Books Like The Housemaid: What to Read After Millie

The short answer

If you liked the domestic tension in The Housemaid, try The Couple Next Door or Gone Girl. If you liked doubting the person telling the story, pick The Woman in the Window, The Silent Patient, or Verity. And if you want to stick with Millie, The Housemaid Is Watching is the third book in her series, not a similar standalone: it’s a sequel.

What this guide covers

If you don’t want to read the whole thing, here are my top three

🥇 For another house full of clues: Never Lie.

🔥 For a family with secrets before the police even arrive: The Couple Next Door.

🤯 For another story that makes you decide whether to believe the protagonist: The Woman in the Window.

These aren’t copies of The Housemaid. They’re three different ways to bring back that domestic unease: an isolated house, a family in crisis, and a witness nobody wants to believe.

Don’t look for a clone. Start with what you liked

“Something like The Housemaid” can mean several things. Maybe you liked a protagonist stepping into someone else’s home and finding a strange dynamic. Maybe you wanted a fast twist that made you look at the story again. Or maybe you enjoyed the fantasy of finding out what’s behind a door you really shouldn’t open in real life. Those things aren’t interchangeable.

Here’s a list organized around the ingredient you want to revisit. I’m not going to sell you eight novels as if they were the same plot with different names. That job already belongs to book covers where everyone stares at a window with a look that says, “Something terrible happened here.”

Look for a clone and you’ll spend the whole time comparing. Look for the ingredient you liked and you’ll find your next read.

If you want another house full of secrets

1. Never Lie by Freida McFadden: the house keeps voices

Tricia and Ethan get snowed in at a property connected to a missing psychiatrist. The recordings they find make it harder to believe they’re alone. The connection to The Housemaid isn’t that another employee is living in someone else’s home; it’s that the place itself holds a story, and the characters have to decide whom to trust.

This is a standalone. If the premise sounds good, read Yenny’s full review of Never Lie. It may work for you if you like chapters that push you onward and a house that changes meaning every time a new detail comes to light.

2. The Couple Next Door by Shari Lapena: a baby disappears at the worst possible time

Anne and Marco leave their daughter at home while they have dinner with the neighbors. When they return, the crib is empty, and the accounts of that night start competing with one another. The mystery doesn’t hinge on a housemaid arriving at a mansion; it’s about a couple, a hard-to-defend decision, and a community where everyone seems to know something.

If you’re drawn to domestic drama that makes the adults nearby look suspicious, this could be a good next read. In her review of *The Couple Next Door*, Yenny explains what works about its family tensions without pretending it’s a parenting handbook. Thank goodness.

3. The Woman in the Window by A. J. Finn: watching from home doesn’t make anything clearer

Anna spends much of her time watching her neighbors from the window and believes she has witnessed a crime. The problem is that alcohol, medication, and isolation have affected her perception. The house is still the place from which she observes, but what matters here is the distance between what we think we see and what we can prove.

Try it if Millie’s story made you wonder who controls the information. Yenny’s review of *The Woman in the Window* is on the site. It has a different pace and protagonist; the connection is suspicion, not occupation.

If you want couples who know each other too badly

4. Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn: marriage as a war over the story

Amy disappears on her anniversary, and Nick comes under suspicion. The novel keeps changing how we understand them both, until marriage stops looking like a shared story and becomes a fight over who gets to write the official version. If you liked The Housemaid overturning some first impressions, this takes a much sharper look at public image and manipulation.

This isn’t a big-house-and-new-housemaid story, and it isn’t trying to copy McFadden’s pace. Its strength is that the two people in the marriage understand it in incompatible ways. Read Yenny’s full review of *Gone Girl* to find out what she thinks of that war.

5. Verity by Colleen Hoover: a writer, a manuscript, and too many questions

Lowen takes a job working on books by an author who has been left incapacitated and finds material that complicates the family story. The house isn’t just a setting; its rooms and the things found in them contribute to the tension. If you liked reading two accounts that don’t quite fit together, Verity may give you that same discomfort, although its mix of thriller and romance has a different tone.

Yenny’s public review of *Verity* is here. One question runs through the book: which version deserves more trust? I won’t tell you, because I’m not here to ruin the reading experience—and everybody has a favorite suspect anyway.

