This was a story that had me turning the pages into the wee hours of the morning, a story that had me sleep deprived at work the next day, and a story that had me racing back to read more pages the second I could.
Masterfully woven, with skillful twists and turns that are unexpected, I thoroughly enjoyed this story!

Meh. Sort of boring and quite predictable. I feel like the characters weren’t very interesting either. I’ve watched better plot twists on Lifetime.

Still feeling adrift after the death of her father, Sue is happy when she reconnects with her nanny after 20 years. But her childhood memories of Nanny do not quite match her adult impressions of the woman who cared for her so many years ago. The more Sue learns of Nanny's life now, the more questions she has about exactly why shr left and are the children she's entrusted with now safe? A thriller mixed in with a child's emotional memories. The two characters each tell their stories but how much of the truth is hidden?

This was not really my cup of tea. While I am usually a fan of dual timelines, this one just didn't really click.

Trigger warning: animal violence/death.

Many thanks to Netgalley for the ARC of this book for review! It is centered around Sue, who loses her father, when she is in her 20s. She meets up with her old nanny, Annie, and is so happy to have her back in Her life. But as she starts to dig deeper she realizes Annie disappeared for a reason and becomes concerned for the new children Annie I’d nannying for, it sure if anyone is safe.

There are a lot of nanny books I’ve read and this one just missed the mark for me somehow. The book starts slow and the characters weren’t very likable and I found there to be plot holes. There was also animal abuse that was a no for me.

I really wanted to love this one. It was just ok for me. There was so much that happened that seemed a bit weird and didn't really add up.

I liked finding out about the past, but the present was what threw me off the most.

Thanks to Netgalley and publisher for a gifted copy of this title

Decent suspense. Even got me "yelling" at the character in that fun way, such as, "What's wrong with you, you silly girl?!"

I did a mix of audio and digital for this book. I enjoyed the narrator and found she told the story well. The concept of this one just didn't do much for me. I completely believe things like this happen, where you open up your home to a stranger and they become so involved, too involved, that this is now their life. I just found this one strange. I liked the past tense parts, hearing about Suzy's childhood. However, the modern day was just so unbelievable at times. The way Suzy acted and how she didn't see through Anneliese was just insane to me. You would have thought that it would have been more obvious, but she just kept giving her way too many chances when she did not deserve them and should not have trusted her.

This book was a huge surprise. Generally one expects a nanny book to be about an affair between a nanny and the father, but Collins doesn't go for such easy tropes. Still, the subtext of "do you really know this stranger living in your house" takes center stage. Great book.

I flew through this one, which I found to be atmospheric and creepy in the best way. Although the main character really isn't the most likeable person and the book contains some tropes I hate, I did enjoy this one simply for the tension-building and alternating POV, which kept it interesting for me.

I found myself really wrapped up in the story and I was really enjoying it until the very end. I had to read it twice to make sure I wasn’t remembering incorrectly. I personally just didn’t care for how it ended but I know others might like it a lot!

DNF - Did not finish. I did not connect with the writing style or plot and will not be finishing this title. Thank you, NetGalley and Publisher for the early copy!

Unlikable characters who didn't make me feel the suspense of the plot line, slow moving scenes that did not keep me gripped to my kindle. And to top it off, it was completely predictable. Needed more thrill to be added. An okay read

3.5/5 Stars

Sue Kellar is mourning the recent death of her father after losing her mother years prior to cancer. One day, she runs into her childhood Nanny, Annaliese. As they spend more time with one another, Annaliese fills the parental figure role that Sue has been lacking. Sue's friends become worried when they begin to uncover the truth about who Annaliese really is, and the things she is hiding.

I enjoyed this story for the most part, but it had quite a slow pace. I liked how there was an alternating timeline between Annie's POV in 1996 and Sue's POV in the present. I think this did a great job of letting us understand both characters. It was interesting to be inside Annie's mind while she was nannying for Sue, and the extreme attachment she had. I found her character to be the most interesting of the two, and I could never tell whether or not we should trust her. She always seemed to have an explanation for everything. The biggest complaint I have is the ending... it was so unsatisfying. Also, there was a scene with animal abuse I could have definitely used without.

NANNY DEAREST by Flora Collins.

I had a very specific thing in mind when I added this book to my Tbr. I had just read NIGHTBITCH and I wanted to explore a little more on the topic of motherhood.

I have always been fascinated by the triangular relationship dynamics between parents and nannies and the children they care for.

This book explores the relationship between the child and the nanny more than with parental figures. I appreciated the storyline and loved the moments the characters experienced that bordered on obsession.

I could’ve handled a lot more of it.

Overall, this is a solid domestic thriller that will appeal to readers looking for a captivating read exploring interpersonal relationships.

