Well... this 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.

I have heard so many great things about this and it did not disappoint!! Will definitely recommend this book to friends.

Wow! It's been a minute since I've encountered a story that had me this hooked! Completely unputdownable with some surprises, although some were predictable, some were not. Loved the ending! Well worth your time.

I really enjoyed this book! This one sets up from the beginning with so many twists and turns!

Millie gets hired to be a live in housemaid for the Winchester family. This family seems like they have it all but they have some really dark secrets hiding behind closed doors. Nina comes off as a crazy housewife and her husband Andrew as the money making family man, but everything is not what it seems.

So many unbelievable jaw dropping twists and I LOVED the ending! Highly recommend this book. This was my first book from this author but it will most definitely not be my last.

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!!

This author has been on my radar for quite se time. And I am addicted. I must read them all.
Millie is living out of her car when she spots the ad for a live in maid with the Winchesters.
They don't know much about Millie, blind trust allowing her to move in and care for their home.
Millie doesn't know much about Nina either.
Get ready to grip this book, fail to do anything except get cozy and consume this thriller.

A absolute cracker of a thriller! I was riveted. All books should have you asking “What just happened here?” In the best way possible! The next book I read will be hard to beat! Bravo!

4 Becareful What You Wish For Stars
* * * * Spoiler Free
Oh, this was fun, especially the second half. The blurb sets everything up. a woman desperate for a job and an employer who decides to hire her.

Are there hidden reasons for the hire??? Is The Family full of secrets...well, this is so nuts, you can't stop reading it.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for the ARC. Hold on to your seats!!! Millie has been living in her car and desperately trying to find a job when a dream job falls into her lap. She interviews for a housekeeper/nanny position that also comes with living quarters. After a few days on the job, something isn't adding up in the household. The dad is too good to be true, handsome and rich and the mom is off her rocker accusing Millie of several things that don't make sense. This book was released yesterday and is available on Amazon Kindle for $3.99. Buy it, read it! #TheHousemaid #FreidaMcFadden #Apr2022 #Bookourture

I used to read thrillers regularly but stopped for a while as I was struggling to find something different, that wasn’t predictable or cliche. When I saw the blurb for this book, I was intrigued so thought I’d step back into a thriller for a change. The Housemaid pretty much hit the spot. I was gripped by the storyline, I found myself staying up late to keep reading ‘one more chapter’. I wasn’t far off guessing the twist but I didn’t get it completely and I liked the way the book switched perspective in the later stages. This was a clever plot and I am pretty much satisfied with how it played out. My only criticisms would be that at times, the writing felt a little clunky and I wasn’t massively enamoured with Millie as a character. I’m still not 100% sure how the author was trying to portray her. Misunderstood or unstable? I was frustrated that she kept doing things that she knew would get her into trouble and I don’t think Nina’s behaviour really justified what she did. Overall though, this didn’t detract so much from the book that I didn’t enjoy it and I flew through it pretty quickly. A solid 4 stars for me.

I loved this one!

This is definitely a book that I recommend you should know as little as possible about it going in. Don’t go read a bunch of reviews, so nothing is spoiled.

It’s about Millie, who is down on her luck, desperately needing a job. She lands one, working for Nina in a gorgeous mansion, as the maid…..

That’s all you need to know, trust me!

It is SO good! You do NOT want to miss it!

I alternated reading and audio for this one. I really loved the audio - the narrator is excellent!

Dark, twisted, and totally addictive! This was the first book that I've read by Freida and I really enjoyed it. The storyline was dark and twisted and the characters really pulled me in. The narrator for the Audiobook also did an excellent job! 5 stars.

This is the first book I’ve read by Frieda McFadden, and I really enjoyed it. It’s a tense, twisty domestic thriller with dual points of view that ramps up the tension throughout. The characters are not necessarily likeable, but they are well developed and perfect for the story. All fans of domestic thrillers will love this book.

“Welcome to the family,” Nina Winchester said as she greeted Millie, her new housekeeper. Millie desperately needs a new job. She doesn't have too many choices and one that provides her with a place to live, sounds like heaven as she has been sleeping in her car.

Every day she cleans the home - it's gleaming and spotless. That is until Nina comes down and makes a mess and makes Millie clean it up again. Millie can't help but wonder why. Then there is the groundskeeper who warns her of danger when she first arrives. But Millie shakes it off. She can deal with one spoiled housewife. Her spoiled daughter is another issue, but Millie tries to win her over. Then there is Andrew - the achingly handsome husband who must put up with a demanding and erratic wife.

Millie tries her best, but will her best be good enough?

I had the luxury of having both the kindle and audiobook versions of the book. I enjoyed the narrator and being able to go back and forth between the book and listening to it in the car. I thought the narrator did a great job!

