A dead body in the attic of a Long Island, New York home? How did it get there and who is it? That is the question that will be lingering in the back of your mind until the very end in this fast-paced thriller that I could just not put down. This book hooks you from the beginning and gets crazier and crazier as it goes on with twists around every corner through to the last page. I loved Millie’s character and despite this being a thriller, I found myself laughing often because of the lunacy Millie had to endure to keep her job. I listened to the audio version of this book and the narrator was excellent - if you enjoy audio books, this is a must read in audio. If you liked The Last Mrs. Parrish, pick this one up.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you to Bookouture Audio and NetGalley for the ACR of this book!

Another amazing book by Freida McFadden! She definitely deserves some more hype around her books.

The Housemaid kept me at the edge of my seat. Highly entertaining and I could not put this one down. A quick and easy read with some great twists!

“If I leave this house, it will be in handcuffs. I should have run for it while I had the chance. Now my shot is gone.” - Prologue.

My thanks to Bookouture Audio for a review copy via NetGalley of the unabridged audiobook edition of ‘The Housemaid’ by Freida McFadden in exchange for an honest review. The audiobook was narrated by Lauryn Allman.

Right from the above opening lines I was hooked.
This is one of those domestic noirs/psychological thrillers that I feel is best read ‘cold’, so just the barest of details.

After the Prologue we go back three months earlier.
The housemaid of the title is Millie, who has applied for the position of live-in housekeeper for the wealthy Nina and Andrew Winchester. Millie is on parole and really needs this job. No further details though as might be expected from this type of thriller and the Prologue’s teaser, things get quite complicated.

Most of the novel focuses upon the dynamic between these three adults, though there is also the Winchester’s spoiled nine-year-old daughter, Cecelia, to add to Millie’s torments. At her first meeting with ‘CeCe’ she thinks “I’d say there’s at least a twenty-five percent chance she’s going to murder me in my sleep if I get this job. But I still want it.”

With respect to the audiobook, I felt that Lauryn Allman did an excellent job of capturing the characters, especially the two narrative points of view, Millie and Nina. Her voice is quite mellow and very easy to listen to. I have enjoyed her narration on two other recent audiobooks.

Overall, one of the best, twisty, unputdownable psychological thrillers that I have read for a while. After such a positive experience, I plan to check out Freida McFadden’s earlier novels as well as look out for her future projects.

Wow I thought this book was good when i started listening to it but then bam the story flips to another perspective and everything you thought you knew is turned on its head, it is very cleverly written by Frieda McFadden & it is the first book I have read of hers and it definitely won't be the last. She has created something that is cunning, creepy & very clever. The audiobook is enhanced by the narration from Lauren Allman as she deftly goes from character to character to draw you in to the story right up to the thrilling conclusion.

Really impressive thriller/mystery, kept me on the edge of seat the whole time, the twists are brilliantly plotted and the characters intriguing

Wow! Amazing psychological thriller! The story begins with Millie, a recent parolee, having to live out of her car when she can't find reliable work. She is thrilled when she gets a job as a live-in housemaid for a wealthy family, but feels that there's something not quite right about her new employers.. is this job too good to be true? And what happened in Millie's past? There are so many juicy twists in this story, I had no idea what was going to happen next. This was my first book by Freida McFadden's but it definitely won't be my last, now I understand the hype! Lauryn Allman did a great job of narrating the audiobook, taking on different accents and mannerisms for each character, she really brought the story to life... I can still hear Millie's voice in my head as I'm writing this!

This was my first Freida McFadden's book, and won't be my last. Wow! This psychological thriller is captivating! The characters are well developed and intriguing. The world building is dark and intense, filled with unpredictable twists and turns. Laury Allman did a fantastic job with the narration. #ALC #NetGalley ##BookoutureAudio

Read this if...you like thrillers that feature the gaslighting trope.

Having a criminal record makes finding a job difficult and Millie is desperate for work. She can’t believe her luck when she is offered the live-in housemaid position in a wealthy family’s home. The mistress of the house, Nina, is very demanding and especially cruel to Millie, constantly talking down to her and creating unnecessary jobs for her to do. There are rumors that Nina is mentally unwell. If Millie didn’t need this job so badly, she would have walked away the first day. Nina’s husband is also a constant victim of his wife’s unpredictable mood swings and Millie can’t help herself from falling for him. Of all the mistakes Millie has made, this one might turn out to be the deadliest.

