The Cleaner is a book that is cleverly twisted without you even knowing!
Esmie has arrived in Ireland and managed to bag herself a cleaning job. She is cleaning in an affluent area called ‘The Woodlands” for three separate houses with very different women in each of them. Esmie isn’t here by chance, she has carefully planned where she needs to be. She is here to find out what happened to her brother. Which residents were involved and how they destroyed his life.
This was a decent read that I enjoyed. I liked the dual timelines as this gives you build up of before Esmie’s brother goes off to his studies in Ireland and now that involves Esmie trying to find out why her brothers studies were stopped and him sent home. Esmie had me worried at times as her investigations were a bit too laid back and I thought she was going to get caught. Te ending was very twisty and worth getting to and left no stone unturned.
I would like to thank NetGalley and Random House UK, Transworld Publishers for this ARC I received in exchange for an honest review.

The Cleaner is an incredibly gripping thriller that had me hooked from the start.
I read it in one sitting!

The Cleaner is YA author Mary Watson’s debut adult novel and what a great launch into the world of adult fiction it is. This was a quick read for me as the words just flowed and the pages turned effortlessly.

We first meet newly arrived in Ireland Esmie when she tricks her way into a job as a cleaner in the affluent The Woodlands in leafy idyllic suburban Ireland, we soon realise that her real motivate for travelling to Ireland is to learn the truth about what lead to her beloved older brother Nico returning home early from his studies in Ireland both in disgrace and as a shadow of his former self, Esmie knows the truth lies behind the doors of The Woodlands and its residents and she has only one end game; Revenge.

What follows is Esmie slowly unravelling what really happened to Nico and the roles the residents of The Woodlands played in his downfall as she lingers in the background as the ‘invisible’ help discovering their deepest darkest secrets while holding so many of her own. The author sprinkles in some flashback scenes to Esmie’s life before travelling to Ireland which gives us an insight into her relationship with Nico, the girl next door Simone and their childhood. The Cleaner is packed full of unlikeable morally grey characters, some of whom simply have no morals at all. It’s a hard look at the differences between the have’s and have not’s as well as the similarities, how easy it is to infiltrate yourself into the lives of others and begs the question how far would you go for revenge?

Esmie is a wholly unreliable narrator which I know is not everyone’s cup of tea but it’s an integral factor in this book, I did find myself questioning early on why Esmie was going to such lengths to avenge Nico’s downfall especially as we learn he was not entirely innocent himself but it all falls into place towards the end. I did find it a bit slow & repetitive at times and I did guess one of the twists before it happened but regardless I still found it a great read, I am still unsure about how I feel about the ending but I also think it’s the type of ending that should leave you unsure and questioning whether its right or not.

Overall a very enjoyable read perfect for fans of revenge plots, morally grey unlikeable characters & suspense filled domestic drama.

Plot follows Esmie who goes to Ireland as a cleaner on a mission to uncover the truth and the person responsible for the state her brother is currently in, things take a turn as she realises someone close to her is also involved then she begins to question her revenge. I really enjoyed this read, the flashbacks were heartbreaking but omg Nico's confession ripped my heart out!😭 however the lead up to the big reveal was predictable for me very early on in the story -- 4.5⭐️ for that reason only -- otherwise easily 5! I didn't want to put it down.

The Cleaner is a gripping and addictive story that has you constantly guessing and wondering what happened to lead Esmie to Ireland and wanting revenge.

I was hooked from the very beginning and I love that it's told across two timelines. I really liked getting to know Esmie's story and her character, despite the fact that she's there for the wrong reasons. Some of her nvestigating honestly gave me anxiety and I just kept waiting for her to get caught! It was so tense!

I loved the build-up in this one and was left surprised by a couple of plot twists, which I would never have seen coming! This was honestly a thrilling and dark read that had me constantly second-guessing myself. I was on the edge of my seat for this one, and I definitely recommend picking it up!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Firstly want to say I'm so grateful to have received this as an arc copy through Netgalley.

If you're a fan of The Housemaid books by Frieda McFadden, then you'll definitely enjoy this!

I loved the way this was written - I'm such a fan of the style of flash forward to hook you in and then go back to the beginning of the story. The build up to the present timeline was so interesting to learn all the secrets of the characters, and the cleaner herself, up to the end reveal(s).

