In Edwardian society the wealthy households have servants. These men and women below the stairs are part of the background and very nearly invisible. Until they do something wrong. When the housekeeper, Mrs King, is dismissed she begins to plot her revenge. She knows just who will help her and that it will occur on the night of a magnificent ball.

The Housekeepers is a story about a heist that will make all other robberies pale in comparison. The story is rich with glimpses into the lives of both the people below the stairs as well as the wealthy and privileged. It’s a fairly slow-paced story, as the author sets up the plot and reveals the mechanics behind the heist. It’s not any lengthier than many books I read, but it took me much longer to finish than I would have expected.

The story jumps between different characters which seems to make it a bit disjointed and not always easy to follow. The characters are an interesting lot and they all have a story to tell, albeit some are more detailed than others. The end was satisfying and overall The Housekeepers was an interesting and enjoyable read. NetGalley provided an advance copy.

The premise for this book is brilliant: Downton Abbey meets Ocean's 8. But it never really came together for me. I wonder if a heist story is just better suited to the screen than the page. It is difficult to build and sustain tension across so many pages read at different times whereas a film is a couple of consecutive hours. I do hope to see this story on the silver screen someday, with an all-star female cast.

Wasn’t really a favourite of mine. I found that it jumped around with the characters a lot. It didn’t really hold the story line together

⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 / 3.5 stars

It's been described as Ocean's Eleven meets Downton Abbey and I think that's a fair assessment as far as the heist and setting goes.

I love seeing the "little guy" come out on top. This clever heist being planned by those who keep the house running, over those who run it, is a fun read.

Apart from the heist, there's also a bit of a mystery element, along with a sordid past that comes to light.

This story is told from multiple POVs, has many supporting characters that could be a little confusing to follow at times, and has fairly good pacing.

Thanks to NetGalley, Graydon House (HarperCollins), and the author for this digital Advanced Reader Copy in exchange for an honest review.

Could an Edwardian costume ball of over-the-top excess and a mansion wide theft of everything (exotic rugs to ceiling dome artwork) happen simultaneously – during the same time, at the same address? Absurd…unthinkable…impossible? Enter the Housekeepers and their conspirators, each with her own motivation, secrets, and reasons for revenge. Meticulous details, deceptions and timing mesh like clockwork gears into a scrumptious puzzle mystery. How-did-they-do-it was as much fun as who-did-it and why.

What if Downton Abbey took a more nefarious turn? This really gave me Downton Abbey vibes with the time period and the rich and their servants. Except everything is not what it seems and a little bit wild. There are all types of secrets and a countdown to the planning of a heist. Throughout the book, as the heist planning gained new participants, I kept wondering why they were doing it.

While it is a little bit of a slow build, it ends up with mystery and suspense. The reasoning behind the heist is complex and the layers unravel slowly., but eventually all is revealed. I paid close attention but I was still surprised by some of the double and even triple crossings. I did have a little trouble at times keeping track of all the characters and would go back and start a chapter over, but that cleared up any confusion I had.

I think this would make a good book club choice as there is lots to talk about and maybe even a better buddy read with stops to chat about where things are headed while reading.

A unique twist on a historical mystery. I am interested in what the author has planned next.

This was such a delight! Oceans 8 meets Downton Abbey. It‘s a mystery, a heist, and an examination of London society- both upstairs and downstairs. Clever and biting, it was a little slow at the start but picked up nicely. Just released July 4th, this debut is one to try!

A fun little caper — think Ocean’s 8, but with a Bridgerton or Downton Abbey setting! Some great “wronged women take revenge” vibes, and an entertaining premise.

It did feel a bit slow to start, and could be a little disjointed at times. If you’ve seen the Ocean’s movies, you’ll know that you just kind of get brief glimpses at the plans and motivations for the heist throughout the majority of the story, with the full scope revealed at the end. There was a similar setup here, but I think that particular tactic was a little bit less effective in writing than it is visually on screen. I ended up feeling like I only got about half of the plot.

In the end, it didn’t necessarily stand out to me — but it was a quick and light read with a unique combination of plot and setting!

Thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for my advance digital copy. The Housekeepers is available as of this week!

"The night of London's grandest ball, a bold group of women downstairs launch a daring revenge heist against Mayfair society in this dazzling historical novel about power, gender, and class

Mrs. King is no ordinary housekeeper. Born into a world of con artists and thieves, she's made herself respectable, running the grandest home in Mayfair. The place is packed with treasures, a glittering symbol of wealth and power, but dark secrets lurk in the shadows.

