable addition to the story, and the way his relationship with Charlotte was stretched till the very end was irritating.
The author being a physician, I can say she has written this part brilliantly, giving us a real picture inside a rehabilitation centre for the brain-damaged. But that is not why I picked this book for. It is very depressing to read and doesn’t add anything to the story at all.
So even though I like the author and the way she writes, this book could have been promoted as a diary of a brain-injured person, and not as a psychological thriller that keeps us guessing till the end. The only thing I kept guessing was when the book would actually end.
I rate it one star, the lowest I have ever rated. -
This was a re-read of a book I had chosen to read in 2020. I gave it five stars then and I give it five stars now. It is the perfect "happy" read that I've been needing, although what our heroine goes through is not happy at all. Her struggles with a dire brain injury are very sad but her charm and sense of humor make her so very likeable. Loved it!
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https://www.compulsivereaders.com/bra...
I hadn’t heard of Freida McFadden until I read The Housemaid last month (which I absolutely LOVED) and was delighted to learn she has a back catalogue of books so when a member of THE Book Club posted a glowing review of Brain Damage I immediately purchased it and started to read it.
Dr Charlotte Mckenna (Charly) is a doctor specialising in skin conditions. She’s successful, lives in a very prestigious address in New York and at the age of 37 has accepted she will remain single and childless until a patient starts to show interest. Clark is a very handsome lawyer and despite Charly never getting involved with a patient, his determination and good looks eventually win her over.
Fast forward eighteen months and Charly is now in a hospital, having been shot in the head and miraculously survived. With a severe brain injury remembering her name is a struggle and suffering from Left Neglect she also can’t use the left side of her body or see anything unless its on the right side of her. Whilst this is a serious medical condition, there were moments in Charly’s rehabilitation that had me laughing out loud.
Charly is determined to get better despite the odds and also try to work out who shot her and why. The story has dual timelines taking the reader back to the past when Charly met Clark and follows their romance to the present day in the hospital.
Brain Damage ticked almost every box for me personally. I loved the narrator and her wonderful sense of humour and this was one of those books that I couldn’t put down but didn’t want to finish. -
I’m a Freida McFadden fan, but I have to say this is quite possibly one of the worst books I’ve read.
Brain Damage has a plot that is paper thin. The writing is weak and repetitive and there is zero suspense. I expected so much more, especially since this was touted as a “gripping psychological thriller.” The main character, Charly, excuses every horrible thing her husband does because he’s extremely handsome. She mentions how handsome he is at least 500 times in throughout the story, and never acknowledges anything about him other than that. Also, I found it interesting that Charly behaved exactly the same before and after her brain damage. Aside from the effects of the memory loss, which made total sense, Charly remained shallow and immature throughout the whole story. I struggled to feel empathy for her, but I give this two stars because the subject matter was interesting and it started out well. -
Great story! Sad, funny and loved the ending
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Full disclosure - I love Freida McFadden. She writes characters with an inner monologue that truly makes me laugh. Almost like she has channeled me and my rando sense of humor. Additionally, being a fan of her writing, I checked out her bio. The author is a medical doctor. And an incredible writer. I am in awe.
Brain Damage was a fantastic book. Main character, Charly McKenna is a successful dermatologist, single, until she meets THE PERFECT MAN. Uh huh. You know that's never the case, right? We spend most of our time with Charly during her recovery from a gunshot wound to the head. This is the magic of the book - how interesting can days and days of rehab be for a reader? A lot. The author/doctor does a great job of making this period interesting, sad, emotional, funny....all the feels. I do not expect my heart to literally ache when reading a domestic thriller, but I became invested in Charly and the other patients.
And I loved the ending. -
4.25 Stars
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I really loved this book! It was sad, funny and a bit educational all at the same time .
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A classic whodunit will have a crime (mostly murder) in the very first chapter of the book. This is then followed by a full-blown all-hands-on-deck kind of inspection by the protagonist, optionally along with her friends. At the end, the criminal will be apprehended and then either killed or jailed.
