Reviews with content warning for Schizophrenia/Psychosis - The Housemaid

This book gave me a full blown anxiety attack. There were so many twists, turns, and unreliable narrators that I couldn't keep track (well, I could, but I just didn't want to! Whom can you trust in a book like this!) Gone Girl has nothing on this book. Sure, Gone Girl was better written, but this book elicited more visceral reactions than Gone Girl. I haven't even compared anything to that book since all psychological dramas/thrillers started comparing themselves to Gone Girl. I think the writing has to be improved. It needed some polish and another pass through with an editor, but the imagery was solid. Some of the phrasing was a little unprofessional, but it painted a vivid picture. All in all, not a pleasant book, but a readable one.

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laurenbaggy's review against another edition

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dark emotional 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? Yes

3.25

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jillybits's review against another edition

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dark mysterious 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

4.5

This is my first time reading a psychological thriller, and this book was such a page turner and I was surprised by the twists! I would say the first half was a tad slow and some of the last lines of the chapter were a bit cliche/basic. However, by the second half, the pace picked up and I couldn’t put the book down until I finished it 😅 The last quarter of the book was a little gruesome for me personally, so I’m not sure if I’ll read the sequel. But if you’re into psychological thrillers, I would recommend this as an easy, quick read.

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