The Surrogate Mother by Freida McFadden - Review

I've only read The Housemaid by Freida McFadden I think, and I liked it, so on a trip to The Works I picked this up along with two books by Megan Lally who I haven't even heard of, but I was intrigued by the premise of the books so I got all three for £7.50 or whatever it is. I will get to them soon....... probably. I picked this up towards the middle of June. It is compelling in the same way that The Housemaid is, but I didn't like it anywhere near as much. 

The protagonist is Abby. She is an advertising executive and works under a woman called Diana? Dinah? Something like that. The two of them get along, but Diana is a bit annoyed because Abby has been undergoing fertility treatments and stuff for years. Abby is married to Sam, who is a Maths professor at the local university. And he's very good looking. It's important that you know this because it's mentioned about 683 times. But he doesn't know he's good looking! That's important to know too. 

At the very beginning of the book Abby is having a baby shower at work. She's just thrilled it's finally her turn. She and Sam are adopting a baby from a pregnant teenager in like Texas or whatever. Abby is about to take a ton of parental leave and is looking forward to time with her baby. But then Sam arrives and tells her that the adoption has fallen through - the teenager has decided to keep the baby. Abby is obviously devastated. She's been through years of infertility and she's just fed up. 

Then her assistant, Monica, who is a very capable assistant, such a godsend, offers to be Abby's surrogate. She's young, she's probably fertile, and she is sure she can do it. Abby is thrilled and sets about convincing Sam. He takes a lot of convincing, but eventually he agrees to it and they all go to a clinic and Monica gets pregnant. She has signed a contract which I am entirely sure would not stand up in any court of law which guarantees Abby and Sam the baby when it's born.

But then weird things start to happen. Abby is sure that one of Monica's ultrasounds is at X time so she turns up then, only to find that she's late and the ultrasound has already happened, with Monica and Sam only there. Abby thinks it's the stress getting to her, but Monica has a terrible secret and it means Abby and the baby are in danger. 

I liked the premise but I thought the way it played out was just stupid. Abby made a bunch of stupid decisions and could have just opened her mouth and communicated with people, Sam especially, but she doesn't. I thought some of the twists were visible from space they were so obvious, and some of them just didn't make sense. I'm giving it three out of five. 

 

The Housemaid by Freida McFadden - Review

I have seen a few people reading this book and I was intrigued, so I looked it up on Amazon and found all three books on Kindle for only a few quid so I bought them. I'll read the next two soon I think because I liked this and found it really compelling. In the most I like books that keep me engaged and that I want to finish reading, and this definitely fulfilled that brief. I don't think any of the characters are particularly likeable. I knew there was a twist in this book and it really didn't disappoint - I didn't expect it at all. That's the mark of a good book for me - I've read a lot of books and can often predict what is coming, but I didn't predict this at all. 

The hero of the book is Millie. She has recently been parolled from prison and is desperate to get her life back on track. She applies for a job as a housemaid with the Winchesters. She will be a live in cook and cleaner and will help to take care of their daughter, Cecelia. She somehow doubts that she will pass the background check but to her surprise, she is offered the job. The Winchesters live in a huge house and clearly have a lot of money. Millie's room is in the attic, and to her shock, her room only locks from the outside. 

Straight away she comes up against Nina, the woman of the house. Nina is exacting, wanting things doing to her exact specifications and finding fault with Millie at every turn. Her daughter, too, refuses to eat what Millie has prepared and then says she is allergic to peanuts - so then why is there a huge jar of peanut butter in the pantry? Nina says she told Millie, but Millie is certain she didn't. This is just one example of the weirdness within the house.

But Millie has nowhere else to go. She was sleeping in her car before this and she needs a job. She also likes Nina's husband, Andy. He's dashing and very charming and she wonders what he sees in a woman like Nina. 

There are murmurings about how ill Nina was when Cecelia was born, and how she's 'nuts' now, and how no one thinks Millie will hack the job. There's also the hot gardener, Enzo, who speaks little English but who seems to be trying to warn Millie away from the job and the family. 

As I said I thought the twist was excellent and I can see what might happen in the next books. I'll have to get to them soon. I'm giving this four out of five.