4.5⭐
This is my fourth book by the highly talented Joy Fielding, and my favorite to date. She is now front and center on my list of go-to authors.

Jodi is desperately trying to hold her own family together while keeping a close eye on her aging parents. Her mother is mostly bedridden with Parkinson’ and Jodi knows she must find help for her father, who’s been the main caregiver.

Enter Elyse - the answer to Jodi’s prayers. She ticked all boxes and then some. But something is bothering Jodi. Is this model employee too good to be true? Did she just make the biggest mistake of her life?

Desperate, Jodi turns to her sister and husband for help. But finding no help from either, she realizes she alone in trying to prevent a looming disaster. As Jodi’s anxiety ramped up…so did mine.

Though the storyline was a tad predictable, I loved every minute and found that I could not put it down!

Can’t wait for Ms. Fielding’s next release!

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group Ballantine for granting my wish.

Joy Fielding drew me into Jodi's life and background in just a few pages of The Housekeeper. In the beginning the reader is slightly made aware of things to come, but it doesn't take away the impact when they happen, and it still manages to have some surprises. Ms Fielding never disappoints. I want to thank NetGalley and Ballantine Books for an early copy to review.

Joy Fielding writes another thriller (The Housekeeper) that you will not want to put down. Jodi Bishop is a woman married to a demanding husband. Add to the mix two small children, a very busy real estate career and aging parents, and you have a disaster waiting. So, Jodi decides to hire a housekeeper to help take care of her ailing mother and take some of the weight off of her elder dad. After interviewing, Jodi decides to hire Elyse who appears to be perfect. But as a reader, I wondered if she was too good to be true. How can any woman be that perfect? Slowly, but surely, Elyse is taking over the household. She starts wearing Jodi’s mom’s clothes and jewelry. Jodi starts to feel that something is off, but her father and her sister Tracy are fine with what’s going on. Dad even starts flirting with Elyse. Jodi’s husband may be having an affair, and Jodi meets a man who appears too good to be true. All of these events create a great mystery!

The main question is who really is Elyse? Is she a great housekeeper or a gold digger?

So many twists and turns in this book that I couldn’t put it down.
Thanks you Netgalley and Penguin Random house for the opportunity to read this book.

3.5 stars, rounded down The Housekeeper is a slow burn psychological thriller. Jodi may be the younger daughter, but she’s the responsible one. Her aging parents’ care falls more and more to her, so she finally hires a housekeeper to help look after them. At first, Elyse seems perfect. She manages to charm Jodi’s. cranky father and she’s the perfect caregiver for her mother with MS.
The book is written looking back in time. As Jodi “speaks” to the reader, she makes comments like - looking back, I should have seen or this should have given me a clue. So, from the very beginning, we know things won’t end well.
Jodi was meant to be a sympathetic character. She basically supports her jerk of a husband, still trying to finish his second novel after ten years. If women marry men like their fathers, she’s done just that. Because her father is equally hard to please, doting on Jodi’s older sister who has never found a way to support herself. I wanted to see Jodi grow a pair and walk out on the lot of them, instead of constantly apologizing and trying harder to please. Flip side, her sister has the best line in the whole book when asked what she would do about a particular situation.
The story isn’t entirely believable. <spoiler> at least in the states, elder abuse is a huge deal. I can’t believe the police would not have investigated the difference in theft claims made between daughter and father/housekeeper. </spoiler>.
The story also isn’t original, in fact it was very predictable. I enjoyed seeing how many of the supposed big twists I could guess before they occurred. The answer was every one of them. That said, it’s entertaining in a mindless sort of way.
My thanks to Netgalley and Random House/Ballantine Books for an advance copy of this book.

Jodi Bishop is trying to do the right thing by hiring what seems to be the perfect housekeeper to help take care of her aging parents. What Jodi doesn’t know is that her new hire is not who she thinks. Strange things begin to happen and Jodi becomes more and more isolated from her family until, despite her incredible efforts, she loses control of the situation completely.

This is a multi layered psychological domestic drama with some truly horrible people doing horrific things. I felt for Jodi as her world came crumbling down and everything she did seemed to be wrong. We’ve all had days like this but this was on a completely different level. Jodi never gave up and I admired this. I found the suspense to be good and the ending satisfying.

