Book Review: “The Housekeeper” by Natalie Barelli

She’s a liar. She’s a stalker. She’s in your house.

When Claire sees Hannah Wilson at an exclusive Manhattan hair salon, it’s like a knife slicing through barely healed scars. It may have been ten years since Claire last saw Hannah, but she has thought of her every day, and not in a good way. So Claire does what anyone would do in her position—she stalks her.

Hannah is now Mrs. Carter, living the charmed life that should have been Claire’s. It’s the life Claire used to have, before Hannah came along and took it all away from her.

Back then, Claire was a happy teenager with porcelain skin and long, wavy blond hair. Now she’s an overweight, lazy drunk with hair the color of compost and skin to match. Which is why when Hannah advertises for a housekeeper, Claire is confident she can apply and not be recognized. And since she has time on her hands, revenge on her mind, and a talent for acting…

Because what better way to seek retribution—and redress—than from within the beautiful Mrs. Hannah Carter’s own home?

Except that it’s not just Claire who has secrets. Everyone in that house seems to have something to hide.

And now, there’s no way out.

The description of The Housekeeper by Natalie Barelli really doesn’t do the book justice.

Quite honestly, the book is quite the roller coaster ride.

The moment you’re sure you have it figured out, it flips around again.

Part of the reason Barelli is able to do this so successfully is because Claire is the poster child for the unreliable narrator. From the get-go, she makes it clear all she does is lie.

So, how do you know what’s real or not? That is the problem.

(But it’s also what makes it fun.)

The other thing I liked about The Housekeeper is the definite character arc. Claire is in a completely different place at the end than she was at the beginning, and I enjoyed watching that shift. Sometimes in psychological thrillers, there isn’t much character development; the focus is more on the plot, so none of the characters really change. And that always leaves me a little wanting.

But, in this case, Barelli did a good job with Claire.

I seem to be having a lot of good luck with books lately, as I would give The Housekeeper by Natalie Barelli five stars. You can grab your copy on Amazon.