Blubbering Bunny Butts! 😯😳🤯

Shhhhhittake! 😳 The somewhat slow burn of this novel was tedious and then just past half way, BAM! First reveal that dropped my jaw. And a few others after. This book had me hooked & reeled in from the beginning. It was an excellent pace and I enjoyed the back & forth from "Him", the mother & Nell herself.
Nell has led a very ordinary, unexciting life. She's currently a nurse at a hospital & lives with her life long friend, Clodagh. Nell's mother, Marian, gets a call from Clodagh to alert her that her daughter is missing & hasn't been seen or heard from for four days. While all this is happening, a man has taken her. A man who feels he's been underestimated, unseen, always last pick to women. Nell was in the wrong place at the wrong time for when he watches, follows and capture her. But they both have deep, dark secrets. He sees this as a vigil anti to "mens rights". She may be the first, but will she be the last?
Although the ending fell a bit flat for me, I still enjoyed the lead up and journey along. Although some of it may be tough subject matter for some, especially the "dark web" angle, the author dealt with it sensitively.

🔴 Trigger Warning: Kidnapping

Thank you to NetGalley & Avon Books UK for this ARC.
Release date: March 17, 2022

I give this 3.5 / 5 bouquets! 💐

*Not-so-Popular Opinion*

3.5 Stars

One Liner: Great premise, but rambles a little too much.

Nell Sweeney leads an ordinary life until she gets kidnapped. No one knows where she is or who took her. Who would want to harm a nurse? Or maybe she’s the unlucky one. Whatever the reason, they need to find her before it is too late.
Everyone has secrets, and some are too dangerous to hide in the dark. The world of the dark web can be a safe place to vent frustrations, but only until things don’t go out of hand. What happens when a single post spirals things out of control?

What I Like:
• The story is based on the incel (involuntary celibates) movement, where men blame women for just about everything, including their lack of girlfriends. It’s not easy reading about sick minds, but the reality is far worse.
• The story is narrated in three POVs (Marian, Nell’s mother, Nell, and Him, a key player whose identity is revealed later). The man’s POVs were very well done.
• The book deals with narcissism in different forms.
• There are no unexpected twists or far-fetched scenarios.

What Didn’t Work for Me:
• The book is 400 pages long, and a lot of it is filled with Marian’s ramblings. As much as I understand that Marian is distraught about her missing daughter, reading her POV was tiresome.
• The middle part drags, and nothing much happens except more rambling. I began fast reading from here.
• I’m not sure why the book is titled The Nurse. It has nothing vital to do with the plot. Nell is a nurse, but I don’t think the story would change if she was in any other profession.
• The story could’ve easily been completed in 280+ pages. A tighter narration would have been more effective (at least for me).
• Relating to any of the characters was pretty much impossible. It felt like watching a slow thriller on the screen. That should’ve been a plus, but since it was too slow, the effect got diluted.

To sum up, The Nurse deals with a crucial premise but rambles a little too much.
Thank you, NetGalley and Avon Books UK, for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

What a brilliantly tense and nail biting read! I couldn’t put it down. Nell is a nurse, kidnapped by an unknown but very twisted man. We are let into the world of her mum Marion who is desperate to find her and the world of some very disturbed people that we hope won’t harm her.
I loved every word of this! The characters were brilliantly formed, creating the perfect harrowing and twisted setting for the book.
Marion and her emotions and feelings really gave this a raw edge. You could feel the desperation of a mother to find her daughter and the devastation that her being missing brings.
The twists and turns were excellent. Throwing new dangers into an already terrifying mix. What really made this book, is the themes on the hatred of women from the group of people. I have read a fairly recent article about these groups, and they are truly terrifying people who unfortunately are very real. The information and background that the author has very clearly poured into the book, made it feel absolutely true to life and believable, therefore making it absolutely horrifying.
A masterclass of a thriller! I can’t wait to read more by Claire Allan.

📖BOOK REVIEW📖
⭐️⭐️⭐️

This is a strange one to review…

So I did enjoy this this read - it had everything I love in a police procedural; the characters were realistic and relatable, the story was interesting and compete and also very current. I enjoyed the multiple narrators and shifting timeline which added insight, creepiness and tension to the plot. As with the author’s previous books, I found her writing easy and stress free.

But…

I just couldn’t keep my interest in it. Although I enjoyed it, I didn’t have any real desire to pick it back up and it’s hard to explain why. Anyone ever experienced this? I can only put it down to it being a very generic storyline. There weren’t many surprises here, anything much exciting or new to explore and perhaps I needed some good twists or cliffhangers to keep my interest and draw me back to it 🤷🏻‍♀️

Anyway this has really good reviews elsewhere so maybe it was just me!

Thanks to @avonbooksuk and @netgalley for allowing us to read this one early!

