The plot twist is really one of the thing I didn't expected much but then I've had a good feeling it'll boil to down to it. My first read from the author and definitely didn't disappoint me, it gives me chills and had me up all night reading this. I can't stop myself because like Millie, I want to unravel the mystery between the so called happy family of the Winchester and it definitely something up between it.

The storyline was like a diary and it didn't bore me because I like the story and I like how the characters were able to connected somehow and the ending was somewhat predictable. Hoping to read more stories from the author.

Thanks Netgalley for a copy of Housemaid by Freida McFadden.
5 stars one of the best novels I've read this year , I honestly read it in one sitting. Fast pace twist and turns I highly recommend. Best book 2022 so far.

Wow, this one was different. I was expecting a different vibe. Overall, it’s a page turner. It’s got the multiple POVs, which works well for this story. Mollie is happy to have a job after being in prison, and this house maid work means she’s got a place to live and food to eat. Yet, her client is very finicky and gaslights her often. She wonders what is going on and if danger is as imminent as she feels.

The sections of the book are laid out well to explain each facet of the story, including the background of why she was in prison and what’s really going on where she is working.

I think it was a good twist, but it was nothing I’ve not seen before. Still, it’s a pretty solid book and the ending was a decent surprise. I enjoy this author and would continue to read her next book.

Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for the digital review copy.

This is one of those tricky books to review, I didn't love it, but I didn't hate it either. I was initially attracted to the outstanding cover and the excellent marketing effort put in by Bookouture, making this sound like the most incredible book.

The plot is quite clever. Millie lives in the back of her car, having been out of jail for only a year and being sacked from her last job flipping burgers. So she goes for an interview for a job as a 'housekeeper', a cleaner with a few extra chores for Nina, her husband Andy and her nine-year-old daughter, Cecelia. While she doesn't think she stands a chance to work at this beautiful, huge house, Nina calls to offer her the role a few days later.

We follow their journey through the eyes of Nina and Millie, and there are some clever, brilliant twists. I knew something was coming, but not that, not in a million years. This demonstrates the excellent imagination of Freida McFadden. I enjoyed the plot and following their journey, surprises and all.

The characters were well-drawn, I felt I knew them well, but ultimately, I didn't like them. I felt sorry for some of them; I was intrigued by their story and had guessed the most significant thing about Enzo, the gardener, though not his whole story.

Millie appears to have come through ten years in prison with no street smarts, she comes across as very naïve, and you wouldn't guess her background from her actions. There is nothing to suggest why she has been in prison for most of the book, and her point of view is very diary-like. It reads much like, I cleaned the kitchen for three hours, I have no idea how they make so much mess and then I fantasised about Andy for a while before making dinner.

Nina is a highly complex character; she spins on a pinhead, it's like a rollercoaster ride, and as you get through the rest of the book, you will understand why. She is confused, disliked by those around her and seems quite unlikeable.

Cecelia is nine and a complete spoilt brat. Her words and actions towards Millie, in particular, are abhorrent but often mirror what she sees of her mother at her worst. Cecelia appears near the end of the book, and you are left wondering what happened to her. So much is made of her misbehaviour, but then it's completely gone and doesn't quite match up.

Andy is a very cleverly written man. Rich, handsome, well-dressed, high-powered job and a beautiful home. What more could you want in a husband?

Finally, there's Enzo, the gardener. He is strong and handsome but doesn't speak a word of English. He is at the house a considerable amount for a gardener though, and welcomes Millie with a sharp warning.

I liked the ending, though, again not as I expected but not terrible. This was a slightly strange read, I wanted to keep reading to find out what happened and where it would all end, but at the same time, I didn't feel anything from reading it, just indifferent. I wouldn't be likely to recommend it, but at the same time, I wouldn't say to someone not to read it either.

I would try one of the author's other novels. But unfortunately, this didn't connect with me the way I had hoped.

Overall, my ambivalence toward the book means that it sits around a three-star read for me.

This book reminded me of Behind Closed Doors x Verity x The Wife Between Us. My first McFadden book and it did not disappoint.

