Review: "The Housemaid" Series by Freida McFadden

The Housemaid: 4/5

The Housemaid's Secret: 4/5

The Housemaid's Wedding: 4/5

The Housemaid's is Watching: 3.75/5

Synopsis: The series follows Wilhelmina "Millie" Calloway (I too would not want to go by the name Wilhelmina) through a series of outrageous incidents, that could be an arc out of a soap opera. Millie, like most kind protagonists in these type of books has a sordid history and few prospects. This all leads her, in the Housemaid to come under the employment of the Winchesters, an outrageously rich family. But obviously, not everything is as it appears, and drama and tension takes place.

Review: The Housemaid Series

Spoiler Free Review:

I quite liked these books. They are not really books I normally read, but the first one was suggested for the book club I take part with my friends, and well. I think I managed to read all 4 within 5 days (Though the Housemaid's wedding is actually a 70 page novella, but it still counts for my StoryGraph goal!). They are really, really, easy to read and the tension that Freida McFadden is able to create keeps me coming back for more. I equated it to eating a bag of crisps, they're not the best thing for you, not even the tastiest thing you could be eating, but once you open a packet I'm not stopping till it's empty.

I got these books on my kindle, so can't take a photo of them, so here's the cover stolen from Amazon.

Almost all the story is written from Millie's point of view, and her inner thoughts are often quite humorous and keep the story light hearted despite tackling some rather dark issues about abuse. I would not go in expected these subjects to be treated with the seriousness they deserve. Don't get me wrong, the perpetrators of abuse are portrayed as the monsters they are, but that is as far as the author goes when discussing abuse.

While I enjoyed all three books, I felt like the third one is probably skippable. I just don't think it was as good, and because it follows the same format as the other two, it felt a little predictable. It was still a good read, but if you are already a little worn out after book 2 or book 2.5, then it is very skippable. Though looking at reddit some people really liked the third one, so maybe you will too.

Overall I think the books tread the line being an acceptable level of trashy and too trashy. They're not outstanding works of literature, and they won't change your outlook on life, or illicit any emotions apart from the shocked gasps I let out when I read a particularly exciting reveal. The characters are pretty basic, they are not super fleshed out. All of that is irrelevant because they are fun to read. They provided me with a entertainment, they made me laugh, they made be gasp, and sometimes that's enough. If you want a tense atmosphere, and exciting twists and turns this is the book for you.