Reading in Between the Wines book review #112/130 for 2024:
Rating: 5 🍷🍷🍷🍷🍷
Book: Her Housekeeper
Author: Samantha Hayes
RELEASES on November 11, 2024!!!

Sipping thoughts: I was not expecting this plot! While I figured out who the housekeeper was going to end up being and what she did to get there very early on, I could not have predicted that last few chapters of the book. Gina and her husband seem to be playing a cat and mouse game with the unexpected housekeeper, Mary. This story is told in dual storylines and timelines. I really enjoyed reading Mary’s side as it shows how diabolical she really was. This book starts off with a bang and keeps the thrills and twists high from beginning to end. There was not a dull moment. There is one question of a small loose end that I wish I could ask the author. Did anyone else catch what Gina thought she saw when she woke up from nursing her baby?

Cheers and thank you to @Bookouture and @Netgalley for an advanced copy of @HerHousekeeper.

#HerHousekeeper #SamanthaHayes #Bookouture #NetGalley #ARC #advancedreader #advancedreadercopy #ARC #Kindle #Booksofinstagram #readersofinstagram #bookstagram #nicoles_bookcellar #bookworm #bookdragon #booknerd #booklover #bookstagrammer #bookaholic #bookreview #bookreviewer #IHaveNoShelfControl #ReadingBetweenTheWines #fiction #thriller #suspense #mystery #MysteryAndThrillers #GeneralFictionAdult

WOW! This one was a knockout. I loved the fast pace, the twists and devoured this one. Bravo Samantha for a banger of a book.

When Gina temporarily moves into a large Victorian home, as a favour from her friend Annie, she does not expect to meet Mary, who arrives one day saying she is their housekeeper. Soon after, Mary says she needs to move in with her son as she is fleeing an abusive relationship. Gina feels something is not quite right about Mary is she right to be suspicious?

This seemed like it would be a fun thriller and it ended up being entertaining with dark themes and an engaging narrative. The characters were well developed and I enjoyed that the story is told in different voices and timelines. Although there were a few twists, I found the majority quite predictable and the pacing to be slow. I found some characters also had similar names. Overall though, this was a dramatic read with an interesting storyline where you never know who to trust. I will definitely read more by this author. 3.5 stars rounded down.

As soon as I started this book I felt drawn into the tension and suspense that kept me hooked until the end.

This is an absolutely outstanding psychological thriller. A group of childhood friends, Gina, Annie, Laura and Sarah, GALS, are rocked by tragedy, their lives are never the same again. Although three of them still meet up, they never talk about Sara.

After a fire ripped through their home, Gina, her husband Matt and their two children take up Annie’s offer to stay at their house whilst she is away on a much needed break. When Annie’s housekeeper turns up, strange things start happening that put Gina on edge.

Without giving any spoilers this is as much as I can say about the book. However what I can say is it is brilliantly written with so many twists and turns you may end up dizzy however there is a blinding final twist or two that come from nowhere.

Simply brilliant

Very easy read which I devoured in an evening of solid reading.
Four girls that were inseparable back in their schooldays but then something happened and then there were only three.
Fast forward to the modern day and the three are still friends but what is the secret between them and is Anne's mysterious new housekeeper somehow linked to events of the past as she takes over.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the ARC in return for the unbiased review

In this gripping psychological thriller, Gina and her husband, Matt, are forced to rebuild their lives after a devastating fire destroys their home. Moving their young family into the luxurious home of their friend Annie seems like a safe refuge—until housekeeper Mary unexpectedly arrives and begins to reveal layers of mystery. When Mary and her enigmatic son, Tyler, need a place to stay, Gina's kindness leads her to open the door, only to find strange events unfolding around her. As unsettling incidents mount, Gina begins to suspect Mary’s motives and fears her family may be in danger.

The story masterfully alternates between the present and the past, offering glimpses into Gina’s formative years with her close-knit group of friends, the “GALS,” and her early romance with Matt. This dual timeline adds depth, peeling back secrets and hinting at the collision of past and present.

Filled with twists and turns, this novel keeps readers on edge, unraveling secrets at just the right moments and culminating in an unexpected, explosive climax. An absorbing read for fans of suspense, it’s a clever, thrilling ride that will leave you second-guessing every character’s intentions.

Her Housekeeper was a tense thriller!

Gina didn't really want to come back here, to this town where "it" all happened. But her home was destroyed in a fire and once Annie, her best friend, invited her, her husband, and their two kids to stay in her enormous house while she was traveling, it seemed like a great solution. But then Mary shows up proclaiming to be Annie's housekeeper. You know that's going to be a problem right?

