Reviews

The Homemaker by Miranda Rijks

justxis's review

4.0

Good thriller with unexpected twists!

Imogen has the perfect family - a husband who truly cares about her, a lovely small daughter, and two jobs she truly enjoys. But when Imogen realizes she is pregnant again suddenly she doesn’t want this baby at all.

Is she still grieving her mother’s death or there is more to it? Wait for all secrets to pop up!

Same time Imogen finds a new housekeeper Maria, who day by day, step by step intentionally makes her way to become a part of this family. Whatever it costs.

For me, it was a quite fast read, finished the book in one day. The story goes smoothly, twists are crazy and I honestly didn’t see some of it coming!

Characters were a little “what-the-hell-are-you-doing” type and “just-open-your-mouth-and-talk” type, but it matches with the plot! If they act rationally (e.g. if Imogen strictly insisted on some proof, can’t say more without spoilers!) and talk openly about what’s going on, there will be just no story!

One thing I learned is what secrets in a marriage can do

books_by_the_bottle's review

5.0

Imogen has never been so busy - she’s running a bed and breakfast on top of her consulting job, raising a young daughter and now has just found out she’s pregnant. To lighten the load, she hires a housekeeper named Maria to help with the bed and breakfast. It seems like the perfect solution; Maria is a fast worker and has no family of her own, so she is all too eager to work with Imogen’s family. But Maria doesn’t just want to help Imogen’s family; she wants to JOIN Imogen’s family. And unfortunately, she has a secret that may help her do just that.

Miranda Rijks always writes twisty, domestic and psychological thrillers - this one was no different! I was swept away in the frustration Imogen felt and the feeling of it being too good to be true when she found such a perfect housekeeper. I found Imogen’s husband and stepson SO frustrating, but they added to the isolation that she was feeling. Told in dual perspectives, Maria’s chapters were so interesting to me. She clearly has no grip on reality and to see her processing it as though it was normal added to her character. I also was amused that she strictly referred to herself as the “homemaker”, instead of the housekeeper she was hired as. There was also a twist towards the end I did not see coming!

Thank you to Netgalley, Bookouture and Miranda Rijks for the ARC! “The Homemaker” will release October 22, 2023. This review will be shared to my instagram blog (@books_by_the_bottle) shortly.

fuzzywuzzy's review

5.0

This book was so good! It was equal parts thriller and family drama no I thought I was going to get your run of the mill obsessive housekeeper book but this was so much more than that.

Imogen thinks she's hit the jackpot with Maria but boy was she wrong. Maria was a little off her rocker, and wanted things her way. Period. Point blank.

I liked Imogen because I found her to be relatable as a wife and a mom that was just trying to hold everything together. Maria was deliciously awful but what can you expect from the villain?!

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for this ARC!

THE HOMEMAKER is out now!

bookcloud's review

mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

 Maria is looking for a family, and when Imogen hires her as the housekeeper for her small bed and breakfast, it seems like she might’ve found the family she’s searching for until she realizes they aren't as perfect as she thinks.

There is plenty of drama as the story unfolds, with a compelling story that kept me reading to discover how things panned out. The tense atmosphere created from the character dynamics kept me turning the pages.
 

kaz_loves_books's review

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

Here’s my review of The Homemaker : 

This was such an easy book to get into and one I really enjoyed reading. The plot was exceptional and well thought out and made my spine tingle as though someone could be that calculating is beyond me but it shows it can happen. 

Imogen is juggling two businesses and a young daughter plus she is feeling wiped out after her mother’s death a few months ago. She needs help so advertises that there is a job vacancy available. She doesn’t like the first candidate but the second is much more acceptable so she offers her the job. Everything seems great and Maria does much more than she is asked to do and she seems happy to do it, all to get in the good books. Than they find out Imogen is pregnant and has to take things easy, all the more reason for Maria to move in and out of her dingy bedsit! Her suggestion! Josh thinks it’s a great idea so she moves in and slowly starts to take over. Unfortunately, it’s not all she takes over…An absolute humdinger of a book to read, just loved it! It just goes to show that Miranda Rijks is a brilliant author and her books are just getting better.

Blurb : 

Maria always wanted a family. Now she’s found one.

Imogen has never been so busy – she’s juggling two jobs, has a young family and now she’s pregnant again.

Enter Maria, the perfect housekeeper. Hard working and capable, she seems like the ideal solution to Imogen's chaotic life. But Maria isn’t at all what she seems – she has a sinister agenda of her own.

Little by little, she installs herself at the heart of Imogen’s family – doing the school run, cooking meals, caring for Imogen’s little girl.

But once she has won the family’s trust, Maria starts to do some digging. And discovers that Imogen has been keeping a terrible secret, a secret which Maria threatens to reveal unless Imogen starts to run this home the way Maria sees fit.

Caught between a rock and a hard place, Imogen has no choice but to comply.

A terrible mistake. Because as the full scale of Maria’s horrifying plan becomes apparent, Imogen realises that everything she holds dear – her marriage, her family, her friends – all may fall victim to The Homemaker.

The Homemaker – the chilling psychological thriller from the best-selling author of The Visitors and What She Knew.

karenandherbooks's review

5.0

Yet again I'm left with a feeling of how? How does Miranda write these epic stories. 

Every single book I've read of Miranda’s has had me gripped and addicted from page 1. 

This book was no exception and I couldn't put it down. Maria certainly was a piece of work and had an interesting history. 

As always I can't wait for what is next from Miranda.
 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

synnepe's review

dark mysterious tense

5.0

Wow. This book was INTENSE. The characters were amazingly written and Maria actually made me angry, even though I knew she were not real. This book had me gasping and had me putting down my kindle several times. I could not predict how this book would end, and I did not expect any of those plot twists

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Content Warnings

Minor: Rape

mandylovestoread's review

dark emotional tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.5

trinny's review

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

The perils and dangers of allowing a relative stranger into your home is the subject of the latest fast paced psychological thriller by Miranda Rijks. Imogen needs help in her home and Maria needs a family, but putting the 2 women together is a recipe for disaster.
This is an unsettling read at times as Imogens life unravels and Maria becomes more sinister. Told from each women's perspective its a great read 

tayloraugustine's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0