This is officially my favorite read this year! It had humor, suspense, twists, a little bit of romance and a killer ending! The book begins explaining the life of Millie, recently out of prison and looking for work. Nobody wants to hire an ex-con, but she lands a job interview with an extremely rich family & gets the job as their live in housemaid. The job is a dream come true for Millie, until she learns her room is the size of a small closet all the way up in the attic and it locks from the outside. Even then, she is grateful to be employed, but strange things start to happen in the home and between the characters, and she realizes this family has some really dark hidden secrets that just get deeper was the story continues! The story starts out slower to lay the groundwork and revs it's way up to an unputdownable read!

I loved that the book was told from two POVs. First you see things from Millies perspective, then Nina, the wife's. It had me caring about the character's in the roles they played and eventually it had me questioning whose side I was on. I finished listening to the entire book in just a couple days as I couldn't put it down! Freida McFadden is my favorite author right now and I plan on reading every last book by her after this!

Thank you Netgalley & Bookouture for an early release in exchange for my honest review!

Publication release date: April 26th 2022

Thank you so much to Netgalley and Bookouture for allowing me to read this book early! I really enjoyed it! This is definitely a popcorn thriller that is so hard to put down! This book is about Millie. She has just gotten out of jail after 10 years of being incarcerated. We don't know why until later in the book but she's definitely seen some things. Now she's living in her car and desperately seeking employment as a live in maid. She meets Nina Winchester and interviews and a few weeks later gets the call that she got the job. She goes to see her new room and the house and things are a little sketchy, but beggars can't be choosers. Nina and her husband, Andy, seemingly have a great marriage. They have a young daughter named Cecilia who I totally pictured as Wednesday Addams. She's creepy but not a huge part of the story. We get the first part of the story told from Millie's perspective in a diary-esque format that makes it seem like Nina is crazy. We learn more of her past that sort of confirms that idea. Then part 2 is told from Nina's perspective and we learn a whole lot more. Who is good? Who is bad? What is going on? Why is this house and situation so weird!? I loved the ending and the female power. My only complaints are that as soon as part 2 started you pretty much knew how things were going to unfold, but not the details. I also thought more would've been said about the lasting impact jail had on Millie. She never really mentioned it and we couldn't see a whole lot in her character that reflected any sort of hardening or anything. Overall, really enjoyable and fast paced read!

SPOILERS AHEAD:
The husband would lock his women in a room and make them do ridiculous things and deprive them of everything. He pinned a lot on Nina but she was innocent in it all. She hired Millie because she knew she would be pretty enough to lure him in and take her spot, but she'd also be hardened and tough enough to kill him. And thats exactly what happens. Andy leaves Nina for Millie. Andy locks Millie in the room, but Nina left her pepper spray and a key. She turns it around on him and leaves him in there long enough he dies.

After reading her book that too closely resembled Verity, I was a little skeptical to try another by this author. However, I saw some promising reviews and decided to give it a go. To my pleasant surprise, this was a fun thriller! Although I had anticipated the big twist, I really enjoyed it. The audio was a great option for this one, and this story is a solid pick for fans of domestic thrillers.

Holy Guacamole! That was quite the ride! And it’s set up perfectly for a sequel, so let’s goooo!
I haven’t read any by this author before now, but that is for sure going to change. There we’re so many WHAT?! Moments and I am here for it. I thought this might be a knock off of the Last Mrs Parrish, but it was twisted in its own messed up way and it rocks!
Millie has been fired and evicted and is desperate for things to turn around when she sees a listing for a live-in maid, she thinks she has no shot because of her past, but interviews for it anyway out of desperation. When she and Mrs. Winchester hit it off and she is offered the job, she can’t believe her luck is finally changing. All is well until she moves in and as the old saying goes “you never know what’s happening behind closed doors.” There is so much more to this family than meets the eye-even the way their daughter dresses is bizarre. When she gets locked in her attic room one day, she starts to realize that this family has more secrets than she could have ever dreamed of, but what they don’t know, is that she has some of her own.
The narration was well done. The New York and upscale accents were fab and I couldn’t stop listening until the very end!
Thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for this audiobook arc in exchange for my review.

Thank you to NetGallery for the ARC in return for my honest review.

