The Housemaid is Watching

Third book of The Housemaid series. I never planned to read this, but since the movie is coming out soon, I thought why not give it a go? It turned out quite disappointing, but my expectations weren’t high, so I see it as a decent way to pass time.

Millie is back, with her husband Enzo and their two children, aged 9 and 11. They move into a new house, and Millie is very excited about it. They meet their neighbors: Suzette, who is very friendly but loves to brag, and Janice, who is paranoid, judgmental, and extremely nosy.

Millie’s children both have a hard time settling in after the move. Her outgoing but slightly reckless son adapts faster, while her overly mature daughter remains quiet and sad.

Suzette invites them over for dinner and shamelessly flirts with Enzo. Things start to get weird when Enzo begins going to Suzette’s house multiple times a day, claiming he’s helping with her lawn, and even sneaks out at night. When Millie questions him, he responds with more questions, saying things like, “You know I won’t cheat on you, right?” which only makes it more suspicious.

Things escalate when Suzette’s husband is killed (this happens about 60% into the book), and Enzo becomes highly suspicious in connection with the incident. He eventually confesses, but things turn out very differently from what we expect.

🚨 SPOILER ALERT

Many parts of the story simply don’t add up, and a lot of it is just WEIRD — like, who would actually do this in real life? Many plot points feel unnecessary and unimportant.

I don’t understand Millie’s obsession with the house. With the final reveal, it feels completely unrealistic that a housemaid could manipulate an estate agent into lowering the price just because of something she said.

As for her son Nico: he behaves badly, and Millie punishes him by grounding him at home and making him do chores at the neighbor’s house. Like… what? As a mother with basic common sense, wouldn’t it make more sense to pay closer attention to him and care about his well-being?

Enzo’s behavior is also very questionable. The way he keeps secrets from Millie shows how little he trusts her, which makes no sense, considering she’s THE Housemaid, someone capable of murder to protect the weak. Enzo’s character feels completely inconsistent here, and it’s a huge red flag for the book.

When the final reveal shows that the real culprit is Suzette’s husband, my eyes rolled all the way back. The book never clearly explains what he actually did. Is he a pedophile? Was Millie’s son assaulted? All the book says is that he locked Nico in a room and let him play with toys. Yes, you read that right.

Overall, the third book is neither convincing nor entertaining. The plot feels amateurish and full of question marks. The Housemaid series can stop here.