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.

Wow! This book was so good I could not put it down! The characters, the setting, the twists and turns all done to perfection. The ending will have you shaking your head as I did not even think of it. This is such a terrific book.

The Turn of the Key is the new book by Ruth Ware. I’ve read a few books by her and I was excited to get approved for this advanced reader copy.

The Turn of the Key has lots of great things in the plot and writing. The main characters are also well done and different. You suspect everyone is guilty and I love when a book makes me paranoid of everyone. hahaha!

The book starts with Rowan Caine writing a letter to an attorney. Rowan has been accused of killing one of the kids that she was in charge of.
Before all of this happens, she explains to the attorney on how she gets the job along with what was happening at Heatherbrae before the death.

Rowan explains that she finds an ad in the paper for a new nanny position in the Scottish Highlands. She applies for the position and gets it! She’s so excited because the land is beautiful, she wants a new start and the pay is incredible.

But things aren’t what they seem at the new house called Heatherbrae. The parents are architects and have completely gutted and renovated the place. They have turned the house into a "smart" home. Think Alexa but on steroids. The technology controls everything from lights, water temperature to telling the fridge to order milk. That part of the book was detailed and described so well that I do not want a smart house now.

Rowan’s in charge of four girls and one’s in boarding school when she starts the new position. Rowan comes to find out she’s the 4th or 5th nanny that’s taken on this position. All the others have left in the middle night or for other questionable reasons.

Rowan ends up being an unreliable narrator in The Turn of the Key. I liked that along with all the characters in the book. The house and all the things that are happening in the middle of night are super creepy as well.
Ruth Ware writes suspense and gothic very well!
I really enjoyed the supernatural elements in this book!

There’s lots of great things about The Turn of the Key, but I had one big gripe that brought down the rating.
The buildup of the plot was slow. I don’t mind a slow burn if the end pays off, but the ending did not. And the reason was the ending was too quick! Damn it, I wanted more from that ending.

I loved the plot twists at the end though! I did not expect a few and really enjoyed the shock of them.

I’m really torn on this one so I’m going with 3.5 stars rounded up.

Recommended to fans of suspense, gothic and supernatural genres!

Ruth Ware is very good at the build up. Almost all of this book is build up. Rowan become a nanny for a wealthy family living in the Scottish Highlands. She has to look after three children after being introduced to the job for one day. The house is a too smart house where there are cameras and microphones everywhere. The place feels claustrophobic and unsettling.. It doesn't help that Rowan starts hearing footsteps above her.

I wanted another epilogue. I had so many questions at the end. Like the fate of Rowan and the family.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a review copy in exchange for my honest opinion! It was much appreciated!

This book tore at my heartstrings. The atmosphere was astoundingly perfect. Old house in the middle of pretty much nowhere, updated with some modern touches, but for the most part, still carrying around the haunting history of its past. The loneliness of being one of a handful of people, isolated on the grounds of an estate far from the city. Creepy noises at all hours of the night, items going missing, a hidden dangerous garden, scared children... this could have been a perfect horror novel. But what drives the narrative is that you know someone is going to die, and you want to know who causes this to happen... all that other stuff just helps create the atmosphere of tension and building anticipation that most writers try to set up and fail at spectacularly.

The twists will throw you for a loop, and some of them seem to come out of nowhere. It's not your typical mystery in that you can't guess a lot of the things that will happen... but it's worth the read.

Probably my favorite of Ruth Ware's novels so far. I can't wait to see what comes next.

Another great book by one of my favorite authors! It kept me guessing. Ruth Ware never disappoints! Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

Loved this book!!! Twists I never saw coming. Ruth Ware has become one of my favorite authors. Her books never disappoint. Highly recommend!

Does Ruth Ware do wrong?!? No, the answer is no.
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I loved The Turn of The Key. I obsessively read this in two days.
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I’m going to tell you what I loved.
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The format. We hear Rowan’s story through a letter to ask a solicitor to take her case for murder. That’s all we know. It was brilliantly done hearing Rowan’s voice via Rowan.
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The story itself was addictive. I had zero idea what in the world was going on...it was the closest to In a Dark, Dark Wood atmosphere and character development as any of her recents. That is an automatic win for me as I still love Ware’s In A Dark, Dark Wood.
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Ware continues to be an auto buy author for me with The Turn of the Key...She continues to offer atmospheric, gothic suspense and I can’t get enough of ‘em!

I received an advanced copy of this book from Netgalley. As her previous books, Ruth Ware didn't disappoint. It was a page turner. Rowan is a young woman who accepts a nanny position for 4 young girls. She hears noises in the attic and things that go bump in the night. She is arrested and charged with murder when one of the kids die. Rowan's story is a complicated one. Even though I enjoyed the book, the ending still left me with some unanswered questions.

I thoroughly enjoyed this latest offering by Ruth Ware. Thanks to NetGalley for sending me an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

This novel really appealed to me as a fan of gothic mystery with paranormal features. By choosing to write an epistolary novel, Ware gives you a first person perspective, revealing almost the entire story through the letters written by Rowan to a potential solicitor. The ending really packs a punch that was designed brilliantly and believably in this format.

Even though self-admittedly flawed, I rooted for the main character Rowan, the Nanny who accepted a position in a luxurious home in Scotland. She wanted a fresh start and found the accommodations and salary clearly to her liking. The unfolding of relationship between Rowan, the children, and other characters was clear and evenly plotted.

