⚠️CW: Postpartum depression, depression, suicide, suicidal ideation, cutting, infidelity, domestic violence, drowning

Thank you to @berkleypub and @netgalley for the digital ARC! The Nesting will be available on September 28th.

I’ve always loved ghost stories and been drawn to the unexplainable, so venturing into the world of paranormal thrillers this year has been a TREAT. It adds a touch of fantasy to a genre that can begin to feel a little monotonous. The addition of an “evil entity” opens the door for so many spooky moments, and I’m here for it. Also, the description of this particular entity? Can’t get it out of my head. MAJOR Samara from The Ring vibes. 👀

Quick summary: After a suicide attempt, Lexi poses as someone else to take a nannying job in Norway, believing the remote location will be the perfect chance to escape, start fresh, and work on her novel. It’s there she’ll be working for Tom, an architect and grieving widower who’s determined to build his family’s dream home, despite countless setbacks (including his wife’s suicide!!) and warnings from superstitious locals.

The Nesting is a stunningly atmospheric and unputdownable novel that whisked me away to a beautiful, haunted landscape: an old, secluded house in the woods on the edge of the fjord. The past and present timelines combined with Nordic folklore, paranormal elements, and traditional suspense make this the perfect pick for an Autumn night. I read it in one sitting, bundled up on the patio, listening to the wind and rain. (Highly recommend for optimum spooky vibes!!)

At first, this book felt similar to Ruth Ware’s The Turn of the Key. While I enjoyed that book, I’m pleased to say this was a different experience entirely. With a heavy focus on environmental ethics, The Nesting shows us that Mother Nature fights back, and she’ll take what she’s owed.

A gothic horror creepy tale that will keep you guessing because of the two unreliable narrators. Lexi, who has just tried to commit suicide, steals Sophie's resume to apply for a job as a nanny in Norway. She knows that Aurelia, the mother of Gaia and Coco and wife to Tom, has died but she doesn't know what drove her to her death. Tom's building a house on a cliff- this is the second go round, the first having been destroyed. The house where they are all living during the construction is haunted- or is it? What's with the elk? What about the sad lady? How did the 500 pound panes of glass end up-unbroken- in the fjord. Lexi/Sophie is an interesting character, as is Maren, the housekeeper. Echoes of Rebecca for sure but very very different. The Norway setting is great (nature, including a bird named Dora, is important here- and if you, like me, have a little trouble visualizing the house, that's ok. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. It's a good read.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Berkley Publishing, and C.J. Cooke for the opportunity to read this wonderful atmospheric novel - 4.5 stars!

It's fall and the perfect time to lose yourself in a Nordic suspense/folklore novel! This one will surely fit the bill as the book opens with the death of Aurelia - as she plunges off a cliff to her death. But was she killing herself due to postpartum depression or was it an abusive husband or something unworldly? As we settle back in present time, Lexi is just recovering from a suicide attempt when her boyfriend breaks up with her. She is instantly homeless with no prospects. A chance bus encounter leads to her becoming Sophie and a nanny to Aurelia's two young girls in a very remote house in Norway. Lexi/Sophie just wanted some time to recover, to work on her book, and have a place to live. She never dreamed of falling in love with the two girls in her charge. When things take a creepy turn, she realizes she'll do anything to keep them from harm.

The book went from chapters of "Then" when we learn what Aurelia was going through to "Now." The similarities of the possible hallucinations of both women are scary. I really loved how Lexi/Sophie evolved - from being a depressed girl with no prospects to being so wonderful with the girls.

This is a perfect creepy book to curl up with under a thick blanket. The descriptions of the stark Norwegian landscape and the house literally hanging over the cliff add to the suspense in this book. I loved the subplot of the repercussions of changing nature - very apt in this time of such climate worries.

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkeley Publishing for the ARC of The Nesting by C.J. Cooke. I read I Know My Name and loved it and was very excited to read her latest book.

Lexi has just attempted suicide, lost her job, and broken up with her longtime boyfriend. Consequently, she finds herself homeless with nowhere to go. While on the train, she overhears a conversation between two passengers about a prospective live-in nanny position. Lexi can’t believe her luck! This job would solve all of her problems, as she would have a home and income. She decides to steal the passenger’s identity by using her resume, applies for the job, and gets the offer of a lifetime, as the job also involves her moving to Norway, a place she has always wanted to go. She will also be able to do research for the book she is writing. Her life is about to improve and she is very excited for her future. However, when she learns about the strange suicide of her employer’s late wife, she decides to investigate. Was it murder?