This domestic drama is written by an author I haven't read before. It has some adult content  and is set in Toronto.
Jodi's elderly mother has had Parkinson’s for years. Her father, Vic, has been her constant caregiver. As her mother's condition worsens, Jodi decides they need a housekeeper. Elyse is the perfect applicant with glowing references.
Jodi's older sister, Tracy, is also perfect. She's the favorite daughter, pretty and still depends on their parents for money.
Jodi's husband, Harrison, wrote a successful novel years ago. He teaches a writing course and the students always include young, pretty, adoring fans. He complains a lot about Jodi's work schedule, but she is their source of income. They have two young children to care for.
Strange things happen at Jodi's parents home. They are quite well off and Jodi suspects things are being hidden from her.
There weren't any characters I liked., which is not to say that they weren't well depicted or portrayed realistically. The male characters are stereotypical domineering and self-centered jerks. Jodi just annoyed me. I would have enjoyed the book more if I hadn't guessed the plot much too early in the book. It wasn't as original as I'd hoped, a bit disappointing.
Thanks to the author, Joy Fielding, to Ballantine Books, and NetGalley for the advance digital reader copy of "The housekeeper". These are my honest personal thoughts and opinions given voluntarily.

Wow, what can I say. I finished this one rapidly. I found myself unable to stop wanting more. This tale revolves around one Jodi Bishop, real estate agent, devoted mother, wife and woman desperate for her father’s affection. Then you have Tracy, Jodi’s sister who has never had to work for anything in her life and who is doted on by her father. When Jodi and Tracy find that it is getting increasingly harder for their father to care for their mother with Parkinson’s, they hire Elyse to live in and care for her. Elyse becomes the mother figure Jodi always wanted but the plot twists over and over as Elyse becomes less and less who they believed her to be. Jodi struggles with her marriage throughout this and her husband Harrison constantly lets her down. Jodi is no saint herself at times either. The ending was not quite what I expected but was quite satisfied nonetheless for all of the characters to get what they truly deserved.

I was gifted an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The Housekeeper
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Genre: Domestic Suspense
Format: Kindle eBook
Date Published: 8/16/22
Author: Joy Fielding
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Pages: 352
Goodreads Rating: 4.09

I requested a digital advanced readers copy from NetGalley and Ballantine Books and providing my opinion voluntarily and unbiased.

Synopsis: Jodi Bishop knows success. She's the breadwinner, a top-notch real estate agent. Her husband, Harrison . . . not so much. He's a middling writer who resents his wife's success. Jodi's father, Vic, now in his late seventies and retired, and was a very controlling man, until his wife, Audrey developed Parkinson’s ten years ago. 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. Jodi is pleased to have an ally, someone she can talk to and occasionally even confide in. Until . . . She shuts Jodi out. And Audrey's condition worsens—rapidly. Who is this woman suddenly wearing her mother’s jewelry? What is she after? And how far will she go to get it?

My Thoughts: The story is narrated by Jodi, from her perspective, working backwards, I liked this style of story telling. The characters are well developed, have depth, a mysterious aspect to them, interesting, and not every character is likable. The supporting characters become a bit more likable than the main characters. The author’s writing style is complex, intriguing, suspenseful, invoking, and keeps you engaged. The plot is somewhat predictable, however, the story had a nice twist about three-fourths the way through, which sealed the story. The ending was good and tied up everything, it did not leave anything open ended, which I appreciate. Overall, this was an enjoyable book and I would read other books by this author.

Thank you NetGalley, Joy Fielding and Random House Publishing Group for the ARC of The Housekeeper. This is my personal review.
The description of the book had me so excited to read this book. A daughter hires a Housekeeper to help with her aging parents. All started out good but soon things changed, and the housekeeper was taking over.
I wanted the riveting heart pounding of a novel that keeps me awake at night reading but this one for me was flat and dull. I didn’t get the that from this book. It was too easy to see what was going to happen.
It was an OK book but not what I was expecting it to be.

This is a decent domestic suspense. The plot is a tad predictable, but I still enjoyed it. 3.5⭐!

Real estate agent Jodi Bishop, has hired a housekeeper to help her parents. They're in their late 70s, and her mother has Parkinson's. Her father has cared for her mother, with his daughters help. Now it's getting harder, and he needs help. Everything is going well. Elyse, the new housekeeper, is in her 60s, and is a blessing to them. But then, things start seeming…..not so perfect. What is Elyse up to?!

