This book alternates between Sue's childhood (Suzy) and her adult life. When a chance encounter reconnects her with her nanny, Anneliese, she feels a connection. Having struggled with her father's death, Sue has been working from home and fallen away from her friends. Meeting up with Anneliese gives her a new zest for life, but there are things which don't seem to make sense. Was Annie really the wonderful nanny she is presenting herself to be?

I felt the book was well plotted and information was drip fed at a good pace, keeping the reader guessing. I gasped out loud at the two main reveals.

Flora Collins is a talented writer and the book was filled with vivid description and authentic characterisation. Subjects like abuse and euthanasia were sensitively tackled.

I would recommend this read and will definitely look out for more by this author.

Thanks indeed to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

A slow burn but enjoyable read. The plot overall is fairly predictable and I did expect more of a twist towards the end. However, the writing style is great and the characters develop throughout the book.

Although some people have described this as a psychological thriller, I don't think that is an accurate description and could leave some people disappointed who may pick this up.

The book is set over two timelines. The present day where Suzy meets her former Nanny, Annie, again and in 1996 telling us the story of Suzy's childhood through Annie's point of view.

Many people have complained about this novel being slow and I would agree that it is. However, I don't think that is a bad thing here. I think the novel benefits from a slowness in building the current day relationship between Suzy and Annie, it adds to the unsettled nature of the novel and draws you in slowly.

Don't read this expecting a thrill-a-minute, twisty, rollercoaster but it is a powerful, very character-driven novel but a really talented author.

Definitely worth a read and thanks to Netgalley and Quercus Books for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Firstly, thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for my review copy. Nanny Dearest is a complex examination of character—both of an unhinged woman and a woman who is looking for a connection.

When Sue meets the woman who was her nanny twenty years ago, she wants to reconnect with her as a way of becoming close to her family, as her parents are both dead. But the nanny, Annaliese, is a bit…odd. I mean, at the start, it’s just minor things. Things that can be explained away. But then we see her isolating Sue from her friends, becoming possessive and gaslighting her. Sue keeps coming across things that don’t make sense, yet Annaliese always comes up with a reason for these things. Alarm bells were ringing. It is an example of one adult grooming another.

The relationship between the two women made me uncomfortable. It’s a really intense friendship, where Annaliese is making Sue dependent on her. Any time Sue tries to see other people, Annaliese puts a stop to it. Really uncomfortable to read.

This book is told in two POVs, Sue’s in the present day and Annaliese in the past. And it’s these trips down memory lane that show Annaliese’s past behaviours around and toward Sue and her warped way of thinking that really ramp up the tension. Readers realise Annaliese isn’t telling the truth about what happened, yet adult Sue is now ensnared in her web of lies and desperate to trust her.

This felt like more of a slow-burning suspense novel than a psychological thriller. Indeed, at times, I found the pacing too slow and the middle section had me a little bored. But I was fascinated enough by Annaliese’s character to keep reading. There’s something addictive about this story.

It becomes clear that Annaliese is mentally unwell, and I have to say this representation is amazing. We learn the reasons behind her behaviour and how she justifies her actions. It’s an insight into a very warped mind.

Would recommend

Many thanks to Net Galley and Quercus Books for an ARC of this book in exchange for a review.
An excellent debut psychological thriller.
Sue Keller is grieving for her father, her mother having passed away when Sue was very young. She now feels very alone, until she bumps into her childhood Nannie, Annaliese and they reconnect. Sue soaks up the attention and affection she has been craving.
The story is told in the past by Annie/Annaliese and present day by Sue. Sue is enjoying the new friendship until she discovers that Annie is keeping old secrets from her and Sue begins to suspect that the stories Annie has been telling her may not be completely truthful, is Annie rally her friend?
This book will definitely keep you reading, some twists and suspense along the way and an unexpected ending.

This is a really gripping story from start to end with a really creepy feel to it. I didn't trust the nanny right from the start but you can't really pin point what is wrong until more is revealed. I was expecting more of a plot twist towards the end but it is was quite a straight forward story with no hidden surprises which was a change from usual books. It was a bit slow in parts where nothing much happened but the characters were well developed and made me want to know more about their situations.
Overall a good, thrilling read that will keep you going with no surprises.

