Good day everyone,
So, I just finished reading The Housemaid is Watching, one of the books in The Housemaid Series. Finishing the book, I knew I had to write this post. Now, this isn’t just a review of the third book of The Housemaid series but also me comparing all three books of the series, because now that I’ve read all, there’s a lot to say.
Freida McFadden is the queen of keeping you suspicious, emotionally confused and absolutely hooked. Her stories are packed with secrets and suspense, and while the entire Housemaid series has its thrills and plot twist, while I applaud Freida for crafting something so compelling, binge-worthy, if I’m being honest, nothing top nor beat the raw, chaotic perfection of the first book for me. Let me explain.
Book One: The Housemaid
This was the one book that pulled me into Freida’s world. It was where it all started and where the bar was set very high.
Millie, a woman with a messy past, she was freshly out of prison and trying to turn her life around. She gets a job as a live-in housemaid for the wealthy Winchester family. At first, it seems like she’s lucky to even land the job, but soon, we realize that the Winchesters are the ones who should be worried.
The wife, lady of the home, Nina, is beautiful, wealthy but absolutely unhinged. She lies, manipulates, acts sweet one second and dangerous the next. I spend most of the book just trying to figure out if she was sick or just plain evil. Meanwhile, the husband, Andrew, seems calm and kind – until he doesn’t.
Every chapter left me yelling “What???” I even gisted the entire plot to my mom once I was done reading, twist by twist. I couldn’t just keep it to myself after reading, that’s how good it was. The emotional pull of this book was wild. I didn’t just enjoy it, I felt it. The gaslighting, the fear, the realization of the truth, the revenge….. it was dark, gripping and almost disturbingly satisfying. And that ending twist? Breathtaking. This book excelled at building slow-burn, you’re never sure who’s telling the truth, and you feel like you’re going crazy alongside Mille, and that’s what makes it emotionally gripping. Every single detail added to the tension but then boom… the twist changes everything. The villain isn’t who you thought, the victim isn’t really innocent. And Millie? She’s definitely no pushover
Book Two: The Housemaid’s Secret
Now here’s where things got trickier. The sequel picks up with Millie trying to rebuild her life. She’s back, trying to move on from her old life and get things right. She takes a new job, this time in a fancy penthouse, and guess what? Another set of secrets await.
The setting was nice. The husband was creepy, and the wife was always was always shut away in a room. Millie started to question what’s going on behind those closed doors. However, as the story continues, I began to fell less interested than I was with the first book. For some reason, I just didn’t feel as connected. There was something about the pacing, or maybe it was Millie’s new personality shift.
Now this book tried to recreate the first book’s formula: Strange home, shady husband, a woman in danger, Millie playing detective/hero. But for me, the emotional tension didn’t land the same way. Maybe because we’d already seen Millie go through something similar in Book One
It was good but not unforgettable like the first.
Book Three: The Housemaid is watching
This one felt like an entirely different energy. Millie is married now, living the quiet suburban life she always dreamed of….. but not really. Her new neighbors are strange, and of course, someone is watching again. There were moments in this book that genuinely creep me out. The whole idea of “being watched” and trying to live a normal life when your past won’t leave you alone? Classic Freida. But if I’m being completely honest, this was my least favorite of the three.
This book leaned more toward domestic paranoia than dark psychological thriller. Millie didn’t feel like the same fierce woman we read about in Book One, it just felt like she was just a shadow of who she used to be, toned down, the neighborhood drama just didn’t have the same creepy power dynamic as the Winchesters, the twist was clever though, but it was more like “Oh okay, I see” instead of something like “WHAT JUST HAPPENED?”
It just didn’t shake me the way The Housemaid did. It was good for closure, I suppose….. but if I hadn’t read the first two, I’m not sure this one could stand alone.
So… which was the best?
Without a doubt, Book One wins. Every single time. It had the suspense, the emotional tug, the genuine fear and surprise that made me whisper What?. and most importantly, it had characters I loved to hate. Nina was a character I won’t forget for a long time, that woman was chaos in a blonde hair. The first book gave us Millie at her rawest; she was desperate, smart and cornered. Book Two tried to follow the same trail, and while it held my attention, it didn’t hold my heart. Book Three? Meh. It wrapped things up, but didn’t thrill me
Final Thoughts & Ratings
The Housemaid series as a whole was a wild ride and even though the books slightly dipped in impact for me as they went on, I’m still glad I stayed till the end. Millie’s story is one of survival, trust issues, power and how far someone will go to rewrite their life. Freida McFadden’s talent lies in making you question what’s real, what’s safe and who’s actually the villain.
I’ll rate the first book a 9/10. And the whole series a 8/10. If you’re just getting into psychological thrillers, start here
Thanks for reading
First image was designed using Canva. Other Images are screenshots from my e-library