#the housemaid’s secret

[kermitkarmz]

The Housemaid:

Millie is sleeping in her car, and has been for a month now. She applies for a job for the Winchester’s as a house maid. She is still on probation since she was released from prison not too long ago. Surely, her background check will ruin this opportunity for her. Although, it’s what Nina was looking for all along. She struck gold, and Nina’s plan was about to be in motion. Millie should’ve saw the signs when she was shown her new room- the small attic with a cot, mini fridge filled with 3 small bottles of water, the wall with nail markings all down it, and the tiny window that is painted shut. Last, but not least, the most important small detail.. the door locks from the outside.

The Housemaid’s Secret:

Millie and Enzo are the best team. Millie always fights for women who are being abused by their husbands. Enzo always knows a guy to handle the finer details. That is until Enzo has to go back to Italy and take care of his mother who just had a stroke. Millie is alone and as confident as ever. Trouble always seems to find her because her reputation is dangerous. If you’re a woman in desperate need of being saved, Millie will find a way. But is the wife truly in trouble this time? Wendy, who is married to Douglas, has more money than she could’ve hoped for by marrying this man. Wendy believes she’s a master manipulator. It worked on her husband. She thought she could change the flaws she feels he has. Once she realizes she can’t change him, and another hopeless guy comes into play for her, she puts Millie to the test. Her plan was going perfectly until Millie outsmarts her. She should’ve took it serious when she heard Millie’s reputation is dangerous. Now all that is left is a confession note, crimson red water, and Digoxin. 💊

[myhikari21things]

Read of The Housemaid’s Secret by Freida McFadden (2023) (307pgs)

[now-reading]

The Housemaid’s Secret by Freida McFadden, narrated by Lauryn Allman ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

I finished listening to The Housemaid’s Secret on September 1, 2024 and I absolutely LOVED it!

The Housemaid’s Secret is a novel about a housemaid that has a reputation for helping women escape their troubled marriages. She starts working for a wealthy family but starts to realize that they aren’t the perfect couple, but actually quite dangerous. Full of twists and turns, she must protect herself from these people and uncover the truth.

While listening to this book, I really appreciated how the point of view switches from the main character, Millie, and the woman she works for, Wendy. Towards the end of the book, I loved listening to Wendy’s perspective through the twists. This book was similar to the first in the series so some of the plot twists weren’t exactly twisty but the other events made up for it.

Overall, I loved this book. I wish i could listen to it again for the first time! It was such an easy and engaging listen. And I loved how the narrator gave each character a different voice. I’d definitely recommend this book to anyone and everyone.

[wookborm]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Part ✌🏾 of The Housemaid…this book in my opinion wasn’t as good as the first but it was still a great read. The ending was a good surprise. I for sure will be checking out her other books after this.

[pearlypinkies]

Book review: The housemaid's secret

 The Housemaid's Secret- by Freida McFadden

This review will be spoiler free and is divided into sections of overall storytelling, my thoughts, and do I recommend it?

Storytelling

The book starts with the POV of someone who is about to get murdered which did garner my attention. It is followed by a description of a mundane job with a family which felt like a totally unnecessary filler. After that starts the actual storyline where Millie, our protagonist from the previous book is now working with another family as a housemaid where the wife suspiciously remains mostly sick and locked in her room. The constant clues she finds in the house which suggests something sinister is happening behind closed doors fiddles with your imagination.  It starts off very promising and makes you want to read more. It did have unnecessary romance, the majority of which contributes nothing to the story. Some characters felt out of  place but the overall experience makes up for it.

My thoughts

A true-crime episode is what I would call it. The build up is absolutely amazing with good pacing and variation, it gets your hopes high. The odd things Millie notices in the house, a black mazda following her, the disturbing dynamic of the family, sets the atmosphere.