Gina catches Mary snooping, and worse, she gets a funny feeling about her. And that Tyler shows up. Mary's son. Although Hayes never really says, he seems to be neurodivergent with some uncanny tech skills. You might guess some of the predictable twists, but as the story escalates, you won't be able to put this book down!

Thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture Books on Tour for an advance reader's copy.

They were once a group of four, until one of them disappeared. How well did they know each other really and was infatuation
the motive? After years, someone is determined to find out what happened and who is responsible.
An intriguing book with an unexpected ending!

I do love to read a good psychological thriller and this one literally
blew me away. It was one of the best I’ve read in a while. When I finished reading the prologue I knew immediately this was going to be read in one or two sittings as by then I was hooked. This is a fast paced read, full of twists and turns. It goes from past to present and had me frantically turning the pages . I did correctly guess one of the twists but it certainly didn’t take away from my enjoyment of this book. I love the short and quick chapters and I guarantee once you come to the end of one you’ll want to keep on reading. The final few chapters had me gasping out loud in places and I was truly dumb struck at times. Samantha Hayes is a fantastic author of psychological thrillers and this one is certainly no exception. Five massive stars from me ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The twists in this book just kept on coming!!! This is a fast paced domestic thriller that will keep you wanting more! Gina moves into her best friend, Annie’s house after an accident burns her home down. Annie is on vacation but and doesn’t realize the house comes with a housekeeper, Mary. Gina wants to trust Mary as she gets reassurance from Annie that she is harmless. But things start to get strange and Mary starts to cross some lines.
As I said, the twists keep on coming and when I thought I had it figured it out, the end left my mouth hanging. It was so good!!!

My thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read ‘Her Housekeeper’ written by Samantha Hayes in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

Gina and Matt are staying in Annie’s luxury house in Hastings while their own home in Crawley is being rebuilt following a fire. They meet Mary who says she’s Annie’s housekeeper and when she says tells them she’s homeless and asks if she and her son Tyler can stay in the house temporarily Gina doesn’t have to heart to refuse her, after all she is Annie’s housekeeper isn’t she. But they make Gina feel uncomfortable and she thinks Mary is lying as she seems to know more about their lives than she should.

‘Her Housekeeper’ is a skilfully-written psychological thriller that had me hooked from the start, keeping me on the edge of my seat not knowing in which direction the story was heading. The further I read the more tense it became until I was turning pages faster and faster. When I reached the conclusion there was a final huge twist that was so unexpected it left me open-mouthed in astonishment. This has been an enjoyable thriller that really grabbed me and kept me reading all day long. I recommend it.

Gina and Matt are currently staying at their friend Annie's house with their two children while she's on holiday and their house is being refurbished after fire damage from an electrical fault. One day there is a knock at the door and Gina answers it to a lady declaring to be Annie's housekeeper Mary, so she lets her in. After receiving confirmation via a text message that she is indeed who she says she is, she relaxes a little but she's still apprehensive as there's something not quite right about this woman's behaviour, also Gina is feeling restless about being back in her childhood town of Hastings after what happened to their friend Sara when they were fifteen, then Mary turns up one day declaring she has nowhere to go and Gina agrees she can stay at the house, but she quickly realises that the nightmare is just beginning...

Her Housekeeper is the latest psychological thriller by Hayes, told from the dual perspectives of Gina and Mary and alternating between past and present, this is a tale so expertly written that it keeps you guessing throughout. The twists come thick and fast and when you least expect them and, just when I thought I knew what was happening, Hayes threw in another curveball that knocked me completely off track. Every character has secrets in this story, some are current and others are historic but they would each have a detrimental effect if they were revealed. This is a story filled with suspense, involving some very unreliable characters that will grip you from the start and you won't want to put it down.

I'd like to thank Bookouture and Netgalley for the auto approval, I will post my review on Goodreads now and Amazon on publication day.

Gina, her husband Matt, and their two children are living in their friend Annie's house temporarily as their own house had been destroyed by a fire. Mary is Annie's housekeeper, so she continues to keep house in her employers absence. Mary and her son move into the attic rooms after Mary had been abused by her partner. It's not long before Gina thinks that she is being watched, She feels uncomfortable in Mary's presence. But Gina will soon realise just how much danger her family are in.

I was hooked by the end of the first chapter. The pace is fast in this thrilling and twisted read. I could not put it down. The characters are well-developed, and the story is told from multiple perspectives. The suspense builds gradually, and I was kept guessing along the way. I did guess part of the story correctly, just a small part, but the big twist I never saw coming.The story is written in the past and present day format. I loved this book.