This was a fast-paced book which grabbed me from page one. I felt as if Nina was inviting me into her home and into her family. It was fun to be a fly on the wall, and watch the drama unfold. The characters in this book are an interesting bunch. Just who do you trust? Who is a reliable narrator? Who has secrets? How juicy and fun this book was! Pure entertainment.

I love trying to figure out what is going to happen, where the plot is going, who is telling the truth, who is reliable, etc. This one kept me on my toes. I found it to be fun, dramatic, surprising, and hard to put down!

Thank you to Bookouture and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.

Millie is looking for a fresh start after being in jail for the past 10 years. She starts a new job as a maid for a wealthy couple, Nina and Andrew, and she thinks this is her chance at a new life. As she tries to keep her head down and work, she discovers there’s more to her bosses than meets the eye.

I loved this book! It was fast paced with lots of twists to keep me hooked the whole way through. Millie and Nina were sometimes frustrating. Nina’s character gave me anxiety in the first part of the book but I couldn’t stop reading. The book does a 180 in the second half and it was such a clever way to keep you engaged as a reader. Loved the ending! I found it shocking but also so so satisfying!

I give this one a 5/5!

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Reading Between the Wines book review #31/135 for 2022:
Rating: 5 🍷 🍷 🍷 🍷 🍷
Book 🎧: The Housemaid
Author: Freida McFadden
Genre: General Fiction (Adult) | Mystery & Thrillers
RELEASES TODAY, April 26, 2022! Get your copy!

Sipping thoughts: This is only my second book by McFadden and both, The Wife Upstairs and The Housemaid, were 5 stars for me. I absolutely love the way she writes. I feel like she has twists that you can see coming in a way but then there is a bit that you don’t see coming and then a big twist that comes behind that. The twist doesn’t seem overdone but just twisty enough and juicy. I don’t know where McFadden gets her narrators but this one, Lauryn Allman was so good. She was just as good as Angie Kane who read The Wife Upstairs. My advice to you is to get this book and read it as soon as you can before someone ruins it for you but also just because you should not go into the summer without adding this to your read shelf.

Cheers and thank you to @fizzziatrist, and @Bookouture for an advanced copy of @TheHousemaid.

#TheHousemaid #FreidaMcFadden #Bookouture #Netgalley #advancedreadercopy #ARC #Kindle #Booksofinstagram #readersofinstagram #bookstagram #nicoles_bookcellar #bookworm #bookdragon #booknerd #booklover #bookstagrammer #bookaholic #bookreview #bookreviewer #IHaveNoShelfControl #ReadingBetweenTheWines #fiction #thriller #suspense #mystery #MysteryAndThrillers #GeneralFictionAdult

Millie is hired to be a live-in worker for Nina and Andrew Winchester. When Millie goes to the house for her first day of work, she meets the Italian groundskeeper that says something in Italian word, “pericola” that Millie doesn’t understand. Once Millie goes upstairs to her tiny little attic room, she looks up the word and that word is “danger”. Another thing Millie notices about her attic room is that her door locks from the outside and not the inside. What has Millie gotten herself into? The couple is extremely wealthy but their house is literally a pig sty that Nina creates so that Millie can clean them.

Everyone living in the Winchester home has their own secrets, including Millie. With twists and turns you won’t see coming, this book will have you turning the pages to find out what’s going to happen next.

This is the first book I’ve read by Freida McFadden and I will definitely be reading her again.

Thank you to #netgalley and #bookouture for allowing me to read the eARC of this book. All opinions expressed above are my own.

This was one emotional roller coaster ride, full of twisty turns and a surprise ending. I was hooked the moment I started reading and bing read the book in one night. It has drama, a bit of steam and most important of all, is delightfully thrilling. My guessing game isnt strong but some of my hunches were close enough. However, the book did keep me on the edge of my seat.
The chapters were short and fast paced and the characters were interesting.
I am definitely reading more from the author.

The Housemaid is a thrill ride from beginning to end.

Millie gets a job as a live-in hired help. She works for Nina and Andrew in a grand house. As the help, she gets to live there also, but in the attic. As soon as she sees the attic she gets a funny feeling about it, but it's better than living in her car. Everyday she cleans, cooks, and collects their daughter from school or any other activity they can cram into her life. Nina appears to create messes on purpose just to make it harder on Millie. Nina also lies about pick up needs and schedules along with various other things. Millie tries to take it in stride but is doing a slow burn, she really doesn't want to lose the job. Andrew appears to struggle with Nina's ups and downs and Millie feels bad for him. As things escalate the gardener tells her there is danger and she should leave. This make her curious but not enough to leave. Nina's wealthy friends begin to talk about her in front of Millie and she starts to worry about Andrew and the daughter. But everything is not as it seems.

This story has several twists that will make you wonder who is the crazy person in the house. It is definitely a fast read that will keep you guessing until the very end.