This was okay. The author grabbed my attention and my experience kept me reading. I will remember the story.

There are three parts to the book. If this had not been a NetGalley I would have stopped at Part Two. I don't like these type of storylines. Part Three is the end and that is where I had my real problem. Without spoiling, I will say I found the subsequent strength two characters did not have for years suddenly appear crazy.

I had the audiobook and was okay with the narrator. However, there came a point where the dialect changed for one of the main characters.

Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture Audio for accepting my request to read and review The Housemaid.

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#TheHousemaid
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I totally binged this wild ride of a read! It was incredibly captivating and completely addicting! It’s a fun, dark and mysterious domestic thriller that will keep you totally entranced!

While I was able to guess the major twists quite early, it was still enjoyable and I continued to fly through it! It also reminded me very much of another book but I’ll keep that one to myself as I don’t want to spoil anything! It certainly has its differences though and finishes with one last punch! Even though I saw it coming as well, it was still a knockout!

This was my second by McFadden and I’m looking forward to reading more from her!

4.5 Stars rounded to 5! I. Don't. Know. What. I. Just. Listened. To!!!! The Housemaid by Freida McFadden is the twisty, suspenseful, and addicting story of Millie, who gets a job as the new maid in the Winchester home. What Millie thinks they don't know about her is her past. One she isn't wanting to talk about. But what happens when Mrs. Winchester seemingly goes off the rails, and Mr. Winchester starts sharing romantic feelings with the maid?? Well, you'll have to read the story to find out! I think this was the fastest I have ever finished an audiobook. I could not stop listening! I was completely taken by surprise when the major twist happened, because I did not see it coming at all. I found some of the elements of this story to be a little unreal sounding for my liking, and I didn't love some minor things throughout the story, which is why I give this a 4.5 rounded up, instead of a 4 star rating. The fact that I was so obsessed and didn't want to do anything else until I found out exactly what happened is worth the bump up in ratings. It's been a while since a psychological thriller like this has kept my attention in the way that this story did. This is the first book by Freida McFadden, and although many reviews I've read say this is by far her best book, I definitely want to check out some of her other stories!

I’ve only read a few, but I always love Freida McFadden’s books. She always delivers such a twist that I never see coming. We start at the end with someone dead and then go back and meet the potential victims and suspects. We meet Millie who is down on her luck and can’t believe it when she finds a great job that also provides her a place to live. Then there are Nina, Andrew and their daughter, who employ Millie to clean and help care for their child. And Enzo, the hot Italian gardener, who was probably my favorite character.

Now I did suspect one of the twists, but I enjoyed the wild ride listening to this unfold. I am not a fan of when books change narrators partway through the book, but this one worked for me.

Lauryn Allman was a great narrator and kept me engrossed in the book and was at least partially the reason I finished listening to this one in just a few days. I highly recommend you pick this up and find tasks to do so you can continue listening.

Crazy!!!! Whew that book was insane. I was shocked with all the twists throughout the whole book.

I listened to the audiobook version and it was one narrator but I would have swore it was two separate ones. She did such a great job differentiating between main characters.

This one caught my attention from the beginning! I loved the gutsy main character who was trying so hard to do her best! I thought I knew where this story was going and I was so wrong! This was my second audiobook by this author and I will definitely read and listen to more of her work!

The narrator did an excellent job! I loved her accents! Listen to this one if you love a story full of unexpected turns and characters you love to hate!

Millie, the housemaid of the title, is down on her luck and desperate to land the job working for the Winchesters. The thought of being able to stretch out in bed, rather than having to curl up on the back seat of her car as she does presently, is like a dream come true. Once Millie moves in strange things begin to happen. Nina Winchester begins to act erratically, accusing Millie of all manner of mistakes. Luckily Nina's husband, Andrew, is sympathetic and explains that his wife is highly strung. Gradually Millie and Andrew grow closer, with devastating consequences.

The first half of the story is told from Millie's perspective. There are hints early on that she's had a troubled past, mention of being "rusty" with police procedures and then comments about being out of circulation for the past 10 years. We eventually learn that she's been in prison. The narration of Millie is quiet, almost simpering. She's desperate to keep this job and a roof over her head so is willing to put up with Nina's increasingly erratic behaviour. The description of Nina's contradictory and difficult nature made me want to scream.

Halfway through we switch to Nina's story and discover her background and her reasons for the way she behaves. Up until this halfway point I wasn't particularly taken with this book but it was at this point that things really changed and I wanted to know exactly what was happening and what the conclusion would be. I became invested in both Millie and Nina, intrigued as to how their individual stories would end.

