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The Housemaid by Freida McFadden
Genre: Psychological thriller, Domestic thriller, Suspense, USA
Read: 23rd April 2022
Published: 26th April 2022
★★★★★ 5 stars
DESCRIPTION:
“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.
MY REVIEW:
I am excited to be taking part in the #BooksOnTour #BlogTour for Freida McFadden's chilling domestic thriller THE HOUSEMAID.
WOW! What a mind-blowing and intense read THE HOUSEMAID is! How do I even begin to articulate my thoughts into a review? For it is certainly a wild ride that didn't let up once the tension mounted. And mount it most certainly did! This is my first read by Freida McFadden...are they all as mind-blowing as this one?
Struggling to find work, Millie Calloway is living in Casa Nissan having lost her previous job and no way to pay the rent, when she comes across an ad for a live-in housemaid. She never thought in a million years that she would be successful, especially when her prospective employers run a background check on her. But when Nina Winchester calls to offer her the job, Millie cannot believe her luck.
But no sooner has she accepted the position that cracks begin to appear. The pristine house she was interviewed in is now a sloppy mess. The angelic child Cece she'd been told about is a spoiled brat who behaves like the spawn of Satan. Gone is the fresh-faced friendly Nina from the interview and a moody and argumentative one is in her place. She accuses Millie of stealing as well as claiming she'd told her things that were never mentioned or asking her to do things and then claiming she didn't. And nothing Millie does is ever right. No sooner has she cleaned than everything is filthy once again. The only saving grace is Nina's husband Andrew. He is kind, considerate and continually apologises for his wife's outbursts and behaviour.
And then there is Enzo, the gorgeous Italian landscape gardener who, although with very limited English, warns Millie that it is not safe and that she is in danger. But Millie cannot afford to leave...and so she takes Nina's constant criticism and mood swings as well as Cecelia's spoiled little rich girl attitude and just gets on with the job. And when she finds anti-psychotic medication in Nina's bathroom coupled with her recent change in behaviour, Millie begins to question Nina's mental health. Was Enzo right to warn her?
But Millie has her own secrets and she cannot risk them finding out or she can kiss this job goodbye. But she soon learns that this is the very least of her worries...because nothing is at all what it seems.
With more masks than a masquerade ball, THE HOUSEMAID is un-freaking-believable! I thought I had it figured out (and no one hoodwinks me) but Freida McFadden sure did as I never saw the twist coming! But when it did - BOOM! It all made sense and I was shaking my head in disbelief and the pure ingenuity of it all. What can I say?
The first half of the book is narrated solely by Millie as the story reaches its peak as the tables are turned leaving the reader with a severe case of whiplash due to its ferocity. From there Nina takes over the reigns as narrator and it becomes a whole different ball game.
THE HOUSEMAID is fast-paced with short snappy chapters and strong engaging characters making it a suspenseful addictive read that will have you glued to the pages into the wee hours. It is most definitely a "just one more chapter" type of read that you will not be able to put down.
As my first read by this author, I am keen to seek out other thrillers by her and have put her on my watchlist to look out for. Especially if THE HOUSEMAID is anything to go by! Holy-flipping-heck! It was one hell of a ride that I didn't want to get off until the end...perish the thought I had to rejoin the real world before it did!
Dark, disturbing and chillingly twisted, THE HOUSEMAID is addictive and unputdownable with a deliciously malevolent ending. One of the best domestic psychological thrillers I've read.
I would like to thank #FreidaMcFadden, #NetGalley and #Bookouture for an ARC of #TheHousemaid in exchange for an honest review.
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