Title: The Housemaid
Author: Freida McFadden
Publication: April 26, 2022
Publisher: Bookouture
Genre: Psychological Thriller
Pages: 338
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SYNOPSIS: (From Goodreads)
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.
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.
I only try on one of Nina’s pristine white dresses once. Just to see what it’s like. But she soon finds out… and by the time I realize my attic bedroom door only locks from the outside, it’s far too late.
But I reassure myself: the Winchesters don’t know who I really am.
They don’t know what I’m capable of…
REVIEW:
I had heard Freida McFadden wrote psychological thrillers that kept your mind in knots the entire time, but I was not ready for The Housemaid! McFadden hooked me from the first chapter and did not let go until the very last page.
The story follows Millie as she is trying to get a well-paying job as a housekeeper even though she has recently gotten out of prison. Miraculously she does and pure chaos ensues. Millie is a really likable character. Even with her sordid past, she is respectful and works hard. She has no urge to go back to prison and does whatever she can do to keep her nose clean. Nina, however, is the worst character. I was physically angry at her on more than one occasion. I like how McFadden draws strong emotions out of me about each and every character. I had a love and hate list going in my head for each character. I also had a lot of suspicions because these people were all acting crazy, from the landscaper to Millie herself at times.
Not only did I have strong emotions about each character, but I also had no idea what the outcome was going to be. I did not guess what was happening at any point and was thoroughly surprised over and over again. McFadden writes in a way that feels like strings are slowly shooting out and hooking you to the book. I had to know. I did not want to put it down. I read entirely too late into the night and lost sleep. The draw to the book due to phenomenal writing was strong and I cannot wait to read more from McFadden.
The Housemaid is an intricately woven tale of mistrust, inner rage, and lies. You will absolutely not be able to put it down. Get a copy now and dive into the craziness that is Millie’s life. And just think… there’s a sequel. And soon to be the third book in the series.
