I try to ignore how Nina makes a mess just to watch me clean it up. How she tells strange lies about her own daughter. And how her husband Andrew seems more broken every day. But as I look into Andrew's handsome brown eyes, so full of pain, it's hard not to imagine what it would be like to live Nina's life. The walk-in closet, the fancy car, the perfect husband.

All but TWO of my friends loved it, so I had to squeeze it in!! Unfortunately, I am in the same camp as the two who were NOT thrilled with it! 🤣

Christmas Cards & Gift Wrap

I was impressed by how the author could take such a typical plotline and develop it into a captivating story. Right from the prologue till the end, I couldn’t keep the book aside. This, despite the fact that the story was disturbing, creepy, weird, even OTT. In Part One, Nina Winchester is looking for a maid to clean, help out with her daughter Cecilia, and perhaps prepare a meal on occasion. The person she hires will need to be desperate for a job, and have CERTAIN personality traits. Then came Part Two, and there is a SURPRISING twist, but it’s very OTT and the story goes off the rails at this point. 🚂

Nina has no agency at all, she's only good to be rescued by her super-hot, muscled, Italian stud, and even Millie shows no initiative at all up until the very ending. In a Nutshell: A bit farfetched but it still provided me with almost everything I look for in a thriller.Thank you to Bookouture and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own. I gave the ending 5/5 because it's women's history month and that's all I can say without spoiling it As her months of being employed with the Winchester’s progress, Millie sees herself as being better than Nina and desires her lifestyle, as well as her husband. do you know those movies about the scary cult of, like, creepy kids who can read minds and worship the devil and live in the cornfields or something? well, if they were casting for one of those movies, this girl would get the part. they wouldn’t even have to audition her. they would take one look at her and be like, yes, you are creepy girl number three. When Nina shows Millie her room up in the attic Millie senses an uneasiness about the room dread consumes her, from here on nothing is what it seemsThe Winchesters are an influential family but Andrew thinks Millie is unfairly treated& tells Nina to cool it.

I love trying to figure out what is going to happen, where the plot is going, who is telling the truth, who is reliable, etc. This one kept me on my toes. I found it to be fun, dramatic, surprising, and hard to put down! If you know your domestic thrillers, you'll know that the above character analysis will change over the course of the novel. The characters were unbelievable at times. In spite of this, I enjoyed their idiosyncrasies. A thriller can’t be twisty without characters who generate mixed feelings in you. It’s boring to have thrillers with clearly delineated good or bad characters. The characters in this book will test your loyalties towards them. Welcome to the family,” Nina Winchester says as I shake her elegant, manicured hand. I smile politely, gazing around the marble hallway. Working here is my last chance to start fresh. I can pretend to be whoever I like. But I’ll soon learn that the Winchesters’ secrets are far more dangerous than my own… I can see people really enjoying this or really hating it. Do not expect this to be a literary masterpiece. You will not be mentally stimulated in any way. This is your standard popcorn thriller but not as annoying as Unmissing, Stay Awake, etc because of the dark humour. This is the type of book you read after My Dark Vanessa rips your heart out and stomps all over it.

Toys

There are also a few convenient coincidences. (Then again, these are found in almost every thriller, which is why I don’t read much of this genre.) My thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for the DRC of “The Housemaid”. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book. All in all, this was my first book by this author but I don’t think it will be my last. Despite the minor shortcomings, this book kept me largely satisfied. Since I am not an avid contemporary thriller reader, I cannot tell you if the plot is similar to any of the other recent domestic thrillers in the market. But I know that I was quite happy with it. Definitely recommended if you are looking for an entertaining commercial thriller. Every day I clean the Winchesters' beautiful house from top to bottom. I collect their daughter from school. And I cook a delicious meal for the whole family before heading up to eat alone in my tiny room on the top floor. AND IF YOU HAVE READ THIS BOOK, PUT DOWN WHATEVER YOU’RE READING AND GRAB ANOTHER FREIDA MCFADDEN BOOK!!

Millie makes frequent comments about how Andrew couldn’t want to be with Nina because he wants more kids and she’s having trouble conceiving. It was mentioned about 3 times and it kind of seemed like a triggering statement to keep making if the reader has problems conceiving. This is supposed to be the protagonist but it’s really a horrible thing to say and I couldn’t really forgive the statement after the third time. i think these quotes sum up how i feel about this little girl. not only was she creepy, but she was such a little brat omg.The Housemaid” by Freida McFadden is just one of those novels that for years to come, I will speak highly of and recommend to anyone that wants an incredible thriller. One that’s also filled with mystery and psychological terror all wrapped together brilliantly. From McFadden’s excellent writing style to all the characters I absolutely loved, this is easily one of the best novels of 2022. Everything about this book is just perfection, it also has short chapters which I love, meaning you can always read "one more chapter". The characters were great too, I loved Millie, she is such a bad ass! I loved more characters as the book went on but won't say too much as I want to keep my review spoiler free. Every day I clean the Winchesters' beautiful house top to bottom. I collect their daughter from school. And I cook a delicious meal for the whole family before heading up to eat alone in my tiny room on the top floor. Millie's POV is straight up "dear diary" style. As in, "I spent 7 hours cleaning the house and I thought about Andy Winchester's bangin bod the entire time. He is so dreamy. Does he like me too????" It's also giving me "rages to riches" fanfic written by a tween vibes. BUT AT THE SAME DAMN TIME... the book was legit funny in parts???? Like great dark humour throughout????