I am always keen to discover new writers in the domestic thriller subgenre, so was pleased to be granted an ARC by the publishers and NetGalley. The novel is built around Anneliese, a former live-in nanny to a wealthy family, and Suzy, her former young charge. An accidental meeting in New York many years later sets in motion the plot. The point of view switches between Suzy’s present-day experiences and Anneliese’s recollections during her nannying days. But is Anneliese truly who she claims she is? What trauma has Suzy suffered in the intervening years? And are all the memories that Anneliese evokes of their time together genuine or not? This is a compelling contemporary thriller you will race through, only to be utterly astonished at the end. Definitely a five-star read! Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for the free advance reader copy provided in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

Motherless Sue Keller, having lost her mother to cancer at the age of three, becomes depressed when she loses her father to a cardiac arrest when she is in her mid-twenties. One day, she meets her nanny, Annaliese (Annie) Whittaker, outside church, and they renew their acquaintance.

Having been raised by her father, after the death of her mother, Sue used to feel smothered in that relationship, and has longed for answers. She wants to fill in the gaps in her memories and learn more about her parents. So the sudden appearance of her nanny makes her regress emotionally and she longs for the comfort that Annie once brought to her, even though the memory of those times eludes her now.

Before long, the two are inseparable. Sue’s best friend, Beth, is unhappy with this strange friendship, but Sue rejects her complaint and allows herself to break away from all her previous friendships, and even her job.

Initially, everything is smooth sailing for Sue. Her nightmares are gone, and she sleeps better even without medication. But Beth keeps insisting that there’s something off about Annie.

Before long, Sue is thinking like Annie, taking decisions like her, longing for her approval. Until she comes to know of what Annie has been doing to her little niece and nephew, her sister’s kids, who are her charges. And then she wants out.



The book is written in dual PoVs at two different timelines. So we have the PoV of Sue in the present day and that of Annaliese from May to July 1996. Both accounts use the present tense, a style that always makes the writing more real.

The writing makes us warm to each narrator, inviting us to understand them better. Even so, I thought the writing and the imagery evoked were way better in Annie’s PoV than in Sue’s. This makes Annie more compelling, compared to Sue.



There is a quiet and delicious air of menace about the book. We get the sense of a warning, that there’s going to be trouble.

The book takes a long time developing its premise. I didn’t complain, cruising on the prose which was really good. I kept reading, stifling my impatience, telling myself that with writing like this, the development was bound to be worth waiting for. I felt myself carried forward by the air of expectancy that the prose created.

And the writing was really good. Silence can be better than words, that it can fill people up with just the right amount of presumptions. A pregnant pause can imply anything.

It’s the oddest sensation, walking through these halls, like I’m exploring the body of a stranger who has a loved one’s donated organs.

The little truths dropped simply.

Part of the privilege of being rich is luxuriating in oneself.



Annie’s PoV didn’t shy away from talking about things we rarely see in fiction: narration around excretion, vomiting, sickness, euthanasia and death, things that might seem off-putting. The description of a miscarriage is given: There was the red, the viscous clotted balls the devil had taken from her as it exited, dangling scraps of flesh stuck in its fangs.



But beyond a point, I lost interest. The twist came at the 64 percent mark, but without the excitement I hoped for. The wait had been for nothing.

Sue’s PoV was repetitive; the bits about working from home after her dad’s death were told to us several times. She claimed to have a bond with Lola and Jordan, but we don’t feel that bond.

For a long time, I thought that the relationship between Sue and Annie was going to turn sexual or at least predatory, but it didn’t.

I didn’t really like Sue or Annie. The fact that Sue wanted a maternal bond with her nanny, at her age too, seemed odd. In fact, none of the characters were likeable at all, except for Beth and Gavin, Sue’s boyfriend, to an extent for their willingness to support her.

There is love in the Keller family, but it doesn’t get a chance to bloom. It would have been nice to see more of Sue with her parents.

There were themes relating to grief, the loss of a spouse or a parent, or an unborn child that could have been developed. The relationships we lose and how we try to fill the holes left behind. But these themes weren’t dealt with at all.

The resolution took too long. And one major plot point was left unaddressed. A faster pace would have helped. Also, if Sue had found herself in more danger. Readers want to see characters get in trouble, and get out of it. But Annie, after showing off her evil side in a highly charged scene in which a poor cat is tortured and killed for no reason at all, doesn’t do anything by way of challenging Sue.

Most of all, I didn’t like the way the book ended. It was utterly bizarre. The animal abuse wasn’t mentioned at all. And the big reveal is told to us earlier on, so when Sue gets to know of it, it’s totally anti-climactic for us.

