The Housekeepers was an incredible action-packed heist debut!

This is a fantastic twist on historical fiction and I adored it! It was such a pacy read and at the end of every chapter, I found myself more and more invested in each character, their motivations and the heist itself. I really enjoyed how each woman was well-rounded, had her own motivations for doing the job and how interesting their backstory was. The twists and turns in this story were engaging and really added to the story and the characters!

An amazing historical fiction heist, I didn't even know I wanted!

An explosive historical audiobook! It is like Downtown Abbey meets The Heist! Set in the early 1900s, the wealthy Miss De Vries has recently buried her father, and despite being a household in mourning, she has planned a lavish ball with one aim - to acquire a lucrative marriage and cement her position in wealthy society. However, downstairs, all is not well; the housekeeper, Mrs King, is being dismissed from service with immediate effect now that the master is dead. This shrewd lady isn't planning on going quietly. She enlists the help of Mrs Bone and some present and former employees to help her carry out her plan - the heist of the century She plans to make it a ball to remember and to expose the de Vries once and for all. A deliciously scandalous book, wonderfully narrated to capture all the suspense. #thehousekeepers #Alexhay #netgalley #headlineaudio

The book is a dazzling historical novel about power, gender, and class. The plot revolves around a bold group of women downstairs who launch a daring revenge heist against Mayfair society. The book is fun, fast-paced and totally immersive. The book is a page-turning delight from beginning to end.

An Upstairs Downstairs Downton Heist, why has no-one ever done this before?

The revenge of the kitchen maids, the housekeepers, the lady's maids, the 'fallen women' pushed by those they served but rising from the gutters to get their own kind of payback.

I really enjoyed this, and the narrator of the audiobook kept me hooked. Though the accents were often stereotypical/mock Eastenders at times, they were vivid and distinct, and I always knew who was speaking which was incredibly useful for a book that really requires an ensemble cast.

I hope this gets made into a period drama, I'd love to watch an ambitious period drama heist, and I'll definitely be re-reading this, the way the various relationships, murky secrets, and past lives were revealed was cleverly woven in throughout the book, and the pacing kept me hooked throughout.

I read and listened to this book. I enjoyed the ebook version more although I found the change in character names difficult to follow on the audiobook. Mrs Bone and Mrs King become Winnie and Dinah which was sometimes hard to follow who was who. At first, there were strong parallels with Sarah Waters 'Fingersmith' but, there a few twists along the way. 'The Housekeepers' tells of the revenge against the De Vries household now that Mr De Vries is no longer here. But is the name all it seems and what truths will the women uncover? Truly, there is nothing worse than a woman scorned as the housekeepers and women staff do their best to get what they are owed.

Very pacy! The characterisation was excellent, would love to see how their journey progresses after the book ended!

Set in Edwardian London this novel follows the fortunes of Mrs King as she assembles a group of women in an attempt to pull off an audacious robbery of a large house in Park Lane in which she was previously employed as housekeeper. I’ve seen this book on several occasions likened to Downton Abbey meets Ocean 8, and this was certainly brought to mind as I read. The author brings London to life both above and below stairs and it is refreshing to have such a strong cast of women who are firmly in control . As the novel progresses, dark secrets and crimes are revealed. and the reasons for the heist are seen more clearly. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and the narrator Jasmine Blackborow was exceptional in her reading and characterisation . A very impressive debut and I will be certain to look for more from this author. Many thanks to NetGalley and Headline Review for allowing me to listen to the unabridged audiobook of this novel in return for an honest review.

What a heist!

I greatly enjoyed the story of Mrs King and her fellow housemaids (those past, present, and only pretending!), on their quest to completely empty Miss De Vries' house, a house full of wealth, stolen grandeur and secrets. It's a dazzling quest, a lot of fun to watch unfold, and I think it would make an excellent film.

I found the book very character heavy, with a handful that I didn't think added much (Winnie definitely could have gone for example, and Mrs King's relationship with William definitely could have been cropped), Another reviewer mentioned that in order for a book like this to work, you need to have characters you're willing to root for, and I think here it only half works - though there are motivations for the theft that go beyond the financial, they're not really explored too deeply, and ironically the character I found myself most attached to was Miss De Vries.

