Month: August 2026

Posted in Books, Reviews

Book Review – The Housemaid (Freida McFadden)

Posted on by Katie Night

Hey Dearies!

I know I said I would be taking a break from thrillers, but I just couldn’t help myself! I actually saw the movie trailer, and when I found out it was a book, I wanted to read it before seeing the movie, especially since it looked really good!

Thankfully, the book series is all on Kindle Unlimited, which was even better! I also got this one recommended; it was more the movie than the book, and normally I don’t do thrillers, but I figured if the book was okay, I could handle the thriller.

Plus, since I read the book before the movie, I can review both and tell you if the movie followed the book. I also did find out the second one is also going to be a movie, so I really need to get started on reading the second one before the movie comes out!

So, before I go any further, I want to put in a spoiler alert because I will be talking about both the book and the movie, and if you really want to read or see the movie before, I highly suggest you do!

The book goes back and forth between Nina and Millie’s POV. Nina is the one who is looking for a housemaid and ends up giving Millie an interview to see if she can hire her for a live-in position to help clean, cook, etc. Nina also has a daughter, Cece, whom she didn’t have with her husband Andrew, but he has pretty much been a father figure for her since she was a baby.

Millie gets hired, and that’s when Nina starts changing from being the happy homemaker to being a bitch to her, telling her the wrong information, and being a complete bitch to her on purpose. Nina also does this stuff in front of Andrew, and he starts to take pity on her.

Little does Nina know that she planned for all of this to happen. She wants out of her marriage because Andrew is an abusive asshole who has been treating her like crap, and if she were to try and leave, he already has evidence against her that he would take her own daughter away from her.

The amount of gaslighting Andrew has done to Nina is insane! As soon as they were married is when the fairytale ended, and his control started to take over. Whenever she does something that he doesn’t like, he locks her up in the room in the attic, and she doesn’t get out until she does what she’s told.

Of course, Millie has no idea of it because he seems like a wonderful husband and father. She starts to fall for him, and they have a night where he takes her out to a show, they have dinner, and of course, they both end up sleeping together.

Which was exactly Nina’s plan. Hire an attractive housemaid, treat her like crap in front of her husband, have them be together alone so they sleep with each other, and then have her husband kick her out and leave her for the housemaid.

So, when Andrew admits that he has feelings for Millie, he ends up kicking Nina out of the house. Thankfully, Cece wasn’t there; she was staying at an overnight camp, so she didn’t see or witness anything. Nina acts upset and angry at both of them and finally leaves, but when she does leave, it’s a breath of fresh air because she’s finally free.

Now, if you were like me, you were probably questioning, “Is Andrew going to do the same things to Millie?”

If you answered yes, you are correct!

However, this part is where details are a little different from the book and movie. In the movie, when Millie gets locked in the attic, it’s because she broke his mother’s china set by accident, and he has her cut herself on the stomach with one of the pieces of china that she broke. In the book, she forgets to put away some of the books she borrowed from his library and makes her hold them on her stomach for 3 hours straight.

I know what you are thinking: history is going to repeat itself, and Millie will now be stuck with the abusive Andrew. Well, Nina had this all figured out because little did Andrew know was that Millie had a criminal record.

When she was younger, she saved a friend of hers from being raped, but ended up killing the guy that she saved her friend from and ended up serving time in jail for it. Nina picked her because she knew that if Andrew did the same things to Millie, she would take him out for her.

Now, the way everything happens at the end of the movie is very different from the book. I think the only reason why they switched it up was to make it more of a “thriller” vibe, plus it got Millie and Nina working against Andrew too, which was a nice touch since he treated both of them like crap. I won’t spoil it by going into details, but all I’ll say is justice was served.

Overall, it was a great read! I loved how sucked into this one, I think I finished this one in two days? Once you started reading, you wanted to know how it ends. I also liked the movie; it’s not for everyone. If you’re not a huge fan of blood or abuse, then I don’t recommend watching it.

