The Housemaid's Secret
by Freida McFadden

Millie works as a cleaner for wealthy Manhattanite's in gorgeous homes. She is hoping to fund herself through community college because she dreams of being a social worker. It's a job where discretion is highly valued, but that's not a problem for her, because Millie has secret's of her own, and if anyone finds out, they definitely won't want to keep her on.

The opening line: "Tonight, I will be murdered". What an opener!

This is such a fast and easy read. There are plenty of twists and turns but it's all a little implausible. I find the writing to be a bit simple and the use of "like a punch in the face", "gut to the punch", like someone just sucker-punched me" overutilised to the point of annoyance, as though the author couldn't think of another way to describe surprise or shock. "Like I'm about to fall over from a heart attack" is a welcome relief, but hardly imaginative.

The thing is, this is actually very funny, more like a parody of a thriller. I can see it as a movie starring Janice from Friends, or even Mona Lisa Vito from My Cousin Vinny as Millie. That would make total sense of the low brow dialogue and slapstick plot. That's how I would market it.

Publication date: 20th February 2023
Thanks to #netgalley and #bookouture for the egalley

Greatly enjoyed the book. Fast paced, easy read. I was surprised how little this story was linked with the prequil. It didn't pick off from where the previous story ended and the stories seemed separate despite having an overlapping character. Lots of twists and turns as you can expect from the author. One of the characters gets on your nerves throughout the book, but stick with it to see how it all comes together.

4.5

Read this book if you like: Fast-paced reads, short chapters, dual POV

What the. This one was great! I liked the first one but I LOVED this one. It was so twisty. I didn't find it predictable at all. I couldn't put it down. I love the quick short chapters. The pace was perfect. I did want a bit more resolved between her and another character. I was left with some questions. I highly recommend it!

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and Bookouture for the gifted e-book! ❤️

The much anticipated sequel to The Housemaid has arrived!

Millie is back and is working as a maid for a very wealthy couple who live in a fancy Manhattan penthouse. Wendy, the wife, remains unseen in her bedroom and Millie is told not to go in the room. After hearing something disturbing, Millie breaks the rules.

This book is full of twists and turns. Freida McFadden has again written an amazing book with a twist that will truly shock you.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!

I have always enjoyed Freida McFadden’s books and this one certainly didn’t disappoint. I absolutely loved the first one and this one was just as enjoyable. It was fun and easy to read with plenty of twists and turns. Absolutely fantastic.

Fast paced and twisty. Quick short chapters that just kept you turning the pages and telling yourself “just one more chapter”. I devoured it from the first word. Told from Millie and Wendy’s perspectives. It’s an intriguing storyline that keeps you turning the pages to see where it’s going. Really well developed characters that are both likeable and unlikeable. Brock or Broccoli just didn’t do it for me at all. Definitely one to read but make sure a read The Housemaid first as this is a follow on. 


Thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for the opportunity to read #TheHousemaidsSecret

The first part of the book had me guessing and on edge the entire time. I didn’t see the twist coming at the beginning of the first part. The second part so far seems identical to the second part of the first book. Very redundant. Parts 3 and 4 were very good, easy to read and flowed together. The only thing that wasn’t answered was who was spying on Millie? Who knew she was wearing a Mets shirt to bed? I would’ve liked to know the answer to that and maybe more development of Brock.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for giving me the opportunity to read an ARC of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

Millie is struggling to make ends meet. Having spent a spell in prison it is difficult to get work but she puts in an ad asking if anyone needs domestic help. She is delighted when Douglas Garrick contacts her. He needs a cleaner & someone to prepare meals for him & his wife. Millie is blown away by the beautiful penthouse apartment. Douglas explains that Wendy is very ill & to not go into the guest room & disturb her. Millie happily starts work but as time goes on the mystery of Wendy starts to bug her. She is sure she has heard crying & saw blood in the neck of a nightgown in the laundry- is Wendy OK? When she ignores Doug's instructions she finds a woman with her face battered. Millie needs to rescue her!

WOW- this was some read. I was totally gobsmacked by the events I hadn't read the first book but I still enjoyed this one immensely. Thanks to Netgalley & the publisher for letting me read & review this book.

Another book about Millie, the housemaid. I found it to be a fast paced read with short sharp chapters which just kept me leaving to read ‘just one more’.

