The Housewife

By: Natalie Barelli

Narrator: Karissa Vacker

Dreamscape Media

ISBN: 9781464247552

Publisher: Poisoned Pen Press

Publication Date: 06/30/2026

Format: Paperback

My Rating: 4.5 Stars (ARC) (ALC)

JUN 2026 MUST-READ BOOKS

From bestselling indie thriller writer Natalie Barelli comes a new deliciously dark novel about a woman who married the man of her dreams, only for him to become her worst nightmare.

Jodie always dreamed of being a housewife. And after a whirlwind romance, she marries renowned psychologist Dr. Roy Davies and moves into his perfect Beverly Hills home. But the fairy tale fades fast. Roy is distant, his friends view her as a gold-digger, and the house still reveres his late wife, Deborah, whose presence still looms over everyone and everything.

When Jodie learns Deborah became a recluse before death, she begins to suspect Roy was behind it. And the deeper she digs, the darker Roy's past appears—obsessive, controlling, unfaithful. Increasingly convinced he had something to do with Deborah's death, Jodie knows she should go to the police, but that would require revealing her own secret. A secret that could destroy her.

But Jodie won't be silenced. Because the truth about Roy is worse than she imagined—and now, trapped in a house built on lies, she must find a way out before she becomes the next perfect wife to vanish.

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My Review

Curated domestic submissiveness vs. a cold-blooded vengeance plot.

Meet Jodie Davies...

"She plays the submissive, doting Beverly Hills housewife to an older, wealthy psychologist; an obsessive cleaner and expert cook. But she’s an ex-con with a lethal agenda. Her fierce take-no-names attitude is the perfect undercover antiheroine in this twisted, deadly game of

cat-and-mouse revenge.”

The Hook

What would you do if you married the man of your dreams, moved into his Beverly Hills mansion, and realized your only job was to prove he murdered your sister?

In THE HOUSEWIFE, bestselling author Natalie Barelli delivers a deeply atmospheric, tension-soaked California contemporary psychological mystery. The story hinges on a deeply flawed, witty, morally gray protagonist facing immense social and legal hurdles to infiltrate an elite family and avenge a tragedy. Secret prison survivor vs. a manipulative celebrity psychologist.

A deliciously dark, razor-sharp Beverly Hills domestic noir.

"A breathless, vertigo-inducing thriller where a woman's dream of being a housewife turns into a high-stakes chess match against her dead sister's husband."

Even better? The iconic Karissa Vacker is back on narration! Her signature chilly cadence and sharp internal monologues bring this cat-and-mouse game to life effortlessly.

Elevator Pitch

After a whirlwind romance, a woman (a brilliant cook and obsessive cleaner) moves into a renowned psychologist's perfect Beverly Hills estate, hiding a prison past and a dangerous secret: she is the sister of his "late" wife, and she will stop at nothing to prove he murdered her.

Setting

The present day in an ultra-luxurious, exclusive neighborhood of Beverly Hills, California. The primary narrative unfolds within a pristine, high-security mansion that is still physically and socially haunted by the lingering presence, photographs, and tragic legacy of its previous mistress.

Vibe

Tense, unhinged, and breathless.

Twisted, dark, witty! It perfectly pairs the glossy, deceptive opulence of wealthy California high society with the claustrophobic, paranoid dread of an unreliable narrator trapped in a house built entirely on lies.

Psychological Thriller / Domestic Suspense / Noir Mystery.

Themes

~The Trap of Perfection

~Vengeance and Identity

~Systemic Misogyny & Silencing

~The Living Shadow of the Dead

JODIE DAVIES: THE FLIPPED TACTICIAN

Turning an obsessive domestic role and a hidden criminal record into a deadly weapon of revenge.

Standout Characters

~Jodie Davies: The highly erratic protagonist; an obsessive cleaner, expert cook, and ex-convict masquerading as the perfect submissive wife to corner a killer.

~Dr. Roy Davies: Jodie's older, wealthy husband; a celebrated, charming psychologist whose polished facade hides an obsessive, controlling master manipulator.

Marie: Roy's intensely devoted, suspicious housekeeper who guards the mansion's secrets and monitors Jodie's every single move.

Author Writing Standout

Barelli’s trademark gift for crafting fast-moving velocity and vertex-inducing tension shines through her short, punchy chapters.

Takeaway

The most blinding spotlights always cast the darkest shadows; true justice requires stepping directly into the lion's den and matching a monster lie for lie.

Title Significance

The Housewife acts as an ironic, deeply sharp subversion of a traditional societal label. It contrasts a role associated with quiet domestic submissiveness against Jodie’s actual identity as a calculating, ruthless avenger who uses domestic proximity to systematically dismantle an empire.

