..And this is what I think.

Where do I even start with this series?! It was good, then meh, then the last one made me question A LOT OF THINGS but was good. I didn’t really know what I was getting into at first. The Housemaid was my first Frida McFadden book and I picked it up because of Instagram. The book influence during that time had a really good choke hold on me. Are you ready for this long review?!?!?!

The Housemaid 5/5
Millie Calloway is an ex-con who lands a live-in maid job with Nina and Andrew Winchester. After being hired Millie is introduced to Enzo, the landscaper who warns her to leave before its too late. As well as her living quarters: an attic that has a door that only locks from the outside and a window that can’t be open. During the interview, Nina was kind and very straight forward of her expectations of housework, and how to take care of her daughter Cecelia. After a few weeks of being at the house, Millie noticed that Nina has several mood swings and she really doesn’t know when Nina will get mad or when she will lash out and accuse her of doing something she has never done. Millie finds out later that Nina is mentally unstable and takes antipsychotic medication to regulate these mood swings. Andrew Winchester is the complete opposite; a successful businessman who is kind and caring towards Millie. Whenever Nina has an “episode” Andrew is right there to comfort Millie but somehow still stands up for his wife. Later in the book find out the real truth to Enzo’s warning and Millie is caught in fire.

The Housemaid is a great intro, I didn’t expect the ending to be jaw dropping. Andrew’s mom had me gagging!!!! One liner, but gagging! Millie, Nina, Andrew, and Enzo were grade A characters. The character development of Nina was absolutely amazing! She was such a little snoot and I thought she was crazy. By the end of that book my thoughts were: she is a survivor, she is a warrior, SHE IS MOTHER!! Let’s also not forget that Enzo knocked some sense into her after what she did. Andrew was super crazy! But not as crazy as Millie. Andrew met his match, his karma, when he got with Millie. This book had me on a choke hold during the build up as to who Andrew truly was. I didn’t even see that coming! If I needed to describe Nina and Andrew’s relationship its: “what you see is not what you get”. I felt Nina’s desperation and the fire in her building up to just find a way out (especially when she was hospitalized by Andrew). Again, its sad that Millie did have to be involved in the situation. But Nina had to do what she had to do.

The Housemaid’s Secret 3/5
In the Housemaid’s Secret, we find Millie in the busy city of New York as a housemaid. Her life is going great! Millie has a loving boyfriend named Brock who is a very successful lawyer. She is also in school to become a social worker to help women who are in need of finding a way out of their situations. After book one, Enzo was also a big part of Millie’s life but later had to go back to his home country due to a family emergency. Millie gets hired to work for Douglas Garrick’s penthouse and notices that Wendy Garrick is very strange. Millie later finds out that Wendy Garrick is being abused by Douglas and later helps her escape. But nothing gets base the Coinstock CEO and Douglas finds Wendy and brings her back to the Penthouse. This prompts Douglas to let Millie go, on her last day she sees Douglas choking Wendy. In attempts to save her Millie finds herself caught in the line of fire and is accused of a murder she didn’t commit.

The Housemaid’s Secret was mid. Brock was unnecessary for Millie’s growth. (TLDR: also that one part where that one guy in her apartment complex tries to SA Millie, could have done with out that. Why that sub plot was there? I don’t know…). Also Brock was an asshole for leaving Millie when she needed him the most. I knew from the start he was a coward and that he was so far up his butt because he was a lawyer. Never ever trust a man who is all about his career because he will always pick his job title over his love. PERIOD. Again! Thank goodness Enzo was there when Millie needed the support; especially when she was constantly in and out of the police station during questioning. Let’s just address the elephant in the room though: WENDY. Sister is the definition of crazy!!!!!!!!! I felt bad for her and I thought okay another Nina. Millie is going to save her and do her best to figure it out. NOPE! Don’t think so! Really great plot twist! The ending is very unrealistic, wild, but very unrealistic. Majority of what Wendy did is absolutely absurd and very unrealistic. If people have those kind of thoughts…best of luck to you.

The Housemaid is Watching 4/5
The last book of the series: The Housemaid is Watching brings us a very happy family! Millie and Enzo are married and have two children Ada and Nico. A successful social worker, Millie and her family are officially out of the city and managed to land a house in a cul-de-sac on Long Island. Next door to them is Suzette and Jonathan Lowell and their maid Martha; Suzuette a gosspie realtor is not shy when meeting Enzo. In fact she made a move on him right in front of Millie. Suzette offers to help Enzo with his landscaping business by offering to find clients for him on the island. Enzo is excited and offers to help the Lowell’s with their backyard. As Millie gets to know the neighborhood, she finds out that the town is fairly safe but there was a missing boy case a few year back. No body has been found and the boys family is still waiting for him to come home. As time passes and the family gets acclimated to their new surroundings, Millie finds that Enzo is constantly over Suzette’s house. Claiming to help the Lowell’s with their lawn, Enzo eases her mind and blood pressure and tells here nothing is happening between he and Suzette. This eases her mind, until she finds an empty house and walks next door looking for her husband. Instead, she found a dead body with it’s throat slash. After the cops arrive, Enzo is pinned for the murder because their nosey neighbor, Janice, saw Enzo walking into the house but never out. Millie doesn’t see the light at the end of a very dark tunnel and now has to find way to get her innocent husband out of jail.

The Housemaid is Watching made me happy because Millie is officially getting her happy ever after that she deserves. It shows because she has two beautiful kids and her Husband Enzo who loves her so much. But I knew that it wasn’t going to last long, especially when Suzette was introduced I knew she was going to be a that character. In the end I was right; always worried about her image and didn’t care about doing what was right. What’s wrong with people! Surprisingly, I liked their neighbor Janice. Yes, she was a control freak over her child. But it’s justified! And if it wasn’t for her Millies family would have found out the cul-de-sac secret! I will say that the last book in the series had one of the most random plot lines that I just didn’t understand: Millies blood pressure. Why? How? I…nothing in the end had anything to do with that. She didn’t die or pass out or had anything major happen to her because of her blood pressure. Even when she went to confront Suzette, nothing related to her blood pressure. Again, why? Her coworkers in the hospital made such a fuss about her high blood pressure, I was waiting for Millie to have a mini stroke and have it come together with the plot line. But, nothing! The medical person in me is questioning why it was included…and I just don’t know why. I can look past that mini subplot because the ended was just amazing. I had a little hunch of who the murderer was, but then I was wrong and was surprised.

It was really hard for me not to spoil anything!!! But my ratings are justified! The Housemaid was a great intro to the series. I loved Millie’s character from the start because at the end of the day she just wanted to change her life. Let’s face it, always doing good doesn’t mean it is going to be good for us in the long run, (if you know you know). Enzo is also a gem and wanted to help Millie out in book two and for literally sticking by her when she was accused (once again) for something she didn’t do. Also good for them for getting married in the last book and I’m so glad they have two kids. I will say they do get their happy ending.

Over all experience was a 4/5. I recommend reading it in order to get the best effect of character development. Also please do not expect a lot from The Housemaid’s Secret; it may have middle child syndrome.

Don’t forget that happiness is in the little things you do to make this world a better place. Be kind to yourself and be kind to others. Look out for yourself and one another.

Until my next post. – C