Written by Amelia Hancock
After the first major BookTok adaptation ending in a lawsuit (It Ends With Us and the Blake Lively-Justin Baldoni drama) and a controversial year for Sydney Sweeney (from the American Eagle advert to the revelation that she is a registered Republican), I can’t say that mine, or the internet’s hopes, were particularly high for The Housemaid. Although The Housemaid was my favourite of Frieda McFadden’s releases, who over the course of a few years has risen to fame in the BookTok community (propelled by her ability to produce over twenty books in just over ten years, while simultaneously working as a brain physician), I still entered the cinema with my expectations relatively low.
Frieda McFadden’s rise to fame within the BookTok, has long fascinated readers.
The casting felt close to ideal. Although Amanda Seyfried differed slightly in appearance from Nina in the book, who is ‘no longer being able to fit into some of her clothes’, her portrayal of a psychotic, mentally-unstable woman was convincingly unsettling. This strength carried over to Brandon Sklenar, returning for another BookTok adaptation after his role as Atlas in It Ends With Us, whose performance as the outwardly charming Andrew was almost award-worthy— if the number of online edits is anything to go by. And while I felt at times Sydney Sweeney’s acting of Millie, the housemaid, came across as monotone and unemotional, her performance still contributed to a well-balanced cast.
Another production win was the set design. When the trailer first revealed the attic, criticism quickly followed.any viewers argued that they had pictured it as dingy and cramped, but, I felt it matched my imagination precisely: bare and basic, but keeping with the rest of the house’s beautifully designed, spacious interior.
Beyond the film’s visual strengths, its narrative choices also stood out. One notable difference from the book was the reworking of the ending scene. Without revealing too much, Nina plays a far more active role. While I usually prefer adaptations that remain more faithful to the book, I felt this change deepened Nina’s character and gave me a renewed sense of suspense despite knowing the plot.
So where did the film fall short? Most notably, it lacked a deeper exploration of the antagonist’s parental relationship with their mother, leaving key questions about their motivations unexplained. Although a handful of lines gesture to this backstory, that question will likely go unanswered for those who have not read the book.
Another criticism widely discussed online is the oversexualisation of Sydney Sweeney, and the reliance on graphic scenes in much of her filmography. Whether this was to pander to the male gaze or to actually heighten the chemistry between Millie and Andrew is unclear, but it raises the question: would these scenes have existed the same way had the role been played by another actress?
Another shortcoming was the near-removal of Enzo, the groundskeeper (played by Michele Morrone), who was reduced to only a handful of lines. Maybe his acting, as seen in the 365 Days series, led to this storyline erasure. It leads to questions over how the movie for the second book in the Trilogy, The Housemaid’s Secret, will follow. Enzo’s relationship with Millie is a substantial plotline, and despite the epilogue perfectly setting up for the sequel, it seems this storyline may be too difficult to reintroduce with no groundwork.
Ultimately, The Housemaid succeeds as a solid adaptation that captures the suspense of the book. With the It Ends With Us saga previously looming over BookTok, this movie came at the perfect time to give viewers some hope for the large number of adaptations announced in 2025. Looking ahead, I find myself optimistic for the upcoming releases in 2026, such as The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood starring Lili Reinhart and Tom Bateman, and Verity by Colleen Hoover with Anne Hathaway, Dakota Johnson and Josh Hartnett. So if The Housemaid is any indication, it might be a good year for the BookTok community.
