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A review by kt2e56
The Housemaid by Freida McFadden
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
The narrator was awful (begging more voice actors to learn what an actual Brooklyn accent sounds like. Also she outright just didn’t know how to pronounce simple words? Is there no editing in Audiobooks?) and both Millie and Nina were competing in the Pick Me! Olympics and were really frustrating to read about because they both felt so completely underdeveloped .
It’s weird how little detail McFadden gives us. Is this a new trend? Taylor Jenkins Reid writes like this too. They just assume “a large, expensive looking room” or “white pants” are enough when none of that actually paints a picture for me as a reader. There was more detail (like ten pages worth) and description when Nina accidentally squirts breast milk everywhere at work than there is like anything else in this book.
AlsoMillie’s backstory makes zero sense to me. You’d think someone who spent 10 years in prison would have more street smarts and common sense but no. She makes the most absurd mistakes.
And she really leans HARD into the whole “pick me!” NLOG thing. It was hard not to roll my eyes every time she said something along the lines of “Nina is an ugly fat bitch unlike me who is sexy and petite and model gorgeous (despite doing 10 years in prison then living in my car for months) but also young and fertile.” Like girl, STAND UP. Have some self respect lmfao. No man is worth it. Especially not the blank void of a character that is Andrew (we just know he’s hot but we’re never given much description part that and even before shit gets crazy, he has no personality at all).
Nina and Enzo’s scheme also makes ZERO sense. And is pretty revolting tbh. It’s weird that they both really thought setting up another woman to be tortured by Andrew was a good idea. This is another example of an author being so wrapped up in having a twist that they forgot how to actually develop one that makes sense.
This was a fast listen and entertaining enough so 2.5 stars is I think an adequate rating but yeah, the author has a lot of work to do before writing anything else 😬
It’s weird how little detail McFadden gives us. Is this a new trend? Taylor Jenkins Reid writes like this too. They just assume “a large, expensive looking room” or “white pants” are enough when none of that actually paints a picture for me as a reader. There was more detail (like ten pages worth) and description when Nina accidentally squirts breast milk everywhere at work than there is like anything else in this book.
Also
And she really leans HARD into the whole “pick me!” NLOG thing. It was hard not to roll my eyes every time she said something along the lines of “Nina is an ugly fat bitch unlike me who is sexy and petite and model gorgeous (despite doing 10 years in prison then living in my car for months) but also young and fertile.” Like girl, STAND UP. Have some self respect lmfao. No man is worth it.
Nina and Enzo’s scheme also makes ZERO sense. And is pretty revolting tbh. It’s weird that they both really thought setting up another woman to be tortured by Andrew was a good idea.
This was a fast listen and entertaining enough so 2.5 stars is I think an adequate rating but yeah, the author has a lot of work to do before writing anything else 😬
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Body shaming, and Fatphobia