The story begins with a suspenseful start and caught my interest from the beginning. Millie finds herself yet again in a sticky situation. The story takes us ahead 11 years, Enzo and Millie are now married with two kids and have just bought Millie's dream house in a great neighborhood. On the surface it seems they are starting over in a seemingly idyllic suburban neighborhood. However, they soon realize that danger lurks beneath the surface, as we will see with many twists and psychological tension woven in that kept me turning the pages.
Millie has worked hard to get where she is, but she can't seem to escape the weight of her past and is desperate to protect her newfound happiness. As the story progresses, she faces an internal conflict and mounting paranoia as strange occurrences begin to stack up around her. From eerie interactions with neighbors to unsettling nighttime events, the sense of dread continues to build.
The tension between her and her neighbor, Mrs. Lowell, along with the mysterious maid, adds a layer of suspense that kept me turning the pages. I found myself questioning everyone's motives, wondering if the neighborhood was as safe as it appeared or if something more sinister was at play.
The pacing was a bit slow and I found myself wishing things would move just a little faster. But there was enough suspense to make the story intriguing and keep my interest. There are some moments where the story's progression could feel a bit predictable, but the final twists and revelations were satisfying and genuinely surprising. The sense of dread that permeates the story, combined with the theme of trying to escape one's past, creates a compelling narrative that feels both intimate and thrilling.
Overall, this book offers a solid, suspenseful read with just enough intrigue to keep you guessing until the very end. While some twists may feel familiar to thriller fans, the overall atmosphere and the buildup to the final revelations are enough to make it stand out. If you love psychological thrillers with an edge of paranoia and suspense, this one is definitely worth adding to your reading list. I listened to this as an audiobook and the narration was well done, bringing the story and the characters to life.
I received a complimentary copy from NetGalley and Bookouture Audio and am voluntarily leaving my review.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC.

This pains me to write because I love Freida but here it goes.

Overall, The Housemaid Is Watching lacked the intensity, originality, and strong character development that made the first and second book engaging. If you’re hoping for a continuation of the other 2, this one might leave you disappointed. Millie was so annoying and enough already with your gushing. You're with Enzo...you're good. In my personal opinion, fans begged for a third book. It's their fault. We were good with two!

This is the third book in the series and is set 10 years after the previous novel. Millie and her family move from the Bronx to Long Island in search of a better life, but find their new neighbours to be a strange group. An overprotective mother on one side and a patronising woman and her husband on the other cause Millie stress along with the almost unaffordable mortgage. When one of them is found murdered in their own home, the perpetrator is not who you expect.
I enjoy the quirkiness of Millie’s character and the narrator added to my enjoyment of the book. Not all of the storylines are completely believable but it was still an engaging read.

It was easy to pick it up since I already knew the main characters from the first two books. This was a little slower of a burn than I remember the first two books being. About halfway through I couldn’t get through the story fast enough. The second half was wild and twisty; the twists got me, "wait, WHAT?!?!".
I loved seeing where Millie has ended up after all these years; married to Enzo with two kids.
I really enjoyed this book and would most definitely recommend for anyone who is a fan of the other Housemaid books, It’s a page turner, will have you hooked and keeps you guessing until the end.

The Housemaid Is Watching (The Housemaid #3) was a great read by Freida McFadden. This book brings us eleven years after we’ve seen Millie and Enzo. Millie used to clean houses and now she and her family have a house of their own. Millie is immediately wary of her new neighbor Mrs. Lowell. But when Mrs. Lowell invites the family over for dinner, her maid opens the door and her cold stare gives Millie chills. Millie is then warned to be careful of her neighbors. I enjoyed reading this book and can’t wait to read more by the author.

Loved it nearly as much as the first. I thought I already filled in this review way back when I first listened to this book. I have posted on goodreads and my Facebook group "Psychological Thriller Readers".

It was amazing how Freida was able to break out of the formula for the 3rd book in a series, yet keep the same characters we love.

