This is how The Au Pair by Emma Rous is described:

A grand estate, terrible secrets, and a young woman who bears witness to it all. If V. C. Andrews and Kate Morton had a literary love child, Emma Rous’ The Au Pair would be it.

That is literally all I need to know. STOP. I want to read this and I know nothing about it. I think my ideal suspense/mystery/thriller would involve Hitchcock, Agatha Christie, and Patricia Highsmith but V.C. Andrews and Kate Morton is a good combination too.

Here’s what you need to know:

Seraphine Mayes and her twin brother Danny were born in the middle of summer at their family’s estate on the Norfolk coast. Within hours of their birth, their mother threw herself from the cliffs, the au pair fled, and the village thrilled with whispers of dark cloaks, changelings, and the aloof couple who drew a young nanny into their inner circle.

Now an adult, Seraphine mourns the recent death of her father. While going through his belongings, she uncovers a family photograph that raises dangerous questions. It was taken on the day the twins were born, and in the photo, their mother, surrounded by her husband and her young son, is beautifully dressed, smiling serenely, and holding just one baby.

Who is the child and what really happened that day? One person knows the truth, if only Seraphine can find her.

I love a tangled family mystery and have high hopes for The Au Pair. Its receiving awesome reviews so far and people are staying way up past their bedtimes to see what happens next, always a sign of an excellent story.

This is due out in January 2019.

This is a great read. A family in a country house hires a nanny. Many years later, the daughter, one of three children, tracks down the au pair she had as a child to unravel the mystery of her mother’s death. Is she really their daughter? Or the product of an illicit affair ? Strange things begin to happen. Mysterious notes telling her to give up this quest appear. Grandmother Vera doesn’t want to discuss it. Lots of family tragedies - people falling to their death etc. Never a dull moment. And you’ll never figure out the ending.

It's a compelling story, but the writing isn't all that great. I lost track of how many times the word "just" was used unnecessarily, but suffice to say that it was too many times.

The Au Pair by Emma Rous is fabulous! Seraphine and Danny are twins. The day they were born their mom inexplicably commits suicide by jumping off of a cliff at their family home, Summerbourne. They were raised by their dad, Dominic, alongside their older brother Edwin. Now in their 20’s, their father dies and Seraphine returns home. While looking through her father’s things she finds a picture of her mom and dad and older brother. It was taken the day Seraphine and Danny were born but her mother is only holding one baby. Where is the other twin? Which baby is her mother holding? The story progresses from here, told in alternating chapters narrated by Seraphine and Laura, the 20 something au pair who stayed with the family the summer the twins were born. The mystery unfolds chapter by chapter and I could not put this book down. The conclusion was very satisfying. This is one of the best books I’ve read in a long time. Thank you to the publisher and Net Galley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was definitely a page-turner that had me up until past my bedtime trying to squeeze in one more chapter. A complex storyline of who’s who. Only reason for the 4 stars is that I thought the ending was a bit tedious. Overall, a good novel.

Thanks to Netgalley and Berkley for an advanced e - copy of this book. I read this book in two days and enjoyed the dual time lines and perspectives. I guessed at the ending but still thoroughly enjoyed the story. I always appreciate books that do not contain explicit content and I feel more comfortable suggesting them to library patrons. I will be suggesting this book to many people!

"The Au Pair" is a full of mystery and family drama. Early on in the book, there are hints that things are not quite as they seem. Seraphine lives alone at the family estate after her father's tragic accident--or was it really an accident? As she goes through her father's things, old photographs awaken fresh questions about her mother, who committed suicide when Seraphine and her twin brother were only hours old. In order to move forward with her life, she needs to find the truth, once and for all. But who knows the truth? And why all the secrets?

This is a fun read, with lots of mystery and questions. I enjoyed the alternating storylines, switching between Seraphine's in the present and Laura--the au pair--in the past. However, there were lots of tangled threads to the story and the ending felt forced and unrealistic. I just couldn't quite believe the actions of the characters, or the way the story was resolved at the end.

Twins Seraphine and Danny lost their mother to suicide on the day they were born. When Seraphine finds a picture of her mother on that day with just ONE baby, it leads her on a hunt to find out which one of them she was holding, and why she looked so happy in the picture, just moments before jumping off a cliff. What works in this novel is the atmospheric setting, pretty writing, and some respectably tense plotting. What doesn't work is the complete and total stretch of the resolution. The plot twist was so convoluted I had to reread several parts to make sure I had it all straight in my head. Fun, but in a soap opera sort of way.

The book jumps back & forth in time between 2 women. It's a bit difficult to get into, but once there, it's a fairly good read. It is rather wordy.

A wonderful gothic novel that’s hard to put down because of multiple twists and turns that keep you guessing until the last page.

Read this one in two days! Really enjoyed it especially after reading Kate Mortan's latest book. Very similar styles which made them flow nicely together.

A great mystery entwined with interesting characters made for a very enjoyable read.