The Housemaid is a gripping thriller set on Long Island in the US. Millie is amazed to gain employment as a live in housekeeper considering her recent release from prison. Nina Winchester seems like the perfect employer but first impressions can be deceptive. Her husband Andrew seems like a wonderful man, and Millie cannot understand why he puts up with Nina and her erratic behaviour.
Part two of the book explains how the Winchester’s meet and the dynamics of their relationship. There is a twist in the book which I definitely suspected, but that didn’t detract from my enjoyment of the story.
I will be seeking out other books by the author and enjoyed the narrator too.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this novel for an honest review. It has been published in April 2022.

"The Housemaid" by Freida McFadden was a bit of a disappointment to read.
First of all, the tagline "From behind closed doors, she sees everything" must have been chosen by someone who never read the book, because it couldn't be farther from the truth: Millie goes through the novel blissfully unaware of everything that happens around her, be it behind closed doors or not. Even the most telegraphed plot twists somehow catch her by surprise, despite all the warning signs and the not-so-cryptic warnings she receives from other characters. The only ones who see everything from behind closed doors are Andrew and Enzo, and how sad it is that a novel written by a woman, with a woman as a protagonist, should depict both its female main characters as such hapless damsels in distress?
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.
On the good side, the narrative flows easily enough, making the read a quick one. On the not so good side, there are some huge plotholes that make the whole novel feel like a joke: for starters, Enzo's charade doesn't hold water. It's simply not believable that a man in his thirties who has lived and worked in the US for 3 years, being employed by a dozen families in such a posh neighbourhood, and who is considered the best at what he does, would not speak any English at all, not even the most basic communication that Italian children are taught in primary school. When we find out that he's just pretending, it's even worse! How would he ever get a job with all those very wealthy, very elitist families if he wasn't able to let on that he spoke the language? How would he be able to follow his customer's instructions, to the point that he's considered "the best at his job", if he had to pretend he didn't understand them at all?
And what about the "translating apps" that Millie mentions in the very beginning of the book, hoping that they'll help her communicate with Enzo, except then she never uses them, never mentions them again and spends the rest of the novel complaining that she has no way of communicating with Enzo?
What about the security guard who searches Millie on the basis of a random phonecall tipping him off about her alleged shoplifting? In the real world, no security guard in their right mind would do such a thing: they would more likely enquire who the person calling them is, and how can they know who is a shoplifter and describe how the shoplifter is dressed, since they're calling *from outside the shop*.
How can Millie describe her new, tiny attic room in the Winchester house as an "inhuman place, like a torture chamber", when she's been living in the back of her car right before moving to said attic room, and has spent 10 years in jail right before that?
Let's not even mention how far-fetched the twist about the policeman's daughter is, and how it would be absolutely impossible to simply drop an investigation like that, even if a random policeman decided to.
Still, I wouldn't have minded the plotholes so much if the characterisation hadn't been so bad: literally all of the characters, including the protagonist, are nothing more than stock characters, flat, cartoonish figurines in no way relatable or interesting. On top of that, all 4 main characters (I'm counting the 9-year-old brat as well, yes) are completely, irredeemably despicable. The only vaguely likeable character is Enzo, but then he's a walking stereotype, so in the end I didn't like him either.

I love Freida McFadden and I loved this book! It was thrilling the whole way through and had some wonderful twists. I do have to say it was a little too similar to Verity so it loses points on originality.

⭐️⭐️ THE HOUSEMAID by Freida McFadden (Narrated by Lauryn Allman)

GENRE: Adult Thriller

Millie is an ex-convict who needs a job and a place to stay. She thinks she hits the jackpot when she gets hired to be the housemaid for the Winchester’s. But life isn’t as golden as she thought it would be as Nina Winchester seems deranged and out of control, and treats Millie with such disrespect. But things aren’t always as they seem.

The first half of this book was atrocious. It was comical and nonsensical but I think some of that had to do with the tone/accent in which the narrator chose to read Nina. Even though Nina was made out to be psychotic and unreliable, the tone the narrator used made it cringy to listen to. Her actions were laughable and so far-fetched that I just couldn’t see this book going anywhere. Maybe it would have been better in written format.

Then suddenly we get to the second half where the book started to redeem itself. We switch perspectives and hear Nina’s side of the story. What was strange was that Allman read Nina in a completely different way than the first half. It was such a relief! We finally got some background. Her psychotic nature was revealed! It made the first half make total sense. But it was too late by then. I already felt like I had been through so much suffering in the first half.