I am struck now as I reflect on this read that I felt a darkness in the setting itself through much of the reading. There were a few moments where the author described sunshine and a bright environment, but those seemed to be deliberately in contrast to the way she described the home and the surrounding woods. Well done!

I read most of this on a six hour flight, so it was hard to put down!

Cleverly done, with a fantastic twist that I did NOT see coming. I see myself reading this one again and again!!

I loved this book! First of all, Ruth Ware does not disappoint. She is the master of leaving bread crumbs throughout the book, so that you are trying to piece the puzzle together. Secondly, this book is written in the form of a letter. Rowan, a nanny, is pleading with an attorney to represent her because she didn’t kill the girl. Throughout the book, you learn about the smart house and its “split personality” making this the perfect ghost story! What was the reason all the other nannies left?

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishing house for providing an advanced copy for review. All thoughts and opinions are my own! 

I know many of us have been excitedly anticipating the new novel from Ruth Ware so I wanted to be sure to screen this one for you. I think it is important to know that I would categorize this one as more in the horror realm than as a typical Ware thriller novel. Fans of The Haunting of Hill House will love how this home has a dark past, filled with terrible secrets. 

The book opens with a prisoner writing to her lawyer, as she attempts to explain how she has been set up for her crimes. She takes her reader down the twisted path of applying for a too-good-to-be-believed nanny job and the horrors that unfold in this infamous Heatherbrae House. 

The house has had a lot of revamping under the new owners and is outfitted with all the latest smart home technology. Just as soon as the complicated house has been explained, the parents decide to head off for weeks, leaving their new nanny in charge of three little girls (and a bonus teenager), two wild dogs, and a couple of weird people working for the family. 

Of course, everything with the smart technology starts backfiring on Rowan and she becomes increasingly paranoid that something is going to happen to her or these children. Not only that, but she hears someone above her room walking back and forth and keeping her up throughout the night. As Rown becomes more and more unhinged, the naughty daughters get naughtier and encourage pushing their nanny right on over the edge. 

I was on the EDGE OF MY SEAT through this whole book. Ware beautifully develops misleading clues, a sense of distrust with everyone, and a plausible reason for Rowan's sudden career shift to nanny. 

I loved it all the way through...until the last few pages. 

Ware's cleverly crafted twists unfold, but the last sections feels jumbled and rushed. The big reveal is shared in letter format with an abrupt conclusion that begs to have an epilogue. It doesn't have an epilogue though so it left me feeling dissatisfied, knowing how incredibly satisfying the rest of the novel was.

I still loved it, but wish the ending was less rushed and as supported as much as the development of the story. 

This review will go live on MomAdvice.com on July 1st!

This book was creepy and amazing. It's about a nanny who is in prison after a child in her care dies. Rowan, the nanny has been accused of murder and is retelling her account of what happened to a lawyer she is trying to get to represent her during her trial. The way the story is written, from the perspective of Rowan writing letters to this attorney, was great. I loved how you felt as if you were on the outside looking into the story. The children were brats, but you find out why they act the way they do and you sympathize. There were a lot of twists in this story, and despite being surprised multiple times I feel like the big main twist was a let-down for me. It just felt like the story ended abruptly with little explanation and tied up everything way to quickly. I wish that all of the well-written build-up and tension led to a satisfying ending. This book is still perfect for fans of Ruth Ware and thrilling mysteries.

A nanny in jail accused of murdering one of the children in her care. This is her story.

When Rowan, a young nanny who lives in London, comes across for an ad seeking a nanny to live in a remote area of Scotland, it sounds too good to be true. The pay is high, the house is beautiful, and the family seems lovely. She is warned that previous nannies have quit due to the house being haunted. Rowan doesn’t believe in ghosts, so she pays no heed to the warning. She is hired for the position and packs up her life in London and moves to remote Scotland. But what is beautiful on the surface is hiding deep dark secrets.

One of my favorite things about The Turn of the Key is the house which is named Heatherbrae. Equipped with state of the art technology (the whole house runs off an app), it takes on a life of its own. Juxtaposed with Victorian architecture and Gothic feel, Heatherbrae adds another layer to The Turn of the Key.

The Turn of the Key is told only through Rowan’s eyes, as she shares what led to her arrest through a series of letters to a solicitor. Rowan is an unreliable narrator and the reader must contend with a lot of telling. While this type of narrative style usually irks me, I found that it works in this case as Rowan provides a detailed account of her time at Heatherbrae. One just needs to continue to question whether or not her version of events is accurate.

There are some twists as well some red herrings thrown in for good measure. I guessed many of the smaller twists, but I completely missed the most significant twist. And I was looking for it! Sadly, my detective skills failed. This twist added an additional layer and made me want to reread from the beginning. The ending felt a bit rushed and I could have done without the final letter. I would rather have been left guessing than be told a less than satisfying conclusion to Rowan’s story. Overall, this is an atmospheric, slower-paced psychological thriller with some intriguing twists and turns.

I received an ARC of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

I had really high hopes for this book but it just wasn't as engaging as the synopsis made it out to be. I felt like the plot dragged for most of the book and had predictable "twists". If you're new to mysteries and twisty books, this might be the one for you. But for veterans of this type of genre, take caution.

Very well written story full of suspense. Ruth Ware had a strong sense of the story she was trying to tell with enough details without being cumbersome. I liked the approach taken by the author to tell Rowan's story to her advocate. Enough suspense to keep it interesting. The ending was unexpected!

A modern retelling of The Turn of The Screw, featuring a remodeled smart house isolated in the Scottish Highlands. I was a bit frustrated with the ending but all in all, a good read.