Wow! Wow! Wow! My mind is still racing after this incredible read from Ruth Ware. The Turn of the Key is simply amazing. Many have said it is Ware's best book yet. This is the first I have read by her but it exceeded my expectations.

Rowan is a nanny trying to prove her innocence after she is accused of the murder of one of the children under her care. The family, Rowan, and everyone involved has their own secrets that keeps the reader on their toes until the very end. This is a must read! Check it out when it hits the shelves in August, 2019.

DNF....
Sorry Ruth Ware, I usually really enjoy your books. But I just can't do supernatural. I got about half way and just couldn't do it.

Ruth Ware does what she does best in The Turn of the Key. It is another atmospheric and gothic setting, with a creepy plot that gets you turning the pages. The inclusion of a high tech house was a great use of modern technology in thrillers, that did not go too far.

I picked up my first Ruth Ware book on a whim, just a few months ago. Someone had dropped off The Woman in Cabin 10 at the used bookstore where I volunteer and it had a pretty cover (yes, I totally judge books by their covers) and an intriguing plot, and it didn't hurt that the book was in great condition, so I gave it a try.

And the rest, as they say, is history. I've read all but one of her books now (I still need to get to The Lying Game), and so I was super excited when the publisher approved me for an ARC of her latest, which drops on August 6.

The Turn of the Key has all the signature elements I've come to expect in her writing: an intriguing, likeable, but flawed main character. A contemporary setting with a gothic vibe. And plenty of twists and turns to go around:

Rowan Caine is looking for a change. She’s recently been passed up for a promotion at the daycare center where she works, and doesn’t get along with her boss. So when she stumbles across an ad for a live-in nanny with a ridiculously high salary, she just has to apply. When she shows up at the stunning historic mansion that’s been renovated with the latest smart technology and is situated in the idyllic countryside, she knows this is the place she wants to be. It helps that the three children are adorable and well-behaved, and the mother attentive and warm. Little does Rowan know she’s stepping into a nightmare that will end with one child dead and her behind bars, wrongfully accused of murder.

So, my feelings on this book are super mixed. Despite the compelling plot, The Turn of the Key is easily my least favorite of Ware’s books. A large part of this has to do with the execution. The book is written in letter form. Rowan is writing to a lawyer from jail, hoping he’ll believe her side of things and go to bat for her. A child is dead, and she's been convicted, but we won't find out exactly which child died until the very end of her letter, which is of course the length of the entire book. So, we're talking a 350 page letter, give or take. I have no problem suspending disbelief for a lot of things in suspense, but a 350 page letter? That I have a hard time with. It just feels forced and formulaic, especially because the way you have to write a book to maintain your audience's interest is definitely not the way anyone would write a formal letter to a lawyer eliciting help for their wrongful arrest.

Additionally, this book is part of the "nanny suspense" craze, which I'm not a fan of whatsoever. Maybe it's because I worked in a daycare center for years, but this sub-genre has an ick factor for me. I don't want to read about a child dying under the care and supervision of their nanny. My dislike of this sub-genre is obviously totally a personal preference on my part, so take it or leave it. I also don't want to read about nannies who hate kids, which this main character does. If you hate kids, don't work with kids. Period. Because of this, Rowan was not a sympathetic character at all for me. I was pretty much rooting for anyone but her by the end of the first chapter.

But setting aside the annoying format, my issues with nanny suspense, and the fact that the book had a rather slow start, overall it did hold my attention and kept me turning the pages. I’m sure part of that has to do with my trust in Ware as an author, knowing all is not as it seems, and wanting to find out what I'm missing. And she certainly didn’t disappoint in that regard. There were definitely a couple "whoa" moments where I was surprised by the twist and hadn't seen it coming at all.

But despite not being able to put it down, and some major twists along the way, I was disappointed in the ending. Don't worry, I won't give anything away, but I will say that I felt like the book could have used an epilogue. The ending left me wanting more, but not in a good way. I'm used to Ware's endings being pretty solid. She's never one to wrap everything up in a neat little bow, but at the same time, you feel satisfied with the conclusion and feel comfortable closing the book on these characters you've come to care about. I did not feel that way with this one.

