Join the Bondi Literary Salon for our book club, hosted by Hannah van Otterloo! In our gathering, we will discuss Freida McFadden's bestselling thriller series, The Housemaid.

WHEN: Tuesday, 29th July 2025, at Gertrude & Alice Cafe Bookstore; please arrive at 6.30pm for a prompt 7pm start.

TICKETS:

Admission: $25.00 (excluding external fees). Your ticket includes a drink on arrival and nibbles during the evening.

Behind every perfect family lies a perfectly calculated lie.

About the books:

The Housemaid series by Freida McFadden is a pulse-pounding domestic thriller trilogy that follows Millie Calloway, a woman with a troubled past who becomes entangled in the dangerous lives of the families she serves.

From her first day as a live-in housemaid, Millie realizes that her employers’ glossy exteriors hide disturbing secrets—and she’s not just cleaning up messes, she’s caught in them. Each book escalates the tension, unraveling twisted mind games, shocking betrayals, and deadly consequences. With sharp pacing and jaw-dropping twists, this series explores themes of power, manipulation, and survival in a world where trust can be fatal.

In this book club we will be discussing the three Housemaid books, The Housemaid, The Housemaid's Secret and, The Housemaid is Watching. You don't need to have read all 3 but there will be spoilers - so be prepared!

About the author:

#1 New York Times, USA Today, Publishers Weekly, and Sunday Times internationally bestselling author Freida McFadden is a practicing physician specializing in brain injury. Freida is the winner of both the International Thriller Writer Award for Best Paperback Original and the Goodreads Choice Award for Best Thriller. Her novels have been translated into more than forty languages. Freida lives with her family and black cat in a centuries-old three-story home overlooking the ocean.

About the host:

Hannah loves escaping into books and will give any type of a book a go. An unputdownable novel or non-fiction is a type of meditation for Hannah, who in her day-to-day life is always on the go, very social and busy and Hannah needs books to calm-down and introvert. Fun fact she would rather read than watch TV! With an Australian mum and a Dutch dad, Hannah grew up in a bilingual household which was very much reflected in her book collection and reading – often reading books in both languages… Has anyone here read Harry Potter in another language? It’s like a whole new world! Her passion for reading in both languages was encouraged and celebrated by both her parents and even till this day she will aim to read Dutch books and treks them back in her luggage from Holland after trips “home”. One day she hopes to make reading her full-time job, so.. any and all tips are welcome!

About The Bondi Literary Salon

Bondi Literary Salon was established in 2018, it is the in-house book club of beloved Bondi institution, Gertrude & Alice. The Bondi Literary Salon endeavours to explore the vast world of literature each month, with a selection that reflects a focus on diverse writers and stories; delving into both classic and contemporary fiction, as well as non-fiction.

Our philosophy has always been to use language and literature not only as a tool for connection and community, but as an insight into worlds we have not had the pleasure of visiting ourselves. We welcome all - young and old, those with a life-long love of literature, or whose relationship may be only beginning. Join us in the unmatched comfort of an after-hours bookstore, accompanied by wine and cheese, for an evening spent discussing books and building community.

About Gertrude & Alice Cafe Bookstore

Rated as one of the top 10 bookstores in the world by National Geographic, Gertrude & Alice Cafe Bookstore is an oasis for writers, readers, and coffee lovers. Books overflow from the shelves of their store, featuring a mix of new, second-hand, antiquarian and rare books. Stay a while & enjoy some home made chai, and amazing coffee, and unearth a book treasure or two. Read more about the bookstore's story here, and about the real Gertrude & Alice here.