But Brain Damage is not a classic whodunit. A crime is committed, and the criminal is apprehended, but not in the usual way. I'd prevent from saying more because I'll hate it if someone else gave away spoilers in such a small review.
The narrative is strong, and keeps one glued to the pages. The short chapters also serve as a motivational factor for the impatient reader. Although the book has a happy ending, I'd have liked it more if it didn't.
Verdict: Highly recommended. -
I am such a Freida super fan! I love her books so much. This was a bit of a detour from what I'm used to from her in that it had more romance than thriller, but I enjoyed it just as much. The resilience of the human body and spirit was beautiful and emotional all at the same time. Great read.
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There is something about the writing style that kept making me pause, shake my head and then move on. The back and forth in time is usually a great suspense builder but these seemed to be big spoilers instead.
Other things that stood out to me (in no particular order):
How can Charly have been so easily conned, because Clark is handsome? At first, sure, but no job, extra week in Bahamas alone, hates her cat… peace out, pretty Clark!
Looks seem very important to everyone in this book. I can appreciate that looks might be an initial attraction, but part of me wishes Jamie were ugly or didn’t get to look completely normal once healed. And Clark was getting away with, well, attempted murder there for a minute because he was SOOO handsome. Charly entertaining the thought of letting him and his gf take care of her in exchange for her disability money? No… frickin… way… And looks aren’t what keeps a relationship going. So, Clark’s attitude should have caused a divorce WAY before she found out about Haley.
Clark: Yeah I cheated, let’s have a baby.
Charly: Sounds cool.
Me: WTAF?! Almost stopped reading right there.
Charly: Oh and by the way, I didn’t mention a major past event about having a gun pointed at me.
Me: Ummm, that’s probably a good enough reason to veto the gun. Tell the pretty husband no, Charly!
Did we know Charly was Chelsea’s godmother before the end? That seemed like an odd little bit of info. Maybe to show they were back in their bestie groove?
What happened to fungus patient guy? Were we supposed to think he was a suspect? Other than that, I am not sure why that whole -seeing him everywhere- part was added. Honestly, Clark’s inability to take no for an answer was far more creepy.
Bridget didn’t call Charly’s mom after hearing Clark give some wild excuse about Charly refusing to see anyone? I get she is a busy new mom and was trying to respect what she thought were her friend’s wishes, but I didn’t think that was believable. Maybe, but not likely since Bridget knew there was cheating and secret money. Screw you, Clark, I am visiting my bestie!
A year?! Even after Jamie sent those flowers and that note before her surgery? An. Entire. Year. Come on! -
Dr. Charly McKenna is a successful dermatologist with a handsome husband and an apartment in NY. She seems to have it all.
She wakes up discovering one night she has been shot and is missing part of her skull. Her husband does not visit her in the hospital as much as one would hope. As she begins to recover she starts putting the pieces together. She is in a facility with other patients and strikes up a friendship with another man.
Although I did see one twist happening, I did not see the other one. Can she find out who shot her? Was in random or intentional? Who will support her recovery as she has a long road ahead of her? I really enjoyed this novel with humor and humility. -
FLUFFY SNOW BALLS!! 😱🥺🤯
This. Book. Hit. My. Feels. So. Hard. 🥺
It was so unbelievably good! The entire journey of Charly! And then the ending! I mean, WHHHAATTT?! And how someone who had it all, can immediately lose it and the struggle to get back a minuscule of self. Just unbelievably well done! This book. HAD. IT. ALL!
My brain & heart will never be the same. 😳 an absolute goldmine!
I give this 4.5 / 5 snowflakes! ❄️ -
As the title suggests this is about a persons recovery from brain damage. Told before and after the event causing the brain damage - Dr Charlotte McKenna is a dermatologist , 37 years old with no children. When a patient starts showing interest in her she goes against her ethical duties and begins dating Clark. What follows is the story of their romance followed by the recovery in rehab.
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Brain Damage by Freida McFadden
Rating (5/5) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I love her books! So good! So hard to put this one down. So many twists and turns. Just bought 5 more of her books today from Amazon. 😊 -
So good
I love Freida McFadden. I think she’s fantastic. I have almost read every single one of her books. they all have huge twists yet they are all different! highly recommend! -
Loved this! Easily one of my favorite Freida books.
