On the face of it this seemed like an excellent read and in the end (as the second half was by far the best) I did enjoy it. I will not be describing the storyline here as I usually believe that the blurb writers do a better job without giving away crucial parts of the plot. However, in this case, and perhaps because of the misleading title, I felt that the actual book was quite different from what I had thought it was going to be.
In parts it read as if I had the script from a drama documentary as the dialogue between mother and daughter, Emily and Sofia, was so realistic. Good yes, but a bit boring at times. Also I really didn't like Nancy and couldn't understand the friendship or why Emily looked after her for so long!
In conclusion, an enjoyable psychological thriller, with the understanding that it was not as expected and you need to keep reading as it does improve later on.....

A quick and enjoyable read, although I thought it tried a little too hard and had too many twists ( if that is possible). Overall though it was exciting!

I would say this is more of a psychological thriller. There’s so many different angles to the story that you don’t quite know which way it’s going to go and it had me constantly guessing what was going to happen next.

I really liked the relationship between Emily and Sofia - it certainly felt like a realistic teen/parent relationship with the teen starting the rebellious stage and the parent unable to deal with that.

That twist at the end at certainly did not expect! It completely changed how I thought it was going to be wrapped up! I did like that when they did the epilogue/time jump, it wasn’t just the 1 chapter but a couple of chapters so you got to see a more in-depth ending.

My only real gripe with this book is that I just feel like the tag line on the cover and the title don’t really match up with the story.

Ahhh wow! I could not put this psychological/domestic thriller down. A totally original plot for me. I became emotionally invested and the story was so twisty and shocking until the very last page. 4.5 stars rounded up.

Emily is going through the usual struggles of a teen girl's mum - her daughter, Sophia, is starting to do less well at school, she's using the internet secretly and shying away from a usually trusting, close relationship to her mum. But as Sophia closes off more and more, Emily pays close attention as she fears that her past secrets are coming back to haunt her. What lengths will Emily go to to protect her daughter from her past? What dangers are ahead for the small family unit?

There were so many things I loved about this book. The mother-daughter relationship was sweet AF, the teen battles were so accurate and portrayed so well. It made me feel a bit nostalgic for my teen years and fear at how stupidly teens can behave. Then the jaw dropping twists just kept coming and coming, and it worked so well.

Definitely recommend this one to all psychological and domestic thriller lovers!

Publication Date: 20 October 2022

Thank you to Netgalley, the author and the publisher for providing an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

**Potential spoiler**

I am so glad I didn't reread the cover or blurb before diving into this book, it doesn't match up for me.

Sue Watson has done it again with The Nursery. I never hesitate to get my hands on this fabulous author's latest, and this one did not disappoint.

Emily is living a quiet life with her daughter Sophie and working in a perfumerie, her kindly and elderly boss the only familial support upon which she can rely. But Emily has secrets, and it soon becomes apparent that she has spent years looking over her shoulder. As Sophie becomes more independent, and Emily meets a man with whom she can envision a future, it seems that the ghosts of the past have been laid, at least temporarily, to rest. When Sophie begins an anonymous online friendship, it is clear that someone knows just what Emily is running from, and will not stop until justice has been served.

A pacey narrative, punctuated by some jaw-dropping twists, make this one you do not want to miss.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for an ARC.

Thank you NetGalley, Bookouture and Sue Watson for ar ARC in exchange for an honest review.This was my first read from Sue Watson and I absolutely loved it. The book had me hooked from the very first page. It was full of many twists and turns - I did not expect the final twist! The book was quick-paced, following the relationship between a mother and daughter. The main character, Emily, keeps mentioning her past and some sort of secret that she harbours. We start getting little bits and pieces here and there, which really keeps the reader captivated. My one issue was with the title - I did not find it overly fitting.

Book Title: The Nursery
Author: Sue Watson
Publisher: Bookouture
Genre: Mystery Thriller
Pub Date: October 20, 2022
My Rating: 4+ rounded up


Cover: An empty crib with the statement – “You tucked her in last Night. Now she is gone. . . .