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for the gifted copy. All opinions are my own.

Another winner by fielding, i found myself reading late into the night. The premise of the story wasn't very unique but with some surprise twists throughout made this a really great domestic suspense with a great ending that tied up all the loose ends

Buckle up for Joy Fielding's book The Housekeeper. With unexpected plot twists and page-turning tension, it has all the elements mystery fans enjoy.

Synopsis:
Jodi Bishop employs Elyse Woodley to help care for her aging parents. Elyse is a charming woman in her early sixties who appears to be an excellent caregiver. Jodi is overjoyed to have Elyse's help until she begins to notice strange occurances. Why is Elyse wearing Jodi's mom's precious jewels?

The Housekeeper is an interesting story with plenty of shocking reveals. Despite the plot being foreseeable at times, I was still captivated by the story. This is my first Joy Fielding book, and I was impressed by how suspenseful her writing is. While there is some foul language, it does not contain graphic scenes of violence. For a quick and enjoyable summer read, pick up a copy of The Housekeeper.

The Housekeeper by Joy Fielding is available on August 16th.

Thank you, NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, for allowing me to review this book. I had fun reading it!

This Author can do no wrong. I read this over 2 days and am still thinking about it. Just read it. You're going to love it!

Thank you for the opportunity to read this Netgalley ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Jodi Bishop, is real estate agent in Toronto. Apart from the long hours she has to put in to be a successful agent she has a lot to worry about. Jodi's husband, a onetime literary sensation who has now taken him almost a decade to write his second novel
takes his writing too seriously to care for their children. Jodi's parents, Vic and Audrey Dundas, have been married for years and have led a very successful life as far as finance is concerned. However as Audry's'
Parkinson disease is advancing Vic and Jodi are overwhelmed being the primary caregivers for Audrey . Jodi is aware that her dad is also advancing in age and caring for is wife is an overbearing task for an almost 80 year old man. So she decides to override her father's objections and hires a live-in housekeeper. Enter , Elyse Woodley. Elyse seems too good to be true and exactly what her parents need. Jodi is truly elated with Elyse who puts Mary Poppins to shame. But can things really be as perfect as they seem?

The housekeeper is a well written domestic thriller that flows with ease. I was able to read it in one sitting. However the story is predictable, and the characters, are
notably awful in this book. The book had a degree of suspense but a bit slow moving with many unnecessary fillers and lack of any real depth.
I would recommend this novel to fans of women-led suspense novels.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher, Ballantine Books, for allowing me to read an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I have long been a fan of Joy Fielding’s work, and this novel once again reaffirms her talent in creating robust characters that you can’t help but route for. The relationship between the housekeeper and the family members in this story is compelling and shows exactly how far slime people will go to achieve their nefarious goals.

3.5 stars

If you want drama, you've come to the right place. I didn't like the characters. I wasn't supposed to like the characters. Even the characters didn't like the characters. They were very self aware and recognized their flaws. So how can I complain? It just doesn't seem right. Something about Joy Fielding's style of writing draws me in. I just didn't feel any suspense with this one so I rounded down.

Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced readers copy.

Thank you to NetGalley, Ballantine Books, and Joy Fielding for the advanced copy of The Housekeeper in exchange for my honest review.

While I did find this book highly entertaining, it was what I would consider a pretty run-of-the-mill thriller. Very predictable from beginning to end, but I still enjoyed it quite a bit.

I have only read two books by Joy Fielding but I'm always very impressed with her writing style and her ability to keep a reader flipping pages. I look forward to working my way through her catalog of books and reading whatever she comes up with next!

The Housekeeper will be on bookshelves August 16.

While I enjoyed the book, I didn’t love it. The characters left something to be desired and the plot was pretty predictable. I keep thinking I had read this book before.

A story that’s not new, but I still enjoyed it!!

It does focus on some realities of how the elderly can be treated. Add in a dysfunctional family and you’ve got a decent formula.

I didn’t have any jarring or shocking moments. The twists were predictable, but the writing style keeps the reader engaged with the story.

I read this book in three days, which is pretty fast for me. . Two daughters and elderly wealthy parents hire a con artist housekeeper who tries to scam the parents. Its a pretty obvious story but the family dynamic and the relationship between the sisters, Jodi and Tracy, was interesting. I had a hard time understanding Jodi's acceptance and continued loyalty to her family. This book was a great lounge chair read.