Welcome to my review of The Housemaid By Freida McFadden. This is one of those tricky books to review, I didn’t love it, but I didn’t hate it either. I was initially attracted to the outstanding cover and the excellent marketing effort put in by Bookouture, making this sound like the most incredible book.
“Welcome to the family,” Nina Winchester says as I shake her elegant, manicured hand. I smile politely, gazing around the marble hallway. Working here is my last chance to start fresh. I can pretend to be whoever I like. But I’ll soon learn that the Winchesters’ secrets are far more dangerous than my own…
Every day I clean the Winchesters’ beautiful house top to bottom. I collect their daughter from school. And I cook a delicious meal for the whole family before heading up to eat alone in my tiny room on the top floor.
I try to ignore how Nina makes a mess just to watch me clean it up. How she tells strange lies about her own daughter. And how her husband Andrew seems more broken every day. But as I look into Andrew’s handsome brown eyes, so full of pain, it’s hard not to imagine what it would be like to live Nina’s life. The walk-in closet, the fancy car, the perfect husband.
I only try on one of Nina’s pristine white dresses once. Just to see what it’s like. But she soon finds out… and by the time I realize my attic bedroom door only locks from the outside, it’s far too late.
But I reassure myself: the Winchesters don’t know who I really am.
They don’t know what I’m capable of…
An unbelievably twisty read that will have you glued to the pages late into the night. Anyone who loves The Woman in the Window, The Wife Between Us and The Girl on the Train won’t be able to put this down!
#1 Amazon bestselling author Freida McFadden is a practicing physician specializing in brain injury who has penned multiple Kindle bestselling psychological thrillers and medical humor novels. She lives with her family and black cat in a centuries-old three-story home overlooking the ocean, with staircases that creak and moan with each step, and nobody could hear you if you scream. Unless you scream really loudly, maybe.
To hear Freida talk more about herself in the third person, visit her website.
The plot is quite clever. Millie lives in the back of her car, having been out of jail for only a year and being sacked from her last job flipping burgers. So she goes for an interview for a job as a ‘housekeeper’, a cleaner with a few extra chores for Nina, her husband Andy and her nine-year-old daughter, Cecelia. While she doesn’t think she stands a chance to work at this beautiful, huge house, Nina calls to offer her the role a few days later.
We follow their journey through the eyes of Nina and Millie, and there are some clever, brilliant twists. I knew something was coming, but not that, not in a million years. This demonstrates the excellent imagination of Freida McFadden. I enjoyed the plot and following their journey, surprises and all.
The characters were well-drawn, I felt I knew them well, but ultimately, I didn’t like them. I felt sorry for some of them; I was intrigued by their story and had guessed the most significant thing about Enzo, the gardener, though not his whole story.
Millie appears to have come through ten years in prison with no street smarts, she comes across as very naïve, and you wouldn’t guess her background from her actions. There is nothing to suggest why she has been in prison for most of the book, and her point of view is very diary-like. It reads much like, I cleaned the kitchen for three hours, I have no idea how they make so much mess and then I fantasised about Andy for a while before making dinner.
Nina is a highly complex character; she spins on a pinhead, it’s like a rollercoaster ride, and as you get through the rest of the book, you will understand why. She is confused, disliked by those around her and seems quite unlikeable.
Cecelia is nine and a complete spoilt brat. Her words and actions towards Millie, in particular, are abhorrent but often mirror what she sees of her mother at her worst. Cecelia appears near the end of the book, and you are left wondering what happened to her. So much is made of her misbehaviour, but then it’s completely gone and doesn’t quite match up.
Andy is a very cleverly written man. Rich, handsome, well-dressed, high-powered job and a beautiful home. What more could you want in a husband?
Finally, there’s Enzo, the gardener. He is strong and handsome but doesn’t speak a word of English. He is at the house a considerable amount for a gardener though, and welcomes Millie with a sharp warning.
I liked the ending, though, again not as I expected but not terrible. This was a slightly strange read, I wanted to keep reading to find out what happened and where it would all end, but at the same time, I didn’t feel anything from reading it, just indifferent. I wouldn’t be likely to recommend it, but at the same time, I wouldn’t say to someone not to read it either.
I would try one of the author’s other novels. But unfortunately, this didn’t connect with me the way I had hoped.
Overall, my ambivalence toward the book means that it sits around a three-star read for me.
Thanks to Freida McFadden, Bookouture and NetGalley for an Advanced Reader Copy in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
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| Title | The Housemaid |
| Author | Freida McFadden |
| Series | N/A |
| Format | eARC |
| Page Count | 339 Pages |
| Genre | Psychological Fiction |
| Publisher | Bookouture |
| Release Date | 26th April 2022 |
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