If you want narrators who don’t deserve that much trust

6. The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides: everybody speaks for Alicia

A painter shoots her husband and then stops speaking. Theo, a psychotherapist obsessed with the case, tells us how he tries to reach her. The reader has to consider who’s narrating, who’s interpreting, and who controls the story. Like The Housemaid, it can change how you see a character, but its real focus is trust, silence, and a divisive twist.

Yenny wrote a spoiler-marked review of *The Silent Patient* and has a specific criticism of the way the novel portrays therapy. Read it if you want more than another twist—something to argue about after the last chapter.

7. The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins: memory, alcohol, and a witness who’s hard to believe

Rachel watches a couple she imagines to be perfect from the train. When a woman disappears, Rachel’s memory gaps complicate what she can contribute. The connection to The Housemaid is the question of credibility and how quickly people can dismiss someone.

If you’re interested in a protagonist whose relationship with her memories is complicated, read Yenny’s review of *The Girl on the Train*. Don’t expect a copy of a domestic-thriller series: this one is about perception and memory.

8. The Boyfriend by Freida McFadden: suspicion sits down to dinner

Sydney’s dates keep going badly until she meets a man who seems different. At the same time, an investigation into a series of murders makes the question of whether charm is enough to trust feel a lot sharper. It’s another book by the same author, but it’s separate from Millie’s series.

If you want to keep McFadden’s pace without returning to the housemaid setting, this is a straightforward choice. Yenny has shared her take in a review of *The Boyfriend*. For more from the author, browse the public review archive, where you’ll find the books that already have pages.

If you want to stay with Millie

The next book is The Housemaid’s Secret, followed by The Housemaid Is Watching. I’m not including them among the similar books because they continue the series. If you haven’t read the first or second book yet, keep the order so you can follow Millie and her family. Yenny’s review of the third novel is available here.

This distinction avoids a common mix-up: lists of similar books sometimes lump together novels that share a few elements and direct sequels, as if they were interchangeable. If you want more Millie, keep reading the series. If you want another story with a similar ingredient, choose from the eight books above.

How to choose your next thriller

A house with secrets: Never Lie.

A home and family under pressure: The Couple Next Door.

A witness whose perception is questioned: The Woman in the Window.

A couple fighting to control the story: Gone Girl.

Conflicting accounts and a dark manuscript: Verity.

A protagonist who talks a lot and knows too much: The Silent Patient.

Unsteady memory and a discredited witness: The Girl on the Train.

A fast standalone from the same author: The Boyfriend.

If you’re still unsure, pick the setting that intrigues you most and read a legitimate sample before you buy. Don’t ask your next novel to give you exactly the same feeling as the last one. Sometimes the best follow-up doesn’t resemble it in every way; it keeps one ingredient and changes the rest, like a recipe that doesn’t need the same thing added until somebody calls for help.

A domestic thriller works when the house stops being the backdrop and starts having an alibi.

Frequently Asked Questions

What should I read after The Housemaid?

If you want more Millie, continue with The Housemaid’s Secret. For a different story, try Never Lie, The Couple Next Door, or The Woman in the Window, depending on the kind of tension you want.

What books are similar to The Housemaid?

Never Lie, The Couple Next Door, Gone Girl, The Woman in the Window, The Silent Patient, Verity, The Girl on the Train, and The Boyfriend share elements of suspense, suspicion, or domestic tension, though their plots are different.

Is The Housemaid Is Watching similar to The Housemaid, or is it a sequel?

It’s the third novel in Millie’s series and a direct continuation of the same story.

Can I read The Housemaid Is Watching without reading the first two books?

It’s better to follow the order so you know Millie and understand what carries over in her personal life: start with The Housemaid, then read The Housemaid’s Secret.

Is Never Lie part of Millie’s series?

No. It’s a standalone thriller by Freida McFadden.

Which of these books has a marriage full of secrets?

Gone Girl puts Nick and Amy’s marriage and competing accounts at the center; The Couple Next Door focuses on Anne and Marco’s choices after their daughter disappears.

Which book should I choose if I want an unreliable narrator?

Try The Silent Patient, Verity, or The Girl on the Train. Each handles trust in the narrator differently, and it’s best to go in without spoilers.

Where can I read reviews of these books?

Each recommendation links to Yenny’s public review when one is available. You can also browse the review archive.

Sources

Penguin Libros, “Books Like The Housemaid”; Penguin Libros, book information and reading order for The Housemaid Is Watching; Yenny Astrid Londoño’s public reviews.