The revelations I learned about in the second half were bold and unique and I found these aspects of the story very interesting. Well done!

Then comes the end…just when I thought it was redeeming itself, it plummeted with a contrived, forced ending that was absurd and improbable. **Insert numerous eyerolls**

But…there was an epilogue! The twist in the epilogue brought more light to some of the background, ending the story on a redeemable quality.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an audiobook ARC of this title for review.

#relationships #mystery #domesticviolence #thriller #marriage

This review can be summed up in seven words:

What the heck did I just read? (In the best way possible!!)

I enjoyed everything about this book and the narrator of the audiobook.

Thanks to #NetGalley and the publisher fora access to this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed the concept of this book. The premise was promising and overall the book was relatively pleasurable.

While I do know it was necessary, I did not enjoy the Brooklyn accent the narrator spoke with. It was an irritation to my ears. I think this book just wasn’t for me in the end but I do anticipate that many will enjoy this read immensely.

Did I like any of the characters in this book? Not so much!

BLOG TOUR REVIEW

Review for 'The Housemaid' by Freida McFadden.

Read and reviewed via NetGalley for Freida McFadden, Bookouture publishers and Bookouture anonymous

Publication date 26th April 2022.

This is the first book I have read by this author.

I was originally drawn to this book by its eye catching cover and intriguing sounding synopsis and title. The synopsis stated that this book is 'An unbelievably twisty read that will have you glued to the pages late into the night. Anyone who loves The Woman in the Window, The Wife Between Us and The Girl on the Train won’t be able to put this down!' I am a huge fan of 'The Girl On The Train' so am looking forward to seeing if this lives up to this statement. I must admit I was also biased due to the publisher being Bookouture. I have yet to read a book published by Bookouture that I haven't enjoyed. Hopefully this won't be the first... Watch this space! (Written before I started reading the book).

This novel consists of a prologue, 61 chapters and an epilogue spread over 3 parts. The chapters are medium to long in length so possible to read 'just one more chapter' before bed...OK, I know yeah right, but still just in case!

This book is based in the USA 🇺🇸.

This book is written in first person perspective and the protagonists are Millie Calloway and Nina Winchester. The benefits of books written in first person perspective are as long as they are well written it makes you feel that you are being spoken to by the protagonist and it can create more of a bond between yourselves and them. If there are several protagonists you also get to see more of what is going on. The benefits of first person perspective with multiple protagonists are that it let's you see the bigger picture of what's going on and you get to know more characters more, what they are thinking and what they are doing. It feels like you get to see the whole picture and not miss out in anything.

This book is extremely well written with vivid descriptions that really set the scene and kept me on the edge of my seat. The cover and synopsis suited the storyline perfectly.

OMG!!! MIND ABSOLUTELY BLOWN!!!!

Love, LOVE, LOVED this absolute page turner!! It may be the first book I have read by Freida but I can promise you it won't be the last!!! As soon as I've written this up I'm off to add all her books to my wishlist. The storyline is absolutely ram packed with mystery, deceit, secrets, lies, romance, tension, suspense and OMG the twists just kept on coming again and again!!! Just when I thought everything that could happen had happened BOOM there was another shocker around the corner. Every time I kept telling myself one more chapter the one I was in ended at a point where there was no way I could stop reading so I absolutely devoured it in one sitting!! I WAS absolutely blown away and considering I read approximately 30 books a month that is certainly no easy feat so a HUGE congratulations on that Freya. I really could not recommend this book any more. If you are looking for something unique, filled with suspense and that will blow your mind then this is definitely the book for you!!

It is set over/includes multiple time lines. When books show what has happened in the past and what is happening in the present I find it really helps the reader (if it is well done) understand why things are happening and what has lead to the present activities and decisions. It also shows the bigger picture.

DO NOT EVEN THINK ABOUT READING THIS UNTIL YOU HAVE CLEARED YOUR SCHEDULES AS YOU WILL NOT BE ABLE TO PUT IT DOWN!!!

I wasn't just 100% invested in the storyline but also in the characters. The every one of the characters were well defined, realistic and strong. Unfortunately I am not going to be able to say much at all about them as I don't want to run the risk of giving anything away. Needless to say they all worked perfectly together to make this page turner as amazing as it is!!!

A HUGE CONGRATULATIONS to Freida on what promises to be a massive best seller!!! I WAS absolutely shocked by so many events but OMG what was said by a certain person at a certain event was absolutely shocking!!! I can't say anything else but when you've read it you'll know!!! Welcome to my favourite author list Freida and here's to your next explosive success 🥂!!!