I loved this storyline, with its twists and turns that had me quickly turning the pages until the end.

A super read!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of this ebook in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
This book had me on the edge of my seat! I am still in awe of this book and how thrilling it was.

Wow. Just WOW. This book had me sucked in from page 1. What I loved about this book was that I was sucked right in from the get go, I thought I had things figured out and then bam *complete twist". I won't ruin the book by spoiling. This book might just be my favourite Freida book to date. Millie was on her game in this book and her and Enzo are just 🔥 together. If you like twisty books with good writing and a good plot then you will love this. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ from me 👏

Millie is back again!! And again she’s ready to blow your mind with her latest adventure! Of course she’s as wonderful and as feisty as ever. She’s definitely not the same Millie that we knew. She’s gotten her own place, she’s working on getting an education, and she’s even dating. Some things haven’t changed though, because she is still doing some work as a housemaid.

After Millie suddenly gets let go from her most recent housemaid position, she’s forced to try and find another employer quickly, before she can no longer afford her apartment any longer. She’s very quickly contacted by a man named Douglas Garrick, stating that him and his wife, Wendy, are in need of some help around their home. Millie accepts the position, but it doesn’t take her long to realize that there is something going on in the Garrick household, and she is determined to figure out what.

Unfortunately, what Millie discovers, and her actions to try and rectify the situation, put her in quite the predicament, and things are not looking very promising for her. Will her determination, along with the help of an old friend, lead her to the answers of what is really going on in the Garrick household and will that be enough to save her from the predicament she’s gotten herself into? Will her past come back to haunt her again? Well, I highly suggest you read The Housemaid’s Secret to find out. You will never suspect the jaw dropping twists and turns in this very anticipated sequel.

I can’t imagine it being easy to write a sequel, especially to a very successful book, but if anyone can do it, my faith is in Freida McFadden, and she did it!! If I had to choose, I’d say The Housemaid’s Secret is my favorite of the two. The incredible thing is, while it is a sequel, it is also a completely different story than the original. I had no idea where she was planning on going with the sequel but the plot is so different, yet it’s got enough similarities that make it the perfect follow up story. As usual, once I started reading, I couldn’t stop until I reached the end. I was desperate to know what was happening. Sequel’s always make me nervous because there have been too many times where they just don’t live up to the expectations, but this worked so brilliantly and that’s what makes it so different from other series I’ve read. It’s one of those jaw dropping stories where you need to reread it to catch all the pieces you missed along the way the first time then shake your head because you never saw it coming.

If you loved The Housemaid, you’ll absolutely love The Housemaid’s Secret. There’s a reason that so many people have anticipated this release for so long!! HAPPY READING!

I discovered Freida McFadden a couple of months ago, and I quickly devoured several of her thrillers. I don't know what it is about her, but she definitely has a knack for keeping me glued to her stories. In The Housemaid's Secret, we get a sequel to last year's The Housemaid. I enjoyed this one more than the first one, because even though the first installment had a more disturbing storyline, the end of that book was so completely off the rails that I wasn't able to suspend my disbelief. The sequel is also quite insane, but the ending was a lot more satisfying.

Several years have passed since the horrors of the first book, and now Millie is living in New York with her new boyfriend, Brock, a lawyer who doesn't know anything about her past. She's gone back to school, with hopes of becoming a social worker, and she supports herself by working as a housemaid for wealthy Manhattan couples. She's built up a reputation for being an avenging angle for women in abusive marriages. Her newest job is with a CEO and his housewife, Wendy, who can't hide her bruises from Millie. Before long, Millie finds herself in over her head helping her latest client try to escape her monstrous marriage.

I won't say anything else, because I don't want to spoil the surprises. But you are guaranteed to run into at least a couple of unexpected twists in McFadden's books. The plotting is tight, and the suspense is tighter. This one kept me entertained for several hours, and I enjoyed every minute of it. Bring on the crazy!

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for the advanced reader's copy in exchange for my opinions..

I LOVED this one just as much as the first one! I loved the setting and how the author knows how to pull you in. She did a fantastic job on continuing Millies story and there were so many jaw droppers! I love a thriller that you can’t guess the twist and this was it for me! 👏

This was one I could NOT put down and can I just say that ending I couldn’t of guessed myself. Fricken loved all the twists! If you haven’t thought about it yet put this one on your TBR and read it when it comes out.

