I was absolutely blown away by The Housemaid. So, I was super excited to see The Housemaid’s Secret by Freida McFadden. A sequel to one of my favorite psych thriller novels of 2022?

YES PLEASE!

I am also extremely pleased to say that it does not disappoint. It’s just as good as the first book featuring Millie as the housemaid.

The author brilliantly plots the story so that you don’t have to have read the first book to enjoy this one. But you will be missing out if you don't grab it.

You’ll get more insight into Millie, which I think adds to the story. You’ll also be able to catch sly references to the original. One of them – regarding teeth – made me literally laugh out loud. IYKYK

As to The Housemaid’s Secret, Millie has left her past behind her, but has her past left her? Are some things just innate? It’s a thought-provoking question that the author explores with a deft touch.

I love how the author sets up her plots (at least in these two stories). Part I is from Millie’s perspective; Part II is from another character (no spoiler), giving more background. Part III brings the two together in what can only be described as a shocking and highly satisfying climax and resolution.

I don’t want to give anything away. As I often mention, some books are just meant to be read without anybody else’s opinions coloring them.

Even if you pay careful attention to every detail (which you should because there are many hints dropped), you’ll probably find yourself second-guessing what you think you know throughout the entire book.

For example, the prologue features an unknown person. I changed my mind at least four times about who the person was and who the person was afraid of. It was like a strange sort of mix and match in my mind.

That’s a complicated way to say that the author’s writing is so good that you will be kept guessing. The plot is extremely tight. It’s really everything you could want in a psych thriller.

If I keep going, I will give something away. Suffice it to say that The Housemaid’s Secret is already my favorite book of 2023. It’s going to be tough for any other one to beat it.

Unless it’s maybe another one from Freida McFadden!
This review was written based on a digital copy of the book from Bookouture.
For more reviews, please visit Fireflies and Free Kicks Fiction Reviews.

Freida McFadden can really keep her readers on their toes! If you enjoyed the book The Housemaid, you will enjoy this one as well. They are different books, but also quite similar in composition and style.

I accidentally requested this book on NetGalley without realizing that it was a sequel. Three chapters in, I was enjoying the book, but felt like I was missing some context. At this point, I paused and devoured the first book in two days, which I gave me the context I needed. I restarted this book and was pleasantly surprised to discover that the storyline was NOT was I was expecting, given the setup at the end of the last book. I whipped through this one, not wanting to put it down.

The Housemaid's Secret is the sequel to The Housemaid by Frieda McFadden. I absolutely throughly enjoyed the first book in the series, though I rarely give 5 stars thought it was very deserving of a five star review. Though, the second book is another gripping psychological thriller it felt as this one struggle to find its ground in the first half of the book. Nevertheless, the book picks up its paced in the second half and becomes what we have learned to expect from this author, filled with twist and turns and a ravishing ending.

In the sequel, Millie returns and once again is struggling to make ends meet when she is offered a job working for a Billionaire CEO named Douglas Garrick. Soon after she starts to work for Mr. Garrick she becomes concerned that she rarely sees his wife leave her bedroom . When Millie finally sees his wife she is covered with bruises everywhere and is ghastly thin. Millie is persistent in wanting to help Wendy out of this horrific situation. In attempting to help a woman she believes is an danger from her husband, she ends up in an unfortunate predicament.

The book was an enjoyable read and only stuffers when compared with the the first in it's series.

Many thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for gifting me this ARC in return for an honest review.

I really enjoyed the first book in the series and on completion immediately started on the second book. Another gripping psychological thriller which I really enjoyed although I did feel the first book was slightly better.

Housemaid Millie returns in this follow up thriller and once again is employed as a housemaid with no questions about her dark and mysterious past. She is offered the job working for a very wealthy couple who are living in a luxurious penthouse. She is taken on by Douglas Garrick but there is a strange situation surrounding his wife is is never seen and remains hidden in the bedroom. When carrying out her duties Millie is convinced she can hear Mrs Garrick crying and cannot resist knocking on the bedroom door to make sure she is alright. When Mrs Garrick eventually opens the door what Millie sees changes everything. She wants to help protect Mrs Garrick and offers her assistance to get her away.

