This was a humdinger of a read! Suspenseful, sinister and, if I’m honest, downright sneaky. A masterclass in misdirection that had me slapping my forehead in disbelief at my own gullibility.

The eponymous housemaid is Millie, fresh out of prison, jobless and living in her car, when she’s offered a live-in position at the luxurious home of the wealthy Winchester family: Nina, husband Andy, and their precocious 9 year-old daughter Cecilia.

Millie can’t believe her luck and is only mildly concerned when her living quarters turn out to be a cramped attic room with a tiny sealed window and a door that only locks from the outside. She’s so grateful for the job that she even bats away Nina’s erratic behavior as something to be endured with gritted teeth and a smile. But all is clearly not hunky dory in the household.

Author Freida McFadden sucks you into her story with a gripping prologue, which plants expectations in your mind for what’s to follow. It’s a beautifully laid trap, and I walked right into it.

What unfolds is a twisty, unnerving tale of gaslighting, manipulation and domestic abuse, segueing into survival and revenge. Unpredictable characters with multiple personalities. And a brooding, hunky gardener, whose enigmatic warnings send shivers of uncertainty rippling through the narrative.

The story is cleverly divided into two halves. The first is told from Millie’s point of view, as she tries to make sense of the behavior around her; the second is from Nina’s. And it is this unexpected switch in voices that turns everything on its head, ratchets up the pace, and sends you off at a gallop to the end of the book.

I loved how this story resolved itself. It wasn’t pretty. In fact, it was bloody grim. But it was all that I wanted it to be. All that it DESERVED to be. And I loved it!

Wow, wow, wow! I could not believe how this book could get better and better. And then the ending! There needs to be a sequel.

Millie is desperate for a job, homeless, sleeping in her old car and just out of prison. She’s been sacked from her waitressing job and needs life to give her a break. When she’s offered the housemaid position with Nina and Andrew, she thinks she has fallen on her feet. And despite Nina’s exacting and pedantic ways, Millie will do whatever she needs to, to keep her job.

This book had been completely gripped. A huge 5 stars!

Wow!!!
A woman living in her car is desperate for a job to be a housemaid. This job gives her a room in the house. When she is offered the job, the woman she works for is very challenging.
But all is not as expected in this book, with a very interesting ending. I suggest looking at other books by this author.

"If I leave this house, it will be in handcuffs." This is the first line of the book and the prologue had me intrigued. The more I read, I realized I could not put the book down till I knew how it ended.

Wow is all I can say about this thrilling and twister filled book by Freida McFadden. This was the first book I have read by this author and it will not be the last. Best words to describe this book, chaos, madhouse, mayhem, recognizable plot, predictable one minute and a wallop the next, suspenseful, entertaining, creepy, odd, disturbing, and unrealistic. All of these words make this a tantalizing suspenseful read.

Two unreliable characters point of view told but should there be 3? One spoiled rotten 9 year old or has her life been dealt poorly? We all have secrets? Is there such thing as a dream come true husband and home life? Maybe the unreliable characters are neurotic and crazy or possibly smarter than you think? Who is reliable? So many questions. You must read The Housemaid to find all the answers.

Thank you Bookouture and Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

this was so good & scary it made hairs in my neck quiver, this was my first read by Miss McFadden & wont be my last one

This was just ok. I liked the synopsis more than I did the actual book. The characters frustrated me. I expected more.


Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this arc in exchange for my honest review.

Wow, wow, wow!!!! This is the first book I have read by Frieda McFadden, but it will not be my last. This jaw dropping, mind blowing and twisted domestic thriller blew my mind. I loved how this book had me from the start but just keeps building tension throughout. For all thriller or domestic thriller fans, this is a must.

Millie is fresh out of jail and looking for a way to get her life back on track. She is struggling to get and then keep hold of jobs due to her criminal record. When she hears about a live in housemaid situation, she jumps at the interview, knowing anything would be better than living in her car!

Soon she finds herself at the mercy of the insane and downright gross wife, and stuck falling for her handsome and hard done by husband. But what is the wife willing to do to stop the relationship? And what is Millie willing to do to keep her new home?

This book had a twist in the middle that I was totally expecting, which made me feel like I was going to hate it. I ended up reading the second half really fast, hoping there would be something else to it.

And thankfully, the very last page was there for me. I upped my rating to a 4 star based on the very last chapter. Worth it!

Clear your calendar - you won't be doing anything else once you start this one! McFadden knows how to keep you hooked and turning the page to that very last one - and this one does not disappoint! There's always a fun twist at the end ... no spoilers here. A must read if you like tense suspense!

