The first of three books in the series, The Housemaid is a psychological thriller centered on a young woman named Millie who takes a job as the live-in help of a wealthy couple and their 9-year-old daughter. Nina, the wife, appears to be likeable and put together during the interview, but she reveals her unhinged nature soon after Millie begins working with them. The husband, Andrew, is a handsome and successful businessman who Millie is extremely attracted to. This set up was an absolute recipe for disaster, although I hoped Millie wouldn’t be so stupid to get caught up with her boss’s husband.
As the story continues, Millie tries to keep her job while Nina becomes more and more jealous and accusatory. The couple’s daughter doesn’t help the situation and acts very bratty toward Millie and seems to understand how much she can boss her around.
The Housemaid reminded me a little bit of the movie The Nanny Diaries featuring Scarlett Johansson which I believe was based on a book of the same name. It also reminded me of Verity by Colleen Hoover, wherein a woman becomes embroiled in the life of a wealthy man and his catatonic wife who also appears to be unstable.
What I Liked About the Book
- Likeable main character: Millie is a likeable character, at least in the beginning of the book. I can understand any young woman trying to get on her feet and make a living.
- Twists and turns: This book wouldn’t be a thriller if there weren’t a few plot twists. I won’t give them away, but they were enjoyable. I can’t say I didn’t anticipate the big twist, but I still appreciated the story the author wrote.
- Easy to read chapters: This is my first book I’ve read by author Freida McFadden so I’m not familiar with her writing. However, I tend to be a slow reader so I enjoy reading short chapters. The book itself was only about 320 pages, but the plot and the short chapters made it a quick read for me, and I was able to finish it in a few days.
- The ending: It’s not often that I get to enjoy an ending to a thriller or mystery, but this book had a very satisfactory ending. I won’t give it away, but I think it was a really great outcome, and it left the door open for more books in the series.
What I Didn’t Like About the Book
Honestly, there wasn’t much that I did not like about this book. I thought the plot was solid and the characters were intriguing. My only critique is that I would have liked to have delved even further into some of the characters, especially in the second half of the book. Part 2 and Part 3 of the book seemed a bit rushed to me, but the plot really picked up at that point, and I read it very fast because it was such a page turner.
My Rating: The Housemaid by Freida McFadden is a Must Read
I gave this book five stars on Goodreads. It really was that good in my opinion. What a great way to close out the year in reading. I look forward to reading more of this series and more from this author.
Similar Books to The Housemaid
According to Goodreads similar books to this one are None of This is True by Lisa Jewell, First Lie Wins by Ashley Elston, and the Perfect Marriage by Jeneva Rose.
What Jas Reads 