However, the revelation is a big turn-off. It looks like a youtube episode of a crime show we have watched over and over again, typical. But luckily the last part was the saving grace for me. It was intense and filled with "what's next" moments. Some scenes involving the police and the investigation felt very interesting to read. Overall, I think it did keep up with the legacy of "The housemaid"  because some scenes left a profound impact which mostly overshadowed the lack of depth in the plot. Before ending the book the author leaves a question in our minds as food for thought which leads to nowhere as seen in the sequel.

Do I recommend it?

If you have nothing better to do and have a day's worth of time then yes you should read this. If you do, I would suggest skipping most of the monologues and unnecessary relationship drama and focus on the overall story. Read my next blog for review of the sequel "The housemaid is watching".

[azazel-dreams]

The Housemaid's Secret by Freida McFadden

Rating: ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

[vole-mon-amour]

I'm so annoyed with Wendy. She dislikes the way Douglas dresses, the way he acts, the things he loves (she hates that he's a geek and loves Marvel). Like???

I understand that she's after the money, but ohhh my god. Leave the man alone. If he's not the abuser, then he deserves better than you.

Oh, and she doesn't like that he's fat. I think the abuser in this relationship might be Wendy, not Douglas.

Upd: "He doesn't want to be the man I want him to be. He only wants to be himself." Oh yes, the worst crime ever.

Wendy is awful.

[pixie-of-south]

Devoured the first two books of a Housemaid series in a single sitting, only to be hit with the brutal reality—the last book is yet to be published. The agony of waiting is unbearable.

[andreai04]

“I’ve already been a prisoner once—I won’t let it happen again. No way.”

[loveliveforward]

April Reads

Here are ratings of all the books I read in April: The Very Nice Box – Laura Blackett & Eve Gleichman ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I had a hard time rating this because this book was very slow, but I surprisingly enjoyed it! I think there was supposed to be a deeper meaning behind everything, but the overall story was easy to follow and fun to read. This is a good palette cleanser after a few intense books! The…

[nyelaexe]

you ever read something in a book that pisses you off so bad you have to physically walk away from it

[graciesbow]

To anyone who reads the housemaid books and is kept up with the news of the movie, does this new cover look like Sydneys eye to you? I think it'd be pretty cool if it was I just noticed it when I got my package today

[c2e1-book]

Uncover the Dark Secrets in "The Housemaid's Secret 2" – A Thrilling Sequel Download For Free

If you love suspense and intrigue, The Housemaid's Secret 2 is the audiobook for you. This gripping sequel takes listeners deeper into a world of lies, secrets, and shocking twists. With every chapter, you'll be pulled into a dark, mysterious story that keeps you on the edge of your seat, eager to uncover the truth.

Why You Should Listen: The Housemaid's Secret 2 builds on the tension and drama of the first book, delivering an even more thrilling and intense experience. As new secrets are revealed, the stakes get higher, and the twists keep coming. Perfect for fans of psychological thrillers, this audiobook offers a chilling narrative that will stay with you long after it's over.

Get It for Free:For a limited time, The Housemaid's Secret 2 is available on Amazon Audible for 0.00$. Don’t miss out on this free opportunity to dive into this heart-pounding mystery! Get it here.

[amandapanduhreads]

2024 Book One - The Housemaid's Secret (Review)

Dates: 1/9/24 - 1/10/24 Pages: 318 Rating: 7/10

First book of 2024, and first book review on here! I decided to start doing some longer reviews on here so I can hopefully remember the books I've read, and don't have to ruin my wrist by writing them in my reading bullet journal.

I'll put the review underneath a cut because THERE WILL BE SPOILERS. Open at your own risk!

I read 'The Housemaid' in October, it was actually the first book I read on my Kindle. I had a free trial of Kindle Unlimited and had heard some good reviews about it so I gave it a whirl. I really liked the first book, so I immediately added the next two books to my library because I was sure that I'd read them both before my trial was up on January 11th. Obviously, some things came up and I didn't really read in December and then remembered that my trial was up on the 11th, and not the 24th like I had thought. So I started this one two nights ago.

