Review With Spoilers of The Housemaid

My Review with Spoilers of The Housemaid by Freida McFadden has a plot summary, spoilers for the ending, and a peek at the movie poster as The Housemaid is now a 2025 feature film in theaters!

NEWS: the movie adaptation of The Housemaid is in theaters! Here’s one of the movie posters!

Table of Contents:

• A brief plot summary of The Housemaid by Freida McFadden
• My analysis of the overall reception of The Housemaid, including praise and criticism
• My opinion on The Housemaid and whether YOU will like it
• Spoilers for the ending of The Housemaid by Freida McFadden
• Questions and Answers About The Housemaid
• Link to a printable version of my recap the ENTIRE Housemaid series.

Review of The Housemaid With Spoilers

• Published in 2022 by Bookoture and Grand Central Publishing
• I read this book in May 2023
• It was selected as a candidate for Best Mystery and Thriller of 2022 on Goodreads.

Plot Summary for The Housemaid

Former convict Wilhelmina “Millie” spent the last ten years in prison for murder. Now released, she’s trying to find a job … any job. She’s a little surprised to be offered a live-in housekeeper position by the Winchesters: Nina, her husband Andrew, and their daughter, Cecelia.

Right off, the Winchester’s gardener warns her that she’s in danger. But how and from whom? As Millie learns more about this couple, she realizes that the truth of the situation is hard to come by.

Reception for Freida McFadden overall and for the Housemaid

Freida McFadden started as a self-published Amazon author in 2013. Ten years later, she has an avid fanbase, is a TikTok favorite, and her most recent books have been traditionally published.

As with many thrillers and mysteries, opinion on her books has been divided. Readers who love fast-paced twisty thrillers generally adore McFadden’s books. Those who prefer stories with more character development and believability aren’t as enthusiastic.

Fans of The Housemaid rave about:

• The Housemaid’s fast pace
• The book is a “quick and easy read”
• The lack of “fluff”
• The snappy voice and dialogue

Critics of The Housemaid complain about:

• The lack of believability and character motivation
• Plot holes
• The absence of “fluff” i.e. world-building and character development
• The similarities between McFadden’s books AND the similarity of some of her plots to other popular books. It’s an interesting observation. I’d have to do a whole separate post on this but will just point out that a) many authors write similar books and b) concepts, titles, and plots of books can’t be copyrighted and c) many popular thrillers (and romances) have very similar plot lines.

My Take on All Freida McFadden Books

All the Freida McFadden books I have tried have been great audiobooks.

I have HUGE issues with listening comprehension. My mind wanders. I forget everything I heard.

So I struggle with audiobooks and I think the directness and lack of “fluff” make McFadden’s books perfect to listen to. For me.

My Opinion of The Housemaid

While I can appreciate a “quick and fast read” I tend to prefer written books that have more atmosphere and psychological depth. So The Housemaid isn’t my ideal book … BUT:

The Housemaid is a modern gothic, a subgenre I really enjoy.

I was genuinely surprised by the twist and, as I read SO many mysteries and thrillers, I can be hard to surprise.

If you have NOT read the Housemaid and don’t want spoilers, come back to this post when you’re ready.

Spoilers for The Housemaid and The Ending Explained

What is the Ending of The Housemaid?

• Millie’s employee, Nina Winchester, is being physically and psychologically abused by her husband Andrew, which includes being locked in the attic room that Nina assigns to Millie.

• Nina gaslights Millie and acts erratically.

• Millie sympathizes with Andrew and the two begin a secret affair. Nina discovers their affair and Andrew tells her their marriage is over. Nina leaves, taking her daughter with her.

• Suddenly, Millie finds herself Andrew’s new victim, locked in the attic room and forced to perform bizarre acts, like pulling out her own hair.

• The twist: Nina, helped by landscaper Enzo, hired Millie as a way to free herself from Andrew. Nina pushed them together and it worked: Andrew dumped her to focus on poor Millie.

• Millie manages to pepper spray Andrew (with pepper spray that Nina thoughtfully hid in the room) and lock Andrew in the attic room. She forces him to perform bizarre acts, like pulling out his own teeth.

• Andrew dies in the room.

• Nina, alerted by Enzo, shows up and offers to take the fall for Andrew’s death. Fortunately, the police officer sent to the scene has a daughter who dated Andrew and knows he’s abusive. So the police agree to ignore the fact that Andrew inexplicably died and has missing teeth. (Yes, this is extremely unlikely but ok!)

• At Andrew’s funeral, Millie learns that Andrew’s mother used to pull out his teeth. (What? More on that below.)

• Nina gets Millie a new job with another abused wife.

What are readers’ questions About the Housemaid?

Why was Millie in prison?

She was sent to a therapeutic boarding school, where she tried to save a female classmate who was being attacked by a guy. She hit him over the head to save the girl, but apparently went a little overboard. She had a record, so she pled guilty to manslaughter.

Why would Andrew, an abusive husband, allow his wife to hire Millie?

This doesn’t seem that odd to me. Yes, many abusers isolate their victims, but Nina has a child and it seems like Andrew would like a lot of attention.

Why the coincidence of the pulled out teeth?

Did Millie know that Andrew’s mother used to pull out his teeth? If Andrew mentioned this, I missed it. I agree that the coinicdence was pretty random. Millie just happened to find pliers in the garage and think of pulling out Andrew’s teeth?

If Enzo witnessed Andrew’s abuse of Nina, why didn’t he do anything?

It’s all a bit hazy. Enzo’s sister was married to an abusive man and Enzo assaulted the guy and then fled the country. So he is possibly being sought by Italian police and is in the US illegally.

If Enzo knew that Andrew was dangerous, why didn’t he keep a closer eye on Millie?

He just gave Millie vague warnings. He’d agreed to help Nina. When he hadn’t seen Millie for days, he did alert Nina.

Is The Housemaid a retelling (or inspired by) The Last Mrs. Parrish (2017)?

There are similarities in the narrative. But there are a lot of similar books out there and most Gothic fiction does share common elements. Tell me what you think in the comments!

Did you love The Housemaid, or was it not for you? Leave all comments below, and feel free to leave spoiler questions and comments!

Be sure to check out my post on The Housemaid’s Secret: Housemaid Book Two which answers these questions and more!

• The Housemaid vs. The Housemaid Two: which is better?
• Is Millie in the Housemaid Two?

And I have a Review of The Housemaid Three: The Housemaid is Watching, with Spoilers

• Is Millie in the Housemaid Three and, more importantly,
• Is Enzo????

My Printable Recap of the Housemaid Series!

You can check it out here!

Also check out my posts on:

The Boyfriend by Freida McFadden

The Co-Worker by Freida McFadden

The Teacher by Freida McFadden

The Housemaid’s Secret by Freida McFadden

The Housemaid is Watching by Freida McFadden