I loved this thriller! I didn’t have high expectations because I’ve read so many books about maids that they all seem to blend together eventually. That wasn’t the case with this one though! The storyline completely surprised me and I did not see the twists coming. My only complaint was that the ending felt a little too rushed and was somewhat difficult to believe. It was still satisfying, but after getting so invested in the drama, I wanted it to last longer than it did. But overall, this was a fast-paced, twisty thriller that I enjoyed!

A big thanks to Netgalley, the author, and Bookouture for a digital ARC and an ALC in exchange for my honest review!

Great, twisty read! Nina and Millie were two different, yet similar women. Both strong and brave in their own way. I gasped out loud at several points in the book. Also loved the narration, the accents and voices were spot on. Many thanks to NetGalley for the arc!

This was a quick, easy, popcorn thriller. The twists weren’t very shocking but it was entertaining and I enjoyed the narrator.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture Audio for gifting me an audio ARC of the latest thriller by Freida McFadden - 4.5 stars!

Millie is down on her luck, living in her car, desperate for a job when she is hired to be a housemaid for Nina Winchester. So the attic room where she has to live is small and creepy, Nina's daughter is spoiled and Nina is moody and temperamental. Millie is just happy to have this chance and figures she can put up with just about anything. But can she?

This was just pure entertainment full of twists and turns. Told from the POVs of both Millie and Nina, I loved trying to figure out just exactly what was going to happen and what secrets everyone was keeping. I thought the narration was spot on and Lauryn Allman did a great job with all the characters.

4.5 gripping stars!

I didn't expect such a fast paced, creepy in parts, story. It felt like it was heading in one direction when BAM!...it took a swift turn into Crazyville!

OMG I loved that I couldn't work out the ending - a very clever, twisty move Ms McFadden!

I'll look out for more audiobooks by this author.

Thanks very much Bookouture Audio, via Netgalley, for gifting me a review copy.

This is one of those books that I will look back on and wish that I was reading it for the first time again. The cover really drew me in, creating a creepy feeling and making me want to find out more.

I was gripped from the start, intrigued by Millie and her boss Nina and wanting to find out more about both of their pasts. I really felt for Millie at what was happening to her in her new job and this gave me a real connection with the main character. Sitting on the edge of my seat throughout, I was desperate for her to leave and find a new job.

I can’t say too much without giving anything away as it is best to go into this not knowing too much, but I have to say I did not expect any of the twists and turns which kept me glued to this book.

I would highly recommend this psychological thriller to anyone who loves a book with lots of twists and turns. This book is being released on the 26th of April.

This was an audiobook and the narrator was very pleasant to listen to and captured the suspense in the story very well.

I would like to thank @bookouture and @fizzziatrist for gifting me an arc of this audiobook on @netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

This was definitely a 5 star book for me.

This was my first time reading a Freida McFadden book. Since I have heard so much about this author, I am really glad I had the opportunity to read The Housemaid. I think this was a great book to start with. I was on the edge of my seat and couldn't put the book down.

The Housemaid is about an ex-con Millie who was just released from prison. She was just fired from her previous job and has been living out of her car. Millie cannot be without a job and has been applying any and everywhere. It would be a violation of her parole to not have a job so she is extremely desperate. As luck would have it, she interviewed for a job as a nanny, housekeeper for a wealthy family, Nina and Andy Winchester along with their daughter Cici. After a week of no job and not hearing back from the Winchester's Millie is feeling like giving up and that is when she receives the phone call from Nina letting her know she is hired. This begins the roller coaster.

The book starts with a dead body on the floor and a woman making a phone call. Then we are brought back 3 months into the past to see why the dead body is in the attic. Millie is overjoyed to have a job because she will have a place to sleep, a warm house to stay in and hot food. She really wanted the job once the opportunity came up. On her first day, Millie is welcomed to an extremely messy house with food and garbage everywhere. But instead of griping about it, she gets right to it. But to MIllie's surprise it appears that Nina has done a 180 and speaks down to her, treats her with disrespect and causes numerous scenes. Not only is Nina treating Millie horribly but is also rude to her doting husbadnd Andy. Millie does not quite understand. But things are not quite as they seem. Why is Nina so rude to her husband when all he does is love and support her?