Sue is in need of a mother figure in her life, so when Annie comes in and tells her she's her old nanny Sue can't resist to let her into her life. Annie also needs someone in her life and it soon becomes apparent that al! Is not what it seems with her, what secrets is she keeping and why? Do th hey involve Due or are they from before? Annie seems to like controlling She and making sure she doesn't have friends,around her anymore will Sue realise shes,being manipulated before it's too late and will she find out Annie's secrets?

Many thanks to Net Galley for letting me read this book I thoroughly enjoyed it, although wouldn't recommend if looking for a nanny!!!

https://lynns-books.com/2021/12/02/nanny-dearest-by-flora-collins/
3 of 5 stars
My Five Word TL:DR Review : Mixed feelings for this one

Nanny Dearest is a well written and engaging book by an author that I would definitely check out again, however, I didn’t completely love it.

This is a story about a woman in her mid-twenties who bumps into a person from her past that she doesn’t recall. Sue Keller is a woman in her mid-twenties, lonely and suffering mentally following the death of her remaining parent in a tragic accident. She doesn’t recall the nanny who took care of her when she was a toddler but she’s desperate to hear stories of the time and happy to meet up with Annie to discover more of the mother she lost to illness so long ago.

What immediately becomes apparent is that Sue is desperately looking for someone maternal in her life, someone she can lean on a little. What isn’t immediately apparent is that Annie is equally in need of this connection for her own reasons.

Nanny Dearest is told through two alternating povs, Annies account of events when she first started nannying for the Kellers and current day with Sue first meeting Annie when she’s going through such a bad patch in her life. I have to say that I do love dual timelines like this and it works particularly well here because all though Sue does sometimes recall certain events, for the most part, it’s Annie that’s giving us an account of what took place way back when – and oddly enough, although I wouldn’t particularly say she’s trustworthy I think she is a reliable narrator here.

For a debut novel I have to say that I’m really impressed with the writing. Collins can certainly set a scene to perfection and also manages to achieve a steady drip feed of tension as the cracks in this strange relationship begin to show.

So, why did I have mixed feelings. Well, firstly, this is a slow build of a story – but on this occasion that isn’t in fact a criticism, in fact, to be honest I preferred the first half of the book where there was the expectation of something being revealed later down the line. The tension and expectation kept me pretty much glued to the page and there was this deliciously easy build up that something was about to happen. But, yes, I admit that this is a slow burn. My mixed feelings come more into play regarding the characters. I mean, I didn’t really like any of them. Even the peripheral characters. The thing with that is that I think the two central characters are struggling with mental health issues so it feels wrong to say I didn’t like them – but, some of the decisions and actions they made just baffled me. And, the ending. What just happened? There was a feeling that the reveal was working up to something really huge but ultimately it felt a little disappointing for me.

All that being said, I very much think my over active imagination didn’t help with this read. I think I was expecting a psychological horror where this felt more like a suspense with strong obsessive vibes. As I mentioned I think the writing was really good though and although this particular book didn’t quite work for me I think this author shows great promise.

I received a copy through Netgalley courtesy of the publisher, for which my thanks. The above is my own opinion.

My rating 3 of 5 stars

Sue Keller is lost. When her father dies suddenly, she's orphaned in her mid-twenties, her mother having died long ago. Then Sue meets Annie. It's been twenty years, but Annie could never forget that face. She was Sue's live-in nanny at their big house upstate, and she loved Sue like she was her own.
Craving comfort and connection, Sue is only too eager to welcome Annie back into her life. But as they grow close once more, Sue begins to uncover the truth about Annie's unsettling time in the Keller household all those years ago, and the dark secrets that bind these women together.

This is a brilliant read.
Wonderful well written plot and story line that had me engaged from the start.
Love the well fleshed out characters and found them believable.
Great suspense and found myself second guessing every thought I had continuously.
Can't wait to read what the author brings out next.
Recommend reading.

I was provided an ARC from NetGalley and the publisher. This is my own honest voluntary review.

A slow burning intense thriller that picks up towards the end of the book. I was excited to read this one by the new author, the story line was promising. Susi is reunited with her nanny Annialise when her father passes away. As she has now lost both parents she seeks solace from Annie but things some things about Annie are not right. Soon Susi starts to question how much she can trust Annie and revisits her child hood memories. The book did pick up towards the end and was worth reading bit was a little slow in the first half. Looking forward to reading more from this author

As a huge fan of mystery and domestic thrillers, I was delighted to be given the opportunity to review this debut book by Flora Collins. As a first book, this was OK, and I hope the author goes on to publish more, as I am eager to know what else she is capable of.