4.5 rounded up because of the fact that I devoured it in 2 days and had fun! I read her first installment and remember commenting on enjoying the gaslighting, yelling out loud at the book😆. I did not read the second but the publisher sent the third to me & I quickly found out that this can be read as a stand alone. I felt Freida did a brief enough recap about book 2 around the halfway mark and that was plenty for me to get caught up and see why our MC is feeling the way that she was. This plot focuses on our MC moving into a new home in a neighborhood where not everything is as it seems.
This author has a knack for throwing a curveball in the epilogue — she didn’t let me down.

Is this exquisite writing? No. But there is a reason FM keeps getting book deals. Fun, fun!

This is the third book in the series and I LOVED IT!!!
The plot, the mystery, the hate, the sarcasm, the laughter, the surprise, the love, everything I felt was incredible!
You just did it again 🙌🏻🙌🏻

I don’t have the words to describe how incredible this book was, it is the best in the series and absolutely recommended!

This book has so many twists and turns. Trying to guess what was going to happen was near impossible. There were a few blind alleys, things I guessed would happen but didn’’t. There were also some really dark moments- the characters being some of the darkest I’ve read.
It’s a quick read, good for anyone who likes a psychological thriller.

Having read and enjoyed book 1 and 2 in this series, I was looking forward to reading the third instalment.

It certainly kept me turning the pages. Throughout, I had suspicions as to who the killer was, and with every new chapter, I found myself doubting my detective prowess... a good conclusion to this book tied it all up nicely.

I'm not sure whether my opinion on this one was colored by my current mood or what - but I don't think it's the case here. I suspect this whole genre - psychological domestic thriller - just isn't my thing anymore. So if you're a big fan of the author and/or the genre, feel free to take my thoughts here with a few grains of salt. I read The Housemaid a couple of years ago. I liked it a lot when I finished it, but over time I wondered if I'd like it as much if I'd read it more recently. I decided to give this a try anyway, and while I enjoyed it well enough, I just didn't find myself really invested in it - I had to remind myself to put the AirPods in and get back to it. And in a much-highlighted sentence in the book, there's this line that is all too apt in this instance: "The third in a series usually isn't that great, so it's not his fault."
I actually enjoyed the last quarter or so of it more than the previous chapters, the story was encapsulated from another's point of view without all of Millie's inner thoughts - maybe that was my issue, the psychological part of it. But despite all that - I like Millie & Enzo & their kids, and hope they can ride off into the Long Island sunset and live happily ever after with no more "domestic thriller" events in their lives, just the usual little soap opera events we all have from time to time.
I did listen to this, and the narration by Lauryn Allman is very good, she does an excellent job with Enzo's accent, the kids' voices, and other characters.
Thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture Audio for providing a digital copy for an unbiased review.

Loved Book 1.Book 2 was good but this one .. just was not what I was hoping for. Really hoping she is not planning for a book 4. I'd read it but i highly doubt I'd like it

The Housemaid is Watching by Freida McFadden
Narrated by Ina Marie Smith, Lauryn Allman

I received an advance review copy for free thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture Audio and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Blurb

“You must be our new neighbors!” Mrs. Lowell gushes and waves across the picket fence. I clutch my daughter’s hand and smile back: but the second Mrs. Lowell sees my husband a strange expression crosses her face. In that moment I make a promise. We finally have a family home. My past is far, far behind us. And I’ll do anything to keep it that way…

I used to clean other people’s houses—now, I can’t believe this home is actually mine. The charming kitchen, the quiet cul-de-sac, the huge yard where my kids can play. My husband and I saved for years to give our children the life they deserve.

Even though I’m wary of our new neighbor Mrs. Lowell, when she invites us over for dinner it’s our chance to make friends. Her maid opens the door wearing a white apron, her hair in a tight bun. I know exactly what it’s like to be in her shoes.

