This was a great read, I’ve never read a period-type heist novel before. It reminds me of Downton Abbey, mixed with every great action heist I’ve watched. There’s a full cast of characters, tension and fun interactions. It’s an all rounder and I’m grateful to the publisher for the chance to read and review this ARC, via NetGalley.

I saw this described as "Oceans Eight set in the gilded age" and obviously requested a copy immediately. I assumed I was in for disappointment (I'm a sucker for a neat tagline but books rarely live up to them) and let me tell you I've never been so happy to be wrong! This was everything you want from a story with that premise and more!

Was the heist ludicrous? I mean... obviously! But are you new to this world? ALL heists are ludicrous. You either enjoy them or you don't, and if you don't and you're going to throw around stupid words like 'unrealistic' then I can't help you! A good heist is a joy to behold and this was JOYFUL! I'm not sure that Mrs King and Mrs Bone are *quite* at the level of Kaz Brekker but they're pretty damn close (that's high praise - IYKYK)!

I loved all of the main players, with the possible exception of little mouse Alice, and I loved the way their stories were woven together, but then I rarely struggle with multiple POVs provided the author has a tight rein on the plot threads which was the case here. The heist itself takes up a good chunk of the second half and I'm not sure I breathed for most of it!

I could ramble on all night but in summary this is so much fun and I hope it does well! Can't wait to see what Alex Hay does next.

The Housekeepers by Alex Jay is a fast paced revenge tale involving a heist on the contents of the home of a very unpleasant individual whose long list of misdemeanours gets longer throughout the tale. He’s definitely due his comeuppance.

A simple long-con story you may think but it’s far from that. Firstly, the revenging party are a group of women connected to each other primarily by the house and its owner. Secondly they’re not just in it for a fancy painting hanging over an ornate marble fireplace. These ladies mean business and they’re intent on taking the lot. And thirdly this story is set in the time of below stairs. Can these downstairs staff get one over on the gentry upstairs? Will money win again? And who can be trusted? Is their loyalty amongst class? Is the loyalty strong enough between the four women themselves who hold their own secrets.

Fantastically fast paced and so well constructed you won’t want to put this amazing tale down!

This book was kindly given to me by Netgalley to be read in return for my own honest opinion.

This is an extraordinary story full of twists & turns as well a huge wealth of characters who live Upstairs in a grand House on Park Lane , & then those who live & work below stairs where many it transpires are made easy pray for unscrupulous men. Many of the characters such as the two Janes & Hephzibah & even the mistress of the House Miss de Vries. i highly recommend you read this Book ,#Netgalley, #Goodreads, #Amazon.co.uk, #FB,#Instagram, #<img src="https://www.netgalley.com/badge/358a5cecda71b11036ec19d9f7bf5c96d13e2c55" width="80" height="80" alt="100 Book Reviews" title="100 Book Reviews"/>, #<img src="https://www.netgalley.com/badge/ef856e6ce35e6d2d729539aa1808a5fb4326a415" width="80" height="80" alt="Reviews Published" title="Reviews Published"/>, #<img src="https://www.netgalley.com/badge/aa60c7e77cc330186f26ea1f647542df8af8326a" width="80" height="80" alt="Professional Reader" title="Professional Reader"/>.

A total delight of a book, even if you do have to completely suspend your disbelief. Well written, perhaps a flaw of the NetGalley version but it was quite tricky to stay on top of which character POV was happening without clear markers. An excellent debut and I am sure the author will only get better.

Wow, what a page turner! A women's led heist emboldened by revenge and a desire for justice. Witness how one society family's ignorance and brutality of their household staff destroys any sense of belonging and how their dreams for equality help them turn on their employers.
A fabulously complex cast of characters in this feel good crime caper.

I found this historical fiction book so intriguing and once I started reading I didn’t want to stop. Mrs King is a housekeeper in a grand house full of treasures in Mayfair until she is dismissed. Having a score to settle she employs a cast of eccentric characters to carry out a heist at the aforementioned property. The characters are well developed and funny while the story is entertaining with all their plotting and planning. The author had me fully engaged throughout with her writing style and well paced plot while the class system was very much at the forefront of the story. A funny story with great realistic characters and some fierce females
I enjoyed everything about this book and would very much like to read more from this author as the writing was compelling

I was immediately gripped by the novel from the first page, when Mrs King appeared and Mr Shepherd asked her for the keys. This was the most readable novel I have read for some time, by which I mean that it grabbed me from the first page and continued to hold my attention until I had finished. The character of Mrs King was especially well drawn. A truly excellent novel.

