This was a little slow moving but once it picked up it was good. The high point of the story wasn't as excited as I'd expected though.

I love love love books by Sue Watson. This is an author who always delivers and this book is quite possibly my favourite by her yet.

Watson has created a dark, gripping and addictive novel with The Nursery. I found I was pulled in quickly and completely invested in the events taking place on the page.

This is a book guaranteed to set your heart racing. I’ve felt as though I could hear my pulse thudding as I’ve been on the edge of my seat desperately racing through page after page. I craved information to try to predict this one.

I live how Watson can really draw the reader into the narrative. This is every bit as gripping as I hoped it would be. I love how the pace really speeds up in the second half of the book.

I’ve read many books by Watson. This is definitely a favourite. This is a book that should be on everyone’s TBR. If I could rate this higher than five stars I definitely would.

I'm a huge fan of Sue Watson, but the Nursery missed the mark for me. Overall it was an entertaining story, and the characters were great, but the title and tagline on the cover were very misleading. I anticipated the story to be very different (for example, about a younger child rather than a teenager). That said, I appreciated the realistic dynamic between Emily and Sofia. As is her general standard, Sue Watson does not give us just one twist, but multiple - and while I suspected one, there were a couple others that got me! This was a lower star-rating for me, because I felt the cover, tagline, and even book description are not an accurate depiction of the actual story, but it was a very enjoyable read!
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A huge thank you to the author, Bookouture, and NetGalley for a copy of this ebook in exchange for an honest review. #TheNursery #NetGalley

The Nursery
Sue Watson

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thanks so much to Netgalley.co.uk and author Sue Watson for the opportunity to read an advanced reading copy of this book due out later this month (October 20th) in exchange for an honest review.

I've read a few other books by this author and enjoyed them all and this latest one was no different. Sue is fast becoming one of my 'must read' authors and I'll defo be keeping an eye and ear out for when she has her next book coming out. She sure can write a good thriller.

This one kept me guessing right up until the last chapter. A fast paced story with realistic well developed characters and an intriguing plot that will have you turning the pages quickly and unable to put it down. It was full of twists and turns. Some I guessed, some I didnt. I was hooked from the very first chapter and had it read in one sitting. Stayed up a bit too late to finish this one ...but well worth the tiredness the next morning. LoL.

I'll defo be recommending this one.

4 Stars

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The twists were almost all fairly predictable and I got annoyed with the characters on a regular basis. Not for me and I almost gave up. I admit to a bit of skim reading for the second half.

I had high hopes for this one but it was just okay for me. Part of that might also be because the blurb is a bit misleading as to how the story is actually structured. The blurb makes it sound as if the storyline has a major timeline jump and perspective switch when in reality there isn't. The story follows single mother Emily and her young teen daughter Sofia. They live in a small town in semi-secrecy after escaping Emily's husband years ago under somewhat mysterious and unnamed circumstances. Emily finds out that Sofia has been messaging a stranger online who is making claims that Emily is not who she claims to be. Emily tries to crack down on Sofia's social media, but Sofia only rebels more. Meanwhile, Emily's personal life is also spiraling. As the book progresses we learn that things are not what they seem and characters are not to be trusted.

Unfortunately, I found most of the plot points to be predictable nearly from the outset, and the one that wasn't made little sense and was tacked on with no real context. I also found Emily's attitude toward her daughter to be a little bizarre and unbelievable at times. Her opinion of her changes based on pretty normal teenage behavior; Sofia acts out and Emily becomes worried that she's evil at heart. The following may just be a pet peeve of mine, but it also irritated me that many chapters were ended with "Little did I know, the darkness was closing in..." or similarly worded phrases.

2.5 rounded up to 3 stars because this might work for someone else but it was a slog for me.

Thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for the free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a ARC from NetGalley. I just could not get into this book. The first few chapters didn't grab me and as I kept reading I just got bored. I found the writing to be very basic and not at all compelling. Maybe I didnt give it enough of a chance, but it was for me.

East Devon

Emily lives with her daughter, Sofia, 15. They arrived in this town 12 years ago from Manchester when Emily left her husband, Chris.

Mr. and Mrs. Woods kindly took them in and rented them a lovely flat at a low price. Emily works in Mr. Woods’ perfume shop. Now, Mr. Woods is a widower who truly cares for Emily and Sofia.

Emily becomes concerned about Sofia being on social media and when Emily sees a message on her phone, she becomes frightened and makes Sofia block this person. They have a number of talks about keeping her safe from possible bad people on Instagram. Having a teenager is difficult and some days are hard for Emily.

When someone breaks into her flat and she sees faces at the window, she becomes worried that her past has caught up with her.

This book takes the reader on so many twists and turns that one might get dizzy along the ride. I found myself doing just that. I got frustrated at times wondering where the story was going and the hints that it was going to get worse, had me rolling my eyes. As I have read and enjoyed quite a number of Sue Watson’s books, I have given this book what I feel is a very generous 4 stars.

Copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

I enjoyed the foreshadowing through the book, these eluded to the plot twists but I still never saw them coming. The whole story was well structured, just when you think it’s over and you’ve solved the mystery something else rears it’s head. This was a great book and I would love to read more of Sue Watson’s books.

Another great one from Sue Watson. Filled with twists and turns and an ending I didn’t see coming. Thanks to NetGalley for the privilege to read and review this book.