So, overall, I'd give this book a solid 3 out of 5 stars. If you've never read this author before, I'd suggest starting with one of her other books first — The Death of Mrs. Westaway is my personal favorite. But even with the elements I didn't like, I'd still recommend The Turn of the Key to anyone who loves Ruth Ware or suspense in general. You'll like this book. Maybe not love it, but it's a solid suspense mystery that will keep you guessing even after the last page.

Thank you to Netgalley for my ARC.

I love Ruth Ware and eagerly await every book she writes. So it pains me to only give this 3 stars.

I enjoyed the story and Ruth did a great job of filling you with the same amount of dread and panic that the main character, Rowan felt. I felt anxious as I read the book, trying to figure out what was going on in the story so for that, I applaud her.

There were two areas that disappointed me, hence the 3-star review. The book was meant to be told in the form of letters from the main character to her solicitor while waiting for her trial in prison. The tone of the voice when she was directly addressing the recipient was different from that when she went on to relay her story. So it felt disjointed and in two different voices. So when you found yourself comfortably reading in one voice for a large chunk, it was a bit of a jolt to suddenly switch to this different voice. It was subtle but just obvious enough that it bothered me.

The last disappointment was the ending. I had no expectations for where it should go but felt that she rushed to resolve it within a handful of pages. It was so abrupt and left me with so many more questions. It felt unresolved and that left me a little angry. Why had I just read this whole book only to have this ending just cut short with tons of loose ends? Unless she is planning a sequel, I'm a bit pissed at the ending. There were a few opportunities in those last pages to just add in a few lines that could have helped resolve what happened to the main character but she didn't do that.

I would still suggest reading it because again, I love Ruth Ware, but just be prepared to feel unfulfilled with the ending.

I was lucky enough to get a copy of Ruth Ware’s new book in the form of an e-book ARC from the publisher! I have previous read The Woman in Cabin 10 and have a few other of her books on my pile to read! Thank you again to Netgalley, Galley Books and Simon and Schuster for providing me with the book to review!
This book had me hooked from the beginning! It starts off with the beginning of multiple letters that are never finished asking for help. As the pages proceed, we find out that the writer of the letter is a nanny who has been accused of murdering one of her charges. She is asking a lawyer for help since she claims that she didn’t do it. The letter(s) continue as we hear the story of what happened.

I loved how the book was told from Rowan’s (the main character/nanny) point of view through the letters. I felt like this made the book unique from the beginning. I have read a lot of books lately and haven’t read one told in a letter format. I don’t want to give too much away but as the book proceeds it gets creepier and creepier. Think the possibility of mean ghost hanging around the house as Rowan is thrown into being a nanny for three girls (and later a fourth) right away when the parents leave after one day!

Overall I couldn’t put this book down! I stayed up way too later reading it just so I could finish it! This book is a definite 5 out of 5 stars for me! I loved it!

Having recently found Ruth Ware after reading an earlier novel in my book club, I binge read all her books, so was delighted when this one came into my hands. I have to say this was probably my least favorite so far.. The premise was good, but something felt lacking. I am glad to have read it, as I love the author, but it is not a book I have thought about again once the last chapter was over.

*An ARC of this book was provided to my by NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.*

Great premise but lacking in execution. I kept reading through the trivialities of this nanny's day because I wanted to find out what happened and then I found out what happened and I'm not sure it was worth it. The ending (literally the last 5 pages of the book) was like a pie in the face. Except the pie missed my face and just got a little whipped cream in my hair, but the intention was clear, so I'm here pissed off and the author is just standing there sheepishly regretting her terrible aim. But not regretting the part where she makes an obscene amount of money from this guaranteed bestseller.

Ruth Ware lives up to the hype again. I am always amazed at how she can stump me every time. I finished this book so quickly because I needed to see how it would end. It was the first time in a while, that when reading a thriller, I had absolutely no clue or even a sense of how it would end.
Rowen, the main character, comes across a perfect nanny position. She is hesitant when she is made aware of the fact all the previous nannies have left fairly quickly. However, once she meets Sandra, the mother, she decides this seems like a great opportunity. She moves into the house shortly after and finds that both parents are leaving on a week long away trip not even 24hours after she arrives. Weird things start happening such as open doors, footsteps at night, and missing items. The girls tell her stories of ghosts and the people who used to live in the home that died. The end was such a twist and I highly recommend this book. Thank you NetGalley and Gallery Publicity for a copy of this book.