If you are like me and have watched true crime or crime shows in general, it’s about the same. The book is a little bit tamer, I feel, so if you’d rather not see all that, then the book might be better for you than the movie.

Honestly, the movie did a great job sticking with the details of the book, other than the end. Plus, the actors did a great job of portraying the characters in the book, as well. I know a lot of people don’t like Sydney Sweeney, but I think she did really well in the movie.

They are making a second movie for the second book as we speak; it won’t be out until December of 2027. This gives me and anyone else time to read the second book before it comes out!

Did you see the movie first? Or did you read the book before the movie was even a thing? Let me know down below what you thought!

Posted in Books, Reviews

Book Review – Locked In: Season One (Katelyn Taylor)

Posted on by Katie Night

Hey Dearies!

I thought I was going to take a break from thrillers, but my friend convinced me to read this one. I got more curious about it when she mentioned it was similar to a reality TV show, but it’s not like any other reality TV show.

She said it was sort of the same thing as “Love Island”, which I’ve only ever seen clips of, but I did cave and download the app when it first came out; although it wasn’t my cup of tea, I figured reading about a reality show might be more appealing than watching it.

As per the title, “Locked In” is a reality TV show that Courtney’s sister gets signed up for; her little sister signs her up for it, as Courtney has been working 3 jobs to help pay for her sister’s medical bills. Plus, there is a grand prize where the last couple standing will win a grand prize, as well as being able to get married to the person they locked in with.

So, it seems pretty simple, right? Well, it is nothing like what you expect it to be, that’s for sure.

First, when everyone gets to the island, they are pretty much drugged on the plane, so they have no idea where they are going. They end up waking up on a random island with 16 other people, 8 guys and 8 girls.

The book’s POV is mainly in Courtney’s, but you also get Noah and Landon’s POV’s as well. Before I go any further, a SPOILER ALERT is needed because I have a little bit of ranting to do about these.

When Courtney is meeting everyone, Noah and her are almost perfect together, and end up being the first “couple” to hook up. I honestly was rooting for these two to be locked in together. However, because this is a reality TV show, some drama happens that shocks you as to why they don’t lock in together.

Not to mention, the girls are the one who picks the guy they are locked in with. So, when it comes time for that, Savannah ends up picking Noah. Mind you, she ends up getting with him the night before anyone even locks in.

Don’t get me started about this Savannah character! As soon as she is introduced, you know that she will be the drama starter from the beginning. Especially how she treats Courtney when they first meet, you know she’s nothing but trouble.

Oh, I forgot to mention, it’s also a mix of very smutty scenes as well.

Anyway, by the time it gets to Courtney’s chance to pick, she picks Landon. Now, they didn’t start off on a good note. Landon was a bit of an ass to her in the beginning, but he ends up agreeing to be locked in with her, especially because of what Noah and Savannah did to her.

This is when the Noah POV’s go away, thankfully, and Landon steps in his place. Landon and Courtney aren’t as different as you think; they actually have more in common than they realized. They slowly start to fall with each other over time.

They pretty much have to stick together and complete the challenges to be the last couple standing; if not, they are eliminated. Again, this isn’t like any normal reality TV show where they go back home.

Courtney and Landon find out that when a couple is eliminated, they are eliminated for real.

After finishing the book, I had to look back and ask, “What the fuck did I actually read?” I was completely zoned in; it kept me on my toes for sure! I also really can’t wait for the second one to come out because there were a few unanswered questions about the end that I really hope get answered.

Overall, I liked the mix of romance, smut, and thriller that was in this book. There was also a lot of drama as well, which made the book more appealing as well. Not to mention, I loved how Landon and Courtney’s relationship goes from haters to lovers.

Was this a book that had you questioning what you were reading? Or is this something you can’t wait to read? Let me know down below!