The story of Nanny Dearest is quite simple... A woman goes looking for her childhood Nanny and as an adult, makes some alarming discoveries about the lady who looked after her. There were lots of shocking revelations that I completely loved, however, the first part of this book dragged too much, for my preferences. I prefer thrillers to drop me in the deep end from the beginning pages. Despite this flaw, I did continue and it was worth it as the pace picked up in the last few parts, full of dramatic secrets being uncovered. Usually, a double timeline of now and then would grab me quite early on, it is just a pity that this took such a long time to get going.

Please don't be put off picking this book up. Books are read uniquely by individuals and you may pass up a great five-star read for yourself. It's just not great for me!

My thanks to Quercus Books for an eARC via NetGalley of ‘Nanny Dearest’ by Flora Collins in exchange for an honest review.

This is a character-led domestic noir/psychological thriller that unfolds in two timelines: upstate New York in the 1990s and present day Manhattan.

When Sue Keller’s father dies suddenly, she finds it hard to come to terms with his death, especially as her mother had died when she was young. She feels orphaned in her mid-twenties. Then Sue is approached by Anneliese (Annie) Whitaker, who twenty years ago had been Sue’s live-in nanny at her family’s big house upstate. Annie had loved Sue as if she was her own. Frankly that’s never a healthy sign and warning bells were ringing.

As Sue craves comfort and a connection to her parents, so she eagerly welcomes Annie back into her life. Yet it isn’t long before Sue starts to uncover unsettling details about Annie's time in the Keller household. In the 1990s timeline we were witness to Annie’s behaviour, so it’s mainly a case of wait and see.

I didn’t mind that this was a slow burn but while I am rarely disturbed by fictional content, I felt that scenes involving Annie and a cat were gratuitous and crossed the line for me. I had to make a real effort to continue reading. Clearly, Annie was dodgy enough without that incident, thank you.

That issue aside, I also found it hard to engage with the overall story and its characters. I managed to finish it but was left perplexed by its conclusion and generally underwhelmed.

Overall, while the premise was promising, ‘Nanny Dearest’ just didn’t work for me.

Set over two timelines Nanny Dearest explores the life of Suzy and her childhood nanny Annie. Separated by time they meet up when Susy is in her mid-twenties and has recently lost her father. As Annie weaves her way back into Susy’s life when she is at her most vulnerable, one starts to ponder if her intentions are genuine or are there bigger things at play.

I quite enjoyed the snippets into the young life of Susy and it gave valuable insight as to the present day and why Annie becomes so attached to Suzy. This book was quite the slow burn, but when things happened, they were quite dark and disturbing. The second half certainly set a faster pace than the first and kept me invested until the conclusion. I am not sure if I am happy with the ending but I do understand the meaning behind it, and I can see how it manifested throughout the story.

Fans of the dark psychological thriller will soak up Nanny Dearest like a sponge, a terrific debut from Flora Collins.
Thank you to NetGalley and Quercus Books for this early reading copy, Nanny Dearest is out now!

With two narratives running side by side, we learn the story of Suzy and her nanny, Annie.

When they reconnect one day, Suzy, now an adult and still grieving the loss of her father, is once again drawn to her former nanny, Annie, a once familiar and maternal figure in her life. Her memories of their time together is intrinsically happy and she returns to the security and dependence she had enjoyed as a child. But is there a reason Annie has returned to her life? And why was their relationship ended so abruptly all those years ago?

This was a very clever and interesting narrative, revealing how a childhood perspective can hide the reality of a child's situation. As a reader, I did have sympathy for Annie, a young girl with a difficult background, who had found her calling and purpose in her role as a nanny for the wealthy parents of Suzy's. Her care and love for Suzy is genuine and in many ways she took the place of the much needed love and interest that was neglected to be given by Suzy's own mother, a powerful and vivacious feminist, or father, a well-known author.

The narratives flit between Annie's perspective as a young and inexperienced nanny and Suzy's adult life, where she has lost her way, friendships and zest for life after the death of her father and its so interesting to learn the repercussions of the actions of Annie echoing right through the years to Suzy's current situation.

A fantastic book that kept me gripped right to the end.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CW9AdyNtjcifyStS51yjY1pg8LvgD4no6b8Azw0/?utm_medium=copy_link

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/56472992-nanny-dearest

https://www.amazon.co.uk/review/R3HFKE0BS7SX3N/ref=pe_1572281_66412651_cm_rv_eml_rv0_rv

Quite enjoyed this book although a slow burner once it had got going it was a good read with a theme most psychological thriller lovers would enjoy

This has been engaging, gripping and a book I haven’t wanted to put down. I love how this is written and been completely gripped by this one.

