This post contains affiliate links. I always like a good book with a plot twist, and The Housemaid by Freida McFadden didn’t disappoint!
About The Housemaid by Freida McFadden
Millie is an attractive young woman in her 20s who has just been released from prison. She’s desperate for a job as she was fired from her last one and doesn’t want her parole officer to know. When she sees a job for a housemaid, she applies. To her amazement, the woman of the house, Nina Winchester, hires her.
Millie is so excited to start. But her enthusiasm soon dampens when she realizes Nina has wild mood swings. One moment, she’s nice and thoughtful; the next, she’s accusing Millie of stealing her notes for a speech she has to give, throwing all of the food out of the refrigerator, and demanding Millie clean up the mess.
The situation gets worse when Millie meets Cecilia, the Winchesters’ daughter, who wears frilly dresses and constantly manipulates her parents into thinking that Millie is harming her.
The one person Nina likes is Andrew Winchester, Nina’s husband, who understands how difficult Nina can be and tries his best to shield Millie from some of Nina’s rage and cruelty.
Under normal circumstances, Millie might quit such a job, but because she needs to keep her job for parole and knows nothing better is available to her due to her prison record, Millie stays. However, she’s not thrilled with her small attic room. Her anxiety is high because it only has one tiny window that has been painted shut, and the door sometimes sticks.
The longer Millie stays at the job, the more enmeshed she becomes with the Winchesters. The landscaper, Enzo, who speaks limited English, warns her she’s in danger, which Millie already senses because Nina is becoming more and more erratic. Yet, how much danger is she in? Is it worth leaving a nice home and the attractive Andrew Winchester, whom Millie is becoming increasingly interested in?
My Thoughts on the Book
For the greater part of the book, readers have no idea what Millie had done to land her in jail, which frustrated me as a reader. How am I supposed to feel about her when I don’t know what she did?
I listened to this book on audio, and I loved that version of the book. The narrator does an excellent job reflecting Millie’s confusion at the strange family dynamic she’s part of.
I was slightly surprised by the plot twist, though I sensed it a bit before it happened. I enjoyed that, but the end of the book definitely stretched the bounds of believability. However, I was happy to set those feelings aside and enjoy the book.
I give The Housemaid by Freida McFadden 4 out of 5 stars on the Mom’s Plans’ scale.
Leave a Reply