Because it gave me The Housemaid type of vibe I did feel like I was expecting a plot twist at the end but still, I enjoyed the ride and way the story ended. Definitely is one I'd be recommending to a fan of the genre, or those wanting to get a taste for the thriller type of book!

If you like revenge plots, morally grey characters and uncovering secrets, you need to add The Cleaner to your TBR pile. All Esmie has ever known, is life with her brother Nico and her best friend Simone. Nico travels to Ireland for a PhD and comes back a shell of himself, on a destructive path that lands him in a coma. No one knows exactly what happened over in Ireland, except that a mystery woman made Nico’s world implode. Whilst Nico fights for his life, Esmie retraces his steps and infiltrates the community Nico lived in, determined to get revenge. But with so many secrets and lies, can Esmie find the culprit, without losing herself too?
I found The Cleaner to be enjoyable,compulsive reading. I enjoyed uncovering the secrets alongside Esmie and the identity of the culprit kept me guessing. I did guess the big twist but that didn’t have impact on how much I enjoyed the plot. The ending was really apt and satisfying. I would definitely recommend it to my fellow thriller fans.

A great thriller.
Suspense built up throughout with multiple timelines and a good character mix.
Each chapter gave more and more away leaving me suspecting almost everyone at one point or another.
A great pick up in pace towards the end and a twist I didn’t see coming!

Mary Watson creates a heightened yet believable world in The Cleaner. The beautiful gated of The Woodlands is inhabited by 3 women and various partners and children. When Esmie arrives as a temporary cleaner she is initially regarded with little interest. However, Esmie has a lot more on her mind than cleaning - she is here to find out what happened when Nico lodged with one of the women and what drove him home in disgrace?
As Esmie hunts for evidence some of the inhabitants begin to take a greater interest in her, soon she is in a very dangerous position.
The Cleaner cleverly ratchets up the tension, You never know who to believe or what secrets they are hiding - a group of largely unlikeable characters that you will love to hate and a highly unreliable narrator. The perfect mix for a highly readable physiological thriller.

Oooo This was so much fun. Even though I guessed something a tad early, it didn't scupper my enjoyment one little bit.
We start with Esmie setting up an "accident" to inveigle herself into the lives of those who live in the exclusive gated community known as Woodlands. Long story short and she is hired to work for three households, and one empty house, as a cleaner. One of the best jobs for those needing to eavesdrop and snoop and rifle, and discover... especially when one is hell bent on the revenge of a loved one.
Cos it appears that one of those resident in the Woodlands is responsible for the downfall of Nico. His losing his scholarship and reputation, of his descent into addiction, and leading him to returning home, depressed and, eventually, when our story opens, in a coma.
Esmie has her work cut out for her in finding out who is ultimately responsible, especially as when she starts to scratch the surface, all sorts of secrets, lies and dysfunctional behaviour flood out, and she has to cut through all that to get to the truth. Suffice to say, no one is who they appear to be...
I do love a healthy dollop of dysfunction, especially when it is centred around some of the most horrible people, who most certain deserve everything coming to them.
In amongst the fun and frolics in the present, we also delve back into the past. We see Esmie and Nico as they grow up and then two become three when the girl next door joins them and then thing fragment as she and Nico grow closer...
It's a bit on the slow side initially as there is a lot of scene setting and character building to be done. This is important and adds to the overall tension and intrigue. The characters are all larger than life and twice as ugly on occasion. And, at the end of the day, deserve everything they have coming to them.
And the storyline is well plotted and executed with aplomb. Ramping up towards the end, delivering shock after twist as we eventually get to the whole truth.
All in all, a cracking read that left me wholly satisfied and also gave me a new author to watch for and another back catalogue to check out. My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

Cleaners in expensive gated neighbourhoods are invisible, and that’s exactly what Esmie needs to be if she’s going to find out who here seduced and then betrayed her brother, leaving him irrevocably broken. Coming to The Woodlands posing as a cleaner, Esmie is determined to gather as much dirt as she can to learn who is responsible, and get revenge.

The Cleaner is sinister and intriguing, but sadly the plot developed much too slowly for me. For much of the book, nothing really happens, and this provided too much time for my frustration with Esmie to grow. Her determination to get revenge on behalf of her brother, for something that was in many ways his own fault, didn’t make a huge amount of sense to me, and her obsession with her brother is borderline creepy.