When Mrs. King is suddenly dismissed from her position, she recruits an eclectic group of women to join her in revenge: A black market queen out to settle her scores. An actress desperate for a magnificent part. A seamstress dreaming of a better life. And Mrs. King's predecessor, with her own desire for vengeance.

Their plan? On the night of the house's highly anticipated costume ball - set to be the most illustrious of the year - they will rob it of its every possession, right under the noses of the distinguished guests and their elusive heiress host. But there's one thing Mrs. King wants even more than money: the truth. And she'll run any risk to get it...

After all, one should never underestimate the women downstairs."

Downton Abbey meets Ocean's Eight!

DNF 27% - I wanted to like this so much! A group of women pulling off a huge heist on people who look down on them? Amazing! I love heists! And strong female characters! Unfortunately, there is just nothing pulling me back to the book. Nothing has hooked me. I don’t know enough about the characters to care about them. I don’t know enough about the heist to care about that. Nothing is driving the beginning of this book. So as it stands, I’ve got a list of like 10 other ARCs to catch up on so I’ve got to put this one down.

Note: I received a digital ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I saw a lot about this book before I began reading it myself. I wondered if it could possibly live up to the hype-the good news is that it does. This title will be enjoyed by readers who like a somewhat quirky premise, interesting characters, a well-portrayed time and place, and, of course, a good (if outrageous) plot.

I don’t want to give much away but will say that the housekeepers have quite a scheme in mind. Readers will long remember them; they include Mrs. King who was dismissed from her job and Mrs. Bone who runs some dodgy enterprises. Rounding out the group are Jane and Jane (really), Hephzibah and Alice. Each of these woman has a backstory and a needed skill set; these may well intrigue the reader.

In addition to the housekeepers, there is the owner of an ostentatious home and his daughter. Wilhelm recently died and his daughter is not really mourning. Who was he? What does she want? Readers will discover some surprising connections.

There are many twists and turns in this story and suspension of disbelief is called for. What will happen on the night of a very big ball in Edwardian England? Who are the guests and how will they be affected? Will the housekeepers get their revenge? Read this one to find out!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for this title. All opinions are my own.

Mrs. King has been sacked, unceremoniously removed from her position as housekeeper to the nouveau riche de Vries family, caught leaving the gentlemen’s quarters. This behavior is simply unbecoming and yet entirely planned. As glamorous as the de Vries house seems, dark secrets hide just out of sight and Mrs. King is determined to seek revenge and bring her former employer to her knees. Con artist Mrs. King plans a daring heist on the night of Miss de Vries costumed ball, yet removing every worldly possession from a mansion requires a bit of help. With the assistance of six unique women, Mrs. King will expose the secrets of the manor and the corrupt people who own it, if she doesn’t get caught in the process.

This heist novel is perfect for fans of Ocean Eight and features a large cast of strong female characters. With so many motives behind the robbery, it was delightful piecing together how everyone fit in the story. I wish Miss de Vries would have been a little more despicable, but that is a small complaint in an otherwise great novel.

Thank you to Graydon House and Netgalley for providing this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

I love a heist and Mrs. King is organizing one. She has her team Mrs. Bone, the Janes, the actress the seamstress and they have a plan to pick a house clean. This was interesting with so much going on but it was fun to see where the pieces went and where it could all fall to pieces. I love a heist this was a kind of historical Oceans 8 with a similar all female cast and similar heist theme.

Disclaimer: I can not visualize things in my mind. I have had issues with liking very visual books before and I think this is one that I would have loved if I could have actually imagined what was happening.

The Housekeepers is about Mrs. King and a group of women that she recruits to pull off an incredible heist - stealing absolutely everything from the house where she was recently dismissed - during a spectacular ball. There are several secrets packed into the house, which help to give the women something more to fight.

I really, really wanted to love this book. The story is fantastic and the extra added secrets that come out about the house just make it more intriguing. Unfortunately for me, there was a lot of visualization being described in the book and I simply can not do that so it brought down the pace for me a lot. I feel this is an important distinction to make because there have been a lot of popular books (ex: Where the Crawdads Sing) that I didn't like for the same reason. I think I would absolutely love this story if it were a movie or show. If you can visualize, I would expect you would enjoy it more than me.