RELEASED: March 17th

-EMILY

@the_book_girls_1

I’ll read pretty much every Claire Allan writes! When I saw she had a new book coming, The Nurse, I knew I had to get my hands on it! I didn’t read the synopsis before starting so I was slightly confused because I thought the book would be about an evil nurse. I was not correct!

SYNOPSIS:

Someone is watching her. She just doesn’t know it yet.

The unputdownable new book from the bestselling author of Her Name Was Rose.

Everyone has a secret. But some are worse than you could ever imagine.

Nell Sweeney has led an ordinary life. Every day she walks to and from the hospital where she works as a nurse, believing that no harm can befall her.

Until one day she is taken.

Because someone out there has a secret. Someone out there has been watching Nell – and they’ve been watching others like her too.

Nell is the unlucky one – she was in the wrong place at the wrong time. And if she isn’t found soon, someone will make sure that she isn’t the last woman to be taken…

This was a solid story but I did not like the character known in the book as “him,” a man who hates women, he likes to follow them, and then film their anxiety and fear. It made me uneasy, knowing there are people like that who exist.

This book had me Hook, Line and Sinker. Its a fast paced thriller that had me right from the beginning all the way up to the end. Such an emotional rollercoaster. I definitely recommend

Thanks to NetGalley and publisher for allowing me to read this arc.such a good story

My thoughts and opinions are my own and are not influenced by anyone else.

The Nurse by Claire Allan is a fast paced thriller that will hook you into the story from the first chapter itself.

Marian and Stephen Sweeney are happily married with a daughter Nell who is independent and works as a nurse. One day, Marian gets a call from Nell's roommate that Nell hasn't been seen around for a few days and that she didn't even go to work, which is highly unlikely of her. Someone has been watching Nell and that someone has a deep dark secret.

This is the first book I have read from this author and actually, this story was really good. There were some twists and turns along the way, with a fast paced theme that will draw the reader into the story. Besides the family drama of Marian dealing with her daughter's disappearance, there is also the dark story of that "someone" who gets into a wrong type of group. The story is told from the perspectives of Marian, "the someone" and Nell, who is describing her situation as a kidnapped person. Overall, to me, I stayed up all night, reading this book, trying to see who this "someone" is and what will happen in the end! This was actually a really good fast paced thriller that will not disappoint anyone!

Worth five stars in my opinion!

Many thanks to Netgalley and Avon for the ARC. The review is based on my honest opinion only.

I really enjoyed this - if such an insidious read can be enjoyable! Told from the POV of missing nurse Nell’s mum - and an unidentified mysoganistic potential kidnapper the story is both realistic and hard hitting - with a real emphasis on the deep dark web! There were some dark parts which were very chilling and I felt like I needed a good scrub after reading it!! Just what you want from this kind of book!!

Many thanks to NetGalley, Avon Books and Claire Allan for my ARC of The Nurse in return for my honest review.
I have read most of Claire Allan’s previous novels and they are all brilliant. This is another humdinger of a read and, for me, possibly the best so far. Delving into the destructive world of the dark web world surrounding Incel (involuntarily celibate) websites, it is beyond disturbing.

Nell Sweeney goes missing. She is a nurse and when her mother, Marian, discovers this from her house mate, Clonagh, also a nurse, she gets the police involved and insists they investigate.

The narrative goes between Marian’s view and the view of ‘Him’ who appears to hate women, especially his boss.
This is a chilling story, related to present day attitudes towards women and addresses these head on. At times it is heart breaking and I couldn’t put it down.

The twists and turns keep coming and I couldn’t recommend this more highly.

If you prefer your books enveloped in disarming and disturbing suspense and tension, you will most likely be spellbound by The Nurse. It is a very dark and disconcerting story about a young nurse, Nell Sweeney, who chooses to walk to and from work each day. She does not drive. And that gave an incel just enough incentive to watch and spook her as well as other women for thrills. What makes this particularly unsettling is that it can...and does...really happen.

The story is much more, though. Nell's family family dynamic is an interesting one which is revealed as layer upon layer is peeled back. Same with other relationships. The story is brimming with secrets and deceptions.
Throughout there is a pervasive feeling of unshakeable chilling evil. None of the characters are likeable which for me is ok as it is indeed possible to not like characters to enjoy a good book.

For me the book rambled somewhat now and then with extraneous material which did not make a difference either way to the story. However, slow burns are often a good thing. Claire Allan is a brilliant writer but this particular book did not entice me as much as others.

Readers ought to be aware there are a few triggers in the book.

My sincere thank you to Avon Books UK and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book. I look forward to the author's next one.

Nell is an only child and having lived with her parents for too long, she moved out to live with her childhood best friend. Being a nurse at the local hospital she is kind, caring and a considerate person. Nell’s parents are contacted by Nell’s friend, who hasn’t seen her for several days, nor has she shown up for work.

