The Housemaid is a fast-paced psychological thriller about Millie, a woman with a criminal past who becomes a housemaid for the wealthy Winchester family. The book features multiple twists, dark themes of abuse, and a shocking mid-book perspective shift that changes everything readers thought they knew.
What The Housemaid Is About
The Housemaid follows Millie Calloway, a young woman who has just left prison. She’s living in her car and desperate for work. No one will hire her because of her criminal record.
When Nina Winchester offers her a live-in housemaid position, Millie accepts immediately. The job comes with room and board at the Winchester mansion on Long Island. It seems perfect.
But Nina’s behavior is strange. She makes messes just to watch Millie clean them. She lies about things that just happened. Her husband, Andrew, seems kind at first, but something feels wrong.
The room Millie sleeps in only locks from the outside.
Who Wrote The Housemaid
Freida McFadden is a physician who writes psychological thrillers. She published several self-published books before The Housemaid became her breakout hit in 2022.
The book sold over 2 million copies. It spent 60 weeks on The New York Times bestseller list. In 2024, it was the best-selling novel in France with over 630,000 copies sold.
McFadden won the 2023 International Thriller Writers Award for The Housemaid. She’s now one of the most talked-about thriller authors on social media.
The book gained massive attention on BookTok. Readers either love her work or find it juvenile. There’s rarely a middle ground.
What Makes The Housemaid Popular
This book went viral on TikTok and dominated Facebook reading groups. Young readers discovered it first, then it spread to mainstream audiences.
The short chapters make it addictive. Most readers finish it in one or two sittings. The book moves fast and doesn’t waste time on description or backstory.
A movie adaptation is released on December 19, 2025. Sydney Sweeney plays Millie and Amanda Seyfried plays Nina. Brandon Sklenar takes the role of Andrew. Director Paul Feig adapted the screenplay.
The film differs from the book in several key ways, especially the ending.
The Plot Without Spoilers
Millie needs this job. Her criminal record makes finding work nearly impossible. She spent the last month sleeping in her car.
Nina Winchester seems scattered and emotional. She assigns impossible cleaning tasks. She accuses Millie of things she didn’t do. She creates chaos, then blames Millie for it.
Andrew appears to be the stable one. He’s successful, handsome, and sympathetic. He seems trapped in a marriage with an unstable wife.
Enzo, the Italian gardener, tries to warn Millie about danger. His English is limited. He can’t explain what he means.
The attic bedroom becomes important. It locks from the outside. Previous maids scratched marks on the door.
The Writing Style and Pacing
McFadden writes in short, punchy chapters. Most are only a few pages long. This makes the book incredibly fast to read.
The style is simple and direct. There’s minimal description. No complex sentences. No literary flourishes.
You can finish this book in 3-4 hours. It’s designed to be consumed quickly. Think popcorn thriller, not literary fiction.
The first-person narration keeps you inside Millie’s head. You only know what she knows. This matters for the twist.
Characters You’ll Meet
Millie Calloway is your narrator. She’s young, desperate, and hiding her past. She went to prison for a violent crime. She’s not always likable, but she’s trying to survive.
Nina Winchester is the employer. She’s blonde, wealthy, and falling apart. Her behavior swings from childish to cruel. You can’t tell if she’s truly unstable or something else is happening.
Andrew Winchester runs a successful business. He presents as calm and reasonable. He seems like the victim of Nina’s instability. He becomes important to Millie.
Cecelia is their young daughter. She’s difficult and spoiled. Her relationship with her parents seems strained.
Enzo speaks broken English and works on the grounds. He knows something is wrong. He can’t communicate it clearly.
The Twist That Changes Everything
Halfway through, the book shifts perspective. You suddenly see events from Nina’s point of view.
Everything you thought you understood flips. The person you trusted isn’t trustworthy. The person you doubted was right all along.
This twist works because McFadden hides information without lying to you. She uses Millie’s limited perspective to mislead readers naturally.
Some readers guess it early. Others are completely shocked. Your mileage will vary based on how many thrillers you’ve read.
The twist is the book’s biggest strength. It recontextualizes everything that came before.
