Chapter summaries The Boyfriend Freida McFadden

The Boyfriend Chapter 61: Daisy's Confession

⚠️ Spoiler Warning: This guide contains detailed spoilers for the entire novel. Proceed only if you've finished reading or are comfortable knowing the plot.

Summary

Arriving at the Dairy Queen parking lot after receiving a text from Slug, Tom finds Daisy standing over Slug's body with a gun. She claims Slug attacked her with a knife and that she shot him in self‑defense. Tom initially comforts her, but his suspicion grows when he notices inconsistencies: Slug's car was in the lot, and the text from Slug says Daisy asked him to meet there. Tom also recalls Slug's odd comment about handling Alison. When Tom confronts Daisy, she snatches his phone and deletes the text. She then confesses: she killed Alison to silence her about Tom burying a body, killed Brandi out of jealousy over Tom's kiss, and murdered Slug to pin all the crimes on him. She tortured the victims for her own enjoyment. Daisy offers Tom a choice: stick with her story so Slug takes the blame, or she will kill him and frame him. Despite his horror, Tom decides he will keep Daisy's secret to protect himself, but he insists their romantic relationship is over.

Key Events

  • Tom arrives at the Dairy Queen to find Daisy holding a gun over Slug's body.
  • Daisy initially claims self‑defense, saying Slug attacked with a knife.
  • Tom notices the text from Slug saying Daisy asked him to meet her.
  • Daisy deletes the text message from Tom's phone.
  • Daisy admits to luring Slug to the lot and killing him.
  • She reveals she also murdered Alison and Brandi, and that she tortured them.
  • Daisy confesses she killed Alison because Alison saw Tom putting a dead body in his trunk.
  • She killed Brandi because Tom kissed her.
  • Daisy gives Tom an ultimatum: cooperate and be together, or die and be framed.
  • Tom internally decides to protect Daisy's secret but ends their relationship.

Character Development

  • Tom: His perspective shifts from relief that Daisy is safe to horror upon learning the truth. He recognizes the psychopathic traits he shares with Daisy—an epiphany that changes his self‑image. He ultimately chooses self‑preservation over love, showing a reluctant maturity.
  • Daisy: Fully revealed as a calculating, sadistic killer. She uses her father's position as police chief to manipulate outcomes. Her earlier sweetness is now exposed as a mask; she admits she enjoyed torturing her victims. Yet she still claims to love Tom, indicating she may have genuine affection despite her lack of empathy.
  • Slug (deceased): Posthumously revealed to be a peeping tom, but not a murderer. His death is the culmination of Daisy's plot to frame him. Tom recalls his innocence and loneliness, adding tragedy to his demise.

Themes, Symbols, or Motifs

  • Duplicity: Daisy's confession shatters the illusion of her innocence. The chapter explores how evil can hide behind a pretty, lovestruck facade.
  • Moral Complicity: Tom's decision to keep Daisy's secret highlights the theme of choosing self‑interest over justice. He becomes complicit through silence.
  • Guns and Knives: The gun and kitchen knife function as symbols of violence and choice. Daisy uses the gun to assert control; the knife becomes a prop for her false narrative.
  • Craving Control: Daisy's need to control Tom's life—eliminating rivals and framing Slug—reveals her obsession with managing outcomes. She even controls the story for the police.
  • Echoes of the Past: Tom's own history of violence (killing his father) is mirrored in Daisy. He sees himself in her, suggesting that trauma can produce a shared capacity for cruelty.

Why This Chapter Matters

This chapter delivers the central twist of the novel: Daisy is the true killer. It re‑contextualizes every event, from Brandi's death to Slug's arrest. Tom's internal choice to protect Daisy despite knowing her guilt sets up the moral consequences that will play out in the final chapters. The chapter also deepens the psychological portrait of both protagonists, showing them as dark mirrors of each other.

Study Questions and Answers

  1. What does Tom realize about Slug's text that makes him suspicious?
    Tom notices that Slug's text says Daisy asked him to meet at the Dairy Queen. Since Tom never told Slug that Daisy wanted to meet, he reasons that Daisy must have lured Slug there. Combined with the fact that Slug's car was clearly visible in the lot, Tom concludes Daisy staged the meeting to kill Slug.

  2. Why does Daisy target Brandi and Alison?
    Daisy admits she killed Brandi because she was jealous that Tom kissed Brandi. She killed Alison because Alison saw Tom putting a dead body in his trunk and was planning to go to the police; Daisy viewed Alison as a threat to her relationship with Tom. Additionally, Daisy enjoyed torturing the victims for fun.

  3. What decision does Tom make at the end of the chapter, and why?
    Tom decides he will keep Daisy's secret and not tell anyone she committed the murders. He does this partly to protect himself (since Daisy threatens to kill him and frame him) but also because he still loves her and cannot bring himself to hurt her. However, he ends their romantic relationship permanently, vowing not to let her ruin him.

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