As the story unfolds her parents discover that through work, Nell has moved friendships to a new group and started to come off the rails, drinking and not showing up for her shifts at work. The story is told from various points of view and as the police investigate Nell’s disappearance, we learn more about the dark web and a group of men, called incels (involuntarily celibate) who feel the need to frighten women for fun and claim what they feel is their correct place in society.

Having thoroughly enjoyed the previous books written by this author, I was really looking forward to starting this book. For me this book didn’t have the usual gripping story, as her previous books. I found it to be a slow burner, although it was a definite twisted and creepy thriller, which culminated in well put-together ending.

This was very good read, it’s a page turner you can’t put down. The characters were great, the plot was excellent and the style of writing was perfect. It was full of twists and turns throughout with a ending you don’t see coming. I have read many books by this author and I’ll be continuing to keep my eye out for more in the future. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys reading this genre.
Thank you netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for a honest review.

The Nurse is a taut, tense cautionary modern day tale
It is also a story for all ages and times
The dark web is explored in all its insidious nature
The underbelly that is never too far away
We look at the different perceptions of Victim. family and the ones who hide behind trolls
How easily nasty fantasy can turn to a horrible reality
Highly recommended
Claire Allen captures her characters beautifully

Well that was a rather dark and disturbingly realistic read and I enjoyed it very much. It is a well written story told from the point of view of three of the characters with enough suspense to keep you on the edge of your seat. The look into the dark side of the web was interesting and disturbingly realistic, scary stuff. Even though I did figure out who he was it didn't not take away from the suspense of the book. I'd recommend this book and will be reading more of Claire Allan's books

I liked this book, but didn’t love it. While the story centers around the disappearance of 22-year-old nurse Nell, it’s primarily told from the POV of Nell’s mom, Marian, and an unidentified villain who may or may not be the kidnapper.

The story itself is disturbing, uncovering a whole group of men on the dark web who believe that they are being persecuted by women and need to put all women back into their own place. Horrifyingly, this is a real thing, I found out later. I was both appalled and fascinated by the chapters that give the reader a glimpse into how these men are thinking. I also liked the end of the book and felt that it was fast paced and exciting.

What I didn’t love was the often slow-moving and repetitive narrative from Marian, where she is clearly devastated by her missing daughter while also ruminating about her marriage. This part of the book could have been cut back in order for the pacing of the book to be faster. Also, small nit, but Nell was described early in the book as Marian’s “eldest” daughter and I was confused as to why they weren’t bringing in their other kids, only to find out later that Nell is actually their only child.

Overall, unique storyline and definitely disturbing but was a just a little slow for me until close to the end. I’d give it 3.5 stars rounded up to 4. Thanks to Netgalley for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This is a tense and disturbing book. We follow parents as they discover their grown daughter is missing. As the book goes on, secrets from their marriage emerge. We also get to read the thoughts of a man, who might be the kidnapper, a man who justifies his actions against women as he sees himself as the victim. And eventually we get to the daughter's story. There is growth for most of the characters.

A 3.5 from me.
DNFed at around 35%. Honestly, I hadn't expected it to be such a psychological thriller and have such an impact on me. I obviously found it quite disturbing, the way the HIM perspective was taken in the story. I had thought that Nell- the MC would have a bigger part in the actual story, but till where I read it, she had not yet appeared in the story. We see a lot of Marian- Nell's mom, who is actually a perspective character, and Nell's father, along with HIM, a man who has had enough of feminism and listening to women, and is out conducting a creepy experiment. I found this all very interesting and the tension between Marian and her husband kept me hooked, but I was alarmed and distressed every time I read the other POV. I think this is a superb story with great potential, just not for me. I would probably try this book again in the future, but not now. If you are thinking of reading this book, I would advise you to be a little careful because of it's theme.
I recieved an e-ARC of this book through NetGalley and Avon Books UK

When Nurse Nell Sweeny disappears her mother is distraught, convinced that her daughter would never just go off and not tell anyone where she was going. But how well does Marian actually know her daughter and what will Nell's disappearance mean for her as well as Nell.
The police are desperate to find Nell alive but they know that the longer she is missing, the less chance of this there is. Could the break in the case come from someone closer than they thought.
Told from the point of view of Nell's mother, "Him" and Nell herself this edgy, tense and chilling story will keep you on edge from beginning to end.

The Nurse follows the disappearance of young nurse, Nell. She is generally an easy going, nice, and down to earth girl, so when her parents and roommate do not hear from her in a few days, they start to worry. After getting the police investigation started, they are taken down the patient of internet incels. These incels are men that believe women have too much power and need to be put back in their place. As time runs out for finding Nell, an unexpected character becomes the secret to the inside of the incel.

This was a great, fast-paced book that was hard to put down. I enjoyed the multiple POV's throughout the book. I have not ready any other titles by this author but am interesting in reading more from her.

A young nurse is abducted on her way to work and this is only the beginning. A dark read so be warned. Chilling my goose bumps have goosebumps and I literally have no nails left. Intense, fast paced and a really good thriller.
Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in return for giving an honest review.