The Housemaid by Freida McFadden

Synopsis

“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!

Audiobook Review

4 stars

This was nearly a DNF around 50_60% because of something that happened in the book that is a huge pet peeve and turnoff for me.

And no I won’t say what or I’d spoil your fun.

Suffice to say that I went to look for some reviews (things that I rarely do before deciding to read a book) because I couldn’t help thinking that 214.844 people (the amount of readers who have rated the book so far on Goodreads) couldn’t probably have it wrong in giving that book 4,38 stars.

When I saw reviewers talking about Part 1 and Part 2 and 3, I decided to keep going and I am glad I did!

Because there is indeed a major twist and people compared the book to Verity.

What is The Housemaid about?

We follow Millie, a young woman freshly out of prison and desperately in need of a job.

She’ll be hired by Nina Winchester, wife of Andrew Winchester who is extremely fortunate and mother of Cecelia.

Millie will come live with them in their mansion but she’ll sleep in a small room in the attic with the lock on the outside of the door and a window that can’t open because it’s stuck with paint… that already sets the creepy tone of the story.

Nina is very flighty and switches before very warm to downright crazy and manipulative. She truly is ignoble to Millie. If Millie had a choice she would have left that family but she has no option.

Cecelia is described at the beginning as the “creepy doll from an horror movie”.

When you add the attic room, the eerie child, the maniac Nina you immediately fall into an oppressive story.

The only thing that helped me not feeling claustrophobic was Millie. All along we feel that she has a great inner strength and that she is a no nonsense person. She would not get down without a fight. And as she has spent ten years in prison, that is to be expected of course.

The only one being kind to her is the husband, the hot, wealthy and sweet Andrew.

And Enzo, the Italian gardened who warned Millie of a “pericolo “ the first day of her arrival.

Slowly the tension is mounting but as I said, something happened that had me ready to stop reading.

I soldiered on and I am so happy because yes, part 2 changes EVERYTHING and gave me a totally new read of that story!

And part 3 is explosive.

I also really loved that we got a sneak peek at a future book starring Millie in her very peculiar job now.

So read it if you love psychological thrillers with a big twist.

Oh and I guessed a major twist so I was proud of myself as that does not happen often 😉 Last  word: the narrator Lauryn Allman did a very good job narrating the story!

Thanks for reading.

Sophie