The Housemaid (The Housemaid #1) by Freida McFadden - tense and thrilling / Books Teacup and Reviews

The Housemaid is a tense and thrilling read. While some twists were predictable, the story kept me engaged, and it sets up the series well.

The Housemaid

The Housemaid (The Housemaid #1) by Freida McFadden

Publication Date : April 26, 2022

Publisher : Bookouture

Read Date : March 21, 2025

Genre : Thriller

Pages : 329

Source : Kindle Unlimited

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!

Review

I had been curious about The Housemaid ever since I saw it all over social media, and I finally got around to reading it. I can see why readers enjoyed it—it has an edge right from the start that kept me hooked until the end.

Millie is a convicted felon who has spent the last ten years in prison. Now out on parole, she’s desperate for a fresh start. After narrowly avoiding another run-in with the law at her last job and living in her car for a month, she jumps at the opportunity to work as a live-in housemaid for Nina Winters.

The job seems too good to be true—high pay, a place to stay—but the warning signs are there from the start. Nina is a nightmare of an employer, treating Millie horribly. There are rumors about her mental health, and her child is just as strange as she is.

Meanwhile, her handsome husband, Andrew, is kind and treats Millie well. Their marriage is far from perfect, especially with Nina’s inability to give Andrew the child he desperately wants.

As Millie spends more time in the house, she finds herself drawn to Andrew, and he seems to feel the same— until she betrays Nina and Andrew ask Nina to leave. But is Millie too quick to judge? And what’s the real story behind the locked door in her attic room?

The first major twist, which comes at the 60% mark, was fairly predictable—the culprit seemed too good to be true. What kept me engaged was seeing how Millie would escape the situation, which doesn’t fully unfold until the final 20% of the book.

The second part shifts focus to Nina’s past—how she met Andrew, their marriage, and the events of the past decade that led to the present. This section changed my perspective on Nina. While I never condoned the way she treated Millie, understanding her backstory made her choices more complex.

I could see why she made the decisions she did, but her ultimate plan didn’t sit right with me, especially when she intended to leave without warning. Thank goodness for Enzo, the one character with a conscience, who was willing to help both women when they needed it.

Millie was a fantastic protagonist. Learning about her past through Nina’s perspective added depth, and I could understand why Nina believed her plan would work. But Millie’s ability to outmaneuver a psychopath was impressive. My only complaint is that the third part—the big reveal and resolution—felt rushed. I would have liked a little more time to explore how everything unraveled.

Overall, The Housemaid is a tense and thrilling read. While some twists were predictable, the story kept me engaged, and it sets up the series well.

What to Expect-

Fast-paced, addictive psychological thriller
Unreliable cast of characters
Twists—some predictable, some surprising
Strong protagonist
Rushed but satisfying resolution