I adored this female-led Ocean’s-11 heist set in the Edwardian era. Not only does it pass the Bechdel Test, it is a brilliant piece of historical social commentary on those ‘below stairs’.

When Mrs King, housekeeper 25 Park Lane in Mayfair, is suddenly dismissed after years of loyal service, she knows just who to recruit to help her take revenge. And what a revenge! This book had everything - humour, thrills, tension and female friendship.

This book deserves all the hype and the authors note at the end near enough made me cry.

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Thank you to Alex Hay, NetGalley and Headline for this copy in exchange for an honest review.

Absolutely amazing. So good that I will be re-reading this and eagerly await Alex's next book "The Queen of Fives"

The Housekeepers by Alex Hay starts with an intriguing concept—a group of servants planning a grand heist in an opulent mansion—but ultimately falls a bit flat. While the premise promises high-stakes suspense and drama, the pacing can feel slow, and the characters lack the depth needed to make the story truly engaging.

Though Hay’s writing is atmospheric and captures the setting well, the plot twists sometimes feel forced rather than thrilling. For readers looking for a lighter historical caper, this might still be an enjoyable read, but it doesn’t quite deliver the excitement its premise suggests.

This was a bit of a departure from my normal reads, but well worth the diversion. The twists and turns really kept me on my toes and the characters were well developed and appropriately complex, culminating in an extremely enjoyable heist narrative, full of breathtaking audacity and a healthy slice of revenge.

I enjoyed this throughly. It helped me out of a reading slump! The description is intricate and thoughtful. So well written. I highly recommend.

Quite a slow paced book and definitely very far fetched at times, this book is still a fun read. A great premise with some good characters.

This novel was gripping! So clever, and I loved the characters! I've already recommended it to my friends!

I enjoyed the writing, however the development was very slow and it failed to keep me interested. I just couldn’t get into the characters.

I love historical fiction, however I didn’t really feel fully immersed in the time period.

The twists felt a little flat and farfetched and the heist perhaps unbelievable.

What a fantastic crime debut! I’ll definitely be reading more from this author. The perfect cosy crime to read in one sitting. Characters and atmosphere were so well written that I was captured from the very first few pages. Already recommended to everyone that will listen.

"The Housekeepers" by Alex Hay is a brilliantly crafted tale of revenge and audacity set in the glittering world of Mayfair. When Mrs. King, the loyal housekeeper of a prestigious home, is unceremoniously dismissed, she orchestrates a daring heist with a group of uniquely talented women: a black-market queen, an ambitious actress, a hopeful seamstress, and her enigmatic predecessor. As they plot to reclaim what they deserve, the novel weaves a suspenseful and exhilarating narrative against the backdrop of an opulent ball. Hay's storytelling is both sharp and delightful, making "The Housekeepers" the perfect holiday read. It's a captivating journey of intrigue, secrets, and the ultimate quest for justice that will leave readers thoroughly enchanted.

This was a very unusual plot and story and the author used unusual techniques to gradually reveal more about the relationships between the characters. It’s a mix of Upstairs Downstairs and Oceans Eleven (that’s how I’ve heard it described and I agree).

The Housekeepers are a group of women who plan to carry out a robbery of a house in Mayfair on the night of a large ball. Originally I underestimated their competence but the more I read, the more I got gripped by their plans and started really hoping for their success. It’s definitely a page turner with a collection of well drawn characters. It’s very clever and thoroughly enjoyable.

Thanks to net galley and the publisher for a free advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

Enjoyed the slow build of the plot, slowly revealing details in the lead up to the main event. At times though, it did feel a little too slow and perhaps could have been slightly faster paced in that respect. Well developed characters but I didn't particularly connect with any of them. Enjoyed the light hearted nature of the plot too.

Actual rating: 2.5/5

Anyone who's been around here before knows I love a good heist, even more so when it's tinged with revenge, con artists, women getting their power back, and some class commentary as this book seemed to be. And yet, despite being perfect on paper (it's also a historical novel!), The Housekeepers didn't win me over.

I really enjoyed the premise, as well as the details of the heist planning that were slowly unveiled, revealing the full picture only at the very end. The varied (and large) cast of characters added a certain dynamism, especially as the narration moved from one to the other to give the reader a bird's-eye view. Where most problems lay, for me, was in the execution: despite the high stakes and the numerous obstacles, I was never on edge or tense about the outcome in any way. If anything, for the most part I was simply... bored.

There were definitely some issues with the pacing for me, as everything seemed to move far too slowly and hardly any scene felt impactful and yet at the same time it appeared as though I hardly had any time to get to know the characters properly. Maybe there were too many of them for a book of this length, or maybe their backstories were too complex (it seemed everyone had a big, dark secret), but ultimately I cared about none.

The build-up to the heist took up the majority of the book, but when the climax came, it fell flat for me as if there just wasn't enough momentum to carry it over. There was simultaneously too much and not enough happening, which made for a frustrating reading experience, more a chore than a pleasure.

Still, some parts were definitely good, with humorous elements and some interesting characters who would have benefited from more breathing room. I could see kernels of good writing here and it is a decent debut, so I might give the author's next books another chance even though this one didn't meet my expectations.

This is a fun book about a group of women who work together. I felt the storyline was far fetched but it is written well. The characters were well developed but I couldn’t warm to them.

A great read, very entertaining and enjoyable. It makes a refreshing change to read a different sort of book, especially a light-hearted one like this. My thanks to netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review.

Mrs King has a plan, one that is almost inconceivable in it's scope and daring, can she be successful in executing this plan?

I liked the idea of the book and was drawn into the initial narrative quickly bit I can't decide whether the plot became too convoluted - as relationships between the characters were drawn out; or whether I just lost interest as the plan developed in minutiae before actually being put into place.

This is not a bad book and I believe many will really enjoy the detail and the divergence in plot and character. For me it could have been shorter and the threads brought together in a speedier manner

I think a 3 star rating is accurate it might even be a little less than this for me

An Ocean's Eleven-esque romp through 1905 London, this book had me hooked from the start with its brilliant concept. While the execution may have faltered at times, the overall experience was thoroughly enjoyable. The comparison to Ocean's Eleven is apt, capturing the essence of cunning schemes and intricate plots. The audio narration was a standout feature, effortlessly distinguishing between the diverse cast of characters. Despite occasional pacing issues, my time immersed in the bustling streets of London was a delightful escape. In short, while not without its flaws, this book offers a captivating journey into a bygone era filled with intrigue and adventure

Historical drama between upstairs and downstairs. Lots of interesting characters and a few twists. But slow to get going.

Enjoyable Edwardian girl-powered heist.

London 1905. Although Lady De Vries is still in mourning for the loss of her father, she is planning an extravagant ball. Mrs King has just been fired and the ball is the perfect opportunity to execute her plan.

Mrs King has very personal reasons to seek revenge, but it isn't until the plot is underway that she discovers another terrible secret.

I really enjoyed this heist novel, there were only a couple of complaints i had with it. I found the range of characters interesting and varied and i enjoyed following the various exploits they got up to separately. The main conflict was done well and i think pacing helped work with this. I did think a couple of moments didn't work entirely but it didn't detract too much from the story for me. I would read more by this author as i really liked this one!