Millie is fresh out of prison and living in her car. She urgently needs a job and somewhere to live but is genuinely shocked when she is hired to be a live in housekeper. But her new job has a sinister edge. The lady of the house Nina is unpredictable and Millie lives in a state of fear for her job and possibly even her life...
The Housemaid is a psychological thriller set in America.
Millie has had a run of bad luck so is relieved to get a job and home in one fell swoop. But from the very beginning she has an unsettling feeling regarding her boss Nina. Nina's behaviour is erratic and Millie feels constantly on edge.
I couldn't believe the vile way that Nina acted towards Millie nor the repulsive state of the house. Her snide comments as well as her daughter's brattish behaviour were truly awful and instantly allied me with Millie. However, I was eager to learn why Millie has been in prison and found herself in such a desperate situation.
All the while, I had the prologue in my mind and was guessing how the plot would play out. This book is not one sided as we then get to see Nina's perspective before both viewpoints merge for the finale. Wow! The change in perspective is a fab twist and the ending left me feeling satisfied.  The chapters are short so the momentum and pace are speedy, enticing me to read one more chapter.
The Housemaid was a gripping thriller and I couldn't put it down!

Wow 🤩 I loved this book. A great read that in Part 1 of the book had you thinking you knew where the storyline was heading… but in Part 2 it threw a MASSIVE curveball ! A highly original storyline loved it !!

The narrator was really easy to listen too and made the characters come to life highly recommend

This is my first book from this author but I will definitely be checking out more of their work. The Housemaid is written in first person which isn’t normally my favourite writing style but it worked really well. The first half of the book is written from Millie’s POV and then half way through we get an insight into Nina’s life which I loved. Reading Millie’s part of the book had me questioning all the crap she was putting up with but it sets the scene beautifully for the faster paced second half. It’s such a great psychological thriller with some twists and turns and a fantastic ending.

The Housemaid by Freida McFadden starts in the best possible way for a Mystery/Thriller book! You find Wilhelmina "Millie" Calloway living in her car and in desperate need of a job, risking her parole status after being fired from her old job. She meets housewife Nina Winchester, who is looking for a live-in housekeeper and offering a handsome salary in return. Against Millie's expectation she gets the job, but soon after, Millie discovers that there's something strange with the people living in the Winchester House.
This book is truly aligned with its genre, there were so many little mysteries and when you thought you were on to the story, the author flipped the entire situation. So many twists and turns, and so many times I exclaimed out loud "WHAAT?", amazing. I listened to the audiobook, and it kept me glued to the phone, especially in the final part of the book. The narration was superb too, completely believable and carried me through the book perfectly. Can't wait to read/listen more of Freida McFadden!

I wasn't sure how I was going to rate this book The first half was just OK. I was annoyed that Millie took all the abuse from her employer, cleaning up her messes and the confusing instructions, like telling her to pick up her daughter from school, and then denying it. but the second half made up for that slow beginning. I literally could not put the book down, it was that good. This book was unlike anything I've read. Will definitely read more from this author!

This book was ok. It held my interest. Some parts were predictable but did not sway me from reading. I would call this book a "Soft" or "Light" thriller.
The ending was satisfying. I would recommend for a light thriller or someone new to thrillers.
Thank you netgalley for my advanced readers copy. The opinions here are strictly my own.

4.5 stars rounded up to 5!
WOW - this was such a good book. I was hooked, it is quite the page turner. The author does such a good job of building suspense, keeping you guessing and not letting you put the book down! The characters were all wonderfully awful (in a good way) and with the unreliable narrator situation, you dont know who of this motley crew to trust.

When Millie gets hired for a live-in maid job at the Winchester's fancy home, she can't believe her luck! Having just recently gotten out of prison and living in her car, Millie can't believe that the Winchesters would hire her without so much as a background check, but she is not looking a gift horse in the mouth! Upon her arrival, however, she is greeted by a handsome landscaper who seems to be trying to give her some sort of warning. She also learns that she will be sleeping in a small tiny, room in the attic with a sealed shut window. What could go wrong?

With so many twists and turns, and changing points of view, this book is a must read for fans of The Wife Between Us, The Other Mrs. and Gone Girl. I highly recommend you put this on your summer reading list!

Special thank you to Netgalley and Bookoutre for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was my first book by this author and I really enjoyed it.
Kept me on the edge of my seat with all the twists and turns.
Great summer thriller and a lot of fun to read. I will definitely try this author again.

Freida McFadden has done it again. I loved the twists and turns… especially the fact that I can see a sequel in the near future.
The writing was smooth and easy to read. Great character development.
While reading this I couldn’t stop thinking how nothing is as appears to be.
Thank you to NetGalley for a digital copy to review. No compensation was received.
I look forward to more of this authors books. She’s the real deal.

A great dark book with a lot of twists and turns. I figured out one of the twists but couldn’t figure out the why though. Freida does an amazing job setting up the plot and characters. The reader ends up with conflicting feelings for all the characters. You love to hate them. A must read.

This book reminds me a lot of Behind Closed Doors. Great psychological thriller. You never know what goes on in someone's home.