Still a very enjoyable read and only suffers when compared directly with the first novel.

I would like to thank both Netgalley and Bookouture for supplying a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Another addictive thriller from Freida McFadden!

It is round 2 for Millie, getting a job cleaning for a wealthy couple, although she only deals with the husband because the wife is too sick to leave the bedroom which Millie is not allowed to enter. From there the story takes off with twists and turns and a nice surprise ending.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for the advanced copy of this book. All opinions in this review are my own.

Millie is back and she’s still cleaning ultra rich people’s houses. When she gets a job for the Garrick’s everything seems great until Douglas tells her not to go in a bedroom because his wife is sick. Millie tries to busy herself with cleaning, cooking and running errands but she can’t keep her mind off the room and Mrs. Garrick. When she finally sees Mrs. Garrick she knows she has to do something to keep her safe. But is everything really what it seems?
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Queen Freida does it yet again. I’m always nervous to read a sequel to a book when the first is so dang good. However, I actually enjoyed this sequel even more than the first book and I looooved the first book. There are so many twists and turns and that freaking epilogue 🤯. This book has you continuing to root for Millie and all she is doing to help battered women. Overall, Freida can do no wrong in my eyes. I’m currently reading her backlist with the Freida Force and I will continue reading every book she writes

These books were for sure standouts to me in December and what I consider a must read for any thriller fan.

ᵀʰᵉˢᵉ ᵇᵒᵒᵏˢ ᵃʳᵉ ˢᵒᵐᵉ ᵒᶠ ᴹᶜᶠᵃᵈᵈᵉⁿ’ˢ ᴮᴱˢᵀ ⁽ⁱᵐᵒ⁾ 😏

Not only are you quickly submerged into the life of our main character and ex convict, Millie, we witness her rollercoaster of an experience of working as a nanny for the Winchester family.

𝗟𝗲𝘁’𝘀 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝘀𝗮𝘆.. 𝗶𝘁 𝗴𝗲𝘁𝘀 𝘁𝘄𝗶𝘀𝘁𝘆 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗽𝘆 𝗮𝘀 𝗵𝗲𝗰𝗸!!

I simply could not put this book down and when I realised she had a second story being released I couldn’t believe it!!

I really enjoyed the Housemaid (also an advance reader copy) and was excited to see the Housemaid's Secret! A totally new twist (seems a housemaid is a dangerous occupation!). Enjoyed this one, also a quick read. . Definitely going to look up Frieda's other books!i

Millie returns to housekeeping for swanky rich families after a dark and twisty experience in The Housemaid. (book 1) Millie’s mission is to help women in dangerous situations, and this one was heated! The Housemaid’s Secret has the reader guessing a new ending every chapter. This book is gripping and impossible to put down! Overall, it’s an easy read with minimal advanced writing techniques. Freida sure knows how to build suspense! I find myself questioning what I thought I knew up until the last page. I can’t say this sequel could hold a candle to The Housemaid, but nonetheless it was enjoyable! Highly recommend reading both on a rainy day inside.

This took me awhile to read, because I normally don't read actual books. I'm an audio book junkie. I got this from netgalley and have no regrets. What a twisted ride we took with this one. The book was excellent and kept me on the edge of my seat even when my kindle said low battery, I guess I have to sit on the floor to keep reading while plugged in. It was 100% worth it. Thanks Netgalley and Freida Mcfadden for the ARC.

The Housemaid was awesome.. But The Housemaid’s Secret was AMAZING. The characters and scenery are easy to imagine, and connect with. Such a fantastic continuation to the first. I truly hope there will be a third and fourth! I love Millie’s character and her train of thought. I honestly tried to find something to critique but this book blew me out of the water. Not to mention, the ending was completely UNEXPECTED! I cannot recommend this book enough and can not wait to read more from Freida McFadden!