I'm terribly sorry this was a did not finish. I felt like it was very similar to another book I had read. Sorry

Suzy Keller finds herself lost after the death of her father, the last family member present in her life. But soon she runs into her childhood nanny, Anneliese.
Finding comfort in this newly-found mother figure, Suzy starts spending more and more time with Anneliese and finding out more about her parents and what happened 20 years ago. But is Anneliese really who she seems to be?

***

This book started out great - Suzy’s reconnection to her childhood nanny is a very intriguing premise to start the story with. Also, Flora Collins is an extremely talented writer. The writing style is beautiful, the descriptions vivid - the perfect recipe for a great setting.
There are 2 POVs and timelines - the present timeline, with Suzy Keller as the protagonist; and the past, back when Anneliese worked as a live-in nanny for the Kellers. I was very excited to dive deeper into the story and find out more about Annie and the Kellers.
However, I found the story very slow-burn for my taste, and I kept waiting for the suspense to kick in, for the twists to start coming - but other than a small moment or two, I didn’t experience that with this book.
Having said that, the book is well-written, the two main characters are portrayed very well by the author, and it all comes down to personal preference in the end. I am a big fan of tension, suspense, thrill and twists in books.
If you like this type of slow-burn mysteries focused more on the relationships between characters, then this is your book!

One of the themes of books I love to read is about Nannies and then of course I love my psychological thrillers and mysteries. Nanny Dearest had ticked all the boxes. I do have to admit that this was a weird story and was quite a slow-paced novel. Years ago, when Sue was a little girl, she lived in the country with her mum and dad, and then her mum died and she and Dad moved to the city. Now years later Sue is a young adult and her dad has passed away leaving her by herself. After her dad died, Sue lost herself as without her dad, she didn't know who she was and then this eventually led her to become a reclusive hermit. One day Sue is walking the street and she hears her name. It is Annie who we learn was Sue's nanny when she was younger before her mother died. Yearning for any attachment to memories of her family and life, Sue and Annie start to spend more time together. Spending time with her is a positive for Sue as it means she is coming out of her shell and finally being happy. What will happen though when strange things start to happen and it's almost like Annie is wanting Sue all to herself. Nanny Dearest is a past/present novel and has flashbacks of Annie's nanny days to a younger Sue to now. Sue got away from Annie once before, but now that Annie has her back will she be willing to let her go again? Find out in this edgy psychological thriller that includes Mental Health issues - Nanny Dearest by Flora Collins.

Title: Nanny Dearest by Flora Colins
Genre: Thriller
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Verdict: Don’t get me wrong I enjoy a thriller as much as anyone but, and I hate to say, The overall premise of the plot sounded really good but the execution was clumsy. I just felt like I was reading an afternoon TV movie that has the same themes and morals cropping up all over the place, I just felt like I’ve read this book before and it felt a bit predictable. Don’t get me wrong I enjoyed the crazy that came with Anna and, from a writers perspective Flora Colin’s did have me on the edge my seat at times but then didn’t deliver on impact. I also found Suzy to be a bit bland, an entitled rich woman with opportunities, with no edge.
Is it tragic what happened to her? Yes, but, despite being labelled a Physcological thriller I found that other than the inciting flashback it didn’t grab me.

———

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Nanny Dearest, unlike the usual nanny stories of seduction of the husband and jealousy of the wife, centres around her love for the child she cares for. Having lost her own child, Annie showers love and affection onto her charge, which doesn’t please the natural mother. This obsession leads to all kinds of complications and challenges for the family, leading to a showdown, in which the nanny Annie, is left totally bereft of everything she ever loved.

With a twist in the tale, this book kept me mesmerised right till the end. A rollercoaster of emotions kept me on the edge of my seat and thirsty for more, to the point that I struggled to put the book down. I actually felt like part of the family, feeling the same emotions as I would being a mother and having experienced the loss of a child, I could empathise somewhat with the main character’s need to alleviate her feelings of having an empty nest.

In short, a very good read, which I would recommend for anyone, who’s willing to put housework and chores aside for a few hours because once started, you won’t be able to put this book down!

