I finally got on the Housemaid bandwagon and read the first couple of books in the hit series. I’d love to watch the movie, but I’ll hold off until I can find it for free somewhere because I really don’t want to support any Sydney Sweeney movies. Why, of all actors, did they have to cast her! Ugh. Oh well—the books are always better, and they don’t require a subscription to any fascist‑owned streaming channels… which are few and far between these days.

Anyhoo, here are my thoughts on the books, which I must admit are pretty great. I’m looking forward to reading the next two in the series.

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Book 1: The Housemaid

The gist:
A down‑on‑her‑luck ex‑convict has little more than her car and the clothes on her back, but as luck would have it, she scores a job as a live‑in housemaid for a rich couple in a mansion—with a hunky gardener to boot! So, what’s the catch? Well, the lady of the house is a sadist, the child is a monster, and the husband is a little too nice, if you catch my drift. I’ll leave it there to avoid spoilers, but get ready for some wild twists and turns.

What I liked:
The suspense! Not once did my mind drift while listening to this on audio (the narrator is amazing, by the way), because I kept asking: Why is this crazy rich lady deliberately sabotaging her maid? Why did she really hire her? What horrible plans does she have in store? And what’s the deal with the husband who can’t stand up for himself? Oops… I’m entering spoiler territory, so I’ll stop.

What irked me:
The ending had quite a few loopholes, and some of the most questionable behaviors were explained away too quickly. I think the author really should’ve looked back at some of those chapters and adjusted a few scenes that were a little too extreme to tie up with a neat little bow at the end.

Overall:
This was a fun, super‑fast read that I highly recommend taking on a plane ride. The hours will fly right by.

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Book 2: The Housemaid’s Secret

The gist:
Millie is caught in a pickle yet again—this time with a mysterious boss who keeps his sick wife hidden away in a room. Did Millie learn her lessons from her past boss from hell? Of course not! She noses around the posh New York apartment and quickly lands herself in a very sticky situation.

What I liked:
Although I was annoyed with Millie throughout most of the book, I enjoyed the suspense of figuring out how the heck she was ever going to dig herself out of the trap she fell into… which anyone with two working brain cells could’ve seen coming from a mile away. I also enjoyed the chapters narrated by the villain, who was PURE EVIL. I could not wait to see how she’d get taken down in the end.

What irked me:
Millie… girl! I really thought you were smart and, most importantly, that you wanted to stay out of prison. The second she got roped into a risky rescue mission, I knew she was cooked. She was also so awful to her perfectly nice—and rich—boyfriend who wanted to give her a safe place to live and unconditional love. Not only did she lie by omission about her lurid past, she also flaked on their dates time and time again. Her thoughtless antics annoyed me to the point where I didn’t much care about her impending demise.

Overall:
I lost some respect for Millie, but I did enjoy her many misadventures—and the author did a great job adding an intriguing new character at the end who will make the third book extra fun to read.