“The Housemaid Is Watching” Review + Book Club Questions
Dearest Reader,
I hope you are well. I have yet to release my Bridgerton obsession. However, today we are not talking about 18th-century England dramas but a mystery that takes place on Long Island.
Review
The Housemaid Is Watching is Freida McFadden's newest book in her "Housemaid" series. In the series, she has The Housemaid, The Housemaid's Secret, and now The Housemaid Is Watching. I was reading the intro and discovered that Freida has a plethora of other books published as well. She is also a practicing physician specializing in brain injury. This made me admire her a bit more. There is something about a multifaceted woman making her own rules that inspires me. Plus, she seems low-key. All the end says about her is that she enjoys her beach home and spending time with her family. This is the level of peace I aspire to.
Anyway, I've read the other two Housemaid books and loved them. They were thrilling, shocking, and Freida's voice creating Millie was really funny and interesting to me. So I was pretty excited to dive into the newest one.
Here is where things begin to spoil. So, if you aren't done reading the book and want zero spoilers, I recommend stopping here and coming back. I'm always happy to have you back when you are ready.
Ok, now that we've saved our friends from ruining things for themselves, let's chat. I feel saddened saying this didn't live up to my expectations. While it is still considerably a good book, there are a lot of things I either did not enjoy or still don't fully make sense to me. It paled in comparison to the other two books in this series.
Let’s get into it. There were honest-to-God points when I wanted to shake Enzo by the shoulders. I hope I am not alone in this. I admire Millie for not losing her mind because this man was so forgetful and communicated so poorly at times. All of this "I was worried about your health" reasoning he had to justify why he wasn’t telling her things was grinding my gears. It is more stressful NOT to know what's going on than to ponder the various scenarios, in my opinion anyway.
I wrote some notes while reading, and one of them was: frustrated (scribbled furiously on a sticky note). I was very, very frustrated with how Enzo was portrayed in this book. If you couldn’t tell from above. I felt like it didn't suit him and who we have grown to know. For myself, it was also tiring to watch Millie be so patient. The pace wasn’t as rapid as the other books; however, I did finish in 4 days.
There was enough drama happening to keep my interest peaked. The ending didn’t pack a punch for me. If I’m being honest, I was hoping Nico was showing early signs of being a psychopath (for the plot). Millie’s voice carried me through. I don’t think this is a popular opinion. I found her funny at points, especially as she has aged. I thought Freida did a great job writing from a child’s perspective as well (Ada). The way she crafts words makes it as though I can hear Ada and Millie’s voices very distinctly in my head.
I would read the other two books in the series before this one and save this one for last. I say this because they are in chronological order. I also do think it’s worthwhile to read if you’ve read the rest of the series. It’s not going to be your favorite of the three and that’s ok.
Overall, this was a 6.5/10 for me (🌟🌟🌟).
Now that I am done ranting, I think it’s a wonderful book club pick (for those who are into the series). I say this because clearly, it stirs up a lot of opinions and thought-provoking situations.
Without further ado, below are some book club questions you can use for your book club.
Book Club Questions
What is your overall book rating?
What did you think about Freida McFadden’s writing style?
What did you think about the pace of the book?
McFadden employs many tactics to have readers begin to distrust Enzo. What were some of those tactics? What was Enzo’s biggest act of distrust for you in this book?
Which character did you most relate to?
Which character worried you the most?
If your husband came home at 3 in the morning, after leaving bed without you knowing, and he smelled of the neighbor's perfume, regardless of how much you trusted him, how would you approach this? Would you react how Millie did?
Was it shocking to you that Ada was the narrating voice of the first chapter? Was it shocking to you that Martha ended up being the true killer? Who was your prime suspect?
Mr. Lowell was found dead with his throat slashed. We later discovered it was not Ada who murdered him, but Martha who slashed his throat. Yet the police found the knife in Millie’s home. How did the knife get returned? Did Martha return it?
When Millie caught Martha stealing, why do you think Martha threatened Millie rather than reveal her true circumstances? Was this believable to you?
Nico acts out in a lot of different ways after being exposed to the room at the Lowells. This is a good example of trauma impacting someone's behavior. What are some instances where trauma is influencing other characters in the book?
Suzette claims she didn’t know her husband was a pedophile and murdered a young boy until recently. Do you believe she only found out once Nico was cleaning their house and discovered the small room with toys?
Mr. Lowell approached Millie to call off Nico cleaning the Lowells' home claiming Nico “broke some plates”. All while Sizzette watched from inside the house. Suzette also had an altercation with Nico in the ocean, essentially threatening him not to tell his parents about the room while making her husband stay ashore. Why do you think she puppeteers maintaining her husband’s innocence? Do you think she is so motivated by money and her lifestyle that she would condemn such a crime? Or do you think there is more to the story? If so, what do you think?
If you could rewrite the ending, what would you write?
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Until next time, my dearest reader.