This was a pretty great story, and I thought it was downright creepy in several places, especially if you're reading it at night with all the lights out except for your Kindle screen! I did not really care for In a Dark, Dark Wood, but I thought this book sounded really good so I decided to give Ruth Ware another shot, and I'm so glad I did. It's a story that's very easy to get immersed in, and I love the Scottish setting. Definitely worth checking out if you like thrillers.


A super big thank you to NetGalley and publisher for giving me a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with the ARC. I have previously read Ruth Ware's other books and I just love her writing style and settings of her thrillers! Once again I'm not disappointed by her latest release and thanks again to the publisher for providing me with this beauty! Will read more from this author in the future of course!

I didn't think that IN A DARK DARK WOOD would be knocked from its place as my favorite Ruth Ware book, but THE TURN OF THE KEY did it. There were so many things that I enjoyed about this book. The first is the well written and fleshed out plot. With shades of THE TURN OF THE SCREW and other gothic novels throughout it, I thought that the story of Rowan, the live in nanny who finds out the perfect job is far more insidious than she expected, was a true page turner. The suspense builds slowly, as the problems start small. A malfunctioning piece of technology here, a bratty child there. But the more that Rowan has to endure, the more the reader questions what is going on. Is Rowan unstable, or is it the environment around her? I like Rowan quite a bit, and the narrative device (crafted as letters written to a lawyer while she awaits trial for murder) made it so you aren't sure if she's reliable or not. I was questioning everything in the story, wondering if the true antagonist was Rowan, to one of the other staff members, to the lady of the house, to the children themselves, to an actual haunting. And like most of her stories, Ware is able to pull of the many twists in the book in ways that make them feel earned. I devoured this story in one day, so in need to knowing what was going to happen.

THE TURN OF THE KEY is the perfect gothic read for the summertime, and once again Ruth Ware proves that the hype around her stories is completely legitimate. For me, this is her best yet.

In this canny retelling of Henry James' "Turn of the Screw" a young nanny takes a job at a remote estate in Scotland. The day following her arrival, the parents leave for a business trip and all hell breaks loose, ending with a dead child and the nanny in prison.

The house is a character in the story, a "smart" home, with everything controlled by various apps, and I do mean everything from opening the drapes to watching people in their bedrooms. There's an 85 page manual of directions left by the parents, and with the four kids, the poor nanny does not have to read it.

The nanny is sketchy anyway. Rowan Caine is obviously in a bit of a rush to get our of London (although the pay at this new job is incredible) and her flaws are on display in the letter she writes to a lawyer begging for help. The four girls are strange, and let's not forget the parents--the dad comes on to her within an hour of their meeting and they both rush off, leaving a brand new nanny in a house with a major learning curve, out in the middle of nowhere.

The anti=climatic "Key" of the title may have to do with the fact that the house appears to have no knob or bell to get in, due to it's "smartness." The one key does open the door to some nastiness, but there is far more than that in this tale.

Parts of this novel were pretty intriguing, others were flat. The end is rushed and could have benefited from more about Rowan's fate. It was headed the right direction, just got there too fast.

~~Candace Siegle, Greedy Reader

Ruth Ware’s latest is deliciously twisty and turny, just like a key in an old antique lock.
I didn’t guess any of the twists. I let myself get swept up in the story. I could tell from the beginning that I couldn’t trust the narrator, so I did take what she said with a grain of salt.
I enjoyed this very much and gobbled it up quickly. If you enjoyed any of Ware’s past hits, you’ll adore this one.

Wow I love Ruth Ware and I loved this book. I was truly unable to put this one down until I finished! I really enjoyed the supernatural element here. That definitely was one of the elements that kept me reading at all possible waking moments until the end. I also really enjoyed the unique format of this book- told in letters from prison to a potential lawyer, giving the entire backstory to her case. A great and creepy read that I’ll be thinking about for a while!

