In 2022, Freida McFadden gained popularity for her thriller book The Housemaid, but unfortunately, the latest book in the series, The Housemaid is Watching, is missing what made the first two spectacular. The Housemaid Is Watching is the third installment in the highly anticipated thriller book series, The Housemaid, which gained traction after becoming popular on Booktok. Before writing these books, McFadden had already published a number of popular thrillers, including Never Lie, The Inmate, and The Teacher.

The Housemaid books follow Millie, a housemaid by trade who tries to keep her dark secrets from her rich employers. In the first novel, Millie gets a job with the wealthy Winchester family, but their working relationship sours when the family's matriarch, Nina, proves more dangerous than previously thought. The Housemaid's Secret sees Millie's new job at the Garricks' penthouse, but the couple seem to have as many secrets as she does. Now, The Housemaid Is Watching's story takes a different approach than its predecessors, and it has seen varying degrees of success.

The Housemaid Is Watching Is The Lowest-Rated Book In Freida McFadden's Series

The Housemaid Is Watching Has A 3.96

Of Freida McFadden's Housemaid trilogy, her newest book is the worst-rated. While The Housemaid earned a 4.33 stars on Goodreads, and The Housemaid's Secret has a 4.25, The Housemaid Is Watching has only garnered a 3.96. There could be a few reasons for this. First and foremost, The Housemaid Is Watching has only been out for a month. In this way, it has far fewer ratings than its predecessors, so it still has a chance at improving its score. However, the reviews that have been made already speak volumes about the book's quality.

The Housemaid may have more ratings than The Housemaid Is Watching, but already the first book's reviews are more positive than the third one's. 49% of The Housmaid's ratings are five stars, while only 11% are three stars. On the other hand, only 31% of The Housemaid Is Watching's ratings are five stars, while 24% are three stars. This shows that, among the 120,000 readers who have rated The Housemaid Is Watching, a good deal of them have considered the book to be more average than good. It seems unlikely that having more readers can change this fact.

The Third Housemaid Book Forgets What Makes The Original Great

The Housemaid Is No Longer A Maid

The big issue that has likely hurt The Housemaid Is Watching is the fact that the titular housemaid is no longer a maid. In the third book, Millie moves her family to a nice home as a way to leave her past behind. However, suspicious activity seems to follow Millie everywhere, leading her to be wary of her new neighbor, her neighbor's maid, and the figure who has been following her around the neighborhood. While this premise offers plenty of intrigue, it simply isn't what The Housemaid has always been about: inequality.

Millie's job highlighted the ways in which class differences can be incredibly dangerous.

One of the best parts of The Housemaid series was the way Millie could go under the radar as a housemaid. Her peers never expected much of her, and therefore, she could discover secrets that she never would have uncovered before. Being a maid became a superpower, and an opportunity to find out important truths. Plus, Millie's job highlighted the ways that class differences can be incredibly dangerous. However, with Millie giving up her job in The Housemaid Is Watching, the book feels like it is part of an entirely different series.

Freida McFadden's Series Should End With The 2024 Book

The Housemaid Is Watching Has Ruined The Chance At A Sequel

Based on reviews of The Housemaid Is Watching, the Freida McFadden series needs to come to an end. With Millie now in the suburbs, the original premise has transformed completely, and any future books would only change it more. There is no way that Millie can go back to being a maid now that she has left the profession. It is unfortunate that The Housemaid Is Watching isn't the smash hit that its predecessors were, but the book is by no means a failure so it wouldn't make a bad series ending.

Regardless of The Housemaid Is Watching's success, this thriller series is definitely still worth the read. It is no mistake that the first two books became so popular online. Freida McFadden honed in on a very interesting character via Millie, and her story is incredibly entertaining, even when it takes an unexpected turn in the third book. Overall, The Housemaid thriller series will keep audiences guessing until the very last pages.