Thanks to NetGalley, Alex Hay, and Headline Publishing for giving me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Oh my goodness this book was nothing short of purely magical. It hooked me in from the first chapter and kept me hooked!

Thank you to Harlequin Trade Publishing, Graydon House, and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book.

I really wanted to like this book, but it fell flat for me. The book starts mid-story, and initially, I was intrigued with a couple of the primary characters and their burgeoning plan to exact revenge on their former employer/acquaintance. However, as more players got involved (each with their own motivations) and additional plotlines emerged, my progress through the book became slower and slower because it began to feel like work to keep everything organized in my head.

It was a promising premise, but I don't feel like it was edited or tailored sufficiently.

This book is kind of a Downton Abbey meets Oceans Eleven. A former housekeeper from an estate gathers a team to pull off a major heist during a high-profile party. The story kept me entertained, but the main conflict (the dark truth about the estate and its inhabitants) seemed a bit forced and unnecessary.

Said to be a blend of Downton Abbey and Ocean's 11, The Housekeepers had a great concept that centred around a housekeeper who is out for revenge after she is fired after decades of service. She brings together a ragtag group of people and plans a heist to get back at her rich former employer by emptying their entire house during a ball.

Set in 1905 (but often with a more Victorian era vibe), from the blurb I expected a story about a good 'ol heist with a nod to Upstairs Downstairs. But the execution of the story, with its myriad of characters and subplots fell far short of my expectations.

My issues were many. From the slow pacing and loooong set up, to the very large cast and their convoluted motivations, to extraneous subplots and the actual heist. The heist for which the whole story is centred around, doesn't happen until almost 60% into the story and requires readers to suspend disbelief that a group of people can clear out an entire grand home under the watchful eyes of the homeowner and her large group of guests who are attending a grand ball on the main floor. The 'take it all' mentality of the thieves made me immediately think of The Grinch and how he steals every morsel from Whoville. The next time I move, I'll be hiring Mrs. King and her cronies to pack up my whole house with nary a sound in 8 hours flat.

This book didn't live up to its hype for me and wasn't a story I was eager to pick up. I wanted an exciting caper with a ragtag group of interesting characters and a big heist! Instead, I got a story with too many moving parts, unnecessary subplots, a mess of characters that blended together and a feeling that too much was going on and also not enough was happening.

Disclaimer: My sincere thanks to Graydon House Publishing for my complimentary advanced copy which was provided in exchange for my honest review.

The Housekeepers by Alex Hay is a very intriguing book. A historical fiction that is told in multiple point of views to keep you guessing. It is a well written story with complex characters. A story of revenge, class and gender that will keep you on the edge of your seat. There are many secrets….very dark secrets, intrigue, suspense, action and a heist like you never seen before. It is filled with surprises and shocking twist and turns. It is extremely hard to put this one down until you get to a very exhilarating ending!!! This is a very good book if you like historical fiction with some mystery!!

Thank you NetGalley, Graydon House, Harlequin Trade Publishing and Alex Hay for this mysterious book to read and review. The opinions expressed are strictly my own.
#netgalley. #graydonhouse. #arc #alexhay
#harlequintradepublishing. #harlequintradeinfluencer. #historicalfiction

Oh. My. Gosh. The Housekeepers is Alex Hay's brilliant debut novel.
Say the word 'heist' and I'll watch it, or in this case, read it. (Plus that cover caught my eye.)

Hay's heist takes place in 1905 London England. Hay does a wonderful job of bringing the time and place to life. Society and mores of the time play a large part in this tale. There's the rich, who want for nothing. And then there are the staff, those who cater to every whim and want of the upper-class. And then there's those outside the manor who do what they need to survive - the con men, thieves and more.

Hay has created some truly memorable characters, each with their own reasons to undertake the heist of all heists. Mrs. King is the driving force behind the group of six women, all looking for retribution. There are tangled threads of connections amongst them that I didn't see coming.

Their plan is audacious and bold and the reader can't help but behind them. The details of the 'how' are wonderfully imagined.

From the author's notes - "And the thrill and joy of writing this novel was to imagine what might have happened if some of the women working below stairs had decided to claim some of that privilege for themselves."

What a inventive, ingenious, captivating read The Housekeepers was! Definitely in my top five for the year.