Psychological Thriller Book Review: The Housemaid by Freida McFadden

Genre: Suspense Psychological Thriller

The Housemaid was my first Freida McFadden book. And my first psychological thriller. I've seen the book all over social media.

Based on its popularity, I decided to give the book a shot. Plus, my new genre is murder mysteries and thrillers but not psychological ones. After doing a bit of research and finding out the book wasn't scary (because I don't do scary), I purchased it from Amazon. I started reading it on August 1st and finished by August 9th, 2025. My usual bite-sized reading had sped up for this book. First, I wanted to read the story as fast as possible, and second, the chapters were quick, not long and drawn out. In reading The Housemaid, I was in for a surprise that I wasn't ready for.

Now let's dive into the book review, the analysis of the characters, the story, and the villain(s).

Character Analysis

The story opened with the prologue and a person possibly being arrested. That alone had me curious. Next it shifts to "Three Months Earlier," and this is where you find Wilhelmina (Millie) Calloway being interviewed for a maid's position by Nina Winchester.

Millie was a likable character given her prison background. She wanted to make a new life for herself, but trouble always seemed to find her. Her family cast her off as a troublemaker.

Millie was flawed, but mostly in an innocent way. She got in trouble, but usually the trouble wasn't of her own making. It usually stemmed from someone inflicting pain on her or hurting someone she cared about, so she answered in kind. That response led to her incarceration and other incidents that would follow her when she got out of jail. One troubling incident with the Winchesters would change her life forever.

Nina Winchester, I didn't care for her at all. She was mean, manipulative, and sort of psychotic. She gave Millie a hard time, spied on her, had her phone tracked, and even tried to get her arrested. But it was all for one great scheme of the century that she had devised.

Andrew (Andy) Winchester was the dutiful husband to Nina. He came from a prominent family. He was rich and handsome and praised by Nina's circle of friends as a wonderful man, loving and caring. He did take care of Nina in unimaginable ways.

Enzo was an Italian man and the Winchesters' gardener. He was much like Millie, having done something terrible in his past. He became friends with both Nina and Millie. He was sort of Nina's conscience and was also fawned over by Nina's girlfriends. Outside of Nina and Millie, Enzo kept to himself. He was caring, often protective of Nina, and in the end, of Millie.

Plot Overview

The story was good. It began with Millie losing her job at a restaurant and applying for a job at the Winchesters' house. Millie would eventually get the job. She thought she had hit the jackpot. No more living out of her car. She had a housemaid job living with the Winchesters. Although what she would call her own was in the attic of the house, she didn't care. It was better than living in her car. She was determined to make it work. No getting in trouble.

But that didn't last long. Nina's behavior threw her off. Nina began to cause trouble, blaming Millie for everything that went wrong in the house even though she was the one who did it. Soon Millie would find a friend in Enzo, who tried to warn her she was in danger. Ignoring that warning, Millie would soon find comfort in Andy, Mr. Winchester, who was growing tired of Nina's erratic behavior, blaming and shaming Millie for things she didn't do. So he asked her to move out.

And that is where the true story actually takes place. There, in the second half of the novel, I learned all about Nina and her married life to Andy Winchester. He was a good guy in the beginning, so she thought. Once they were married, his evil side emerged, dropping Nina into eight years of pure torture. If Nina did something that he took as a transgression, he would lock her up in the attic and make her perform unimaginable things to get out. It happened often. More times than Nina could count. Tired and scarred for life, she devised a plan to set Millie, a convicted woman, in his path so she would be free. It worked. Millie took the unsuspected bait that Nina set. And before long, Millie found herself trapped in that attic. But her fate wouldn't be that of Nina's. After her first transgression with Andy, she was able to turn the tables on him and lock him in the attic, where he would eventually die, becoming a prisoner of his own violent scheme.

What Worked and What Didn't

I wasn't a fan of the torture. It was too much. The things Nina had to do. I couldn't even imagine someone doing that. Like plucking out 100 strands of your hair and other things that were simply awful. And Millie's so-called justice that she served to Andy, although locking him in the attic was somewhat justifiable, his torture made me shiver. I had to stop reading the book at that point, though it was the last two chapters. I had gone to bed that night a little spooked by the whole scene playing in my head. I could hardly sleep.

Final Thoughts

The book was good, but the second half was way better. I would give it about three stars, but because the second half was so much better, I raised it to four stars. And the writing, though it wasn't strong, I did like that it was fast-paced. The plot was good, and the story read like a movie. That's what I did like.

But who was the actual villain in the story? They all were, but for different reasons. Nina, who desperately wanted to get out of her marriage, even if that meant she had to use someone in the process. Andy, because he was just pure evil. That type of behavior is never justifiable to inflict on another person. Millie, because she could've found a way to let Andy out, but she didn't and he died. Enzo could've told Millie the truth instead of listening to Nina, though the story would've been over. One thing I liked about the ending was the fact that Nina came to Millie's rescue, forming a sort of friendship between the two ladies.

Recommendation

Given my assessment, I highly recommend this book to anyone who likes psychological thrillers. The story was good and the writing decent, but the fast pace will keep you turning the pages. I don't think I'll be reading another book by this author because I don't like the psychological aspect. Although, I should never say never. Happy reading!