I loved the characters and the story line. The twists were fantastic and this was well written. I did not like the end of every chapter basically said the same thing alluding to “boy were things about to get worse” then you expect something drastic but nothing. It took a way from the overall vibe for me. The book did not need that, it moved at a solid pace and help my interest. I also didn’t love the title. It didn’t overly fit most of the book.
This was suspenseful and had a couple great plot twists. My real critique is with all the blunt foreshadowing, it was to much.
Ignoring that it was a solid story and a good read.

Thanks to NetGalley and the ph loaner for my copy of this book.

Emily and her daughter Sofia live a quiet life together. Sofia becomes secretive and Emily finds messages from a stranger PinkGirl implying that their are secrets. A break in, strangers lurking and Sofia going missing lead to a shocking finale.

I loved this book. The constant hints that Emily has a secret, and the tidbits of secret that we learn gradually made this a real thriller. When the story comes to and end there is a massive twist to the tale, with so many red herrings as to the final conclusion.

Amazing book. 100% recommend!

My thanks to Bookouture for an eARC via NetGalley of ‘The Nursery’ by Sue Watson.

The Prologue proved quite a hook. December 2010, Sidmouth, East Devon, a woman makes her way through a snow storm with a child in her arms. Arriving at a church as the door opens she identifies herself as Emily and revealing her sick child pleads: “Please don’t tell anyone I’m here.”

Twelve years later and Emily is still living there in a seafront flat rented to her by Mr. Woods, a kindly older man, who also employs her at his perfume shop in town. Her daughter, Sofia, is now fifteen though has recently started getting into trouble at school and is asking questions about when she was a baby. Yet Emily can’t tell her what happened as she is afraid that she could lose her daughter forever.

Then Emily discovers that Sofia is secretly messaging a stranger online and her alarm grows when she reads the last message Sofia received: ‘Your mother isn’t who you think she is.’ Oh dear.

Given that ‘The Nursery’ is a domestic noir, it’s a given that whatever secrets the past holds are likely to be revealed before the final pages.

I have read a number of Sue Watson’s novels and feel that she excels in creating entertaining page-turners that provide clever twisty twists along the way.

First off I want to thank @netgalley, @bookouture & @suewatson for my free ARC copy in exchange for an honest review.

DNF at 15%, I cannot get into this one for the life of me. It's dragging on and I just keep putting it off. The characters are highly unlikable and the storyline is just not well done.

On my way a great book. I would never have thought it would have ended the way it did. Emily loves her teenage daughter Sofia but holds a dark secret that no one can find out, not even her daughter. When Sofia starts to chat to a stranger on line alarm bells ring. She had managed to keep them of any social platforms and was horrifed to find her daughter had been posting on them. She needs to find out what her daughter has posted and told this stranger before it's too late.
You will really love this book as much as I did.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for gifting me a digital ARC of the latest thriller by a favorite, Sue Watson - 4.5 stars!

Emily is a single mom to teenage Sofia, living in a small town where she can blend in and escape her past. But now it seems that her past may be catching up to her - she's caught someone looking in her windows. And it appears that Sofia is keeping secrets of her own - she is suddenly acting out and has befriended a stranger on Instagram. Emily glances a message from this person - Your mother isn't who you think she is.

This was another addictive read from Sue Watson. I didn't see some of those twists coming but was glued to the pages to see how it would end up. The characters were great and you were never quite sure of any of them! I liked how most chapters ended up with a hint of what was to come - it really kept the tension high and kept me reading.

The cover of The Nursery seems to suggest a baby-stealing mystery thriller, but it was a lot more spooky than it suggests.


Read it if: you enjoy reading about people running away from their problems to make a new start in life.

Don’t read it if: you like your characters to have proper resolutions.

I found the book and the characters really easy to develop a bond with, and there’s something extra eerie about a seaside location. Emily and her teenage daughter have escaped something nefarious, and the reader is left to figure out what it might be. Emily hints that it’s something extremely serious and her paranoia about being caught is ever-present. It seeps into her friendships, her attempts at dating, and crucially, her relationship with her daughter.

I loved the slow reveal of more and more creepy clues and following Emily’s doubts and worries. The final reveal towards the end of the book was tense and exciting, and extra twists are presented even when he reader is satisfied all has been tied up. Sadly, for me, I felt very frustrated that this secondary twist was not fully developed, and the ending felt very abrupt. Almost to the point where I was convinced my digital copy had missing pages! I can only hope that this is a set-up for a sequel because I cannot wait to find out more!

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was my first Sue Watson book and it won't be my last! With just the right amount of suspense and creepiness, I couldn't turn the pages fast enough. This book is the example of a perfect domestic thriller. I love books filled with secrets and lies! My only complaint is the title didn't really match the story. Other than that, I have no problems recommending this book to thriller fans!

There was lots of love about "The Nursery," but unfortunately, I didn't love this book. I struggled to stay interested in this book or care about the characters. Although the title fits, it isn't the best title for the story. I also don't feel like the cover fits. It just didn't match what I was expecting. Thanks for the advance review copy. I love Sue Watson's books, although I didn't like this one. She has a great writing style.

Emily’s teenage daughter Sofia once an excellent student is starting to get in trouble at school. On top of this Sophia is question things from when she was an infant. Emily is hiding a secret, but it was for Sophia’s well-being.

Emily finds out her daughter is receiving messages from an online stranger. One of those messages has a negative impact on Emily. “Your mother is not who you think she is.” As mother and daughter they must navigate their relationship and find out who is behind these messages.

What is Emily hiding? Whom from her past knows her secret? Can Emily and Sophia repair their relationship?

Thank you NetGalley, Sue Watson and Bookouture for this advanced copy. Out October 20, 2022.