My Opinion

I have been known to enjoy Freida McFadden's writing and I am loving this series so there was no doubt I was going to give this one a read. With a lot going on and quite a few plot twists I did struggle to work this one out. This is the third book in the series and I would highly recommend reading the books in order. Whilst the book gets off to a slow start - the second half of the book really makes up for it.

Rating 4/5

I was completely captivated by the Housemaid series, particularly the first novel. It was truly wonderful to experience Millie's journey through her various challenges, transformations, and new aspirations. Despite having her teenage years abruptly disrupted by a selfless act that she had paid for, she chose to continue helping others. Millie's resilience and determination were remarkable - she saw this adversity as a source of strength that drove her to aid those in need, even at great personal cost. Thankfully, she found a kindred spirit in Enzo, who stood by her side during good times and bad.

The latest addition to the series takes the narrative in a different direction, focusing on Millie as a mother who is determined to protect her children from making the same choices she did. Much like its predecessors, this book is filled with numerous unexpected twists and turns, keeping readers on the edge of their seats. I was pleasantly surprised by the introduction of new characters and intricate details that added depth to the story. After finishing this novel, I eagerly anticipate the series's continuation.

I have listened to the first in this series which introduced me to Millie but for some reason, I missed number two. However, I really feel this, the third in the series, can easily be listened to/read as a standalone successfully - I think I did miss out on the development of Millie but it did not affect my enjoyment of this book.

Millie, her husband and two young children have recently moved their dream new house on a quiet street in a good area but soon things start to go awry and when their neighbour is found dead with stab wounds and his throat cut, Millie's husband is arrested but is he guilty or is there something much more disturbing going on?

This was a good listen; the narrators did a great job and kept me going back to listen to more. The first third of the book was a bit slow but it set the scene well; the last two thirds were fast paced and I made excuses to make a cake just so I could keep listening. The characters are a mixed bunch - some good, some bad and some very annoying - but a great mix and it was nice to see Millie's development. The plot was great and the mystery intriguing; I did see one of the twists but not the last one which took me by surprise in a nice way!

Overall, a great book to listen to and lose yourself for a few hours and I must thank the author, Bookouture Audio and NetGalley for enabling me to listen to and share my thoughts on this great story.

really enjoy all of Freida's books and this one was no different. I was fully absorbed in this from the get-go and couldn't stop listening to it. The characters were really easy to keep straight because there were so few to keep track of and we also got to know all of them pretty well because of the limited number. I really liked following each of their journeys and couldn't believe how many twists there were towards the end. Just when you think everything is explained, another twist is thrown in that fully explains everything you were left wondering about. This was really well done. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

WoW! and breathe!!!

The Housemaid Is Watching by Freida McFadde and narrated by Ina Marie Smith and Lauryn Allman was an absolutely gripping psychological thriller packed with twists and turns from start to finish. The Housemaid is watching is the third book of this fantastic The housemaid series and it was Brilliant, especially as it was slighly different for Freida's last two books!
I have loved these books and this one was another 5 star book/audiobook.

The narrators Ina Marie Smith and Lauryn Allman were excellent.

Big thank you to Netgalley and especially Bookouture Audio for my audiobook copy.

The Housemaid by Freida McFadden is my favorite of all her stories that I've read. The second story in The Housemaid series, wasn't as good in my opinion, though I did still enjoy it. This one is definitely my second favorite of the series. In typical Frieda fashion, just when I think I have figured out what's happening, I'm proven wrong. I had a bunch of theories and was still constantly surprised throughout reading this story. I listened to this as an audiobook and I truly think that's the best way to take in this series. The audiobooks are supreme!

Narrated by Ina Marie Smith, Lauryn Allman ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Stroy by Freida McFadden ⭐️

I really struggled to get into this book. Nothing happens for a good 50% of the story and by the time it did start to pick up I was massively checked out.

Terrifically fun, Twisty and So so tense! A really fantastic By the pool listen for the summer! As a reader One ought to pray that this poor family can now stay out of trouble…but I doubt it!