Thank you to Random House-Ballantine, NetGalley, and Joy Fielding for an ARC in exchange for an honest review

Previously published at https://www.mysteryandsuspense.com/the-housekeeper/

” . . . what happened had all the elements of a good mystery novel: the creaky old house, the aging invalid and the duplicitous housekeeper assigned to her care, the subtle clues, the red herrings, the dead body at the foot of the stairs.” –Joy Fielding, The Housekeeper

Most of us will one day have to deal with aging parents and being torn between taking care of our family and our parents. Jodi Bishop’s marriage is suffering. She is the breadwinner while her husband tries to follow up the success of his first novel with his second for the past 10 years. Between her demanding job as a real estate agent, her two young children and her aging parents, with her mother dying from Parkinson’s disease, she has little time for her marriage. Forced into a corner, Jodi interviews a live-in housekeeper for her parents so she can spend more time with her family. When she meets Elyse, the perfect candidate, Jodi can’t believe her luck. Elyse is everything she is looking for, almost too good to be true, and you know what they say about that.

At first, everything was perfect. Vic, her difficult and controlling father, seems to approve of Elyse. She takes care of the house, Jodi’s mother, cooks, bakes, and even offers to watch the children while Jodi has appointments. As time goes on, she sees red flags. Is that her mom’s Cartier watch Elyse is wearing? Does that green silk blouse hanging in Elyse’s belong to her mother? When Elyse is confronted, she has perfectly reasonable explanations, but when Jodi stops by and finds her mother in a heap at the top of the stairs, she questions what else is going on.

Meanwhile, despite the help, Jodi’s marriage is falling apart. Her gaslighting husband, Harrison, is struggling to finish his second novel and becoming too close to one student he teaches. Tracy, her self-involved sister, suspects Harrison is cheating as she saw him at lunch with one of his students. Jodi feels like her life is spiraling out of her control.

The Housekeeper is told from Jodi’s point of view, which becomes very frustrating as Jodi is a “doormat.” One of the most non-confrontational characters I have read. From Harrison, who excels at gaslighting, to her father who calls her fat every chance he gets and puts her down any way he can, to her older sister, Tracy, who throws her under the bus all the time, It was hard to figure out why she cared so much about making sure her father was ok, when he clearly didn’t like her at all and let her know every chance he got. She is everyone’s punching bag.

This book is such a wild ride. All the characters, except for the two children, are all terrible people, but that is what made the book hard to put down. You never knew what anyone was going to do next. It is so addictive and hard to put down. I read it in one sitting, unable to resist what happens next.

ᎢᎻᎬ ᎻᎾᏌᏚᎬKᎬᎬᏢᎬᎡ
ᏴY ᏓᎾY FᏆᎬᏞᎠᏆNᏩ
ꭱꭼꮮꭼꭺꮪꭼ ꭰꭺꭲꭼ 08/16/2022


Come in, come in said the spider to the fly
Unto an evil counselor, close heart, and ear, and eye,
And take a lesson from this tale, of the Spider and the Fly.
From the book :

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 mediocre writer who resents his wife's success.
From me :
Jodi's raising two kids and one husband, working full time to support all 3, all the while, her mom is dying from Parkinson’s, and her dad needs help. Her sister Tracy is only helping herself.
Enter 62-year-old Elyse, the housekeeper. At first, she’s excellent, and slowly her true colors begin to show. This book has a great sister dynamic which I love, and they learn to repair and trust each other and how much family needs each other.
4 S҉҉T҉҉A҉҉R҉҉S҉҉ ҉

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I would like to thank @NetGalley and Random House-Ballentine for allowing me to read this book and to give my honest opinion. It has been a long time since I read a Joy Fielding book and I WAS MISSING OUT! This book was so good that I stayed up late last night to finish it. And the last few chapters... OMGOSH. Ok so this book is about Jodi, the loyal daughter who was always seeking approval of her parents and Elyse, the Housekeeper she hires to take care of her mom with Parkinsons. I feel like I can't tell you anything else except I never liked Harrison and Vic (Jodi's dad) is a jerk. YOU WILL NOT BE SORRY IF YOU READ THIS BOOK. I loved the twist for Tracy at the end (and wished I could see Harrison's face when that happened!). This book is a big what is going to happen next. I am so glad I read it and now I am off to find more Joy Fielding books! #TheHousekeeper

This was a great book! I love the way it was presented and how it all unfolded. The characters were brilliant. Lots of tension and surprises. Highly recommend.