Content You Should Know About
This book deals with domestic abuse in graphic detail. Andrew is physically and psychologically abusive. He locks Nina in rooms for days. He forces her to endure painful punishments.
The torture scenes are detailed. Characters inflict harm on each other. Some readers find these scenes disturbing or triggering.
There’s violence toward the end. A character dies. The death involves suffering and revenge.
If you’re sensitive to abuse themes, gaslighting, or psychological torture, this book might not be for you. The darkness is real, not just hinted at.
Sexual content is minimal but present. There’s an affair and brief intimate scenes.
What Readers Love About It
The pacing keeps you turning pages. You’ll want to know what happens next. The book is hard to put down once you start.
The twists genuinely surprise many readers. Even thriller fans who usually predict endings say they didn’t see this coming.
The ending provides satisfaction. You get closure. The bad people face consequences. Justice happens, even if it’s messy.
It’s entertaining without requiring deep thought. You can enjoy it as pure escapism.
What Readers Criticize
The writing quality is basic. Sentences are simple to the point of being juvenile. There’s little nuance or subtext.
Some plot points stretch believability. The ending involves coincidences that feel convenient. Character decisions don’t always make sense.
Character development is thin. People exist to serve the plot. You don’t get deep psychological insight beyond what the twist requires.
Descriptions of Nina’s appearance become repetitive. The text mentions her smudged lipstick and disheveled look constantly.
The Housemaid Movie vs. Book
The movie was released on December 19, 2025. Paul Feig directed. Sydney Sweeney, Amanda Seyfried, and Brandon Sklenar star.
The film changes the ending significantly. In the book, Andrew dies slowly from dehydration while locked in the attic. In the movie, he falls down the stairs and dies instantly.
The torture scenes differ. The book uses psychological punishments like balancing books. The movie makes them more visceral and violent.
Enzo’s role is smaller in the film. In the book, he’s crucial to Nina’s plan and helps throughout.
Reading the book first means you know the twist going in. Watching first preserves the surprise but might make the book feel repetitive.
Should You Read The Sequels
The Housemaid’s Secret came out in February 2023. It follows Millie and Enzo as they help another woman in an abusive situation.
The Housemaid Is Watching was released in June 2024. Millie and Enzo are married with kids. They have their own housemaid. The story comes full circle.
You should read them in order. The books reference events from earlier installments. Characters develop across the series.
Most readers prefer the first book. The sequels don’t capture the same shock value. You can read Book One as a standalone and stop there.
Who Will Love This Book
You’ll enjoy The Housemaid if you want a quick, entertaining thriller. It’s perfect for a weekend read or a long flight.
Fans of domestic suspense will find familiar themes. If you liked books about toxic marriages and dark household secrets, this fits that category.
People in reading slumps often use this book to restart their reading habit. The short chapters and fast pace make it easy to stay engaged.
BookTok readers will recognize why this book went viral. It has all the elements social media loves: shocking twists, quick pacing, and discussion-worthy moments.
If plot matters more to you than prose, you’ll overlook the simple writing. The story moves fast enough to compensate.
Who Should Skip It
Literary fiction readers won’t find what they’re looking for. The prose is functional, not beautiful. There’s no deeper meaning to unpack.
If you prefer character-driven stories, this won’t satisfy you. Characters serve the plot. They don’t feel like fully realized people.
Readers sensitive to domestic abuse should avoid this book. The themes are central and graphic, not background elements.
People who dislike predictable thrillers might guess the twist early. Once you see it coming, the book loses its main appeal.
If you need realistic plots, the ending will frustrate you. Several convenient coincidences wrap things up too neatly.
Final Verdict
The Housemaid delivers exactly what it promises: a fast, twisty thriller that entertains. It’s not deep or literary. It’s not trying to be.
McFadden understands pacing. She knows when to reveal information and when to hold back. The twist works because she earns it through careful plotting.
The writing quality holds it back from greatness. Better prose would make the characters feel real. More nuance would make the themes resonate deeper.
But for pure entertainment? It succeeds. You’ll finish it quickly. You’ll talk about the twist with friends. You might even read the sequels.
It’s worth reading if you want an easy thriller that keeps you guessing. Just don’t expect it to be more than that.