I recently finished (and was underwhelmed) by the Maid so I was excited and intrigued to see how this one would compare.
Millie is living in her car when she gets hired to work for a SUPER wealthy family, she's buzzing about this of course, but soon she figures out that not everything is as it seems. I have to say this was gripping and I did want to continue listening to it/reading it just to find out wtf happens. But it was CONFUSING, I wasn't 100% sold on Millie's character, it seemed not fully fleshed out, there were many contradictions.
I actually quite enjoyed the POV being written from a sorta Dear Diary perspective, I found it a good insight and quite funny at times, it felt like the character was sending me voicenotes about her day, which I guess not everyone would love but.
I can't say I was surprised by the ending but it was still GREAT I enjoyed the 'twists' and how we got there. Overall I'd say this was a good fun quick read!

🎧AUDIOBOOK REVIEW🎧
🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

I fell in love with this book cover the first time I saw it. Something about the keyhole is so mysterious! If I admire a book cover this much, I usually read it without any further investigation 🤯. I’ve read and enjoyed this author before so it was a no-brainer!

Millie is a complex but entertainingly tricky character to read about! Just out of prison and desperate for work, she takes a job with the Winchester family. The family is something else, too! The woman of the house—Nina—is a mental mess that I despised at first, but came to love.

This audiobook was so hard to stop listening to. Once it started, I didn’t want it to end. I played out all kinds of scenarios in my head. Trying to guess where this story was going. All I can say is, the author has one hell of an imagination!! You don’t want to get on her bad side.

This is a must-read psychological thriller that I highly recommend and the narration (Lauryn Allman) is incredible.

Huge thanks to Bookouture Audio for providing this complimentary audio-ARC through NetGalley. I am voluntarily leaving my honest opinion.

#thehousemaid #netgalley #freidamcfadden #coloradobookstagrammer #readingintherockies #bookrecommendation #thrillersofinstagram #bookaholic #inexchangeforreview #booklove #thrillerbooks #springread #fortheloveofbooks #audiobookreview #justfinishedreading #fivestarread #thrilleraddict #addictedtobooks #audiobook

5⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
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Thankyou #netgalley #bookcoutureaudio #freidamcfadden for the arc copy of the book for a honest review.
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Trigger warning ⚠️
Revenge.Abuse.Torture

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The first chapter one the story was not clear for me. I thought it will be the same story that a nanny fell inlove with her boss yada yada. But…….
The plot was in two separate stories focusing on Nina and Millie.
The ending was amazing, I can’t believe Millie accept the offer. She is badass in a kind . It’s abit long but definitely worth it!
The narrator too was amazing . 5⭐️ To her too .

