The Housemaid Review:

I want to start out by saying I read the Housemaid for two reasons: I saw it plastered everywhere and one of my friends told me to read it. I got this on audiobook, and I need to start out by saying that a HUGE amount of praise is needed for the audio narration. The accent the narrator used was believable, and I absolutely loved how distinct it made it sound.

As for the novel, I generally liked it. Thriller isn’t my main genre, but I’ve been branching out. I really appreciated that we had a sympathetic character in Millie and she had some good character flaws that were well utilized. She felt like a real character, and she was admirable.

My issue, however, is more so with the way that Nina is written. She plays the role of the employer and wife to Andrew. I like Nina, however, at times she really feels like a cartoon villain. I understand her motivation, but the way that she goes about things doesn’t make a ton of sense to me. It did take me out of the story a few times because it just seemed so unbelievably crazy.

Andrew is well painted. However, I would have liked to see him a bit more. There were some good scenes with him: watching TV, coming back from the doctor appointment with Nina, but I would have liked one or two more to play a role.

Enzo I have generally good opinions on, however, similar to Andrew, I felt like he needed to come in more. But, notwithstanding, I found the characters solid and I did enjoy the story as it unfolded.

The writing was clear and more stripped which made it easy to listen to on audiobook. I tend to gravitate to more built up prose, but the writing was serviceable, and I appreciated writing that reads effortlessly.

The Last Mrs. Parrish Review

Where to begin?

This novel is one of the most unusual books I’ve read. I read it because of the comparisons and alleged plagiarism, that The Housemaid essentially used this novel as the source material. While I don’t agree with that claim, I do think that they are similar, however, I found The Last Mrs. Parrish superior.

Some background about this novel: it is split POV, following Daphne, AKA Mrs. Parrish, and Amber, the new girl and con artist. There’s also the husband who doesn’t have a POV, Jackson. I’ve never read anything like Amber’s perspective. She’s evil, cold, calculated, and, in some ways, understandable. I was actively rooting against her, which is a sentiment that I think lots will share that have read this book. It was refreshing to follow the villain’s POV.

In contrast, I loved Daphne. She was kind, sweet, and generous. However, we don’t get her POV until around 50% through the story. And I find her POV to be very refreshing and a welcome reprieve. It’s heartbreaking in parts too.

The writing itself is very polished and has more literary elements to it with flowery language, symbolism (turtles), and distinct voice. I truly felt like I knew both of these women, and I could even picture Jackson as a real person.

While there are some common tropes, I didn’t find those to deter me because the inversion of what I anticipated from Amber was so different that I welcomed a trope to keep me guarded. I also absolutely loved the ending. I loved it so much that I doubted a sequel and prequel were necessary. This stands so well on its own as a complete story.

Incredible.

Where Does it Leave Us?

To summarize, I think the better book is The Last Mrs. Parrish. If you’re reading the book physically and are in the mood for something darker but with a satisfying ending, choose The Last Mrs. Parrish. If you’re looking for something a bit more light-hearted and/or are listening to the audiobook, I recommend The Housemaid.

The Last Mrs. Parrish is really layered, and I absolutely loved it. I wish I had actually read it first, but while people say that both books are similar (or even accuse Freida of plagiarizing), the peripheral details are starkly different. Both are good, but space out reading them.