**Thank you to the publisher for sending me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review **

Holy mother of pearls did this book pack a 🥊 punch!!! 🫢 Revenge can be so sweet!!! I was completely invested in this story from the very beginning. There are so many twists to the storyline that you just have no idea what’s coming next!! I was screaming in delight over several parts of the book. The ending left me feeling so damn happy! 😂 I just didn’t see it coming. I recommend this amazing thriller to EVERYONE!!! 👏That 👏was👏 amazing!!👏

Millie is down on her luck and sleeping in her car having just been fired from her last job and losing her apartment when she finds herself sitting in Nina’s lounge being interviewed for the role of housekeeper. When she doesn’t hear anything from Nina, she assumes she has found out about her criminal record and has decided not to employ her, however a week later Nina calls her to offer her the job. Millie is delighted and accepts immediately and says she can start the following day. When she arrives at Nina’s grand house in Brooklyn to begin her employment, the gardener Enzo who can’t speak English tries to warn her but she dismisses him, and moves in to the attic room. Her husband Andy is very handsome and charming and she starts to fall for him. Their daughter Cece has no interest in Millie, and is rude towards her. Millie dismisses her actions to those of a spoilt brat.

As the weeks go by, Nina is very volatile, sometimes she’s lovely, and others she belittles Millie, accusing her of lying about things and asking her to do things then the next moment she denies that she asked her.

This confuses Milly, and one day whilst cleaning the bathroom in the master bedroom, she makes a discovery which may explain why Nina is acting this way.

I really enjoyed this book, I read it in one day! It was really cleverly written and the storyline was well executed! The twists throughout were very good and kept me interested to see what would happen next.

Thank you for letting me pre-read this book, I really enjoyed it!

Thank you to Netgalley, the publishing house and the author for the opportunity to read a complimentary copy of this book in return for a review based upon my honest opinion.

This was an exciting read, while it didn't necessarily keep me on the edge of my seat, it definitely kept me guessing. Great storyline and interesting plot; it was a quick read as I had to get to the ending to find out what had happened. This story is told in two viewpoints, Millie and Nina.

Millie is fresh out of prison and currently living in her car while she tries to find a new job. A live-in maid position would be perfect for her and solves all of her problems, but she doesn't think she has a chance; she is so surprised when the lady of the house, Nina Winchester hires her. As she is moving in, the italian gardener, who appears to speak very little english, tries to warn her she is in danger. so many little warning bells are going off in her head, but she is desperate and needs this job, so she ignores them. When Millie sees that her attic room only locks from the outiside, she gets a creepy sensation, but again, ignores it. Nina Winchester seems to be a little unhinged, she is either treating Millie like family or yelling and threatening her; but Millie holds on because she needs the job and she is starting to fall for Nina's husband the handsome and enigmatic Andrew and it seems like he may be interested in her as well. But, maybe Millie should have run when she had the chance.

Wow, this was so good! There were so many twists and turns and messed up people and you didn't know who would get away with what. I can't wait to read another by this author

Millie has been in prison, hoping her luck has changed, she gets a job as a maid with the Winchester Family.

Nina her boss is a highly volatile woman who has been institutionalised but seems to not have gained any coping strategies. Her husband Andrew is a man Millie takes a shine to, especially as their daughter Cecelia is such a brat.

Perfect start for a thriller right? I disliked all the characters in this book and while it was a good read there were parts that made me wonder how on earth things had got this far,

A good read

This fast paced story threw me for a killer ride! The prologue grips you and pulls you in. Starting with the ending and then going back to the beginning is such a neat writing style. I thought I figured things out but was not even close.
Nina the beautiful stay at home wife and mom of Cecelia. Andy the doting husband. Millie the newly hired housemaid.
One dead body but whose body is it? Great who dun it!

A good thriller with some decent twists, but a large chunk of it felt rather too familiar.

Mollie is struggling to find employment - she was in jail for 10 years and Something Happened at her last job which means she has no references. So it seems too good to be true when she’s offered a position as a housekeeper with the rich and swanky Winchester family. But when you’re living in your car and have been turned down by even Munchburger, what are you going to do?

At first, all goes smoothly. But her employer, Nina, is wildly erratic and 9 year old Cecelia is a terrible brat. The only decent human being in the house is the dishy Andrew, though Mollie knows she should know better than to even think about her employer’s husband. But then Fate seems to throw them together.

The author does a terrific job of building up the infuriating instability of Mollie’s position. Nina seems to ask her to do things and then claims not to have done, Mollie is constantly undermined by both Nina and Cecilia. No wonder she can’t help herself from thinking about Andrew, particularly when she learns more about Nina’s past.

The claustrophobic atmosphere is nicely done - the swanky house, the ever present Italian gardener who warns Mollie of danger (though he doesn’t actually make any sense as a character), Mollie’s tiny room with the door that keeps sticking and the lock on the outside, Nina’s gaslighting, and Mollie’s lack of alternatives.

The plot felt just a little too familiar (there's definitely a whiff of B. A. Paris's Behind Closed Doors) and wandered into territory that lacked credibility, even within the genre. However, there’s a couple of terrific twists - possibly guessable, but, honestly, when I’m reading a book like this, I’m doing it at a pace where I don’t stop to think of what might be coming up.