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❤️Shaye.reads

4.25 ⭐

Bam! This is my 3rd 4.25 star read just this week ~ I guess I know how to pick em.
~~~This is one of those books where I can't say too much because I don't want to give anything away ~~~

This clever, engaging domestic/psychological thriller is told in 3 parts. Each part ends with a BAM!
Part 1 pov ~ Millie is down on her luck and living in her car when she becomes the live~in Housemaid for the Winchesters. Happy to finally be able to sleep with her legs stretched out, she soon realizes her boss, Nina, is a nightmare to deal with.
Part 2 pov ~ Nina is married to Andrew Winchester. Here we find out why she really was the nightmare character she was.
Part 3 is told by both of them and really brings the whole story around to the perfect conclusion.

Tincy bit of predictability in some places, others parts not so much. There is some torture and abuse that could rattle some.

I like my thrillers fast paced and I don't think you'll be disappointed with this one. I do think I read a similar plot sometime in the last year though. I can definitely see why Freida's books are all so highly rated as I'll for sure be reading her again and again and again.

Excellent narration by Lauryn Allman, even when she did Andrew and Enzo's parts.

As an allergy mom I REALLY hate when peanut allergies are lied about, however the comment was kinda redeemed later on in part 2.

*Thanks to Netgalley, Bookouture Audio and Freida McFadden for the ARC. I am voluntarily leaving my honest review*

What a wild ride!!! Freida definitely delivered the best twisty ending I’ve seen in a while. The Housemaid is gripping from start to finish and honestly, I just could not put it down. Millie is such a relatable character that she made me want to yell, girlllll it’s not worth the money, get away from this psycho lunatic Nina before… Then about halfway through… 😱wthhhh??? An absolutely mind blowing shocker that kept me guessing and on the edge of my seat literally until the very end.

Despite being slightly predictable and Millie being a highly unlikable character, I was entertained while reading this book!

Millie is desperate for a job, so when she finds an offer that seems too good to be true, she doesn’t question it. She’s hired by Nina Winchester to clean their house, keep on eye on Nina’s daughter, and cook meals. And since it’s a live-in job, Millie doesn’t have to sleep in her car anymore. But as Nina grows more erratic and Millie grows more interested in Nina’s husband, tensions build and things creep closer to the breaking point.

I was blown away by how excellent this work was. I finished it in a day because I just couldn’t put it down. The author did an immaculate job at building tension and incorporating realistic twists that kept me guessing right up until the end of the book.

The characters were so well written. They were all relatable in their own way, and there was some solid character development throughout the work. The story is largely told from Millie’s point of view until a little over halfway through when it jumps between Millie’s and Nina’s POV.

I can’t recommend this work enough. It was twisted and masterfully written. It’s not for the faint of heart – there are some pretty traumatic parts to this story. This was a fast-paced thriller that kept me hooked from the beginning to the very last page. I listened to the audiobook version and loved the narrator.

I received a complimentary copy of this work through NetGalley. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

TW: metal abuse, gaslighting, physical abuse, torture

The Housemaid was my first book by Freida McFadden and I Loved it! Definitely won’t be my last.
This psychological thriller had me interested from beginning to end with plenty of twists.
Thank you NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Millie has reached rock bottom, she’s living in her car, scraping up loose change for food. So when she lands a job as a live in housekeeper for a well to do couple and their child, she can’t believe her good luck. But it turns out that the Winchester family has problems of their own and Millie feels sorry for Nina’s husband and daughter. But it’s not long before Millie realizes that she needs to be more concerned about her own safety, and it becomes a terrifying case of who is more dangerous, and who will survive to tell the tale

Here's the dirt on "The Housemaid":

1) It's a fast-paced domestic abuse drama by Freida McFadden

2) In the first chapter, it's announced that a dead body has been found.

3) Three unreliable narrators are introduced:
* The newly hired housekeeper (AKA "the maid") who also happens to be an ex-con.
* The stay-at-home mom who hired the housekeeper and has been twice hospitalized in a psychiatric hospital
* The handsome husband who has eyes for the new housekeeper.

What happens when these three unreliable narrators start living under the same roof?

Who gets murdered? And who committed the crime?

The story unfolds from the POVs of the housekeeper and the stay-at-home home. Throughout the entire book, it's impossible to tell who wins the award for being the most unreliable narrator.

Even though many of the events in this book would never, ever happen in "real life", the book was engaging, entertaining, and a great read.

Characterizations were strong and the story never dragged.

I listened to the audiobook and the narrator did a superb job. Since the book was told from two POVs, however, the book would have benefited from a second narrator.

This is my fifth book by Freida McFadden author and I am a fan. I look forward to reading her future titles.

4.5 stars

Thriller fans should queue this.

Millie is in a tough spot when readers meet her. She has only been out of prison for a short time, and since she recently lost her job for undisclosed reasons, she's currently living in her tiny car. Her future seems bleak...until Nina Winchester calls her back and offers her the live-in housekeeper job she can't believe she's actually landed.

From the jump, everything seems weird and wrong in Nina's house: most of all Nina. In most situations, readers would be screaming at Millie to run, but because Millie's circumstances are so believably limiting, her choice to stay seems more of a must than a point of frustration.

This setup is ideal for what becomes a pretty solid page turner that I was fortunate enough to listen to as an audiobook. The narrator - Lauryn Allman - MAKES this. Allman's reading of Millie, in particular, is so genuine that it's easy for readers to get invested in her experiences and outcomes.

There are some features that experienced fans of the genre may find a bit too convenient. While I can agree with that, I still absolutely enjoyed the ride and recommend this to anyone who is looking for some sinister twists and more than one intriguing character.