Just when I thought I couldn’t love Millie any more after The Housemaid, in comes The Housemaid’s Secret. This book was awesome, totally blew me away. 5 stars from me. I’d love more and more and more of Millie!

I always enjoy reading Freida McFadden’s books because they’re never boring or filled with fluff, the chapters are short, and there are multiple POV’s. The Housemaid’s Secret is no different! This was another quick, fun read for me immediately after reading The Housemaid.

The Housemaid’s Secret picks up in NYC a few years after we left Millie in the Housemaid. Millie is probably my favorite character I’ve read from McFadden so I was really looking forward to following her journey — Enzo too! The story was interesting and mostly true to Millie in my opinion. This is the first book of hers I was able to guess the twists before they happened. Although, that doesn’t make it any less thrilling for me and I still enjoyed every page!

Overall, if you liked the first book you will definitely enjoy this too. I personally enjoyed this story more than The Housemaid as I felt this was more original.

I’m really hoping that Freida continues writing in the Millie and Enzo universe because I think they’re great characters!

Thank you to NetGalley, Freida McFadden, and Bookouture for the opportunity to enjoy this ARC!

As a huge fan of this author, I am crushed to say I was let down by this book! Maybe my expectations were too high after the first book and how it expertly twisted its twists and left my jaw dropping (literally!). But I could predict every twist in this one and each hint was unusually obvious. The “wife upstairs/closed door trope” was (previously done in another book of hers, and really overdone in this genre.

I’m looking forward to the next story from one of my favorite authors, hopefully with all new characters and premise!

This was the sequel to The Housemaid and it absolutely didn’t disappoint either. Freida’s fast-paced style of writing and short chapters always suck me in. Thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review!

In the sequel to The Housemaid, Millie is once again cleaning houses for the rich and privileged. Wendy and Douglas Gerrick live in a penthouse in Manhattan, but something seems a little off about Douglas. Millie is instructed to stay out of Wendy’s room and to leave her alone. But the more Millie is in the house, the more curious she becomes. And curiosity killed the cat.

Freida McFadden does it again! This book is fast paced, thrilling, and twisty. Just when you think you’ve figured it out, another twist is thrown your way. McFadden is an automatic read author for me and this one did not disappoint! Thank you Netgalley, Bookouture, and Freida McFadden for an early copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Everyone’s favorite maid is back! In this much-anticipated sequel to The Housemaid, Millie has a new gig in the Garrick’s ritzy penthouse apartment, where things are weird and suspicious from the rip. Millie deals exclusively with Douglas Garrick and hasn’t met his wife, which is pretty unusual in and of itself. Normally the wives are running the show when it comes to household employees, but Douglas instructs Millie not to bother his wife and not to enter the guest bedroom. Millie needs this job badly and needs to keep her own secrets under wraps, so she tries to comply. But when she hears Mrs. Garrick crying and notices blood on the laundry, she feels compelled to investigate.

WOWZA – Freida McFadden has blown my mind once again!! I didn’t think anything could top the fantastic twistiness of The Housemaid, but Freida has done it! Perfectly plotted and paced, I read this book in one sitting was completely enthralled from start to finish!

Twisty, devious, and darkly funny, The Housemaid’s Secret is utterly entertaining and will have readers begging for future adventures featuring the snarky and morally grey Millie! Huge thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for providing me an advance copy of this book.

I loved The Housemaid so I couldn’t wait to read The Housemaid’s Secret – and I wasn’t disappointed. An absolutely gripping story with well-rounded characters, a riveting plot and a hell of a surprise ending. A well-deserved 5 star from me.

Fantastically written, and deceptively clever, I could not put down The Housemaids Secret. Truly a thrilling adventure of secrets, greed, betrayal and more.

I could not put this one down. Loved all the twists and the final twist was really satisfying. Loved the dual pov and just learning more about Millie. Would definitely recommend.