Thanks to Bookouture and Netgalley for the digital review copy.

This was okay, I did enjoy it but wasn’t blow away. It was a fast read and was pretty addicting but I didn’t feel connected as much as I was hoping to

I loved this book! 5 out of 5 stars!!! I didn’t expect what was going to happen about half way through but I loved it! The story flowed quickly and I couldn’t wait to see what happened. One of the best books of 2022.

Wow! Omg what a ride! Be prepared for a crazy ride when reading this book! It’s that good ! Had me turning the page so quick to find out more! Great book! Great plot!

The rich and wealthy love to outsource the busy work of keeping a house clean and tidy to others. And why not have those people pick up your kids and your trash while you're at it? But do they know who they're bringing into their homes? And is everything as nice and shiny in these homes as it appears at first glance? Thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I've said it countless times before, but domestic thrillers have become some of my favourite reads of late. Perhaps this fascination comes from being stuck at home so much, realising how uncanny your home space becomes when you have no chance of leaving it, recognising that even the people you enjoy living with begin to grate on you if you are stuck with them. So how about when you invite a stranger into your home and suddenly they're witnesses to your most intimate moments? Can this go well? Domestic thrillers will tell you no. But then, nothing really goes well in domestic thrillers. The Housemaid tries to add a layer of class-consciousness to this by bringing together characters from different backgrounds. Although it veers ever so mildly into caricature with its rich characters, the effort is nonetheless appreciated.

Millie needs this job. She has been living in her car and lying to her parole officer about it, so the sooner she can get back on her feet the sooner, hopefully, a sense of normalcy can return and the shadow of her past can dissipate. But something about Nina Winchester makes her uncomfortable and Millie can't help but wonder why a handsome and kind man like Andrew Winchester is married to her. As Millie gets pulled further and further into the Winchester family-secrets, the question of who can be trusted becomes more and more crucial. McFadden begins to tell you a story, but makes sure you question what you read at every step. You know that certain characters aren't telling you the full truth, but McFadden manages to make it feel earned when they do.

Freida McFadden has set up quite the twisty tale, split into three sections. The first sees Milly enter the Winchester home, naive and hopeful. The second brings with it a major twist and has some delightful format changes which I really enjoyed. The third brings us to another twist, which both illuminates Millie's background and brings the novel to a rather neat (perhaps too neat?) end. I enjoyed this clear structure, something that is missing in quite a few thrillers which therefore needlessly drag in the middle. Through perspective changes, McFadden is able to keep things fresh and make readers reconsider the scenes they've already witnessed. I do need to say that I wasn't too sure about the ending, specifically the last page or so. Part of me loved the 'Burn it all down' energy of the ending, but another part of me, which had grown very fond of Milly, wondered whether this ending was entirely fair to her, if it gave her the ending she deserved. I'm staying purposefully vague here, but if you do read The Housemaid, let me know what you think!

The Housemaid is a fast-paced thriller that holds quite some twists and surprises. Supported by its strong structure, McFadden's novel assures the reader a great time.

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Review of The Housemaid by Freida McFadden

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Another McFadden book I loved and flew through. I listened to this one on audio and I really enjoyed it. The characters and the pace of the book were spot on. I loved how the parts were told from different point of views and loved some of the twists.

Quick synopsis: Millie is thrilled when she is hired by Nina and Andrew to help them with the cleaning and cooking as well as with their child. She is very down on her luck and needs the money as well as a place to stay. But right away she begins to sense trouble with Nina’s cruelty as well as an outside locked door on her room.

Thank you so much to @netgalley for a copy of this book which is out now!

A fast paced, page turning thriller. Held my attention from start to finish, multiple POVs were well executed. Major twists and turns. This book was hard to put down.

I had been hearing a lot about this author, so I gave her a shot. Very good decision! This was an enjoyable and suspenseful, quick read. Told in three parts and from the POV's of two well characterized and strong women, I kept quickly turning pages. The character a little over the top and this is a well-worn, done-before story, but the author put a nice spin on it, and I would recommend. Definitely will not be my last from Ms. McFadden!

Thank you to #NetGalley, Freida McFadden and Bookouture for this copy.

4.5 rounded down to 4. To be honest I was gonna skip this one. I have so many books to read I just feel like I can’t keep up, but after seeing so many countless 5 star reviews I decided to read this one I wanted to see what all the hype was about!

I really ended up loving this one I read through this one quick! To me it was a familiar story but I really liked the authors take on it. I thought the ending was perfect and I’m so glad I ended up reading this one!

Thanks to the publisher and @netgalley for this one!