Definitely a slow burn! This did keep me interested until the last page though. It is really well written and isn't just your average twisty, turns thriller ... its quite deep and fascinating to see the characters manipulation and such. It's not one that's all dramatic shockd and turns, it's more of the kind of story that slowly gets under your skin and leaves you genuinely curious as to what's going to happen next. It didn't keep me up at night but it did keep me reading until the end so a good solid read

As a nanny myself I do enjoy a good thriller about nannies every so often! This one is full of twists and turns all the way to the very end. I enjoyed the duel timeline telling the story and found all the characters to be well written!

Thanks to Net Galley for the advance copy.  This book is a slow burning, average domestic thriller that goes back and forth in time with the same characters.  It was easy enough to read but I found that I didn't relate to, or care what happened to the characters. My interest waned as the storyline dragged somewhat with a somewhat predictable ending.  Overall 2.5*.

4-5 stars

In 1996 Anneliese becomes Suzy Keller’s nanny. The Keller’s are a wealthy family with Suzy’s father being a best selling author and her mother a successful interior designer. Anneliese soon becomes an integral part of the family. In the present day Anneliese and Suzy meet accidentally in New York, Suzy is deeply grieving the loss of her father who raises her after her mother’s death many years ago. Suzy is thrilled to see Annie after all these years but should she be??? The storyline alternates between 1996 and today which works well.

This is a good slow burner domestic/psychological thriller with the pace totally suiting the unfolding drama which is full of tension and suspenseful moments. It’s extremely well written, utterly absorbing and raises a multitude of emotions through the quality of the prose. The dynamics we witness are fascinating and there are a whole host of those such as Suzy and Annie, Suzy and her parents, Annie and Suzy’s parents and within her own family which is full of sadness, pain and moments when you shudder. The characterisation is very good, some remain enigmatic until the end which I really like and your thoughts are in flux about them almost from the start. Suzy’s varying emotions are captured well such as her confusion alternating with love, followed by slivers of whole chunks of doubt which are smoothed over adeptly. It’s a toxic, gripping tale with a finale you don’t see coming. My only slight negative is there is some repetition of Suzy’s thoughts from time to time.

Overall, if you like psychological thrillers then it’s worth giving this one a try as it’s a page turner. Flora Collins is a must read author for me from now on.

With thanks to NetGalley and especially to Quercus for the much appreciated arc in return for an honest review.

I quite enjoyed this book despite it being extremely slow at times. The characters are described well and it adds to the intensity, it is quite gripping and interesting at parts too.

‘Nanny Dearest’ is a haunting, psychological thriller that tells the tale of when Suzy meets her old, childhood Nanny, Annie.

Parts of this book were incredible - I’d push it to a strong 3.5 stars. The clear manipulation of the main character and the characterisation of Annie made for several interesting chapters - readers were able to see the manipulation truly manifest itself in the character. The dual perspective at times were also interesting especially when first being introduced the character - you were able to see the truth of their past together, and just how twisted the character was.

However, the middle of the book took what felt like an eternity to read. I understand it’s important to establish a calm / nice period HOWEVER it was genuinely dull, very little happened and I found myself forcing myself to read this book.

Thank you to NetGalley, as always, for providing me with an ARC in exchanged for my unbiased review :)

Really enjoyed this book, the duel timeline was perfectly timed and paced. although this is quite a slow paced book i loved this because it really helped build the tension. deeply creepy and very engrossing, it unfolds perfectly, Thank you!

Following her father's death Sue bumps into her former nanny Annie and she feels she's got someone on her side now.Sue begins to realise that Annie has a lot of secrets from the time she was her nanny especially the manner of her departure or dismissal.She begins to worry about the children in her care now.
Told from Annie's view in the past and Sue's in the present time.
I found the book started off a bit to slow for me but I'm glad I stuck with it as it did warm up.and I enjoyed reading it in the end.
Thanks to Netgalley and Quercus books for the ARC

Face From The Past…
Secrets, lies, obsessions and a face from the past combine in this dark and disturbing psychological suspense. An intriguing premise which delivers with a well observed and well crafted cast of characters and a slow burn, compelling, page turning tale. A solid read.