Just as a little side note, I highly recommend you read the first novel, but not because it’s necessary to understand this one. It’s a true work of art in its own right, and if the premise of this story appeals to you, then the first entry certainly will as well. Nevertheless, if you’re intent on skipping it, you can do so with the knowledge it won’t hurt your ability to understand this second book. Keep in mind! It is extremely important to read the maid before reading The Housemaid’s Secret. These are not just connected stories, this new book is a true continuation of history. It is important for its complete understanding that the book one reads for the first time. But believe me, your time will be worth it! Even a warning that there may be some spoilers in the rest of this review if you have not yet read a book 1. There are some interesting twists along the way. Though any regular thriller reader would be easily able to spot most of those, they were still penned in a way that I enjoyed them. I read this book straight through in one sitting, and stayed up entirely too late to do so . . . Crazy twists and turns - I actually said "Wait, what?" out loud' Goodreads reviewer, FIVE STARS

As in every contemporary domestic thriller, there were some farfetched plot points that would NEVER occur in real life. A couple of these are left unexplained. The ending is excellent. While not completely unexpected (and also not completely realistic), it still offers the perfect finish to this plot. During the interview, McFadden shared some of the challenges she has faced as a writer and how she overcomes them. She also provided valuable tips and advice for aspiring writers looking to break into the competitive world of publishing.But his wife Wendy is hiding behind closed doors. Douglas says she’s ill and prefers to be left alone. But Millie soon finds evidence that something more sinister is going on. Once again, is Millie imagining things? Is Millie overstepping her boundaries once again? And why does she feel that someone has been following her? Don’t worry- all will be revealed with some surprising twists!

The dude Millie shot is not Douglas! The real Douglas is a schlubby goober and not the handsome-ish man Millie killed. Oh dear. I try to ignore how Nina makes a mess just to watch me clean it up. How she tells strange lies about her own daughter. And how her husband Andrew seems more broken every day. But as I look into Andrew’s handsome brown eyes, so full of pain, it’s hard not to imagine what it would be like to live Nina’s life. The walk-in closet, the fancy car, the perfect husband.A description perfectly suitable both for The Housemaid and The Housemaid’s Secret, and yet. It was just a different story and I don’t think I can describe it better than that without spoiling things. We all loved The Housemaid, it had everything a true thriller novel should have and more. I was building up so much anticipation for this book that I think I let myself down. In no means at all is it bad, its great actually but I feel The Housemaid was so much better. The first half of this book was a little boring and felt openly annoyed with Millie and her choices. The second half, were it all comes together is good. Some of it a little far fetched but hey, that's FICTION! I also love that the tone is set for another book, but I would expect greatness from it to pull it through. So 4 well deserved stars for writing style, plot style and that really great second half! I enjoyed The Housemaid and generally think McFadden’s books are fun popcorn reads, but this sequel was godawful. Clunky, repetitive writing. Cringey dialogue. Predictable plot with a “twisty” part 2 retelling the same boring story from another perspective. Skip this. bone chilling. i would not survive a single minute in freida’s mind, but i’d still pay to live a day in there anyways. she’s an absolute genius. at one point i was like: is this a romance or a mystery/thriller? the whore in me when it comes to romance will never go away🙈🙈 The daughter Cece is a capital B.R.A.T. and later in the book the mom’s just like ‘oh, you know…that’s just how she is!’

I did not like Nina. She was over the top, selfish, and illogical. I can't feel sorry for what she went through because .... No spoilers.... but if you read it, you'll know. I hope people won’t take this to mean the author herself endorses violent vengeance and such frivolous notions. She is, after all, telling a story, and does try to look at the topic from both sides, also exposing the self-destructive element vengeance tends to carry along with itself. On the whole, I’d say she successfully managed to justify the main character’s actions and motivations, to the point where I literally never had a question as to why Millie was doing any particular thing at any given moment. I can see people really enjoying this or really hating it. Do not expect this to be a literary masterpiece. You will not be mentally stimulated in any way. This is your standard popcorn thriller but not as annoying as Unmissing, Stay Awake, etc because of the dark humour. This is the type of book you read after My Dark Vanessa rips your heart out and stomps all over it. The Housemaid’s Secret by Freida McFadden is the second book in The Housemaid series. Once again we follow Millie, still a housemaid and now also a student, freshly employed in a household that hides twisted secrets. Andrew, Nina’s husband, is the perfect guy, too good to be true. He empathises with Millie’s plight but can he go against his own wife?Clearly, this woman is in an abusive relationship and is afraid of her husband. She must help her. Something sinister is going on. She cannot allow this man to kill his wife. But I’m always playing Nancy Drew while I’m reading. Looking for bread crumbs, piecing clues together. So starting this book. Best thing for me. Followers of my blog will know how much I loved The Housemaid (see my review here) and that I also featured it in my Top Ten Books of 2022 (see full list here), so I was absolutely over the moon to see that Freida McFadden has written a sequel which will be published in February 2023. When she learns a dirty little secret about Nina's past and gets warned by the hot, candy-like landscaper Enzo, who unfortunately speaks only Italian, she realizes that by accepting this job, she may be putting her life in danger. Especially when it's so tempting to get seduced by Mr. Winchester, while his wife watches them like a jealous hawk, ready to tear her limbs apart. Oh, Millie, you've found yourself in another prison you can't escape, haven't you?

In this new book, we find ourselves nearly five years ahead, witnessing the developments in Millie's life. The blurb doesn’t do justice to the book and totally misrepresents it. It also contains minor spoilers. Thankfully, I read the blurb only after completing the book. Now, before I jump into my review, I want to let you all know about two trigger warnings in case they could affect you while reading. McFadden does a phenomenal job not describing anything in any kind of detail which is great but there are insinuations of violence against women and self-harm. Again, nothing is too detailed or graphic, just insinuated so I wanted to give everyone a heads-up about that. McFadden gets major props from me for not going into any specifics in both potential trigger warnings. What I didn't: I really enjoyed The Housemaid but because this followed the same format, I found the plot and twists more predictable. I also sympathized with fewer characters this time around and found myself starting to get annoyed with Millie (I struggle reconcile characters who withhold information from the people around them and this was a huge part of Millie in this book). I did, however, feel like the ending tied things up well and overall, I was entertained by this book.

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The second one references many highlights from book one, and better if it was read in sequence. It carries the same sarcastic humor and she displays the same confusion and controversial problems. I've come across several comments stating that the second book doesn't quite match the excellence of the first. However, I don't entirely agree with this sentiment. There are still incredible twists in this book that caught me off guard—not just one, but three brilliantly executed twists that took me by surprise. The first twist, while slightly more apparent, is not due to the author giving it away but rather because the book's concept encourages readers to think outside the box, fostering doubts about everyone's motives and leading us to suspect every move made by the other characters, all in an attempt to deceive us (or perhaps not-so-poor Millie, who retains her big heart to help others). Sure, I realize this story is meant to be taken with a grain of salt, preferably served on buttered popcorn, 🍿 but, the last two parts were too crazy for my taste! Pros: you'll keep reading because you don't know if you like it or hate it, awesome dark humour, great ending