This review contains spoilers. I wrote my thoughts down about the book as I went, in chronological order.
”The Housemaid” (on page 160 right now or about to begin chapter 32) – up to this point some things have been pretty predictable like I knew Millie and Andrew would end up sleeping together. I think that it’s pretty crazy why Nina got sent to the psychiatric ward… definitely different I’ll give the author that but the reason given for her psychiatric stay was odd in a way of “trying too hard” to give some shocking reason that was well…. pretty ridiculous… given the fact that Nina never got charged for such a horrendous thing. I think you can tell that Millie has low self esteem due to her background and how she tries to justify the mistreatment she gets from Nina. At this point I’m wandering what Enzo knows. And thus far it was a very interesting read when Nina called Millie out for being in prison and how she called her out – that has definitely been one of my favorite twists so far that I wasn’t expecting to go down quite like that. Nina roasted Millie with her comments. And it was pretty predictable that the playbill Millie kept would be found that she just so happened and HAD to save. Knowing Nina is a psycho she should’ve known better than to save that even if it was sentimental because Nina already caused her problems and was vulgar in her speech to her on top of Cecelia being a brat.
I do have to mention this has been a page turner thus far and I’m now staying up late at this point and would rather read this book than do just about anything else, so that’s always a good sign.
It was totally predictable that in some way, form, or fashion that Nina would be monitoring Millie’s phone somehow and I was right… Patrice said she had a tracker on it to see where Millie was at all times!
I think this book is an easy read for people like me with ADHD (mine is currently not being treated) because the author makes sure to get the point across, which I appreciate. Some parts definitely remind me of a small taste of nostalgia from some of the happenings in my childhood R.L. Stine books like when Nina gets locked into the bedroom and asked to pull out her hair and then told to redo it. I think it’s horrifying how Andrew framed Nina, and what he did to Cecelia. Crazy, honestly. And his reasonings behind locking her in the room are stupid like “your roots are showing”, and “appreciate electricity” – but then again that just show cases how demented Andrew is and how calculating he is with how he staged and premeditated everything. He truly made Nina think she was crazy which I have no idea how, I mean I’m sure she wanted to believe he was perfect and she definitely had a lot of naivety. I honestly just think she wanted it so bad to be this perfect relationship. I can say it’s not too far fetched when I think about it in my own life dealings for her to put with some of the things that went on because as a victim you try to justify the behavior of the abuser and it’s a vicious cycle of the abuser being super mean and then super super super nice. Then top off the fact that he threatened that if she did leave then Cecelia would be taken away from her and she would be thrown into a psychiatric ward. Andrew was the worst thing that ever happened to her in contrast to what she thought was the best thing, for sure.
Looking back at the beginning of the book I was thinking how Nina was such a psycho and now I’m thinking how Andrew is such a psycho. omg.
At this point, if I were Nina I would take Cece and go to a different country and just try starting life over. But I know it’s not as easy as it may sound. (revision: I see she tried doing that and he found her new license and passport in the safety deposit box. ughhh. I knew it couldn’t be THAT easy.)
Wow, I’m at page 290 and this book has really got me interested and FAST page turning at this point. I did not expect at ALL for Andrew to be locked in the room. I figured it would be another predictable scenario where he goes on to marry and torture Millie but… wow I’m so glad Nina left the pepper spray in the bucket. This really is such a good twist written by the author for sure. I find it ludicrous that Andrew locked Millie in the bedroom for “treating books the wrong way” because she didn’t put them up.
I honestly was not expecting for Andrew to die. For a second, I thought that he got out when Millie said she didn’t see him on the camera and then she did. I think it was pretty bizarre of a reaction at the funeral that Evelyn gave to Nina about “teaching her son a lesson”. I think it’s coincidental that the police that showed up ended up being Andrew’s ex-fiancee’s dad before Nina and he happened to have a connection in the coroner’s office to make it look like a tragic accident and “cautionary” tale, but the again there are crooked politics everywhere.
Then you get a small preview of the second book and what it may look like. I can’t believe Millie accepted the job at Lisa’s house when she put together what Lisa meant by “helping her out”. But I guess she believes she needs to help people.. I just think at this point she “helped her friend who got raped, spent 15 years in prison”, killed Andrew and got away with it, and now will put her self back in a position to kill possibly and probably a third time and undoubtedly get away with it somehow.
All, in all, the very last few pages and chapters of this book I absolutely could not stop reading. It makes me excited to read the next book in this series which I will get through just as quickly as this one, I’m sure. I already wish the third book was out, because I’m a completionist for definite.
by Main-Group-603