3.5 ***
The Housekeepers is rather a strange book. It's set in London in the early 1900s and is an interesting take on the period - instead of the usual ancient home of a wealthy, aristocratic family, this story is set in the recently-built, gaudy modern home of a nouveau riche man and his haughty daughter. With her father recently dead, she decides to hold a huge ball, to help her prove to the world that she is accepted in high society so she can reel in an aristocratic husband.

There's a ball, there's a heist. It is all very theatrical and dramatic. I liked that nearly all the important characters are women -- strong, intelligent, even ruthless women taking charge of their own lives. Really sticking it to the patriarchy and (more or less) looking out for each other.

It's rather a Tim Burton of a novel, and that's both a good and a bad thing. The story is gripping and exciting to read. The characters and scenes are beyond vivid and the dialogue convincing. It's action-packed. But it really is most terribly far fetched.

It's my only niggle, and I regret to say it because there really is a lot to love about The Housekeepers. But the intricacy, planning and execution of the heist stretched my suspension of disbelief to snapping point.

There's also a parallel story about some hidden nastiness involving young maids at the house, that didn't fit with the rest.

All in all, the book proved a bit over the top. But it's great fun to read - and very well written.

The Housekeepers follows a group of household staff from the early 1900s. They are led by Mrs King who has recently lost her job as housekeeper in the de Vries' household. She recruits others to help her with a huge heist o the house.
The characters come to life with good descriptions and the story was easy to follow. At first it just seems like a housekeeper who feels she is wronged and is wanting to take revenge for her sacking. There are some great twists and turns making this an unpredictable story.

This novel is set in the Edwardian age of excessive elegance, designed for the wealthy, and built on the backs of the working class. When these indomitable female characters organise the ultimate heist, an uprising of the underclass begins. As the tension builds, the story counts down to a single event; a precisely planned pilfering of the patriarchy.
The characters are exquisitely crafted, woven together by shared trauma, familial ties, and the exhausting struggle to survive. The bonds between these women are absolute, and their developing relationships give so much wonderful depth to the book.
I very much appreciated the attention paid to small details. The texture of fabric, the tone of a voice, the precise cut of clothing, the smell of the air.....they all combine to immerse the reader in these richly described settings and characters. It's all so deliciously decadent.
Because of that I personally feel that the comparisons to Oceans 8 actually does this book a disservice. For me Oceans 8 was sloppily put together, with extremely talented actresses forced into the roles of under developed characters. Where Oceans 8 left the women's heist genre lacking and unsatisfied, this leaves it joyful and enriched. This isn't Oceans 8, it's Oceans 11. The original. The one that sets the bar for all the others to follow. Its genuinely that good.
In summary....utterly utterly joyous. The genre I never knew was missing from my life. Dear Mr Hay....please can we have some more?

The setting is the early 1900s in London with some liberties taken with the historical facts to move the story along . The writing is very visual and I suspect it would make a great tv series particularly the extravignat costume ball which the whole story builds up to .. I cant help but think that a tv series would allow more to be made of the comic potential in the story which after all is basically a giant farce with people assailing down buildings and hiding behind doors .
There is a slightly more serious hint to the story when it is discovered that young girls are being trafficked from the house under the eyes of the other servants . I personally didn't find this added much to the story and thought it wasn't covered as well as other aspects
The author has an easily read prose style and the book was an enjoyable read
I would recommend the book I cant really think of another book to compare it to but if you like the idea of a heist story with fancy frocks then this would be the book for you
I read an early copy on Netgalley Uk the book is published in the uk on 6th July 2023 by headline books . This review will also appear on Goodreads and my book blog on Wordpress bionic sarah's books

I found The Housekeepers to be an okay read generally. I love the fact it was set in the 1900’s, the book gave me Downton Abbey vibes in regard to the servants and the owners of the Park Lane mansion. I did not love the story as I did not feel invested in any of the characters and there was a part of me that felt the whole thing was a bit unrealistic in terms of a heist taking place of the whole mansion whilst there is a ball going on. I thought the concept was different to what I’ve read before but did not feel the book held my interest as much as I would have liked.

This is one of the best books I've read this year! Lady con-artists and an audacious heist. I raced through it.
Mrs King and Mrs Bone are both so well described and easy to root for (they aren't NICE, but they're each relatable ... and formidable in their own way!).
I loved the heist aspect of it and was genuinely tense reading the climactic scenes. There was a subtle mystery thread running through the book, which added an extra layer of intrigue.
Wonderful!

