Author: Freida McFadden
Genre: Thriller, Mystery, Suspense
Personal Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ / ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (5 out of 5 stars)
It’s been a while since I enjoyed an adult mystery. I’m more of a YA fantasy reader so enjoying this thriller was a pleasant surprise.
In this story, we start following Millie, a young ex-con who’s trying to put her life back together. We join her interview with Nina Winchester, a housewife in a rich neighborhood. As part of the interview, she was shown her potential room: a small attic that looks the opposite of how the rest of the rich household. Something about it makes her skin crawl but she accepts the job anyway because it’s better than living in her car. As soon as she settles in, she realizes that it locks from the outside. The next few weeks will be filled with bizarre behavior from her employer, Nina, and a developing romance with her employer’s husband, Andrew. She’s most determined to keep her job even if it means enduring Nina’s mood swings and doing her best to avoid having an affair with Nina’s perfect husband, Andrew, who grows tired of Nina by the minute. One of them will die but it’s not going to be what it seems.
The suspense builds up really well. Right out of the first few chapters, I felt just as uncomfortable as Millie and everything screams ‘something’s not right.’ However, her character-building was so well done that I understood why she couldn’t just walk away. The plot twist in the middle made me gasp and it kept me at the edge of my seat. It turns out that the characters are harboring secrets that were excellently divulged at just the right moments. To top it all off, the ending gave me chills.
I’m honestly not sure how the sequel will go. To me, this wrapped up perfectly; and having their secrets out already removed the element of surprise. However, I’m willing to give it a chance. If it’s going to be as well-written as this one, then I’m all in!
The Stray Reader 
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