This book instantly grabbed my attention with Lexi’s attempted suicide. However, although the characters are very well-developed and have emotional depth, I found myself losing steam and interest towards the middle of the book. I enjoyed the relationship between Lexi “Sophie” and the children, but grew tired and annoyed by Clive and Derry. Also, I found the backstory on Maren to be ridiculous. The author does a great job of including Norwegian myths and folktales into the story in order to hint that a supernatural power may be involved in the many accidents that surround the family and property. Overall, there was a lot of intriguing misdirection, but I wish the reveals were more satisfying.

3.5/5 stars

Content warnings for suicide, child abuse, spousal abuse, animal death

Struggling to recover from a suicide attempt and becoming homeless after a break up with her longtime partner, Lexi Ellis finds herself alone on a train with nowhere to go. Overhearing a group of young women discuss a nanny position for a wealthy family whose children recently lost their mother and will be staying in Norway, Lexi impulsively decides to impersonate one of the young women and apply for the job herself. Shockingly, she lands the job and quickly researches everything she can about vegan cooking and childhood education.
When Lexi and the family arrive at their temporary vacation home in Norway, Lexi finds it isn't quite what she was expecting. The demands of her new position are exhausting and the longtime housekeeper acts suspiciously. Odd occurrences in the home seem tied to one of the little girl's night terrors and Lexi quickly becomes convinced that the mother's death may not have been a suicide.
After the mother's journal lands in Lexi's room, Lexi becomes obsessed with discovering the true cause of her death and finds herself, and the daughters, in grave danger.
Ok, this is one you have to let a few things slide in the beginning because the ending does make it worth it. How Lexi was hired as "Sophie" without anyone knowing? Not sure. Can't believe a picture ID wasn't required at any point. But, let it go, it'll be fine.
The story is told from multiple points of view and the author does an excellent job staying true to each character's voice. Lexi/Sophie is such a scattered mess of a character. As the story unfolds, we learn more and more about the abuse she suffered as a child and the impact of that abuse on her adult life. She truly grows to be a sympathetic character and I really think she was doing the best she could with what she knew. We learn Aurelia's story, the girls' mother, through flashbacks to her time living in the vacation home. Struggling to raise a toddler and a newborn in the remote wilderness with almost no help from her husband, Aurelia shows classic signs of postpartum depression but it becomes clear that something far more sinister is at work. Tom, the father, is obsessed with the complicated home build he is working on in memory of Aurelia but the build is plagued with disasters and setbacks causing him to act erratically and oftentimes, aggressively.
The story moves along quickly, with frequent flashbacks to Aurelia's time in the house which often raise more questions than answers. I loved how Norse mythology was tied into the story, much of it new to me, and the tension given off by the forest around the house became a character in itself. Every time anyone went outside I was prepared for some disaster to strike them or creature to come from the woods to attack. The forest seemed to affect all of the characters and the stress of that caused serious riffs between everyone living in the house, leaving no one capable of trusting one another. The tension of the build, Aurelia's death, and living so remotely contributed to the "was it suicide or was it magical creature" and the author did it really, really, well.
When everyone is lying, who can you ever trust?

Thank you to Netgalley and Berkley Publishing for the opportunity to read and review this title. All opinions and mistakes are my own.

This book was great! I loved the fast pace, it kept wanting to read more. I liked most of the characters and was surprised by some aspects of the plot. Don't want to spoil it! When you read this, you'll start and not want to stop!

After a botched suicide attempt, Lexi is left homeless and jobless. When she hears about a nanny position in Norway, without too much thinking she quickly assumes a new identity and applies. Once in Norway she realizes she’s a bit out of her element, but she loves the girls who are desperately missing their mumma who recently drowned in the fjords of Norway. Thing are quiet strange in Norway, muddy animal footprints in the house, and a vision of a dripping wet woman with no eyes. Lexi thought she left her hallucinations behind in London, but did she? As her employer builds a house in the side of a cliff unexplainable things happen around the job site too. Tom is trying to build with the eco system intact, but it’s harder said then done. What is the hold the Norway countryside has over them. A gothic novel filled with Norwegian folklore and the supernatural, this book had its moments, but just didn’t flow the way it should have. It was a dark story that didn’t connect all the elements and left me wanting more!

I tried really hard to get into this book! The Nesting sounded super tempting: Nordic noir and mystery with folklore and a gothic feel?! Sign me up!

