The Housemaid's Secret by Freida McFadden #BookReview - The Books of Ours

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The Housemaid's Secret

Identitas Buku

Penulis: Freida McFadden 

Penerbit: London : Bookouture, 2023

Tebal buku: 346 halaman ; 20 cm

ISBN: 9780349132600

Genre: Psychological Thriller / Fiksi

Fakta Menarik

Di balik plot-plot mind-blowing yang ia tulis, Freida McFadden ternyata menjalani dua dunia sekaligus. Ia menulis novel sambil tetap berpraktik sebagai dokter neurologi. Latar belakang medis inilah yang jadi “senjata rahasia”-nya, adegan medis di ceritanya terasa super realistis, detail, dan bikin pembaca mikir: ini beneran fiksi, kan… bukan laporan medis sungguhan?

Mari kita ulas

Melanjutkan kisah dari The Housemaid, Millie kembali berjuang mencari pekerjaan untuk menopang hidupnya. Kali ini, ia bekerja bersama Enzo sebagai agen yang membantu menyelesaikan masalah rumah tangga para klien mereka. Namun, dengan latar belakang kriminal yang dimilikinya, Millie tetap kesulitan mendapatkan pekerjaan formal.

Akhirnya, Millie Calloway kembali ke peran lamanya dengan melamar sebagai asisten rumah tangga, kali ini untuk keluarga Garrick yang kaya raya. Berbeda dari buku pertama, The Housemaid’s Secret lebih menyoroti rahasia gelap pasangan Douglas dan Wendy Garrick. Ketika Millie mencium noda darah dan mendengar jeritan misterius, ia terdorong untuk melindungi sang nyonya rumah… sambil tetap menyembunyikan rahasianya sendiri.

Opiniku

Aku literally langsung ke toko buku setelah nonton film The Housemaid, dan langsung beli The Housemaid’s Secret alias buku keduanya. Soal kontinuitas, menurutku cukup oke—alur dari novel pertama (yang sudah difilmkan) ke novel kedua (yang belum difilmkan) masih cukup jelas.

Walaupun ada beberapa detail yang nggak terlalu di-highlight di film, misalnya fakta bahwa Millie sempat pacaran dengan Enzo, yang ternyata cukup penting untuk masuk ke cerita buku kedua.

Sekarang soal bukunya: aku suka banget plot-nya. Ceritanya terasa fresh dan beda dari buku pertama, walaupun tujuan Millie masih sama yaitu menjadi agen yang membantu para istri yang terjebak dalam pernikahan toksik. Plot twist-nya benar-benar nggak ketebak, dan sukses bikin aku mikir ulang tentang semua yang sudah terjadi sebelumnya.

Satu benang merah yang masih sama dari cerita sebelumnya adalah… yup, isu perselingkuhan lagi 😅. Sepertinya tema ini memang jadi ciri khas tersendiri.

Overall? OK banget.

FYI, setahuku The Housemaid’s Secret belum tersedia versi Bahasa Indonesia, jadi saat ini masih available dalam versi bahasa Inggris original. Kabar baiknya, buat kamu yang baru mulai baca buku berbahasa Inggris, bahasanya cukup mudah dipahami dan nggak terlalu berat.

Rating dariku

4/5 ⭐

English Version | 🇺🇲

Fun Fact

Behind her mind-blowing plots, Freida McFadden actually lives a double life. While writing novels, she also continues to practice as a neurologist. This medical background becomes her secret weapon—making the medical scenes in her stories feel incredibly realistic, detailed, and sometimes leaving readers wondering: wait… this is fiction, right? Not an actual medical report?

Here come the review

Continuing the story from The Housemaid, Millie is once again struggling to find stable work to support her life. This time, she teams up with Enzo as an agent who helps clients deal with their troubled marriages. However, Millie’s criminal past still makes it difficult for her to secure a formal job.

Eventually, Millie Calloway returns to her old role by applying as a housemaid, this time for the wealthy Garrick family. Unlike the first book, The Housemaid’s Secret shifts its focus to the dark secrets of Douglas and Wendy Garrick. When Millie notices bloodstains and hears mysterious screams, she is driven to protect the lady of the house—while hiding secrets of her own.

My Opinion

I literally went straight to the bookstore after watching The Housemaid movie and immediately bought The Housemaid’s Secret, the second book in the series. In terms of continuity, I think it works quite well—the transition from the first novel (which has been adapted into a film) to the second novel (which hasn’t been adapted yet) is still fairly clear.

There are a few details that weren’t fully highlighted in the movie—such as Millie’s past relationship with Enzo—which turns out to be quite important when jumping into the second book.

As for the book itself: I really loved the plot. It feels fresh and different from the first story, even though Millie’s goal remains the same—helping wives escape toxic marriages. The plot twists are genuinely unpredictable and made me rethink everything I thought I knew about the story.

One recurring theme that still appears is… yes, infidelity 😅. It seems to be a signature element in this series.

Overall? It’s really good.

FYI, as far as I know, The Housemaid’s Secret is not yet available in an Indonesian translation, so it’s currently only available in its original English version. The good news is, for those who are just starting to read English books, the language is quite easy to understand and not too heavy.

My Rating

4/5 ⭐