Metaphor

The late Deborah’s untouched house fixtures and portraits serve as the central metaphor of the novel. They represent a psychological mirror and an inescapable warning grid—a physical manifestation of the absolute marital entrapment that Jodie must actively navigate to avoid becoming the next wife to disappear.

Audio Standout

If your absolute favorite thriller trope is 'an undercover antiheroine pretending to be a submissive wife to take down a wealthy, toxic husband,' you have to order The Housewife by Natalie Barelli on audio.

Karissa Vacker

The definitive voice of domestic suspense returns with a masterclass in vocal precision: Karissa Vacker, flawlessly shifting between compliance and cold calculation. She captures Jodie's submissive, sweet "housewife voice" perfectly before pivoting flawlessly into her raw, grit-infused, and calculating internal monologue. Her sharp delivery of Barelli's tense, fast-paced dialogue elevates this book into a fully dramatized audio masterclass.

Why You Should Read

Read this if you are a fan of fast-paced, addictive psychological thrillers like The Housemaid by Freida McFadden, or if you want a twist-heavy, domestic thriller with a fiercely original, morally gray protagonist who refuses to be silenced.

My Thoughts

THE HOUSE IS IMMACULATE, BUT THE SECRETS ARE LETHAL. "Natalie Barelli crafts a fiercely addictive, pacy psychological thriller packed with short chapters, toxic marital mind games, and jaw-dropping twists."

It is a fiercely compelling, endlessly twisty, and deliciously dark popcorn thriller that will keep you entirely glued to your seat from the very first sentence. The novel succeeds beautifully in building immediate domestic paranoia. The Beverly Hills setting is perfectly captured—not just through glitzy aesthetics, but through the heavy social anxiety of an intrusive housekeeper watching Jodie’s every single move.

Jodie plays the submissive doting spouse perfectly, but she’s an ex-con with a lethal agenda. She is an unforgettable, deeply messy lead; her raw nerve, odd choices, and fierce take-no-names attitude make her internal narration incredibly grounded.

Verdict 4,5/ 5 Stars

"A taut, twisty triumph that pairs a fiercely original, morally gray protagonist with a breathless, venomous game of domestic cat-and-mouse."

Recs

~The Housekeeper by Natalie Barelli

~The Housemaid by Freida McFadden

~The Second Mrs. Strom by Kaira Rouda

~Jane Doe by Victoria Helen Stone

~The Replacement Wife Wife by Darby Kane

Special thanks to Poisoned Pen Press, Dreamscape Media, and NetGalley for an advanced reading and listening copy in exchange for my honest thoughts

@JudithDCollins | #JDCMustReadBooks

My Rating: 4.5 Stars

Pub Date: June 30, 2026

June Newsletter

June 2026 Must-Read Books

Praise

"Thrilling and absolutely entertaining! THIS is how you write an original main character!"

― Iliana Xander, author of Love, Mom

"A taut, twisty triumph! Natalie Barelli’s The Housewife hooked me from the very first page. Jodie’s voice is irresistible―fresh, flawed, determined―and Barelli uses it to pull you straight into a beguiling Beverly Hills fairy tale that curdles into something much darker and far more delicious.

The pacing is fantastic: every chapter tightens the tension, every reveal hits with precision. I devoured this book in a single sitting, racing through the red flags, whispered secrets, and the chilling legacy of the late wife who still haunts the halls. As Jodie digs into Roy’s polished façade, the suspense builds to a pitch-perfect fever―layered, breathless, and utterly propulsive. And just when you think you know where it’s going, the story pivots with a twist that lands beautifully.

Sharp, stylish, and utterly compulsive, The Housewife is the kind of psychological suspense I love most: a perfect cocktail of voice, velocity, and vertigo-inducing tension. An absolute must-read." ― Kaira Rouda, USA Today bestselling author of We Were Never Friends

"Barelli delivers a razor-sharp thriller that redefines the 'unreliable narrator.' You’ll be breathless as Jodie maneuvers through a world of high-society harpies and a mystery that will make you rethink every cup of tea you’re served."

― Daniel G. Miller, USA Today bestselling author of The Orphanage by the Lake and The Red Letter

About the Author

Natalie Barelli lives in Australia, where she is forever thinking up new ways of killing people and getting away with it.

Favorite pastime: reading fabulously gruesome thrillers, otherwise known as research. And when she’s not absorbed in the latest gripping page-turner, Natalie loves to cook, knits very badly, and spends far too much time at her computer. WEBSITE