Unfortunately, I could not get into the story as everything goes soooo slow. Also, the main character's impersonation of another person who's a credible nanny just never worked for me.

🤷🏻‍♀️
DNF at 45% .

Tw: suicide.

Mesmerizing. Norway is an undeniable force in this ethereal suspense tale. As with Ruth Ware's "The Turn of the Key," there is a hastily accepted nanny position for active little girls in a far-flung location and there is a house with a creepy vibe. Although I would heartily recommend this title to Ruth Ware fans, I will also make it very clear that this new title from C.J. Cooke excels on its own merits. The creep factor is a bit more dialed up than I prefer, but the arc of the narrative contains and at the same time utilizes the supernatural in a superb manner. Open up this new release and transport yourself to the fjords of Norway.

Thank you to Berkley and NetGalley for a DRC in exchange for an honest review.

A young woman lies about who she is to get a nanny job. Then she finds out the girls she's taking care of, their mother committed suicide just a few weeks before. Lots and lots of things going on in this story. There's a little bit of haunting, and ghost-telling, some creepy older men, betrayal, secrets, etc. Even though it seems like there might be many storylines, they all do have something in common.



I loved the mysteries of this book. There were so many people lying that, damnit, I wanted them all to be caught, but...I also wanted to see where their lies could lead them. Cooke does a fantastic job of making you hate someone, but also being immensely interested in what the hell is going on. It's almost like a hate-obsession. It's awesome!



The Nesting comes out 9.29.2020.



You won't regret reading this one.



5/5 Stars

I loved this book! My favorite sort of suspense story is gothic, dark and atmospheric -- and this tale pressed all those buttons. The basics have been done before -- a down-on-her-luck young woman takes a nanny position....tells some lies to get it, in fact. Lexi believes she can escape her darkness....but ends up in a strange house on a cliff with weird happenings going on....did she run from darkness only to find more dark? Did the children's mother commit suicide....or did something more gruesome happen? Is the house haunted? Are the people the ones haunted?

There were some points where the story dragged a bit.... but I got sucked right back into the gothic pretty quickly. This is a perfect autumn, start of the ramp up to Halloween, sort of story. I propped myself up in bed with my trusted chihuahua by my side (I did not let her read the book with me -- too scary for her!), a cup of hot tea, and lovely gothic suspense! I was reminded of my teenage self devouring Victoria Holt books for the spooky, goth creepy house in the middle of nowhere stories! I think that's why I still love stories like this today!!

Very atmospheric, suspenseful and entertaining read! C.J. Cooke takes a plot that has been done many times and makes it her own. She breathes some life back into the nanny-in-the-spooky-house-with-weird-stuff tale -- kept me glued to my Ipad (digital galley) from start to finish!

**I voluntarily read a review copy of this book from Berkley Publishing. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.

A vivid, spine-tingling thriller with lots of heart.

London-based Lexi has just attempted suicide and her world has been shattered. After finding herself on a bus homeless, broken-up with, and still haunted by her own traumatic past in foster care, she hears a young girl talking about applying for a nanny job in Norway. From there, she embarks on a seemingly impossible, fate-riddled story as Sophie the nanny for two young girls and their newly-widowed father who is building a summer home in Norway. The beautiful Nordic landscape quickly takes on a dark edge as you begin to discover how the girls' mother, Aurelia, committed suicide, jumping from the exact cliff where the house is now being built. As her death haunts this house full of characters who each seem to have something to hide, a supernatural element comes into play. The Nordic fairy tales Aurelia used to read to her girls seem to have some truth to them: elks coming into homes, men turning to wolves, and a water creature that claims what is theirs. Mother Nature may be handing out punishment for this build's disruption of the land, and Lexi has found herself intertwined in the mystery.

The balance of drama, suspense, and thrilling fantasy was superb in this book. Lexi's character arc is touching and there is so much heart behind the connection she finds with the two little girls. Despite the emotional tug, you simultaneously find yourself chilled by the description of ghostly sightings, voices, and odd occurrences of nature. Placing this all in a dramatic Nordic landscape brings a sweeping visual of starkness and suspenseful quiet. I absolutely adored this book. I was scared, sentimental, and on the edge of my seat AND it all wrapped together with a sinister but important reminder about the havoc we wreak on nature.

I was initially drawn to this novel because of the title. Mysterious. Dark. Scary. All of which this book was!

Lexi Ellis is in a horrible place in her life. She's at the end of a long term relationship, suicidal, and has no idea what to do or where to go. Broken and homeless she happens to overhear two women talking about a prestigious nanny position that has become available. It is in that moment she decides to steal one of the woman's identity and apply for the job.