The Housekeepers is a historical novel like no other! I highly enjoyed the originality of the setting of a wealthy house in Edwardian London and all is not well between upstairs and downstairs although you wouldn’t notice it.

Beneath the hunger for marriage proposals, there is a deep dark secret of Mr de Vries' which connects his daughter to Mrs King, an employee of the household. Some know of it and have chosen to turn a blind eye to it for many years.

It is that secret which drives Mrs King to put an astounding plan into action to get what she feels is rightfully hers. Can she achieve it and who will help her do it?

I thought the descriptions of the house, the characters and the London of the times really drew me in and made me feel immersed in the action unfolding on the pages.

The Housekeepers is a novel where you root for the not-so-squeaky-clean to triumph even if they are committing all sort of crimes in the process...

Congratulations Alex on your debut novel - I look forward to seeing what you publish next!

Loved the concept for this book but the execution just didn’t work for me at all. I don’t feel like I got to know the characters, the heist was so unrealistic to me, there was so many character subplots that it got confusing at times, so many complicated words (for me anyway), I just couldn’t connect with any of the characters or their motives. It was quite an irritating read for me if I’m completely honest.

Thanks to the publisher & NetGalley for the chance to read early.

The Housekeepers storyline of high risk heist based in the turn of the 20th century had me excited. For this to be pulled off by women inserting their independence to an era where this was not the done thing.

Whilst the story was interesting and I loved the premise, I did find this a hard read due to the mismatched pacing thought where key points felt rushed and smaller details dragged out.

The Housekeepers is a fun historical fiction heist story, think something like Downton Abbey meets Ocean’s Eight! I read a fair amount of historical fiction and I love an historical mystery but have never read anything quite like this before and I really enjoyed it.

The story takes part at the interesting period of the turn of the 20th century and we get a good picture of the class structure of the time, not just the above and below stairs but the hierarchy within those areas too. That was well shown I thought but it is merely a background against which the heist is set. The planning and reasons behind the heist were gradually revealed in a way that kept me wanting to keep turning those pages. Then the pace of the book picked up during the heist itself before slowing slightly afterwards as we find out what happens to our cast of characters. I thought this variation in pace during the book worked really well.

The characters Mrs King, Mrs Bone, Winnie, Alice, Hepzibah, the two Janes, are an interesting and well written group but I did feel that Mrs King felt rather flat compared to some of the others. Loved Mrs Bone and I reckon she could have a story all to herself…she was such a great character.

All in all this was a fun and interesting read which I most definitely enjoyed. A great debut and I look forward to what Alex Hay gives us next.

I’m writing this review voluntarily and very willingly in exchange for the free copy of the eArc which I received very kindly from the publishers and NetGalley.

The storyline enticed me to want to read this book. The storyline is mysterious and thrilling, set in the Edwardian era.

I struggled to follow some sections of the book, particularly around the beginning. I felt it jumped on too quickly and we got little time to fully get to know the scenes and characters. On some pages, I had to re-read to get a full understanding of what was happening. However, the book is well-written and follows the story of a dismissed Housekeeper who seeks revenge with a group of women.

I enjoyed the 'empowering women' messages throughout the book and the lead-up to the main event!

Thank you for the opportunity to read this book.

𝗕𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝗥𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄 | The Housekeepers

When Mrs King is suddenly dismissed from her distinguished role of Housekeeper at the grandest house in Mayfair, she recruits an eclectic group of women from the fringes of society, each with their own score to settle, to launch the most audacious robbery London has ever seen. The plan? On the night of the grand ball, they'll strip the house of every possession from right under the nose of their vindictive, selfish Mistress.

I loved the premise of this one but I struggled to connect with the characters as I felt there were too many and not enough time with each to really get to know them. The older women take the younger ones under their wing and even though they come across as being quite tough, they do care for the girls and look out for them. Especially with certain revelations that come out towards the end of the book where we find out more about the dark underbelly of the house.

If you didn't hate the Lady of the house before this, then you will once Mrs King drops another bomb regarding her bitter departure from her post. It emphasises class divides and how the richer are able to get away with certain things.

I thought the plot ran smoothly and I enjoyed following the women as each chapter counted down to the ultimate robbery! I had no idea how it would end but the book gave a really good show in the build up. However, the actual ending happened too quick for my liking and felt a bit disappointing.