Well we find out more about the lives of Nina and Millie as the book is from both of their perspectives and is divided into parts. Part one shows us the mistreatment of Millie and explains more about why she keeps the job. And this is from Millie's point of view. As the parts progress we see the reality of Nina's life with Andy from Nina's point of view. Was Andy the doting husband everyone thinks he is or was Nina truly crazy and abusive? Why was Millie really hired? All of these answers come to a blinding halt at the end. We really see that love, marriage, relationships are not always what we think. There are so many things that can happen behind closed doors especially when we think something is picture perfect.

So here are the things I really like and disliked about the book.

I liked that this book was told from Nina and MIllie's perspective. That allowed two stories to come together nicely in the end with a bright shiny bow. Overall, I liked all of the characters. Although Nina was a pain, I could overlook it. Millie's strength throughout this book was really good. I enjoyed the contrast of personalities. The story was well written and had me on my toes the last 3 hours of listening to the audiobook. I stayed up really late trying to finish. The ending was a good women should unite type ending and I enjoyed that.

I did not like that at parts this book was slow. It kind of went in waves, I just wish it was more of a constant. It took me a little longer to read than I anticipated. There were a lot of scenes with Millie pining over Andy and to me that was not necessary. She would think of him while cleaning and hated that Nina was so mean to him and she could be a better partner. Not that is necessarily a bad thing, but some parts of the end were kind of far fetched, but hey it made for a good ride.

So, after all of that I would definitely recommend the book. I think many Freida McFadden fans will be happy with this book. I will look for more books by the author and can't wait to delve into the thriller world.

I received The Housemaid as an ARC from NetGalley and Bookouture. Thanks for letting me read this book. It was worth the time and the narrator was excellent.

What a fabulous, suspenseful, edge of your seat ride The Housemaid was! Full of delicious twists & turns, delightful dark humor & a deeply satisfying ending. With Lauryn Allman narrating, this book made my work shift totally enjoyable. Totally recommend!

`Great, fast -paced thriller. I definitely thought that I had it figured out. I really enjoyed this one!

Millie is living in her car and desperate to find a job which isn't too easy considering she was just released from prison. When she is offered a live-in position with the Winchesters, the job seems too good to be true. When she figures out that the door to her small, dark attic bedroom only locks from the outside, she quickly realizes that the job may have been a very bad idea.

This story was told in two parts. Part one consisted of a too-long plot buildup. Mrs. Winchester's behaviour towards Millie was so gross and made me super uncomfortable. The story picked up the pace and got twisted in part two, which was obviously the part that I liked better.

I wish that I had connected more to Millie but instead, I was sitting in constant judgment of her poor decisions. This book felt like a bad horror movie. You know the one with the girl who runs upstairs where she will be trapped instead of out the font door and away from the scary house? Ya, that one. Run, Millie, run!

I had a very strong feeling about where the story was headed. I was right but there was more than one plot twist so there was one juicy little nugget that I didn't see coming which made the story all the more twisted.

This book gave me ridiculously strong The Last Mrs. Parrish vibes.

A maid who is recently released from prison starts to work for a wealthy family...but everything is not as it seems! I really enjoyed this book. The twists got me every time! I even listened at 3x speed for a little bit, because I just couldn't stop listening. I definitely recommend this book.

A chilling read not everything is as it seem for the new housemaid. Good storytelling throughout, good characters and we'll paced.
I received this audiobook from Netgalley and Bookouture for a review

This is the first book I've read by Freida McFadden and she has certainly earned herself a newly devoted reader in me with The Housemaid. While there were some parts that seemed to drag on for me, I still found the direction of the story to be easy to follow. I also enjoyed the shift in perspectives, as the book is written in parts. the story and character development were interesting and suspenseful. I'm excited to read the rest of her books after having experienced this one!
#netgalley #TheHousemaid