This nanny position would solve all her current problems. Nannying for a wealthy family in Norway would allow her to start life anew while also writing her novel. It sounds like an ideal situation for her, and she is excited when she gets the job as Sophie, the seasoned nanny.

Tom is a grieving widow and father of two very young girls. While building their dream home in Norway his wife, Aurelia, died under mysterious circumstances. With is business partner, Clive, he is determined to start new and continue to build the home in honor of his late wife.

Once Sophie (Lexi) arrives in Norway she realizes being a nanny isn't fun and games. The girls have a rigorous education schedule she must adhere to and she knows nothing about children or teaching.

Then there are the weird occurrences that start to happen around the remote property. What really happened to Aurelia? Will Sophie be next to die? Through alternating storylines we get a look into the past through Aurelia's eyes and the present through Sophie's eyes.

This book is perfect for fall. Curl up with some tea and a cozy blanket and dive into this dark, gothic and chilling novel that has some Norwegian folklore woven into it. It's a 5 star read!

Thanks to Netgalley and Berkley Publishing Group for allowing me the eARC to read give my honest review.

"The Nesting" by C.J. Cooke is set to be released September 29, 2020 here in the U.S. so preorder now!

Happy Reading!

This is my first novel by CJ Cooke & I devoured it in 2 days!!!! This book was eerily creepy but oh so good!!! If you are a fan of Gilly MacMillan, Emma Rous, Wendy Webb then you will love this one also. I highly recommend this book

This novel is a bit over-hyped. It does have an interesting plot line but it sure didn't read like a horror story in spite of some suspense. The characters all had great potential, some better developed than others. The behavior and language of the 6-year-old was a stretch at times. But what bothered me most was the gaps in the narrative. The beginning of the book is solid and builds a great foundation but by the end, the story seemed rushed with no explanation for the out-of-character ending.

Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin/Random House for the ARC to read and review.

“Once upon a time I thought that I’d be better off dead.”

The Nesting by C.J. Cooke is incredibly atmospheric and deeply rooted in Nordic folklore and culture. It is at times a thriller and at times a horror with supernatural elements and a deeply gothic setting. Set in the forests of Norway in the deepest part of winter, it follows Lexi who in a moment of desperation, steals Sophies identity and resume in order to obtain a position as a nanny in order to explore her imaginary roots there. Lexi isn’t in the best mental health; she recently attempted suicide, is suffering from depression and is just off from a long-term relationship. She is fragile, heartbroken and her decision making isn’t at its strongest (clearly) but when she arrives to assist widower Tom with his two daughters, she makes the best of it until the supernatural element starts to rear its supernatural head. Tom’s wife, Aurelia has just recently passed, the assumption is suicide but is it? There’s an interesting cast of characters aside from Tom, Lexi, and Aurelia; all who play excellent supportive roles, the most interesting is nature itself within Norway, the Fjords and the forests, and what may be hidden there pushing back against industry.

I really enjoyed The Nesting for all its chilling haunting ambiance but also because Cooke’s writing is vivid and imaginative; she builds up a sense of dread as the pages turn and the addition of Nordic folklore and superstitions was the cherry on the top. The past and present retelling from both Lexi and Aurelia gives unique insight and tied together similarities between the two women. There are some amazing plot twists and the pacing is perfect for the creepiness of the story.

Thank you to Berkley Publishing Group and NetGalley for providing me with a DRC in exchange for my review.