Posted in Books, Reviews

Book Review – The Perfect Divorce (Jeneva Rose)

Posted on by Katie Night

Hey Dearies!

So, since I finished The Perfect Marriage, I saw there was a sequel and had to know how that one turned out. The first book didn’t necessarily turn into a cliffhanger, but I really wanted to know what was going to happen after Adam’s trial since the only thing we knew was that he was charged with the murder of Kelly Summers and was sentenced to death.

If you haven’t read The Perfect Marriage, I really suggest that you do first before reading this review because there is a HUGE spoiler that I’m going to talk about that happened in the first book, and I would hate to ruin that for anyone.

Spoiler Alert is in place.

At the end of The Perfect Marriage, I never would’ve thought it was Sarah. Out of all people, I honestly thought it was Bob, which I was half right about because it was both of them working together to pin the blame on Adam.

I also figured the sheriff had something to do with it because he was always lingering around the Kelly Summers case and seemed to want to close it as soon as possible, just because he didn’t want anyone to know that his DNA was also in Kelly Summers, as well.

The beginning of the book starts out with Sarah and Bob talking about getting a divorce because Bob cheated on her- how fitting. Her first ex-husband had a full-blown affair while her new husband had a drunken one-night stand.

I honestly don’t blame her for wanting to divorce Bob over it. Of course, Bob is trying to fight for the marriage and saying they can work on things since he only made one mistake versus what Adam did way worse. It is still cheating, and I can understand her not wanting to forgive or deal with what Bob did.

Now, the tricky thing is they do have a child together, named Summer. I was honestly shocked that they even thought about naming her that, knowing they both killed Kelly Summer. Anyway, the more Bob keeps delaying the divorce, she is asking for more and more out of the divorce as well as full custody of Summer.

Here is where everything starts to cause problems.

While this is all happening, the former sheriff who was on the case for the murder of Kelly Summers ends up in a car crash from drinking and driving, kills someone, and they end up having to arrest him. Which then means his DNA is entered into the system, and lo and behold, it shows up as the mystery 3rd DNA that was in Kelly Summers, so then the case is reopened.

Then, the woman that Bob had a one-night stand with goes missing, Stacy, and the last texts she sends to her roommate say that she was meeting up with Bob. Bob gets interviewed, and the only person he can think of who would be blamed for this kidnapping would be his wife, Sarah.

Knowing that they both worked together to kill Kelly Summers and pin the blame on Adam, he knew that she could do it again, but this time, pin the blame on him so that she could get full custody of Summer and not have to lose anything in the divorce.

However, Bob is the only one who could blow the secret out on the Kelly Summers case and the kidnapping of Stacy. This would make sense why Sarah would want to get rid of him; getting rid of him would get rid of the only other person who knows the truth about Kelly Summers.

Not to mention, a surprised visitor shows up at Sarah’s house in the middle of all this crazy stuff going on: Adam’s mother. Yes, the mother-in-law from hell shows up to Sarah’s door because she wanted to not only give her crap about how she didn’t defend her son as best as she could, but also to sue her for defamation because of her comment to the press about her.

Don’t worry, she isn’t in the picture for long, but I was shocked that she was back, and all I could think of was, out of everything going on and in her old age, why would she even bother with suing Sarah? That woman is impossible, I swear.

Anyway, without spoiling what happens at the end, it isn’t as shocking as the first book, especially when you know Sarah was the murderer and you already expect it, but they do try to pin the blame on Kelly Summer’s ex-husband, or you even think it’s Bob at one point.

Overall, it wasn’t a bad sequel; I still will add this to my shelf just because I did like both of them a lot. I also really like the author’s writing style too; I was completely zoned in. However, I zoned in on the first one a lot quicker than I did the second one.

Plus, having read both of these, it has added a few more books of thrillers to my recommendations for my Kindle Unlimited. Which I’m not mad about; I actually have come to really like them. Although my friend has recommended 2 more thrillers to check out, and then I might go back to the cheesy romance stuff because I might need a break in between!