Thanks to Netgalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing-Mira for this advanced copy!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This one did not really do it for me. I really liked the storyline but the characters were not likeable (or hateable!) enough for me. I am sure that a lot of other people will love it, I probably just read it wrong.

3.5/5

Nanny Dearest by Flora Collins is a really hard novel for me to nail down my feelings for. On one hand, I was basically unable to put it down and was thoroughly engrossed in what was happening, but on the other hand, it ended up falling a little flat for me. That being said, I still think it is a strong debut, and I love that Collins drew on personal experience and her family history to create this book. It really makes me wonder what parts of it are from her life, and made it seem that much more mysterious. I noticed that the book is being marketed as domestic suspense and I would definitely say that is accurate. While it has an air of mystery, I wouldn't call it a mystery and I wouldn't call it a thriller either. There are plenty of tense moments though, and I enjoyed seeing how the story unfolded. The end is what kind of threw me off, and it is what left me feeling a little meh about it.

I honestly think Nanny Dearest is a great book to go into as blind as possible, and I was glad I didn't read the synopsis again prior to reading it. The majority is a pretty slow burn, but once you get towards the end things picked up. There is a trigger for animal abuse, but it wasn't as descriptive as a lot of other books I've read and would be easy to skip over. It is only a small instance of the book, and this is a huge trigger for me, but I was able to handle it due to the way Collins wrote it. I do think that the audiobook is the way to go here as it is narrated by Brittany Pressley & Reba Buhr, and Pressley is one of my favorite narrators. Both she and Buhr did a really great job drawing me into the story, and I think it worked even better for me because of the two of them. I would recommend Nanny Dearest to readers of domestic drama who don't mind books that defy believability, and I would gladly read whatever Collins writes next.

I received a complimentary digital copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Favorite Quotes:

It is a microcosm of motherhood here, women huddled in clusters around the edge of the playground, shaking out Goldfish, handing over juice boxes, wiping away dirt from little hands… Men are so absent, you would forget they existed at all.

But there’s something wrong with me, Suzy. Something very, very wrong.

My Review:

This was a disturbingly realistic and disquieting piece packed with warped and fractured characters who were all rather lacking in the areas of mental health and likable personalities. The writing was insightful and perceptive with a constant thrum of apprehension and risk of discovery, but the discovery of exactly what was always in question. I was deeply curious and invested in their tale and had developed multiple theories as I read, and all of them were wrong. How I love it when that happens!

The tale unraveled slowly while ratcheting up the tension, which was present and tautly held from the first page to the last word. I was impatient at times when the storylines appeared to falter or veer in other directions although I later realized the author was weaving in additional threads as the characters became increasingly unhinged. But that ending has left me tapping my little foot while I contemplate my feelings, I’m quite unsettled and bordering on distressed. I have a feeling I will be ruminating on this one for some time.

For most people, running into their childhood nanny or babysitter would be a happy occasion. In Nanny Dearest, Sue doesn’t remember the woman claiming to be her nanny at all, but Annie knows many details of Sue’s childhood. They become close again just like when Sue was little. But almost too close?

The story is told in two time periods and two POVs. Annie’s in the 90s and Sue’s in present day. Both are unreliable narrators, both struggling with some mental health issues like depression. As Sue gets to know Annie more, things come out about her childhood that were deeply buried and she begins to remember some not so rosy memories. Annie is currently taking care of her niece and nephew and Sue grows concerned for them just like when she was a child.

I like the plot of this book, but it was a little confusing with the jumping back and forth. It also almost seemed like Sue and Annie were going to get romantic which would be so creepy, but the author veers off at the last minute. I do think she handled grief very well as that is a large part of the story. Sue’s mother passes when she was very young and Annie helps take care of her during the time.

Overall, I think this was a very good debut novel and I’m looking forward to more! Thank you so much @_mira_books_ @htpbooks and @floracollins_author for the gifted ebook. Nanny Dearest is on sale now!

This book….oh boy this book. This was probably a case of “it’s not you, it’s me” (I had a couple of those this year unfortunately).

So let me just say this: this book was intriguing, creepy, well-written, and definitely had me turning the pages. It wasn’t a bad book by any means - there is definitely an audience for this type of book.

The reason I gave it 3 stars is because I am just not the right audience for this book right now. I personally found it to be pretty disturbing and unnecessarily graphic in places. I actually almost DNF’ed this one pretty early on. I’m glad I didn’t - the overall story was good. I’m just not sure I’m the right reader for this author’s style.

If you are looking for a dark, strange read that will put you right into the minds of two very disturbed and mentally unstable individuals, this is definitely the book for you. Yowzers.