At the end of the first book, there's an epilogue and I was really excited about seeing the continuation of the story and seeing Millie's venture into her vigilante life. Starting this book, I was excited to see who she was going to help next and how, but I'll be honest, I was kind of let down.

I actually almost DNF'd this book because I realized that it was the same formula as the first book rather than a similar continuation. Millie goes to help a woman, husband ends up dead, big twist, Millie ends up okay in the end. With only a few tweaks, that was the same case in this book. I was hoping it would still be similar with Millie helping women out of terrible situations, but I didn't think it would be so similar.

It reminded me of my thoughts on the movies 'Hereditary' and 'Midsommar'. I had super high expectations for Midsommar because of Hereditary, and I was kind of let down. If I would have seen Midsommar first, I probably wouldn't have set my expectations so high and been let down. If I had read this book first, and then the first book, I think I would have been impressed but coming from the first one and how everything came together, I was expecting more I guess.

I found myself getting so frustrated with Millie to be honest. Her pushing things off and sabotaging herself, it kinda got annoying. That's probably just a minor nitpick but when it all bit her in the butt, I was kind of saying a silent 'I told you so!' Obviously it turned out alright for her, but she got frustrating.

I also thought that the whole Xavier thing was a little pointless? With what ends up happening with Wendy, Millie would have been in trouble with the law anyway so it seemed like a random plot point to throw in. Sure, it helped show that Enzo was still helping behind the scenes, but there were also other things. It seemed like a forced plot point to cause tension that really served no purpose in the grand scheme of things. Honestly, if that whole storyline was erased, you wouldn't even notice.

I have to admit, I wasn't expecting Wendy to be behind all of this and pin it all on Millie, so there's that. After finding out the truth about Wendy though, I thought she was INSUFFERABLE. I know that's probably the point, but part of me didn't even care what happened to her because of how unlikeable and rotten she was. I mean at least in the first book, Nina had *some* redeeming qualities but Wendy had zero. If there was no closure with her, I wouldn't have cared.

The Marybeth plot twist was also out of left field at first, and I'll be honest that I thought Enzo had set her up to go kill Russell and Wendy. I was also so irritated when I thought Millie was going to go kill them, especially after the call with Detective Ramirez. I was worried that she'd go be impulsive and wind up in more trouble, but seeing it was Marybeth had me relieved.

Speaking of Ramirez, the whole "now you have a friend in the police department" thing was a tad bit cheesy to me. Sure, it probably helps set up the next book, but it seemed so cheesy.

Enzo is my favorite and I know he's technically not a good guy either, but like....come on. I will say though, if it turns out Enzo is actually not to be trusted in the next book, I'll throw a fish.

The whole ending with Millie ending up as the one who gave the heart medication was pretty good. I'll be honest, when Brock asked for his heart medicine, I did a bit of an, 'Ohhhhhh!' thing because I wasn't expecting it, but it was a good little tidbit.

Overall, the book wasn't terrible and even with the cheesy stuff, I read the whole thing. I'm still bummed out that it was just the same book with some different characters and a few more random bits. I honestly don't know if I'll read the third book, but maybe I will down the line.

To sum up the book, it reminds me of reading a Lifetime movie. You know it's ridiculous and corny, but you keep reading it all.

[delightfully-loud]

this series is sooo simply written, easy to read and a little predictable but the plot and mystery took me on such a fucking ride that i was flying through both books without even realizing it

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4.25 and 4.5 easily

[vole-mon-amour]

Douglas calling Wendy a 'lying manipulative bitch', complaining to his best friend and a lawyer about it, changing his will so Wendy doesn't get a cent 🤙👏

Douglas providing the camera for the back entrance, which probably will save Millie.

Douglas deserved better than he got.

Oh, Wendy's part are annoying af, but I like the second book way more than the first one. Only 38 minutes before the book ends. I think I'll read the third one if I can find it.

Also, I don't want to throw names, but Wendy seems like a psychopath or a narcissist or someone with huge issues. Someone isn't doing what she wants? It's abuse. They deserve to die. Huh?