The Perfect Nanny by Leila Slimani is a heart-breaker of a tale. You know from the very first sentence of the book that this story is not going to end well but the need to keep reading is real. Myriam and her husband believe that they have found the perfect nanny in Louise. She not only watches the children she also cooks, cleans, and makes everyone's lives much easier. However, Louise is in a downward spiral that is going to tear apart Myriam's family. Read and enjoy!

crookedroadBoth the title and basic plot of this novel scream '90s Lifetime Movie.' They probably were a 90s Lifetime movie. Give it a chance, anyway. Set in Paris, this novel moves beyond generic parental anxiety into class, culture and economic injustice. It’s Lifetime's simplistic nanny formula rendered in 3-D.

Named One of 2018’s Most Anticipated Books by NPR’s Weekend Edition, Real Simple, The Millions, The Guardian, Bustle, and Book Riot

The #1 international bestseller and winner of France’s most prestigious literary prize, the Goncourt

When I saw the teasers for this book, I just had to read it. I'm still not entirely sure what my thoughts are regarding the book...but for the pure fact that I am still thinking about it and I had to stay up late because I couldn't stand the thought of putting it down and not knowing how it ended, makes it 4 stars for me.

This is a very deep and disturbing book to me, primarily because all of the thoughts and actions by both the parents and the nanny rang to be more true and realistic than to not...which is why thrillers don't usually bother me. If you read about some deranged event...it's easy to separate from your life...but this one strikes a little too close to home for a lot of men and women. A man that isn't sure how he likes the changes to his life when the kids arrive, a woman who loves her children and wants to be a mom but isn't quite ready for the life-changing effect to who she is as a person...both the way she perceives herself and how she is perceived by others. Not all women are ready to give up on a career...and that's not selfish. No one wants to see talent laid to waste when men don't have to give up their dreams. That is still strongly an issue for women, and the lack of support (woman to woman, mom to mom) is astounding to me. Wanting to have success outside of your children is a fairly natural desire, I would think. Though I don't have children, these were some of thoughts I had when considering it.

As for the nanny, this is a person who has had it rough from the get go...poor, every day is a challenge and a struggle in a way that most of society will never fully understand...constantly being in servitude to others...and who knows what type of mental issues were there and flowered under a special set of circumstances.

This is a twisty and sad novel, but I thought it was well-written, clipped along at a fantastic pace, and throughout the book...I don't think I was ever fully on anyone's side...except for maybe the baby.

I received a copy of this title from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

I expect you will be hearing a lot about this book, if you haven't already. It is a quick read that explores the relationship between a Parisian family and their nanny -- who isn't so perfect after all. It was inspired by a recent incident in NYC when a nanny killed the two small children in her care.

I wouldn't recommend this to anyone with small children being cared for by others.

I received a free ARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley.

A different take on the sinister nanny trope. Louise really is a kind, caring, loving nanny. Until she isn't. Slimani's characters are not only believable, but they are people we know and recognize.
I think this book is so terrifying because it's not that Louse is deranged or that she "snaps" one day, but that she is just worn down until she is entirely broken.

At first glance, Louise seems like a perfect nanny. She's had years of experience and glowing recommendations, children respond positively to her, and cleans in addition to watching your kids. But we know right from the first shocking pages that something is not right with Louise.

This French novel was a compelling character study of Louise, a woman with dark tendencies and fantasies about the seemingly perfect family she nannies for, and Myriam and Peter, the parents employing Louise. Trigger warning: there is a great deal of violence in the first chapter, enough to make me reconsider continuing with this book.

This is not your typical mystery or psychological thriller; we know right away what crimes have been committed, and then go backwards in time, speculating on why everything spiraled out of control one afternoon. There is also a great deal of political commentary: Myriam and Peter are overjoyed to find Louise because she's white and they purposely do not want to employ an immigrant, despite Myriam's Moroccan ties. There is also a lot of justification on Myriam's part of why she went back to work, why she decided being a SAHM wasn't for her.

I enjoy character studies, but sometimes here the characters' motivations misfired - Myriam purposely overworks and "takes advantage" of Louise (not realizing how entirely the nanny has immersed herself in their household), yet confesses that she misses spending time with her children. Myriam and Peter are both cold archetypes of a wealthy upper class, turning blind eyes to others' socioeconomic disadvantages, Louise's included, and are overwhelmingly lukewarm to their kids.