The Nesting by CJ Cooke is a gothic noir novel that draws on elements of Nordic folklore and Scandinavian mystery traditions. The book also pays homage to Rebecca and Jane Eyre, with many allusions obviously made toward those estimable works. Unfortunately, The Nesting is a bit of an over-ambitious mess, with some serious flaws that detract from what might have been an interesting blend of conceits. Lexi is a troubled young woman whose recent job loss, relationship breakup and subsequent suicide attempt has left her looking for a new home and direction for her life. Aimlessly riding in circles, she overhears a woman on a train talking about turning down a lucrative job opportunity as a nanny. Lexi can hardly believe her luck when the woman asks her to look after her computer for a moment, and she sees this as a sign that she was meant to seize an opportunity. Lexi decides that she will impersonate the qualified candidate by stealing her personal information. The job includes looking after two young girls on a trip to Norway with their father, an architect who has recently lost his wife. Incredibly, Lexi manages to convince her new employers that she is a certified nurse with years of experience, an expert in the Montessori Method and a vegan chef, to boot. Assuming the persona of “Sophie Hallerton,” she accompanies the family to a temporary home bordering a fjord and deep in the wilderness. Even though the matriarch had presumably died of suicide, strange occurrences and a secret diary makes Lexi suspect that the death was no accident. The novel then throws so many things into the mix that the reader is left lost wondering if this is a ghost story, a monster tale, a murder mystery, the hallucinations of a mentally unstable protagonist, or nature’s revenge run amok. Such unresolved ambiguity would be problematic on its own, but the book also suffers from several dropped plot points and a distinct lack of logic in terms of character, time and setting. Noises in the basement are mentioned to but never explained, the children are not depicted with age-appropriate attributes, and several characters survive circumstances that are not even slightly believable. The abundance of calamities that befall the characters becomes numbing and inevitable, even predictable. Some of the best parts of the book are the sporadic folk tales that are abruptly sprinkled in. Cooke attempts to take an overabundance of ideas and incorporate them all into one story, and it just doesn’t hold together. The Nesting is ultimately disappointing with its lack of focus and failure to inspire real thrills despite its many sources of laudable inspiration.

Thanks to the author, HarperCollins and NetGalley for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an unbiased review.

What a solid gothic thriller! No one is more surprised that I am that a book which initially felt like a The Turn of the Key copycat became so much more. Please note going in, that you will need to suspend your disbelief and take this story for what it is: a supernatural (ish) gothic mystery with some heavy handed plot holes that comes out shining at the end.

Lexi has unsuccessfully attempted suicide, and finds herself alarmingly alone in the beginning of this book. Her boyfriend of 8 years turns his back on her, and as she boards a train in hopes of figuring out her next step in life, she overhears a conversation that she subsequently turns in her favor. What follows is a two-fold story, past and present, informing the reader of what caused Tom the architect to need a nanny for his 2 children and Lexi's journey as said nanny.

The atmosphere and slow building dread in this novel is superb; it's no secret that I love a good nordic crime fiction novel, and CJ Cooke's The Nesting checked every need that I have when it comes to a spooky tale. I found the characters to actually be much more relatable in this novel than in the comparable Ruth Ware, and I also found the ending to be much more compelling, although that is due to the fact that I have no qualms mixing the natural and the paranormal in my mysteries. If you are on the hunt for a chilling read in October, The Nesting is perfectly compulsive and gratuitously satisfying. Highly recommended!

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I finished The Nesting by C.J. Cooke that I received from NetGalley and I have mixed feelings about it.
This book opens with Aurelia running through the woods and finding herself on the edge of the cliff. Her last thought as she falls are of her children. This part sucked me in. But I have to say it wasn't enough. Aurelia has died leaving her two children, Gaia, 6 and 9-month old Coco. Sophie becomes their nanny and moves to Norway while their father, Tom is building a new house. The scenery is beautiful and Sophie's first glimpse of Norway is written and so picturesque. There is a lot of Norse folklore throughout the story. Sophie becomes suspicious of Tom because she has found Aurelia's diary. While Tom is building the house, unexplained accidents keep happening and the workers, who are all Norwegian and superstitious, have second thoughts about working on the build. There was a "THEN" section, that was Aurelia's story, after Coco was born and leading up until she died. I found this story to not hold my interest. I was bored with her story and I really didn't care about her. I felt the ending was rushed through. There were some deals made that weren't upheld and I felt like there should have been a little more consequences. I didn't find this to be much of thriller, suspense or a mystery. I received this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you Berkley and CJ Cooke.

The Nesting by C. J. Cooke is a suspenseful, supernatural mystery packed full of twists and turns. Once I started this book, I could not stop reading it.
I love supernatural suspense, and I was thrilled by the paranormal elements in this book. Based on Norwegian folklore, this story is set deep in the woods of Norway in the dead of winter. The story was intense (but not too intense) and full of action. Lies, secrets, and murder are only part of the story. When you add in river demons and forest creatures, you have a stellar novel.
I will admit that, at first, I didn't care for Lexi, the main character. Her life was a wreck, and she made many poor decisions. However, it wasn't too long before I was cheering her on. She really developed as a person, and I like that the author had her fail a few times before she succeeded.
This book was full of twists and turns, but the ending did an excellent job of wrapping everything up.
The Nesting by C. J. Cooke is an outstanding and very satisfying read.
Thanks to Netgalley and Berkley Publishing Group for the ARC.