I always enjoy Joy Fielding’s suspenseful books & The Housekeeper is no exception! There are more than a couple “gasp out loud, mouth wide open twists that you will NOT expect nor predict. I like it when a book surprises me like this one & especially when the “bad guy (or gal)” isn’t able to be guessed by the reader. Go ahead, get The Housekeeper & put your feet up😁

Book: The Housekeeper
Author: Joy Fielding
Publisher: Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine Books
Pub Date: August 16, 2022
This book was a slow burn. At times I wanted it to pick up the pace but it all worked to get you to the end. I have read several similar books so there weren’t really many surprises but a few. I first discovered Joy Fielding by reading Cul-De-Sac and it was a very good read so I couldn’t wait to get this one. Like I said it was a slow burn and you can totally predict what’s about to happen. But trust me you won't care because your going to enjoy the writing and the plot. No spoilers here – but when she hires the housekeeper you know without a shadow of a doubt the mom will die, she will marry the dad and she will get the inheritance. It’s basically the standard routine. But the author throws in a few curveballs and maybe you’ll see how it plays out and maybe you won’t but either way she is an excellent writer and it makes for a great story. A great book for me is when I connect with the characters and I connected with Jodi. I got as frustrated with her family as she did and I wanted to stand up for her. This is a definite must read so add it to your TBR for this summer!
Thanks to Random House Publishing Group-Ballantine Books and NetGalley for allowing me this sneak peek!

Jodi was born into a really dysfunctional family and married a similarly dysfunctional man. A successful real estate broker, Jodi is stretched thin trying for a home/work balance so she hires a housekeeper, Elyse, to care for her ailing mother and grouchy, grumpy and generally nasty dad. Elyse is worth her weight in gold it seems, a great cook, great communication skills, great organizing skills. As Jodi begins to realize that all that glitters is not necessarily gold, small, large and gigantic things happen in both hers and her parents homes. Seemingly stymied by believing what Jodi wants to believe, Elyse takes root like poison ivy and Jodi is sucked into a really interesting and subjective psychological trap. The rest of the family are rather selfish and callous - will Jodi succumb or fight the good fight?

I love Joy Fielding as a writer. This book is another winner. A auspicious thriller with a strong main character. I particularly enjoyed the story which was intriguing from the beginning. I highly recommend this book.

The synopsis reads like the description of Lifetime TV movie but this book is more well-developed and surprising than the typical domestic suspense script. Jodi is a successful realtor and the breadwinner and caregiver in her family. She has two kids and a adulterous husband who is supposedly working on another novel. Her sister Tracy sponges off her father. Her father is a hard case who doesn't acknowledge Jodi's accomplishments and efforts. Her mother is in the late stages of Parkinson's. Something's gotta give. Elyse walks in and is seemingly the answer to Jodi's prayers. But Jodi comes to regret hiring Elyse.... I won't give away the twists and turns but this is a fun ride. The short chapters had me furiously reading "just one more" until I reached the conclusion of the story.

I really like Joy Fielding but this book was a little slower paced than her other books in my opinion. Jodi hires a housekeeper to take care of her mom who has dementia. The housekeeper seems too good to be true and she just may be. Jodi and her sister Tracy begin to suspect that the housekeeper is after more than cleaning house.

Thank you NetGalley for the advanced readers copy of the housekeeper Wow just wow, this book had me turning off after page with many twists and turns and just when I thought I had it all figured out boom, lol ! Great book with lots of drama some of us crave in a book. Joy fielding had done it again! I’ve been reading her books for a long time now, off to see what else of hers I can read now. Thanks again NG and Ballantine for the opportunity to read this early and give my honest opinion! 5 stars ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

#TheHousekeeper #, NetGalley
Immersed in the story. Loved it.
Jodi Bishop knows success. She’s the breadwinner, a top-notch real estate agent. Her husband, Harrison . . . not so much. Once, he had big dreams. But now, he’s a middling writer who resents his wife’s success.
Jodi’s father, Vic, now in his late seventies and retired, is a very controlling man. His wife, Audrey, was herself no shrinking violet. But things changed when Audrey developed Parkinson’s ten years ago and Vic retired to devote himself to her care. But while still reasonably spry and rakishly handsome, Vic is worn down by his wife’s deteriorating condition. Exhausted from trying to balance her career, her family, and her parents’ needs, Jodi starts interviewing housekeepers to help care for Audrey and Vic. She settles on Elyse Woodley, an energetic and attractive widow in her early sixties, who seems perfect for the job. While Vic is initially resistant, he soon warms to Elyse’s sunny personality and engaging ways.
This is a mind blowing psychological thriller with a killer twist. I loved this author's Cul-de-sac and this is better than that one.
Thanks to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for giving me an advanced copy.

The Housekeeper
A Novel
by Joy Fielding

Thank you NetGalley and Ballatine for the digital review copy. What a wild ride. This was a good book. . It’s a good domestic thriller with some twists and turns. A fast read that makes me want to tell Jodi to leave everyone behind and just run. A good book to read on a weekend.

4.5 wild-ride stars! Joy Fielding’s The Housekeeper is a quick, spicy family drama that I didn’t want to put down! That is saying a lot, since it was an e-book instead of my beloved audiobooks. I bet the audio version will be fantastic, too!