What did you think about the sequel? Did you like the first one more than the second? Also, have I gotten you in the “thriller-kick” more than what you are normally used to reading? Let me know in the comments!

Posted in Books, Reviews

Book Review – The Perfect Marriage (Jeneva Rose)

Posted on by Katie Night

Hey Dearies!

Okay, so I’m in a weird binge with books lately, and honestly, I’m glad I did! So, The Perfect Marriage came up as a recommendation in my Kindle Unlimited, and my friend highly recommended it as well.

I honestly flew right through this book! I was so drawn in by not just the author’s writing style, but the mystery of trying to find out if her husband actually did kill his own mistress. It throws you in so many directions, twists, and turns that who you think is the killer changes every time.

Anyway, the book starts out with Sarah and Adam about to celebrate their 10th anniversary of being married. To give you a little backstory on these two people: Sarah and Adam met in college and eventually got married. Adam is a writer who has only had one bestseller and is struggling to get back out there, while Sarah is a lawyer for a law firm that she just became a partner of.

Adam wanted Sarah to celebrate their 10th wedding anniversary at their lake cabin, but because Sarah is a famous lawyer, she ended up canceling their plans since work took priority. However, this is when you find out that Adam has a mistress, Kelly, whom he has been seeing for over a year.

Kelly met Adam when she was working as a waitress at a cafe where Adam wanted to get to know her more, and from there, they started an affair. Adam knows Kelly’s married, too; however, he doesn’t know that he is a cop.

So, since he knows that Sarah isn’t going to end up showing up, he invites Kelly over to the lake cabin. At this time, Adam also has his mind set that he wants to be with Kelly more than Sarah, especially since she barely makes time for him.

Adam ends up leaving the lake cabin late in the night since he promised Sarah he would be home to at least be with her, and that’s when she tells him that she is finally ready to have a baby, so they make love together and that is when Adam wants to end the affair with Kelly since Sarah is going to give him the one thing he’s been waiting for.

Well, the following day is when it starts to go downhill for Adam.

Before he left the cabin, he left Kelly a note, not only saying he would leave his wife for her, but to also have her make sure she leaves before 9am because their maid will be there to clean the cabin. The maid ends up finding Kelly, but she isn’t alive.

This is when Sarah finds out that her husband has been arrested for the murder of his mistress. Of course, this is a complete shock to her; finding out her husband had an affair is one thing, but to find out that he murdered her is another thing.

Sarah takes on her husband’s case to try to prove her husband is innocent. While also dealing with Adam’s mother, who is the mother-in-law from hell. I swear that mother-in-law drove me absolutely NUTS! Adam is definitely a mama’s boy, no doubt.

I wanted to throw Adam and his mother out! Sarah’s trying her best to prove her husband is innocent, while her mother-in-law is BLAMING her for her son having an affair when her son was the one who started the affair!

Thankfully, Sarah does stand up against her and puts her in her place, finally, but man, I was glad that she did because it was so needed. With everything going on, I’m surprised Sarah even wanted to take the case on, especially knowing that she would have to prove whether her husband actually did it or not.

Anyway, without giving up too much of the book, it was like reading an episode of Criminal Minds, but from the lawyer’s point of view. You do get the points of view from both Sarah and Adam, just to see what is going on in their minds during the time of all of this.

Overall, I loved how zoned into this book I got! I finished it in almost 24 hours! It keeps you on your toes for sure, and honestly, I was stuck on who I thought it was who murdered Kelly, but when you find out who it was, it blows your mind!

Oh, and there is a second book to this called The Perfect Divorce. I also plan on reading this one as well because I really loved the author’s writing style. Not to mention, I had to find out what happened when I finished the second book!

What did you think about this book? Did you finish it as quickly as I did? Who did you suspect was the murderer, and were you right or were you shocked to find out who it was in the end? Let me know in the comments down below!