Reviews with content warning for Forced institutionalization - The Housemaid

The writing was okay, but the trauma porn... This was so unethical and wrong. Highly disturbing.
In terms of plot: if you've read 'Girl on the train' and/or 'Last Mrs Parrish' you've read this one. The wrap up of the story also felt... too smooth. Nope nope nope.

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liliya_klein's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

It was definitely a page-turner of a book. The twist was predictable but still interesting but the ending was a sad trombone gif (if they made sound gifs).

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emilylott's review

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dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

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____nique's review

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dark funny fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

I kept seeing this on the Facebook Book Club I joined, and I decided to read it because I hadn't seen any negative reviews. At first, I assumed that this would be a boring and cringey thriller book because the plot reminded me of Hoover's Verity. But it was a good book! Although the plot is a little predictable to me, I still enjoy reading it. I like how the author turned the story into an advocacy piece for ending violence against women and children. Also, its creepiness was balanced; it wasn't overly creepy or disturbing. I also compared Andrew, the villain, to Ramsay Bolton from Game of Thrones. I also like how fast-paced the book is; if I had continued reading it on the day I downloaded it, I could have finished it in one sitting. However, I'm having second thoughts about reading the sequel books because I'm afraid I'll find the story repetitive and redundant, ruining the story for me. However, I believe Freida McFadden is a good modern thriller writer!! Love it.

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samantha914's review

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dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

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paperbacksandsnacks's review

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challenging dark mysterious sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

This book reminded me why I love thrillers and how incredible they can be when written well. And this was phenomenal. The hype truly is worth it.

The writing style is addictive, and super atmospheric. Immediately when starting this book it felt tense and eerie and like anything could happen. Parts of this felt predictable and at first I was like “I don’t get the hype, why is everyone acting like this is something new” but thennn the twists began. And I realised the predictability is there to make you feel comfortable, to make the twists even more shocking and unexpected. It’s a book that’s written so cleverly. I truly could not have predicted how this story went, it was just twist after twist. That part 2 twist had me SHOOK.

My one complaint is some of the comments about body size and image. I think it could potentially be triggering for some people. A woman who is mentioned to be a size 14 which is a very average and normal mid size body, who is being spoken about in certain critical ways I think is very outdated and not necessarily relevant to what the author was building here. For me this didn’t take away from the story or quality of the thriller itself, but it is something to note.

I understand that Andrew obviously prefers a skinny woman so it was building up to that affair he had with Millie, but I think this could have been referenced without shaming a very common body type. The complimentary focus of a skinnier frame and a critical one of a very normal frame is dated and I think probably a little cruel. To discuss eating habits too is also potentially very triggering.

This whole story was unhinged from start to finish, and full of unexpected turns. I felt icky throughout and so tense, which for me is just the mark of an excellent psych thriller. The pacing was impeccable, the reveals excellently timed. The characters were so well thought out too. Just amazing, amazing writing. And with the way this book ended I anticipate I will be reading the sequel VERY soon.

I wish all thrillers were this good.

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k8lynn's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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yeahok's review

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dark mysterious tense fast-paced

Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No

3.75

I liked this book and look forward to continuing with the series. This story had many twists and turns and I could not really predict the outcome. My major gripe in the story was there was not one likable character. Not. One. I also felt the ending was a bit rushed and seemed pretty unrealistic.

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