The Housekeeper was an amazing, thrilling, page-turner of a book with a terrific plot.  Even the title sounds sinister! With a lot of complicated characters that were so well developed they seemed like real people. Jodi, the main character and told from her POV, was a huge people pleaser. I wasn't on board with the gaslighting of Jodi from all fronts but hey that's what made the book so great, from her nasty father Vic, ugh what a miserable man,  to the narcissistic husband Harrison, such a gaslighter, to the self-absorbed sister Tracy. I found Tracy more redeemable than the other two but just barely.... Then there is the biggest, master manipulator of them all, the housekeeper Elyse. Elyse was the most complex character with a hidden agenda that poor Jodi never saw coming.

This was a short-chaptered, fast-paced, riveting book with a host of complex nasty characters mixed together to create one superb plot. I could not put this down.

This book will appeal to readers that enjoy family drama, suspense, and psychological thrillers with a bit of mystery.

I absolutely loved this book. Was it a bit predictable? Yes. Did that matter? To me, it did not. The only thing that annoyed me in this book was that the protagonist’s father always commented on her weight and the fact that she shouldn’t be given sweets. That got old quickly, and frankly didn’t add anything to the story. Aside from that it was a fun, crazy ride!

Such a thrill! Loved the characters the plot and kept me on the edge of my seat the whole time! For sure will read more by this author!

This is a page turner by one of my favorite go-to authors! I have been a fan of Ms. Fielding’s terrific domestic thrillers for many years. The Housekeeper is a familiar storyline with new twists. Recommend this author and recommend this book!

Jodi is looking for a housekeeper to help her elderly parents. Her mother is terminally ill and her father at almost 80 years old, is no longer able to care for her on his own. Enter Elyse Woodley. On paper she’s the perfect candidate for the job - experience with caring for those terminally ill and glowing references. But things aren’t always quite what they seem…

Man, this one packed a punch! I thoroughly enjoyed this book and will be looking into more of Joy Fielding’s work. There were so many twist and turns throughout the story, some expected and others not at all! I loved the family dynamics in this book and that the chapters were short. If you’re looking for a good psychological thriller, this is it!

I enjoyed this story a lot. It kept me glued to the book from beginning to end. Elyse Woodley is one of the most interesting characters I have read about in a very long time. I gave this book 5 stars just because of how the author developed this fascinating character. Thank you NetGalley, publisher and author, for allowing me to read this book in exchange for my review. I look forward to reading this author's next book!

Jodi, the narrator of this book, is a busy mom and successful real estate agent who is also dealing with some marital issues. Her older sister, Tracy is “the favored child” but is selfish and irresponsible. As their aging parents and especially their ill mother start to need more assistance, Jodi hires the perfect live-in housekeeper for them. It soon becomes obvious to Jodi that the housekeeper, Elyse may have more sinister objectives. As Jodi tries, unsuccessfully at first, to make Tracy and her father aware of her suspicions, Elyse becomes more determined to split the family and to keep Jodi away. While dealing with all of this, Jodi’s personal life is also falling apart. Things escalate quickly on all fronts and Jodi is powerless to stop Elyse from her ulterior motives.
I really enjoyed the fast pace of this book. The chapters were short but I found myself unable to stop reading at the end of a chapter as the author does a terrific job of cliff-hanging and foreshadowing. As incredible as the escalating events seem, the build up makes them totally believable. My only criticism is that the end of the book seemed rushed and I mean this in a good way - I wanted MORE. For instance, I would have liked to know more about Andrew and who he really was to Elyse. I don’t want to give away spoilers but I really would have liked more details around how Elyse manipulated some of the tragic events. Sounds morbid, but the intrigue just makes me want more. I did like the successful endings for both Jodi and Tracy and especially the twist around Tracy’s success. Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishers - Ballantine Books for the Advanced Reader Copy.

Jodi Bishop is a very successful real estate agent. Her parents, Vic and Audrey, are now in their seventies and really need some support that Jodi is not able to provide. Audrey has been suffering with Parkinson’s disease for the past 10 years and her condition is worsening to the point that Vic needs help to care for her. Jodi hires a housekeeper named Elyse to help out. She seems perfect and even becomes fast friends with both Jodi and Vic. Until Elyse unexpectedly starts to shut Jodi out. What kind of scheme is Elyse planning?

THE HOUSEKEEPER is my favorite book by Joy Fielding so far. I loved it!!! Get ready for a super twisty story that will have you literally glued to the pages. I read this in one day and could not put it down. Such a great achievement to stand out in the crowded thriller genre, this one deserves each and every star!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for my ARC!