Thanks to Netgalley & Gallery, Pocket Books for an advanced copy of this book.

Rowan is a 20-something woman who wants a fresh start in life. She answers an ad for a live-in nanny position in Scotland, and she feels like it is an answer to her prayers. In the midst of her life-changing move, she tries to solve the mystery of what happened to the previous nannies.

There is plenty of foreshadowing early on, so you know that trouble is brewing. Ruth Ware is great at building a creepy atmosphere. She is also good at laying out the elements of a good mystery. There were definitely some surprises along the way. While I figured out part of the mystery about halfway through, there were still some unexpected elements in the resolution of the mystery.

As you can see, I liked this book quite a bit! 4 stars!

Another wonderful Ruth Ware novel.. Loved, loved, loved it! Gothic, eerie story that keeps you guessing and an unexpected ending..

I had not read anything by Ruth Ware so when I saw this on NetGalley, I requested it.

When Rowan stumbles across ad for a nanny, she’s looking for something else completely. But it seems like too good an opportunity to miss—a live-in nannying post, with a staggeringly generous salary. And when she arrives at Heatherbrae House, she is fascinated by the “smart” home fitted out with all modern conveniences, by the beautiful Scottish Highlands, and by this picture-perfect family. What she doesn’t know is that she’s stepping into a nightmare—one that will end with a child dead and herself in prison awaiting trial for murder. Writing to her lawyer from prison, she struggles to explain the unravelling events that led to her incarceration. It wasn’t just the constant surveillance from the cameras installed around the house, or the malfunctioning technology that woke the household with booming music, or turned the lights off at the worst possible time. It wasn’t just the girls, who turned out to be a far cry from the immaculately behaved model children she met at her interview. It wasn’t even the way she was left alone for weeks at a time, with no adults around apart from the enigmatic handyman, Jack Grant. She knows she’s made mistakes. She admits that she lied to obtain the post, and that her behavior toward the children wasn’t always ideal. She’s not innocent, by any means. But, she maintains, she’s not guilty—at least not of murder.

I was totally caught off guard by all the plot twists and am sure I will read this author again.

This was one of my most anticipated book releases for 2019 and I couldn't wait to get my hands on it. I have read all of Ruth Ware's previously published books. I found the plot to be a really good concept. I couldn't wait to find out why how our main character, Rowan, got in jail and if she was going to be successful with getting out. Ruth Ware's writing style is really easy to read and makes it really easy to fly through. I was able to read this book in less than 24 hours. The twists at the end of the book I didn't see coming, which I always love in a thriller novel.

Despite all of the positive things about this book, it's probably my least favorite of her books that I've read. I wanted more "creep" factor and events to take place in this book. Often times Rowan will tell the lawyer she is writing to that she promises she has a point to telling her day to day life and I would respond in my head "yeah get to the point already." The day to day stories definitely had a point but at times could be very dragged out. I wanted more action and suspense. I didn't always love the main characters choices, but in the end, I understood why she probably made the decisions that she did.

Overall though, I didn't dislike this book. I still enjoyed it and would give it 3.5 stars. I recommend this book to other fans of Ruth Ware or people who enjoy a good nanny trope. I will still be purchasing a physical copy of this book when it is released. Thank you so much to Netgalley and Gallery Books for providing me with the opportunity to read this book early.

The Turn Of The Key
by Ruth Ware
due 8-6-2019
Gallery Pocket
4.5 / 5.0

#netgalley

When Rowan accepts the position of nanny for the Elincourt family living in the Scottish Highlands in the Heatherbrae House, she had no idea just how much it would change her life. Told in the form of a letter to her lawyer written from prison, Rowan tries to explain how she ended up incarcerated and accused of murder.
Is she a murderer? If she is not....who is??

Absolutely brilliant. Ruth Wares storytelling is magical, it draws you in, psyches you out and leaves you not sure what to expect until the last page. I love her more every time I read her.
Highly recommended.
Thanks to the author, publisher and netgalley for this e-book ARC for review.