Published 11th November, 2024

I would like to thank #NetGalley #Bookouture and the author #SamanthaHayes for my ARC of #HerHousekeeper in exchange for an honest review.

I felt like the plot of this one kept meandering around in circles without actually getting anywhere until close to the end. After a fire destroys their home, Gina and her family accept an offer to stay in her vacationing friend's empty house. They don't realize that there's a housekeeper until the woman shows up and lets herself in one morning, but Annie assures them that Mary is trustworthy and when Mary suddenly needs a place to live she makes herself right at home. Of course she's not who she claims to be -- the author makes that immediately clear. Flashbacks and alternating points of view slowly reveal that it all goes back to their group of high school friends and something that happened after a party decades earlier. Some scenes near the end had me holding my breath, but it took a long time to get there.

Thank you to Bookouture for providing me an ARC in exchange for my unbiased review.

This book was exactly what I needed after a series of meh books that I felt I had to force my way through. It grabbed my attention from the very first chapter where we get a snippet of the past that sets the tone for the whole book after. It was such a great move since it left me anticipating what was to come and trying to put the pieces together to figure out the mystery.

The characters made me equal parts like and despise them and they were truly flawed individuals put into an impossible situation. The writing was suspenseful and I really liked being able to get parts of the story from each of the characters and see the whole picture slowly being put together throughout the book.

There were some minor inconsistencies and character choices that irked me, but nothing major that ruined the book for me. Some things were more predictable than others but I was not able to guess everything, which is always a good thing when it comes to thrillers. All in all a solid read worth picking up.

Whew! Talk about being kept on your toes and fully invested!!! Her Housekeeper was gripping, shocking, tense, and twist filled. Samantha Hayes takes readers on a wild ride in this riveting psychological thriller! I thought I had things figured out in this book, but I was wrong, wrong, wrong! Samantha Hayes carefully and expertly crafted a twisted tale that I did not want to put down!

Gina, Matt, and their two young children find themselves in need of a place to stay after a fire at their home. When Gina's friend, Annie, offers them the use of her home, they can't refuse. When a woman shows up saying she is the housekeeper. Annie who is out of town, confirms that Mary, the woman at the door is her housekeeper, they let her in.....


I loved the tension in this book. I thought Samantha Hayes did a great job depicting Gina's sense of unease and doubt that arose during her interactions with Mary. I could almost see the hairs on the back of her neck standing up as she questioned Mary's intentions and motives. I also enjoyed the POV of both Mary and Gina. What a nice touch!

As I mentioned, this book has a nice number of secrets, suspense, tension, and twists. I love books which keep me guessing and Her Housekeeper did that and then some! I look forward to reading what Samantha Hayes writes next!

Release: Nov 10
Publisher: Bookouture
 
Rating: 3.75/5 ★ 
 
Her Housekeeper is a gripping psychological thriller that delves into the complexities of trust and deception within the confines of domestic life. The story revolves around the seemingly perfect household of the protagonist, who hires a new housekeeper to help manage her busy life. However, things quickly take a dark turn as secrets unravel, and the true motives of the housekeeper come to light. 
Samantha Hayes masterfully builds tension throughout the narrative, keeping readers on the edge of their seats with unexpected twists and turns. The characters are well-developed, particularly the housekeeper, whose enigmatic presence adds an unsettling layer to the story. The exploration of themes such as power dynamics, loyalty, and betrayal creates an engaging and thought-provoking read. 
What I particularly enjoyed was the atmospheric writing that immerses you in the setting, making you feel the weight of the protagonist's growing anxiety. Hayes skillfully balances suspense with emotional depth, allowing readers to connect with the characters on a personal level. 
Overall, Her Housekeeper is a compelling page-turner that keeps you guessing until the very end. It's a must-read for fans of psychological thrillers who appreciate intricate plots and complex character relationships. 
Favorite Quote: 
"Trust is a fragile thing, easily broken and hard to mend."

When Gina and Matt find themselves homeless due to a fire their friend Annie offers them her house in their childhood hometown. They agree with some trepidation as the place holds some bad memories for them both. When they were young a friend of theirs went missing and was never found. Once in the house the housekeeper appears and in true creepy fashion becomes more sinister, even moving in her son.

The story is on a dual timeline, with the past seeing the girlfriends growing up and becoming infatuated with Matt, who later marries Gina. It covers up to the night Sara goes missing and there are some very twisted and tragic events covered, some which completely come out of the blue and an ending I really wasn’t expecting.

Well written and an interesting twist on a thriller. I enjoyed the housekeeper character who was creepy but once you hear her backstory was a great one to find out about.

Wow what a book. I could not put it down. Loved it

Thanks for the opportunity to review will definitely recommend it to others