Book · in order
The Housemaid Books in Order
The Housemaid series is complete at three novels and one short story: The Housemaid (2022), The Housemaid's Secret (2023), the short story The Housemaid's Wedding, and The Housemaid Is Watching (2024). Read in publication order; the 2025 film adapts book one.
The Housemaid Books in Order: complete list
Check off what you've finished, it saves automatically · See all your lists → ·
Why this order?
Publication order is the only order here, and it matters more than the standalone marketing suggests: The Housemaid (2022), The Housemaid's Secret (2023), then The Housemaid Is Watching (2024), with the short story The Housemaid's Wedding slotted between the second and third books. Each novel technically works alone, but the series runs on cumulative reveals about Millie's history, and starting anywhere but the beginning spoils the first book's twist, which is the twist people read Freida McFadden for.
The one genuine junction is the Wedding short story. Story-wise it bridges books two and three; publication-wise it arrived after book three. Read it in its story slot if you are going through the series fresh, or as a coda if you have already finished, and nothing breaks either way.
The movies are why half the readers arrive now: the 2025 film with Sydney Sweeney and Amanda Seyfried adapts the first book and became a box-office monster, and a sequel, The Housemaid's Secret, is dated December 17, 2027 with Kirsten Dunst joining. Film viewers should simply start at book one and enjoy spotting the divergences. One boundary worth knowing: the series is finished. McFadden has confirmed there is no fourth novel coming, and her many other thrillers (Never Lie, The Teacher, The Crash) are unconnected standalones, not sequels.
Timeline 2022-2024
Every entry by release year: rows that share a year are a cluster, and the long droughts are called out on the rail.
- 2022 The Housemaid
- 2023 's Secret
- 2024 's WeddingIs Watching
Where to play it today
- The novels are widely available in paperback, ebook and audio
- The 2025 film had its theatrical run via Lionsgate, with a Starz streaming window following in 2026; check JustWatch for current availability
Availability changes often and varies by region - links search each platform for The Housemaid.
Frequently asked questions
How many Housemaid books are there?
Four: the novels The Housemaid (2022), The Housemaid's Secret (2023) and The Housemaid Is Watching (2024), plus the short story The Housemaid's Wedding. The series is complete: Freida McFadden has confirmed no fourth novel is coming.
What order should I read The Housemaid books in?
Publication order: The Housemaid, The Housemaid's Secret, then The Housemaid Is Watching, with the Wedding short story between books two and three. The books are marketed as standalones but build on each other's reveals.
Do I need to read The Housemaid books in order?
Yes, if you care about the twists: later books openly reference what book one spends its whole runtime concealing. Reading out of order does not break the plots, but it defuses the series' best surprises.
Which book does The Housemaid movie adapt?
The 2025 film with Sydney Sweeney and Amanda Seyfried adapts the first novel. The sequel film, The Housemaid's Secret, is dated December 17, 2027, with Kirsten Dunst joining, and adapts book two.
Where does The Housemaid's Wedding fit?
Story-wise between The Housemaid's Secret and The Housemaid Is Watching, though it was published after book three. Read it in its story slot on a first read-through, or as a coda afterward; both work.
Are Freida McFadden's other books connected to The Housemaid?
No: Never Lie, The Teacher, The Crash, The Boyfriend and the rest are standalone thrillers in the same style but separate stories. They are natural next reads, not sequels.
Last verified · Sources: en.wikipedia.org, Wikidata
← Browse all book orders