Oh, my goodness! You have to read this book. It was amazing. The mystery...the intrigue...I couldn’t figure it out despite trying to right from the start.

what struck me was the gothic feel of a contemporary book. I felt like I should have been back in time and then up pops a facebook reference!

Seraphine and Danny are twins in a family of twins. But, there are no pictures and why would their mother commit suicide on the day they are born. After the death of their father, Seraphine finds a picture that was taken on the day of their birth but there is only one twin. She sets out to find the Au Pair that the family had during this time. The books goes back and forth between the past and the present. I'm normally not a fan of this but in the book, it works remarkable well.

Twists and turns kept me reading until I was done.

This was a book that I could NOT put down! The character had me from the start. I especially loved how I was never quite sure where this story was headed. There were new pieces continually added to the story. I would recommend this book to my library patrons that love contemporary mystery fiction

“”” The worst thing is: I have lost certainty of my family without gaining the truth I was seeking””

Family secrets, dying to be uncovered. Small town whispers of cloaks, rumors of family curses and sprites, all entangling Seraphine and her brothers after their father’s death. Seraphine’s a twin, but finds a picture of her mother holding only one baby. This sets the entire family into motion to find the truth wether they want it revealed or not. The intense family twisted drama is told mainly from the perspective of Seraphine and Laura, the Au Pair who fled the night Seraphine and her twin brother were born. The dysfunctional unfolding of answers kept me turning the pages until I knew their truth.

Seraphine was not my favorite character in this book. Felt like a flimsy premise for looking in to her parentage. Enjoyed the Laura/Alex/Ruth/Dominic story much more.

Although well-written and steadily paced, I kept feeling as if I'd read this story before, which is understandable with all of the psychological thrillers being published these days. It reminded me of BLACK RABBIT HALL by Eve Chase, and even THE DEATH OF MRS. WESTAWAY by Ruth Ware, a bit. I will definitely recommend it to my customers who enjoy this type of story, but it did not break new ground for me as a reader. Thanks for the opportunity to preview it.

Not since I read Gillian Flynn's Gone Girl, have I enjoyed a mystery so much. Readers of old fashioned mysteries/cozies may like this book.

The book is more of a what-happened than who-done-it. Seraphine Mayes is a young woman in her twenties. Upon her father's death, finds a photograph of her mother that makes Seraphine question some of the beliefs she has had about her mother and her own birth.

Before, Seraphine sees the photo she believes she was a twin and that her mother had committed suicide just after her birth. However, the photograph Seraphine finds shows her mother looking very happy holding just one baby after her birth. The picture was taken by the Au Pair the family had at the time whose name Laura. The family lost touch with Laura after Seraphine's birth.

Seraphine believes that Laura knows the answer what happened to her mother and why there is only one baby in the picture when she was a twin. The rest of the book is split between two time periods. One is Seraphine's present day efforts to track down the truth and the other is Laura’s memories of the time she spent with the family many years ago.

Often, I find stories that jump from one time to another confusing and hard to follow. However, in this novel it worked and built up the suspense.

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Emma Rous’ novel about a young woman who accepts a position as an au pair for a wealthy family is hard to put down! Ms. Rous’ debut novel begins simply and the suspense builds gradually, keeping the reader guessing until the final pages.

The novel begins in 2017 as Seraphine Mayes begins to sort through her father’s effects after his untimely death. Her twin brother and her older brother arrive to help. Seraphine finds an old photo of her family taken on the day she and her brother were born. But she notices that her mother is only holding one baby. Her older brother is there but where is the twin? Is her brother the baby in the photo, or is it Seraphine? She is unable to stop thinking about the photo. Her older brother thinks that the photo was taken by the family’s au pair, Laura. Seraphine is determined to find out why only one baby appears in the photo, and she sets out to find Laura.

The year is 1991 and Laura has taken a year off to prepare for university entrance exams. She accepts an offer from the Mayes family to be an au pair for their four year old son. In the beginning, Laura feels lucky to have a position that seems ideal. The family are gracious, welcoming, kind, and considerate. Her little charge is sweet, well behaved, and a joy to be around. But as time passes, Laura realizes that all is not as it seems. There are secrets that, if divulged, can destroy them and Laura as well.

Told in alternating chapters, Laura and Seraphine’s intertwined stories present a riveting, complex tale of family secrets, mystery, and the lengths people will go to protect their family. With a vivid sense of place and realistic characters, this is a novel you shouldn’t pass up!

Thank you to Net Galley, Berkley Publishers, and author Emma Rous for giving me the opportunity to read the ARC of this fast paced, engrossing novel!

Why would a woman jump to her death after giving birth to the twins she longed for? That is the question Seraphine Mayes seeks to answer. She believes that the au pair working for the family the summer she and her brother were born has the answer. Seraphine’s search for the au pair, Laura, sets in motion the story full of twists and turns as the narrative switches between Seraphine and Laura. This is a fast paced page turner that I didn’t want to end.