Main plot - Jodi finds a housekeeper to help care for their ailing mother. Tracy, her sister didn’t really help, and it a bit self-absorbed. The new housekeeper seems amazing, until she isn’t. The dad is a bit mean, especially to Jodi. There’s a plot twist that I did see it for what it was when she put it in there, and that was OK. Overall, the story was written well, characters were developed, and the ending was good. It sort of felt a little formulaic at times (hence not 5 stars), but really that didn’t take away the pleasure of reading it.

It was a super-easy, fast, fun read that I would highly recommend.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy.

Great book!! Wow! Lots of twists and turns in this one! Then a big big twist at the end! I definitely enjoyed reading this book! Definitely one of my top favorites! This book had suspense, intrigue, mystery and sent chills a few times too! I highly recommend reading this book! It was well worth reading! Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for sharing this book with me!

I’ve been a fan of Joy Fielding since I was younger, and this one did not disappoint. While you may suspect where the storyline is going, you’re definitely thrown some twists! I really enjoyed this book. Thank you Net Galley for the ARC!

Jodi hires a housekeeper to help her father out with caring for her mother, who is in the last stages of Parkinson’s. She soon comes to regret this decision. I really enjoyed this book, it was very written with a lot of twists and just when I thought I had it figured out the author throws in another twist. Thanks to Netgalley for this Arc.

Having recently read and enjoyed Cul-De-Sac by Joy Fielding, I was eagerly awaiting her next novel. The Housekeeper did not let me down as the reader is swept along with the constant action.

The plot centers around a daughter tasked with the finding and hiring of a housekeeper to look after her elderly parents, one of whom is afflicted with and suffering from Parkinson's Disease. The story includes the dynamics of a multi-generational dysfunctional family -- 2 sets of husbands and wives, father and daughter relationships, as well as 2 very different sisters. The story is replete with dishonesty, jealousy, sibling rivalry, unfaithfulness in marriages and murder just to name a few.

Ms. Fielding also has a major surprise for readers in the second half of the book which this reader definitely did not see coming.

I would like to thank NetGalley and Random House Publishing group for the opportunity to read and review an advance reader copy of The Housekeeper.

“In the end, I have only myself to blame. I’m the one who let her in.”
This was an enjoyable page-turner about a woman who hires a housekeeper for her parents. Her mother is suffering at the end of her life with Parkinson's and her father is struggling to take care of her. She thinks she's found the perfect lady for the job- Elyse. Then things start to go wrong and suddenly her whole life is turned upside down. Who is this women and what has she done?
This one has a decent plot and a few good twists and turns. Nothing that blew me away. Fielding is known for consistency in her novels and this one is the same. Would make a great summer read as it’s pretty quick.

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group-Ballatine for this title in exchange for my honest review

Poor Jodi,to be surrounded by the biggest bunch of bastards. I waited this whole book for each character to get some comeuppance, and while they did in certain fashion, it wasn't as explosive as I had hoped.

#NetGalley #TheHousekeeper

This was my first book read by Joy Fielding and I loved it! It's an involving domestic suspense novel, particularly if you can relate to the situation of having to help find care for your parents. I rooted for the main character who had more than one difficult family member to deal with, and felt that her parents and husband were painted realistically. If you enjoy novels with crafty characters and suspense, you will enjoy this book! Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This book was SO good!!! Jodi works for her father's real estate company, trying to provide for her family as her husband Harrison is a one time published author. Her sister Traci is unemployed and lives off of daddy's dime as she is the favorite. Their mom is bed-ridden, and they need help, which is where the 'housekeeper' Elyse enters. This book has so many twists and turns, that you think you know what's coming, but you don't. I definitely recommend this book, and will now be going back to read more titles by this author.

Wow, this was a page turner!!!! From the very start to the final page, i was hooked! I couldn’t wait to see what Elyse would do next! At one point, there was a jaw-dropping twist I never saw coming.

All the characters seemed well written. I really liked Jodi and was rooting for her but i really wanted her to stand up for herself more. She let everyone tear her down…her husband, father, sister and even her mother before Parkinsons.

Elyse was so cunningly bad!

This would be my pick for best book for 2022. Thanks to NetGalley for allowing me to read this book.

Thank you to Random House and Netgalley for an advanced ebook copy.

Jodi hires a housekeeper for her parents. Her mother is in the end stages of Parkinson’s and her father is almost 80 years old. The one she hires seems almost too good to be true. And you know what that means. Fielding frequently adds trigger warnings like this to the end of her chapters.

The housekeeper, Elyse, babysits Jodi’s children without being asked, is a master in the kitchen, and seems to get along well with everyone. Until she doesn’t.

Fielding first introduced me to domestic suspense and I’ve been a fan of hers and the genre ever sense. In her “acknowledgements” she said it took her only five months to write “The Housekeeper” because there was nothing else to do during the panic. I wish I had that kind of talent to draw on.

Her characters, especially sister Tracy, and new guy in town, Roger; are exquisitely drawn as is Jodi's sneaky, adulterous husband, Harrison. She keeps the action going with short chapters and lots of “what do we do now?” This is Fielding’s 30th book. That’s quite an accomplishment.

I want to join the other reviewers who gave this title five stars because it is so well deserved. I'd recommend it in a heartbeat.