Description 🔖

The Winchesters are by most accounts a wonderful family. They’re well off, have a beautiful home and a gorgeous daughter. Nina Winchester decides that she needs help taking care of their house and in comes Millie. Millie is employed by the Winchesters to clean, cook and help take care of the home.

For Millie this is a chance to start fresh and make something of her life. She steps into this job believing that nobody knows who she is or what is in her past, but what she doesn’t know is that she’s not the only one with secrets.

Something isn’t quite right with the Winchesters. Nina is often manic and Millie can’t help but feel sorry for her husband Andrew as she watches him look beaten down from the sidelines. Before Millie is able to find out the truth about the family she is working for, she realises that her bedroom door locks from the outside and from there, everything takes a turn for the worst.

General Thoughts 🤔

I was obsessed with this story straight away. As soon as it started I was drawn in, hooked and couldn’t get through the story fast enough. I loved the twists in this book. They just kept coming and I was continuously gasping or saying “noooooo” out loud. I don’t know why I take such pleasure in being shocked and surprised by a book, but I do and this book delivered that for sure.

I did think that a few things in the story were unbelievable and couldn’t possibly happen in reality but I did not care a single bit. This book was 100% about escapism for me and getting lost in the outrageousness of the plot so realism was no big deal for me.

Characters 👫👭👬

I can’t say too much about the characters without giving away spoilers and I am not a spoiler kind of girl. I will say that I started off feeling one way about Nina and Millie, switched, switched back again and went back and forth a few more times after that. Both women had their own vulnerabilities despite having very different lives and now that I’ve had chance to let the book sink in a little, I don’t think I liked/disliked either one more than the other.

Writing Style ✍️

I really liked the way that the author structured this book. It was split into three parts; the first from Millie’s point of view, the second from Nina’s point of view and then the third part acted as a kind of coming together and conclusion. I really enjoyed reading the same scenes from different perspectives and having the penny drop moments.

The narration of this audio book was great. It wasn’t over-read which is something that I can get annoyed by with an audio book. It makes absolutely no impact on the book or the story, but I really loved the narrators accent for Millie.

Conclusion & Scoring 🎖

I really enjoyed this book and would most definitely recommend for anyone who is a fan of pscyhological thrillers. It’s a page turner, will have you hooked and oozes craziness. Look past whether you think this could actually happen and just let yourself get carried away with the story and you will definitely be in for a good read.

Rock'n'Roll!!!!
what a story!!!!!! Freida McFadden knows how to mess up with her reader's heads!!! So well done and the narration of the Audio Version is just perfect!!!
If you are already addicted to Freida's novels you know what to expect and if you have not read anything by her by now: get going!
thank you so much #Netgalley #Bookouture Audio

📖 The Housemaid
✍️ Freida McFadden
🔪 Thriller
#️⃣ 332 pages
🗓️ 04/26/22

My rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Thank you to NetGalley + Bookouture for the ALC in exchange for my honest review!

When the wealthy Winchesters hire her to be their new live-in housekeeper, Millie can’t quite believe her luck. With her past, finding someone willing to hire her hasn’t been easy, and she’s desperate to stop sleeping in her car. The only problem is Mrs. Winchester and her erratic behavior, like blaming Millie for messes she herself created. Well, that and the tiny attic bedroom she’s been given that for some reason, only locks from the outside. But Millie is desperate, and so she stays. At least Mr. Winchester is a kind man who treats her well. But before long, Millie finds herself wrapped up too tightly in the Winchesters’ lives. Can she untangle herself before it’s too late?

This is the second Freida McFadden book that I’ve read that is verrrry similar in plot to another popular thriller novel. I won’t say which one to avoid spoilers, but the twist is basically the exact same (DM me if you want to know more!). I did enjoy this book and for much of the second half, I thought I might even prefer this to the “original”, but… we go pretty far off the rails at the end 🤪 I am all for a twisty ending and am happy to suspend disbelief for a payoff, but this was even too far for me.

🧹 Multiple POV
🧹Domestic thriller
🧹Slow burn
🧹Unreliable narrator(ish)
🧹Live-in housemaid storyline
🧹Creepy!
🧹Secrets, secrets, secrets
🧹Epilogue

#caitsquietplace #caitsquietplacereviews #cqpthrillers #bookouture #netgalley

WOW - there's a whole lot of crazy happening in this book. First things first, the narration is phenomenal. Lauryn Allman did fantastic. Everyone have a distinguishing voice but not crazy or forced sounding. Listening was exciting and expressive. Kudos!

The book itself was great. I swear I've read a similar story in the past, but there was still some twists and turns I wasn't expecting. The dual narration towards the last half of the book was very fluid, which I enjoy. Sometimes dual narration can get confusing but this was really well done. I don't really want to put much into this review as to not give any spoilers, but I think Ms. McFadden did a fantastic job telling a fun and exciting story. I will definitely check out more of her work.

The HouseMaid by Freida McFadden
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5

Hooly mother of god , you guys . This was a #bookstagrammademedoit moment . Thats it. Ive read and loved every book ive read by @fizzziatrist . This author just became a favorite. Her books are so effortless to dive into and finish in a day .
The information keeps flowing . The twists keep coming and the ending is there before you know it. Leaving you satisfied.

Millie is hired for a position of a house maid, shortly after getting oit of prison, its her best shot . When Nina opens the door, friendly as can be she thinks shes hit the jackpot. Despite her bratty kid and her absolutely gorgeous husband . She can work with this .
Then Nina starts making messes, and making plans she will not admit she made . Is Millie going crazy ? Is Nina actually this insane ?

I love every minute of this book . Kindly I was supplied it by @netgalley and @bookouture audio . Thank you so much .