StoriesAmore

It’s all about perspective!! Tag your favourite

Book Review: The Housemaid by Freida McFadden
⭐️⭐️½

From time to time, I find myself yearning for what I like to call a masala thriller—the kind that keeps the pages turning with pace, suspense, and juicy plot twists. The Housemaid starts off as exactly that.

The setup is intriguing enough: a young woman with a mysterious past takes up a job as a live-in housemaid with an equally mysterious family.

The first half has a basic plot—slow in parts, almost to the point of losing you—but just when you think you’ve figured it out, the story veers off path in a completely unexpected, thrilling direction.

The second half is twisty, and unapologetically dramatic - think full-blown Bollywood thriller energy.

But for all its thrills, The Housemaid wraps up far too neatly. And that’s exactly where it loses me.

The best thrillers, in my opinion, are the ones that leave you rattled, and full of lingering questions.

This one, while it hits the right beats for a fast-paced, popcorn read, it ultimately lacks the depth that makes a psychological thriller memorable.

Can you really teach creative writing to children?

We asked ourselves this question when we began the StoriesAmore creative writing journey.

And the honest answer? Maybe not in the conventional sense. Because creativity isn’t a formula. It’s a spark. A whisper of an idea. A world waiting to be discovered.

So we didn’t try to “teach.” Instead, we chose to uncover. To help each child discover their voice, their rhythm, and their very own stories waiting to be told.

What followed was a magical journey
Through mind-mapping exercises, story structure breakdowns, character building sessions, and even exploring the science of cover design courtesy — we watched ideas take flight.

But the real magic?
That happened in the first drafts. Those raw, unfiltered glimpses into their imaginations were priceless. Each draft was proof that every child has a world within them — waiting to be heard.

The StoriesAmore anthology is a collection of 13 original stories, written and published by 13 children, each mentored by us over weeks of workshops and one-on-one sessions.

But when the anthology was finally published, the lesson wasn’t just about writing. It was about creating.

They learned:
If you nurture an idea,
Walk with it,
Build on it,
Live it —
That idea becomes a world of your own making.

It was a labour of love. But more than that, it was a lesson in belief — in their ideas, their words, and their ability to shape something real.

That’s the biggest takeaway our kids walked away with and maybe that’s what creative writing is truly about. A life lesson even we adults need to remember.

The StoriesAmore anthology is more than a book. It’s proof that creativity is not taught —it’s unlocked. Here’s to the young authors of StoriesAmore — your words matter, your stories matter, and the world is better for having heard them.

StoriesAmore anthology is available on Amazon and Flipkart.

Book lovers, which one’s your golden rule? Got one we missed?