I think trimming the book (both in length and characters) really would have given the plot a better speed and allowed the remaining characters to grow and move a little more. The actual heist itself only came over halfway through, and while the waiting and planning was absolutely delicious, I was eager to get to the real heart of the story and couldn't help but feel the heist felt rushed when it arrived.

I do like that each character is given her own motivation, thought process and time to leave the narrative, and I found the conclusion to each of their stories to be satisfying, even if a little easy to guess. Overall I did have a really fun time with this one - I can see why so many people have compared it to Ocean 8!
Props to the narrator too, who expertly juggles a huge amount of characters and gives them their own unique shine.

3.5 stars from me

Thank you NetGalley, the publisher and the author for a copy of this e-book in exchange for an honest review!

Other reviewers have described this book as a mix between Oceans 11 and Downton Abbey - and they are not wrong! A very unique plot which was intriguing throughout. It was a little predictable and therefore was missing that addictive element for me, but overall it was an enjoyable read.

Mrs King, housekeeper at Manor House, wants revenge on being dismissed and plans an almighty heist involving her fellow colleagues… the storyline unfolds and things aren’t quite as they seem! I did love the mystery around certain family relationships as the story went on, but I wasn’t as into this as I hoped I would be. It could have been a bit more fast paced and I think it would have been a better listen.

Overall, 3.5 stars!

I enjoyed this book, both the story and the audiobook.
When recently dismissed Mrs King sets her mind on taking everything out of the grand Park Lane house where she was employed, she needs allies to bring this heist to a successful conclusion. She brings together a whole team of colourful characters who all have their own reasons to join her in the project. What a heist it finally is ! And how the story unfolds! I would not say that it was a page turner, but certainly a very good story. The novel has a historical background, and is very nicely written with a mix of humour and darkness.
The audiobook is very well read and it was a very entertaining listen.

The Narrator was ok but perhaps wouldn't have been my pick for reading this book.

Then again the book was also just ok. I thought the premise was great - a revenge heist set in Downton Abbey-esque England between wars. The historical detail was sufficient to set the scene and the plot was logical. But this just wasn't what I was hoping for. I didn't feel a connection to a single character. The characters hold us unintentionally at arm's length throughout the story and it's hard to get invested in the stakes because of this. I think if you're looking for a light historical fiction that isn't too demanding, you might enjoy this book. It just didn't quite land for me.

A clever premise. Dismissed house keepers and maids plot the ultimate revenge. Clever and well delivered with a range of voices and accents.

Absolutely brilliant, I loved this book and I thought from the plot to the characters it was bloody marvellous.
I am not a big historical history reader but this captivated me from about the fourth chapter right through to the end.
Dina King is the head house keeper at a house in Mayfair and she knows more secrets about the house and about the man of the house than anyone.
After she is caught in the male quarters of the house she is relieved of her position and so starts the planning of the sweetest revenge.
For this being a debut I thought it was bloody marvellous and I thought the narrator of this was also great and she played out the female characters well.

How can I describe this book in a shorter sentence...
Take Oceans 8 and throw it back in time to 1905, this book is action packed with the most ruthless house keepers. Don't judge a woman by her apron.

Fantastic reading experience and I highly recommend

Thank you to Netgalley and Headline publishers for this audiobook. Set at the beginning of the 20th century, and on the surface, this is a delightful and audacious heist story. Mrs King, the recently dismissed housekeeper from a large (and really rather ugly) house on Park Lane, has plans to rob it, and draws in a cast of accomplices.

This wasn't quite the exciting page turner I was expecting (it took me a while to get settled in), but as the secrets unfolded it completely drew me in and kept me hooked. There is darkness at the centre of the story, but essentially this is a fun plot and full of wonderful characters.

I 'read' this as an audio book, and the narrator was fantastic, with a great ability to bring everyone to life.

Actual rating 4.5.

I cannot believe this is a debut! If you love a good heist then you absolutely need to pick this one up - it’s brilliant!

Showing that you should never underestimate the help, this delicious slice of historical fiction has one of the most brilliant casts of female characters - and they’re out for revenge! I thought the way the story slowly revealed more and more of the motivation behind the heist was so clever, and at times it was hard to know who was going to come out on top! There’s a fair bit of darkness running through the novel as we find out there’s some seriously unsavoury business going on at Park Lane, but that was well balanced with the excitement of the heist and the wonderful female friendships which are really at the heart of this story.