Overall an absolutely addictive, mind blowing page turner that will keep you up with a racing heart until you've finished!!!

Genres covered in this book include Thriller, Psychological Fiction, Suspense Thriller, Domestic Fiction, Psychological Thriller, Domestic Thriller and Mystery amongst others.


I would recommend this book to the fans of the above as well as fans of 'The Girl on the Train', 'The Woman in the Window', 'The Wife Between Us', 'Gone Girl'. And anyone and everyone who is looking for a mind blowing page turner!!

339 pages.

This book is just £1.99 to purchase on kindle via Amazon or free on kindle unlimited (at time of review) which I think is an absolute bargain for this book!!!

Rated 5 /5 (I LOVED it ) on Goodreads, Instagram, Amazon UK and Amazon US and on over 30 Facebook pages plus my blog on Facebook.

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Thank you Netgalley for this audio edition of The Housemaid by Freida McFadden.

First off, the narrator was great. She was great with the accents and inflections, kept me very enthralled with the story without overdoing it.

Millie is desperate for a job, as an ex-con, living in her car and eating the same sandwich everyday, anything seems better than what she's got. So when Nina Winchester gives her a chance to be their new maid/cook/nanny, Millie is absolutely elated. Their home and life is grand and Millie gets to enjoy living there and being a part of that. But within a matter of hours of starting her new job, Nina Winchester quickly proves herself to be very difficult to work for. It seems like Millie can't do a single thing right, to the point that she feels set up to fail.

But the saving Grace is Nina's husband Andrew, a gentle and doting man, dedicated to his wife and family, as well as keeping the peace between Nina and Millie. But it does not go unnoticed that Andrew is also incredibly handsome, and so kind to Millie, who hasn't experienced kindness in a long while. But getting involved with Nina's wife could not just be morally wrong, but dangerous too...

I have a lot of mixed feelings about how to review this. Is it incredibly formulaic and done already? Yes. Is it totally overcooked and unbelievable? Yes. Is is also SO easy to dive right into and devour in a single bite? YES. So, take that as you will. It's incredibly readable, fast paced and wickedly fun. I think the moral of this particular review is, who cares about believability, when it makes sitting on the beach so much more fun.

Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free ARC of this novel received in exchange for an honest review.

Expected publication date: April 26, 2022

Millie is fresh out of jail and homeless, so when she is offered a position as a housekeeper working for the very wealthy Winchester family, she jumps at the chance. After living in the backseat of her car for so long, even the stuffy attic the Winchester family offers her is a blessing. In fact, Millie is so desperate to start over that she tolerates the constant back-and-forth moods of Nina Winchester and the completely intolerable brattiness of Nina’s daughter, Cecelia. And although gorgeous and rich Andrew Winchester is accommodating and generous with Millie, he is almost never home. But there are dark secrets in the Winchester home, and soon Millie is right in the middle of it. Now she must give up the life she covets in order to have a life at all.

“Housemaid” was the first novel I’ve read by McFadden, and I am definitely going to put her on my author to watch list going forward.

I was listening to it for like 30 minutes, but then the audiobook was archived the other day I download it....so yeah, It was starting okay for what I managed to listen.

I read half of this on ebook and I listened to the other half on audiobook. And I have to say, the narrator did a really good job. I definitely enjoyed the audiobook more. But well... the book started off good but just went downhill from there. The beginning was alright. It wasn't anything mind-blowing. It was just alright. It pushed the right buttons and I thought the story would just go on to be another mediocre thriller, but it just got worse. The story was so linear and the twists really didn't surprise me. The writing was childish. Some of the twists made me cringe. I feel like a lot of it was forced. Maybe it would have been better if it had been fleshed out a little and if the plot holes were filled. I'm just not happy after reading that.

The audio readers were great! The accents were just enough to add character without being distracting. What a ride! This was the perfect amount of intrigue and mystery that kept my emotions on a rollercoaster ride. I felt angry, happy sad and everything in between. This is very similar to another book (I won't say which because I think it's a spoiler to know going in) but I actually preferred this version and wish Reese Witherspoon would have chosen this as a pick instead. I will be recommending this to all my mystery loving friends and family as a must read!

This book almost gave me whiplash midway through with turns I wasn’t expecting! I didn’t know what was going on. Then the very end held another twisty surprise! #FreidaMcFadden knows how to write a #thriller!
@LaurynAllman narrates fantastically!