Nanny Dearest by Flora Collins.
Sue Keller is lost. When her father dies suddenly, she's orphaned in her mid-twenties, her mother having died long ago. Then Sue meets Annie. It's been twenty years, but Annie could never forget that face. She was Sue's live-in nanny at their big house upstate, and she loved Sue like she was her own.
An addictive read. I was hooked. I loved the cover. Thoroughly enjoyed it. 5*.

After father's death, Sue Keller is practically orphaned in her mid-twenties. Her mother died long ago and Sue finds herself lost and totally alone in life. Then Sue meets Annie. It's been twenty years since she was Sue's live-in nanny at their big house upstate, and she loved Sue like she was her own. Sue feels instantly connected to Annie and welcomes her back into her life. Soon becomes very clear that Annie has a very dark past.

The story has a dual timeline from the 90's and the present day. The pace varies throughout from slow to steady in this domestic /psychological thriller of obsession, manipulation, power and love. The protagonist searches for security and for that often denies her instincts of danger.

Slow burn, dark and at times haunting and even disturbing novel.

2,5*

2.5 rounded up to 3⭐️

This started ok for me I didn’t mind the chapters being written in alternate perspectives and timelines, Anneliese in the past and Sue in the present but it was very slow and in the end I didn’t feel any connection with either character.
If a book has great characters, storyline with a few plot twists then I can possibly handle an ending like this one, but this wasn’t it for me I’m afraid.
As a debut novel it definitely shows promise and I will possibly look at future books from this author.

Thank you to NetGalley and Quercus Books for the chance to read an advance copy in return for an honest opinion

Okay so not sure how I feel = did like it but wanted to shake Sue at the beginning, middle and occasionally at the end. It was an interesting plot and once it got going was good. It has left me really conflicted in writing this review so perhaps just see for yourself.

I was given an advance copy by netgalley and the publishers but the review is entirely my own.

After her father dies Susanna goes to pieces. She struggles to leave her tiny apartment even working from home. She’s no longer living just surviving somehow.

When she bumps into a stranger who claims to know her, tells her she was her nanny as a child, Susanna wants to know more. She can’t remember her but she hopes the woman, Anneliese, can bring back some memories of her mother who died when she was young.

As time goes on and she gets to know Anneliese once more, she again feels loved and wanted and begins to come out the other side of her grief. Unfortunately after finding something lost long ago her happiness begins to once again unravel, but is it all as innocent as Anneliese tells her or is there something more sinister lurking in the past?

This book was quite a slow burner for me. There are plenty of things going on that are revealed slowly over the duration of the book. It was a good story with several unexpected twists. The end left me wanting more though, I felt like it wasn’t the end and I needed extra bits. In all I found it enjoyable.

3.5 stars rounded up to 4

Sue Keller is lost. When her father dies suddenly, she's orphaned in her mid-twenties, her mother already long gone. Then Sue meets Annie. It's been twenty years, but Annie could never forget that face. She was Sue's live-in-nanny at their big house upstate, and she loved Sue like she was her own. Craving connection and mothering, Sue is only too eager to welcome Annie back into her life; but as they become inseparable once again, Sue starts to uncover the truth about Annie's time in the Teller house all those years ago.

Annie had been Sue's nanny in the 1990's. The story has a dual timeline from the 90's and the present day. Annie meets Sue again after the recent death of Sue's father. Annie want to spend more time with Sue.

The pace varies throughout from slow to steady in this domestic /psychological thriller. The second part of the book is the better part. There were also parts that dragged out. There's some good twists, it's a bit creepy and the plotline is believable.

I would like to thank #NetGal;ley #QuercusBooks and the author #FloraCollins for my ARC of #NannyDearest in exchange for an honest review.

Nanny Dearest takes the subject of the care of a child into uncharted territory. In this case, we learn about Annaliese, an unhinged young woman who becomes besotted with her charge, baby Sue.

When Sue as an adult meets Annaliese again she is mesmerised by the nanny who so obviously adored her. Annaliese does everything in her power to distance Sue from her friends. She made me think of a spider catching a fly in its web.

The novel is dark and, besides dealing with mental ill-health as evidenced by Annaliese's actions, it also sensitively deals with a young mother's death.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Quercus for the opportunity to read and review Nanny Dearest.

I really wanted to love Nanny Dearest but although I finished it, it just wasn’t for me. The book was way too slow for starters and I predicted the ending. Not the gripping thriller I expected but rounded up to 3 stars. Thank you to NetGalley, Quercus Books and the author for the chance to review.