Quick-take: Amazing 2nd half.

Dan's Review

Millie, a young woman of bad luck and life choices, is hired by Nina Winchester to be her live-in cleaner/cook/whatever is needed.

Beyond that, I will try to review the book without giving too much away.

This is a book basically 2 different stories in one. In the first part, the book is full of chuckles and lots of eyerolls. Nina is so badly flawed she is basically a cartoon. She has zero redeeming qualities. The book stresses it with every chapter. At times, it seems like she is mean to Millie just for the sake of being mean.

The other main female character, Cecilia, the daughter, is also flawed. She is a brat that seems to like tormenting Millie just for the lulz. Her mom Nina enables this. The husband, Andrew, is perfect. Super handsome. Super rich. Very pleasant personality. This is the part where I nearly gave up on the book. I've read this story before.

Millie is also basically perfect. Outside of minor foibles like lingering curiosity and her troubled past, she has no flaws in herself. She is also crushing hard for Andrew. So we got Millie, who is nice. Andrew who is nice. Unfortunately, Andrew is married to Nina, who is possibly the worst person you could ever meet. Can we guess where this story is going? I started making predictions based on my last accidental romance novel.

It's a mediocre at best kind of romance novel that can be predicted a mile away.

HOWEVER

Right about the time I was about to vomit, the book then switches to the second story, and it is very fascinating. I don't want to reveal anything other than the blandness and predictability of the first story in an odd way just makes the second story even better. When the second story finishes, you simply have to agree that the first story had to be meh for the second story to work.

It was a very bold move of the author to present the novel this way. Shoving a mediocre romance novel at the front of a suspense thriller is risky. It was only assurances this was not a meh romance novel that I continued on. For that, I was rewarded with a really good second half.

Score: 5/5. Bonus point for the impressive redirect. My only lingering complaint is the ending. The character wrap-up at the end focused on areas that I was not that interested in, and it looked like there was some book 2 setup. I don't feel the need for the second book.