I wanted to empathize with someone, but ultimately, I couldn't -- other than the children. There were glaring BRIGHT RED signs that Myriam and Peter chose to ignore (for their own convenience), and Louise's POV was disarming and uncomfortable.

Still, I felt compelled to finish the book, to find out the "why."

Thank you to Penguin Group and Netgalley for an ARC.

Living in Paris’s tenth arrondissement, Paul and Myriam Masses are married and the parents of two young children, Mila and Adam. Myriam has not used her education and caring for the children has become boring for her. So when a former classmate asks her to join his lawn firm, she is ecstatic. Now, she needs to find a nanny and today she is doing interviews. After interviewing many women, she is taken in by Louise. The woman is in her 40s although she looks much younger. They hire her and both parents are delighted at everything that Louise manages to accomplish each day.

Myriam dives into her new job working long hours and doesn’t miss being at home with the children. Louise is an enthusiastic and creative woman who goes to extremes to entertain the children. Myriam is amazed at her energy. Louise loves to play hide and seek but hides too long until the children become afraid that she has left them. But soon the kids catch on and understand her more.

Louise is now the perfect nanny for Paul and Myriam. She does everything for them and their friends think she is wonderful. They even take her on vacation with them. After some time, Myriam begins to suspect that Louise is not everything she seems to be. There is something wrong and she can’t quite put her finger on it. But she does know she is going to have to get rid of Louise. Will take be possible? It seems Louise wants something from them very much, but what?

This is a strange story. I understand the plot is meant to show the intensity with which some people view their jobs, but there is more to Louise. I feel that I was not able to fully glean the reason(s) for what made Louise who she is. I guess we just never know if someone is truly who we think they are.

Copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

An interesting contribution to modern literature from Europe that will have fans in the U.S.

I found The Perfect Nanny to be almost addictively compelling…and ultimately unsatisfying.

The book begins with something terribly shocking. The rest of the book tells us how we got to that shocking book. Mixed in with the story we have cutting observations – condemnations really – of racism and class distinction in modern Parisian Culture.

Louise, our nanny, is an interesting character, but I never truly understood her. Even in the very end of the book, I felt like I didn’t know her.

As for our family, I loved the children, adored and felt for the mother, and never really knew the father. But, oh, the tragedy hit hard.

I think the ending of the book was hard for me because I do have very American tastes – I wanted an ending that included resolution and a little old-fashioned Western judgement. I want bad things to happen to bad people and good things to happen to good people. The ending here is not concrete. And, while we spent so much time in the heads of our characters, I still didn’t truly understand why the tragedy occurred.

It’s a sad story. A compelling story. And an unsatisfying one. 3.5 Stars.

After having 2 kids, Myriam is ready to jump back into being an attorney. She finds the ideal nanny in Louise, a Mary Poppins-like character who not only takes care of both kids but cooks and cleans as well. She has no idea that behind the young face and petite build there is a very disturbed individual.
This book made me glad I no longer had small children... I would be terrified to have them out of my sight after reading this. It is very disturbing and creepy.

She's the perfect nanny--takes impeccable care of the children, stays late, arrives early--cooks and cleans with never a complaint. Myriam and her husband can't imagine how they could get along without her, at least without one of them giving up their careers. But somehow hidden within the perfectness of the nanny, there is something not quite right and the couple begins to wonder if maybe they should figure out a way to get along without her.

This was an intriguing, engrossing story. It unraveled a bit at the end leaving more questions than answers but I think that is what the author intended. Great choice if you like dark, character driven stories.

Not your usual mystery, The Perfect Nanny opens with a horrifying accident. Proceeding chapters take the reader back to the start of the story to slowly discover how this terrifying conclusion came about. As a mom, I had trouble wanting to read this knowing the outcome in advance. Perhaps if it had started a little less gruesome, I could have read the book without feelings of fear and terror.

Myriam needs a good Nanny so that she can return to work after having been home with 2 small children. She needs a Nanny who will love her children and make her life easier. One her husband would approve of. A stable, dependable Nanny. Along comes Louise.......
The Perfect Nanny.......
This one kept me turning pages till the very end. And it ended fast......

This book begins with a horrific event and works its way backwards. I almost stopped reading after the start but I am glad I gave it a chance. It wound up being a beautifully written tale but still about events leading up to something that no one ever wants to think about.