The rest of the characters are thoroughly unlikeable (although that’s intentional) and I just generally didn’t enjoy reading about any of them.

There is a big twist which was unexpected and makes everything leading up to it make much more sense, but it comes too late to save the slow plot progression.

There are a lot of books with this type of story out there now & I have read a few of them.
This was one I really enjoyed.
Thanks for the opportunity to read & review it.

A quick read full of the most amoral characters.
Esmie comes to Ireland posing as a cleaner to insert herself into the lives of those who she feels are responsible for the downfall of her beloved brother.
Three houses, inhabited by two couples and a sibling. Five adults and every one of them has their own agendas and something to hide. Who did what to whom and why?
An unusual plot with a belter of a twist.

From the beginning this book had me immersed, I really could not put it down, There was so much tension, danger and suspense that it kept the excitement and intrigue for me all the way through.

Esmie is a cleaner to a rich family and their friends and family, but it’s all under false pretenses to find out what happened to her brother Nico. A great read that sends you into a tangled web of lies from everyone. The ending was not as I expected, but the twist was good. A 4 star read.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for a copy.

It’s not the dust she’s looking for…it’s the dirt.

Desperate to find out what’s happened to her brother, Esmie pretends to be a cleaner so she can involve herself in people’s lives. Whilst searching for one secret she discovers a lot more including some that may leave her in danger. Who can she trust and how long can she get away with pretending she is someone she isn’t?

Sadly this book was not for me, no stand out characters and repetitive to the point I skip read a lot of it just to get to the end. Thanks to @netgalley for the opportunity to read this book and I’m sure there will be plenty of people who disagree with me and love it.

⭐️⭐️

#TheCleaner
#MaryWatson

This is a who, why, what, where and when and slowly info is revealed and it becomes clearer why Esme has gone to Ireland seeking revenge for her brother Nico

Esme does this by taking on the role of a cleaner and integrating herself into the lives of the people she suspects

It was a quick read but I have to be honest and say I much preferred the ‘now’ story to the diary entries from the past, also the characters are not on the whole likeable

There is intrigue and a mystery to solve, also the question that I had throughout ‘where is Esmie from!’

A quickish read and does all that’s needed to make it a viable psychological thriller that will get you thinking trying to work out who did what….

📚 Book Review 📚

Esmie travels to an exclusive community somewhere in the leafy suburbs of Ireland to find the reason behind the change in her brother’s personality. This is the area where her brother stayed whilst studying at university and he has never been the same since.

She fakes a cycling accident in order to meet the residents and from there, manages to get a job as a cleaner for the a few of the exclusive families who live there.

The premise of this book is good, a young woman has travelled from another county (we don’t know where) to find out why her brother Nico, returned from university a broken man. She inserts herself into the small community and watches the people who live within this gated community, their secrets, their affairs and their lies. Esmie is seeking answers… and revenge.

Sadly, I was a bit disappointed with this book. It was good in places and really disjointed in others. To the extent where twice, I had to go back and check that I hadn’t missed something or missed a page because what I was reading just didn’t make sense. The characters are ok. There’s no real affiliation with any of them for me though and I wasn’t particularly keen on the lead protagonist, Esmie, either. There are juicy, slow burn plots and storylines which just seem to burn which is a shame. There are a couple of twists but nothing that was unexpected.

Sadly, a bit repetitive for me but this is the first novel from this author and I would be interested in reading more in the future.

I’d like to thank Random House UK, NetGalley and the author for the arc and the fantastic opportunity, in exchange for my honest feedback 😊

Book released on 16th January 2025

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Really enjoyed this - a who done it senario? And the twists we're not expected! I enjoyed trying to figure out what happened to Nico and why.
Thank you for letting me read this ARC

This is a book about Esme who has arrived in Ireland seeking revenge. She integrates herself in with the people who she believes have caused her brother harm. She becomes the cleaner of the woodlands gated community and this means she can search the homes of those who she believes are guilty.

This book gave me a sense of deja vu and I don’t know why. It started off fine but the characters were so unlikeable that they annoyed me in points. I must admit there was a twist I never saw coming and I did audibly gasp but overall it was ok. Saying this I am sure others will love this book but for me it was just ok.