This review will be posted to my Instagram Blog (@coffee.break.book.reviews) in the near future.

I usually really enjoy Joy Fielding's books and while I liked this one pretty well, it was not one of my favorites. I had difficulty finding a single likable character amongst the lot. Nice little twist at the end that I did not fully see coming.

Overall a 3.5 star book for me! I'll round up. :)

Joy Fielding has don it again. I have enjoyed every one of her books and this one certainly gets adds to the list. This book does not disappoint in any way. In The Housekeeper, we are introduced to Vic and Audrey Dundas and their daughters Jodi and Tracy. Through the many difficulties and conflicts of the Dundas family, we travel a road of sibling rivalry, dysfunctional child raising, emotional abuse, etc. All this disfunction in on family. We get an insight into the history of the family. Tracy is the golden child, who can do no wrong. Jodi is the child who always fails at everything and can do nothing right and her husband, Harrison a struggling writer with a gigantic ego and no regard for his wife. Throw in some other interesting and flawed characters and you have a great read. Jodi has the best interest of her aging parents utmost in her mind when she decides to hire them a housekeeper. However, her own failing marriage and lack of self-esteem and confidence clouds her judgement. This one decision leads the reader down a path of emotional twists and turns. As I read, I often changed my mind as to how this novel would end. The characters are great. Some are easier to like than others, but with each character, the reader goes through an emotional roller coaster. I simply loved this book,

Oh my, this book was amazing! This is a thriller that will keep you turning the pages late into the night.
I was completely and utterly enthralled with The Housekeeping.
Joy Fielding really knows how to write an intriguing, remarkable domestic thriller.
I didn't want to read it too fast but I couldn't help myself.
Because I knew once I was getting closer to the end I was going to be upset it was over!
But this is one story you can't help but devour!
It was very well drawn out and had some unsettling moments that left me breathless.
The characters are flawed, real and compelling and not so likable characters.
A gripping story with interesting characters, an intriguing and dark plot that sprinkles "WoW" moments throughout, and enough tension to push through to the ending.
Addictive, taut, complex, and compulsively readable, The Housekeeping is a razor-sharp new novel that had me shocked and seriously speechless!

“I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.”

Random House|Ballantine Books,
Thank You for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!
I will post my review to my platforms, blog, B&N and Waterstone closer to pub date.

Evil housekeepers have been around since Mrs. Danvers made her appearance in Daphne DuMaurier’s novel Rebecca.
Now author Joy Fielding has given us another housekeeper/caregiver in the person of Elyse Woodley, an attractive 60-ish smiling, diabolical, butter would melt in her mouth woman who comes into the lives of successful real estate agent Jodi Bishop and her parents Audrey and Vic who are both in their 70’s.

Initially, Jodi thinks hiring Elyse was the answer to her prayers but now she’s begun to question her choice. It takes her a while to discover that with Elyse she has never met a more dedicated hustler. If evil is smooth-talking, charismatic, reasonable, good at toying with other people’s boundaries and makes grand gestures……then Elyse is pure evil.

If you’re a reader who enjoys an unsettling narrative of a “perfectly safe” situation gone very wrong then THE HOUSEKEEPER should be placed at the top of your TBR stack.

Joy Felding is always a joy to read. This book was definitely another great book by her. It was a quick read which is the appeal for me when finding a new thriller to read and also an example of a great author. The story was the right amount of creepy and suspenseful. Thank you netgalley for the arc.

This is my 4th book by Joy Fielding and I was excited when my “wish” was granted by NetGalley!! Meet Elyse Woodley, the new housekeeper hired to help Jodi’s aging parents. Mrs Woodley will have her hands full with the mother who has Parkinson’s but she steps up to the plate and seems to be perfect for the job. But then wait … things start happening that Jodi starts to question. This book kept me on the edge of my seat from the very first page and I just could not put it down. And at 75%, a nice twist thrown in that I did not see coming at all! I really enjoyed this a lot! Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this early release in exchange for my early review.

This book was so good! I want to see more from this author in the future!! I couldn't put this book down. What a page turner!!!

I wouldn’t say this was the most original plot I’ve ever read. I mean it’s been done before, right? Daughter hires caretaker for parents. The woman is not what she seems. Evil lurks. Danger is ahead. An uninspiring story? Maybe. But when placed in the hands of a talented writer, all is forgiven. I was unable to put this book down. And that, my friends, makes for a fun read.

Thanks NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review.