Thank you NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for my honest review!

✨PUB DATE: January 20th✨
BusyBlondeBookWorm

I started and finished this the same weekend I read The Housemaid. After the first book I wasn’t sure how the story was going to continue and I was a bit worried it would be samey. In some respects there are definite echoes of the main storyline from The Housemaid however it was different enough to make this back to back reading enjoyable.

The story continues with Millie living in a run down apartment in a run down area in New York. Millie has a new boyfriend with whom she’s yet to share her past and she’s moved on from her job helping women. Or has she?

Like The Housemaid, this story is also told in parts almost like an after then before. The story started to go in what I thought was an obvious way and then again an unexpected twist.

I think if you’ve enjoyed these you’ll enjoy A R Torre’s thrillers. My next thriller/suspense read will be The Woman in Cabin 10 from Ruth Ware. Have you read it?

Absolutely amazing! Freida McFadden has done it again and this sequel was as awesome as I expected after reading the first book.

Millie is back however she is now turning over a new leaf and training to be a social worker. This means she can continue to help women who are experiencing domestic violence but do it safely within the confines of the law. When Millie’s current employer decides to let her go, once again, Millie is desperate for a job and she can’t believe her luck when she is contacted by Douglas Garrick, a wealthy tech genius who needs a general housekeeper for himself and his wife Wendy. With Millie in financial dire straits, she immediately accepts the job offer but almost as soon as she starts the job, things seem strange; she is not told to go into Mrs Garricks bedroom, in fact she is not to even talk to Wendy Garrick, Millie finds blood on a nightdress she needs to launder and often hears raised voices, crashing and crying from the room. Despite all this Millie is reluctant to jump to assumptions however when she finds a bloody handprint and a blood trail leading to Mrs Garrick’s bedroom, she knows she now has no choice but to intervene and when she manages to get Mrs Garrick to open her bedroom door, she is horrified by what she sees. Millie is thrown, once again, back into helping a fragile woman escape her abusive husband.

Wowsers I was so excited to read this, and it was as fantastic as I have come to expect from Freida McFadden, I was just as addicted to this book as I was the first and quickly devoured it. The author has a cracking sense of humour and although it was a little unusual to have humour in a thriller, for example Brock being called Broccoli, it really worked, cut the tension, and made me laugh out loud. I would say that the baddie from first book definitely deserves the baddie from this book, two very ugly and nasty individuals, great characters that Frieda McFadden writes so well. The end twist was MAGNIFICANT, and it was the first time ever, when reading any thriller, that I have gasped out loud “noooooo?” (so loudly in fact my husband asked what was happening!)

Overall, this was brilliant and wholly deserves 5 stars. I always tend to worry about sequels, but this equalled The Housemaid with no doubt. Twisted but great and I highly recommend it for psychological thriller fans, you will not be disappointed.

Thank you to NetGalley, Freida McFadden and Bookouture for my advanced reading copy. Out on the 20th February 2023.

Oh my! I loved this. I enjoyed the characters (so wicked), the unexpected and convoluted twists the tale took, and, of course, Enzo, because I'm a sucker for rugged Italian men.

I loved Millie, shes real, down-to-earth, and badass enough to take the edge off her miss-staying-out-of-trouble act.

A sparkling 4 stars.

Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for my review copy ♡

I really enjoyed this sequel to The Housemaid. The book appears to be a simple story, but there are many layers that make it more complex and twisted. It was easy to get hooked and was a fast read. I would love to share which characters I liked and didn’t like and which twists I found surprising and which ones I figured out. However, that would give things away and you should read this book and enjoy it for yourself. So - no spoilers here!

Thank you to #NetGalley and #Bookouture for an eARC of #TheHousemaid’sSecret by #FreidaMcFadden - 4 stars

I seriously believe Freida McFadden is a robot. I do not understand how a human would be able to write as many books as she has AND they ALL are absolutely AMAZING! I feel I am pretty good at "figuring it out" BUT not with Ms. McFadden. She is amazing. This title did not disappoint!

10 stars out of 5!

Another book I couldn’t put down by my queen Freida! I love everything she writes, this was another 5 star read. I highly recommend reading the first book before this one. I cannot wait to read more from her Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with this ARC in exchange for my honest review!