This is just such an accomplished and addictive debut, which totally deserves the brilliant campaign it’s had (if this isn’t on your radar where have you been?! 🤣) - highly recommend!

So, I have seen a number of reviews saying this book is Downton Abbey meets Ocean’s 8 and I have watched neither of those to comment on the claim, but I can confirm this is a twisty-turny, Edwardian, women-lead heist.
The Housekeepers had a whole cast of little people that form the behind-the-scenes of a household and who have become tired of their lot in life. We find out that all the characters have dreams, but also that a lot of them have a history with the house and a reason they want its downfall. Their histories are revealed gradually through the book, leaving the reader trying to tie lots of different threads together.
There were so many women starring that each had a chance to be their own type of clever. There was an actress, a seamstress and a woman who knew the layout of the house better than the back of her hand, just to name a few. They were all a part of a larger machine. Because they were all so crucial, there were definitely parts where I wanted to shout at the page at some of them.
I enjoyed the heist - the preparation, the event itself and the repercussions after. And I also enjoyed the element of mystery in the book too.

I really had high hopes for this book. I loved the concept but at times found the story slow. The story is set in 1900's and a housekeeper Mrs King has just been fired from her job. In retaliation she sets about performing the crime of the century. She wants to clear the house of its assets.
So Mrs King sets about bringing together a gang of criminals to perform the heist of the century during a party.
Personally I think this book is probably best for the screen where the visual effects would make the story come to life.
Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to see an ARC

The House Keepers has been described as a mix of Ocean’s 11 (I would have said Ocean’s 8 personally, what with all the gals involved) and Downton Abbey, so you know I was all over that. Sadly, this was a disappointing read for me.

It’s 1905 and Mrs. King has been fired from the housekeeping job she’s held for twenty years in one of the grandest homes in London. Appearing respectable but secretly coming from a family of criminals, she decides to round up an all female gang (plus some men to do the heavy lifting), and carry out the heist of the century.

During a party in the house, Mrs. King and her associates will return to empty it of its contents without anyone noticing. At least, that’s the plan, but several inconvenient subplots keep showing up to derail her scheming.

Firstly, this book was way too long. The actual heist itself didn’t take place until 57% into the book; that’s too much telling me what you’re going to do, and not enough showing me. I expected the pace to pick up during the actual robbery but again it felt a bit dragged out and not as tense as it should have been.
I really had to suspend my disbelief for this section, as I didn’t feel like it was described well enough for the reader to get on board with what was happening.

There’s lots of characters in here, that are mostly only distinguishable from each other thanks to the excellent narration on the audio version, which helped make the book more entertaining. I’m not sure I would have continued with a print version.

Towards the end there’s a somewhat far fetched lesbian romance scene that felt like a Victorian nod to Sarah Waters but unlike similar storylines in Fingersmith or Tipping the Velvet, here it felt unnecessary to the plot.

I think this would make a great film; a more cohesive script and Guy Ritchie doing his thing could work a treat for this, but for me it just didn’t work in book form, which is a shame as it’s such a great concept.

As always, I would say there’s loads of 5 and 4 star reviews for this one on goodreads, but it just wasn’t my cup of tea.

With thanks to @netgalley and @headlinebooks for my copy of The Housekeepers, available to buy now.

This is truly a highly engaging Edwardian romp with a difference. I would imagine that the research is meticulous as the detail of upstairs and downstairs life in a large London house appears to be spot on. The two are worlds apart and this is a story of carefully plotted revenge. Mrs King, a housekeeper is dismissed but doesn’t take it lying down. She engages the help of a team of women friends, and plans the most audacious robbery.

It’s difficult to believe it’s a debut as the writing is assured, the plotting intricate and there’s a rich cast of characters from all reaches of society. There’s a lot of humour and social observation and the class divides are well depicted. This is a story which surprised me. A real hidden gem and I look forward to more from this author.

I was transported to another time and I loved it , the characters were complex and endearing with real grit and substance . Perfect Sunday afternoon read , a heist like no other .