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Not her greatest
My least favorite Freida book yet. Predictable and suuuuper drawn out storyline that lacked much of a “twist”. I was disappointed with this one. -
I really like this author and with all of her books I read them or inhale them quickly ! The pace of this book not as fast as her other books and I preferred her others BUT I did enjoy it . I was feeling quite anxious at one point as to where I thought the plot was going ( I will come back to this ) Charlotte a successful dermatologist is wooed by the incredibly good looking Clark but straight away I smell a rat ! Charlotte is portrayed as this intelligent Doctor who seemingly allows an obnoxious lying prick to worm himself into her life, her cat doesn’t like him that should tell you something! Then they get married quickly I can see he’s only in it for the money why can’t Charlotte! Then she gets shot nearly dies and has horrific brain injuries. Nasty Clark does not visit her until he realizes she has a lot of money, then he’s visiting her . Basically he tells her he is going to care for her when she comes out of hospital and move his girlfriend in . Hence my anxiety I fear a life of neglect and abuse for Charlotte. Thankfully a sinister turn of events lead to Clark being arrested . Then the love story progresses. So pleased Clark never got to ‘care’ for Charlotte as I don’t think he would have been nice !
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This book was VERY different from the others I’ve read by McFadden. I wouldn’t really describe this as a thriller. It was a beautiful and emotional read though!
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A burglary goes wrong, which results in an attempted murder of a dermatologist and brain damage.
The result is a rather long stay at a rehab facility, where our survivor - although outfitted with a "stylish" helmet - spends the next few months to learn how to deal with her injuries.
She also meets a proper bunch of people that are going through similar issues as her, and memories come back from the time before the burglary - and resulting brain damage.
Yes - this is a story of suspense - but in the midst of it, there's also a cute romance.
And let me tell you: I am not a romance reader - but the dash of romance was just the right amount ...
Reading this story was as easy as a warm knife slides through butter...delicious !
I would highly recommend to read this book - I would honestly describe it as a cute suspense story: Not too heavy, but just right.
I loved it ! -
Love love love! I’ve read a few of Freida’s books but this one was different. It’s definitely still a mystery of course but above all it’s a love story. I usually hate love stories, but this one was cute. I think the author did an incredible job of describing how someone in rehab recovering from a traumatic accident would think and act. I’m not sure if she had experience with a loved one or did some extensive research but it all felt so real. I definitely knew who was behind Charly’s “accident” the whole time but I didn’t continue to read it for that reason. I wanted to find out if she ever recovered and ended up with Jamie. I never fall prey to a love story but in this case I was a sucker. So good ♥️
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I’ve never read a funny Psychological Thriller at all except for this. I actually laugh many times from this book and it was amazing. I love Charly’s thoughts because she’s very sarcastic and it’s just a refreshing character.
The book was too long for all about Charly’s thoughts and difficulty in her recovery from a head gunshot. It’s just shocking how she still survived a gunshot to the head! Her dream about the night of the incident is repeated a lot of times and it just revealed the suspect in the end. I already have some idea of who did it and it just have some twists about it. I must say it’s kinda predictable but there are good stuff here, too!
I love the fact that there’s a cute love story here between Jamie and Charly. I’ve read a lot of McFadden’s book and they’re more focused on the thrill and excitement but this one is heartwarming as well! I enjoyed it a lot. I love how genuine Jamie is about her affection to Charly and it’s so adorable!
Overall it’s an enjoyable read. -
Loved this book
Freuda never disappoints. I loved the story being from the opposite point of view. It definitely kept me reading. There has not been a Freida McFadden book that hasn't been good. I highly recommend this book. -
4/5 ⭐️ i really loved this book. it was hilarious and THE ENDING WAS 😩🥰
one thing I will say is it was predictable and has a lot of romance involved, so I wouldn’t consider it a psychological thriller. -
I have read most of her books. I haven't read one I wouldn't give 5 stars to. Read them all!