Prologue: Twelve years ago. Emily arrives in Sidmouth, East Devon in a blizzard with her sick three year-old daughter Sofia wrapped in her arms. She sees a church and runs to it for help.

Okay so right off these two don’t agree. We know Emily is on the run but is the missing ‘tucked in’ child Sophia? The next chapters had me trying to figure out who is who.

Twelve years later : Sophia is now a typical fifteen year old and is spending a lot of time on the internet. She has a new mysterious friend who knows a lot about her and her mum.
Emily has left her old life behind and wants to leave it there but things keep coming up
.

Story kept me guessing. I was sure I had things figured out ~ wrong!!

I could tell you more but I know you will want to read for yourself.

Author, Sue Watson did not disappoint.
I read and enjoyed "The Resort" as well as "The New Wife" they both earned 5 stars from stingy star me!!!

As always! I love reading the author’s note and acknowledgements. In this case, “A Letter From Sue”. In it Ms. Watson tells us her motivation for writing this story.
Her father was adopted and was happy and never had any desire to search for his birth parents. However, as his daughter Ms. Watson always wondered about this side of her family. Curiosity and a creative imagination helped her write this story.

Want to thank NetGalley and Bookouture for this early eGalley.
Publishing Release Date scheduled for October 20, 2022

The Nursery by Sue Watson is about a mother's desperation after her child goes missing. I was very intrigued when I read that it is the perfect read for fans of Gone Girl and The Wife Between Us, however, I cannot agree with that statement.

The most problematic part for me was how slow and (I'm very sorry to say) boring it was. I found myself checking my progress and at 51%, nothing of note had happened. I found it almost impossible to continue reading it. Another problem is that the style of writing seemed a below par to me.

The only positive thing was the plot twist at the end which was indeed somewhat but unfortunately, I cannot recommend this book.

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC!

📚 Book Review 📚 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Nursery by Sue Watson

My synopsis: Single mom Emily catches her teen daughter Sofia chatting with a stranger online and sees the person say “your mother isn’t who she says she is”. Emily is terrified that her long held secrets are going to be exposed. Emily demands Sofia block “Pink Girl” and never speak to them again….but does she listen 🤦🏼‍♀️ “Oh, what a tangled web we weave when first we practice to deceive”…….

Holy bombshell of an ending 🤯🤯 Once the secrets are reveled and you think you know everything but then 💣 …..now THAT I didn’t see coming!!! The book will keep you guessing, you’ll figure out some things yourself and others never guess, most of the book flowed good while other parts just seemed redundant. Overall it was a good read with characters to both love and hate!

Thank you NetGalley for the advanced reader copy!! Book is available October 20th

Sue Watson never disappoints! I went into The Nursery with high expectations after the high star reviews I have been reading. However, while this was not a 5 star read for me, it was still a good read. However, I did get very annoyed with Sofia. She was a complete brat! I also don't understand the cover art for this book. I felt like I was reading the wrong book at times actually because of that. I will remain a Sue Watson fan, but this one just didn't blow me out of the water like I had expected. 3 stars!

I am a big fan and avid reader of Sue Watson. The Nursery is written in a different style of only one POV rather than the usual multiple POV chapters in domestic noir. We read the story from the mind of Emily, a single mother who moved to the coast to keep herself and her daughter safe from a ‘vague’ past. Staying to herself, the first half mainly features Emily, her daughter Sofia, an acquaintance Nancy and Mr Woods, a kind elderly man who is , Emily’s landlord and employer. Everyone is murky, with murky plot lines and chapters finish with Emily expecting disasters. The last quarter speeds up and we are hit with multiple twists and explosive explanations which would have been better received if I felt connected to the characters.

Sue Watson has done it again!
The Nursery by Sue Watson is another explosive story.

The story is well written, and it flows wonderfully. I was caught hard as soon as I opened this novel up. Watson creates intriguing suspense that reels you in instantly.
An atmospheric psychological thriller full of dark secrets, twisted characters and an ending that is truly unpredictable.
There were a good mix of characters. Who kept me eager to read.
The Nursery is full of so many twists and turns and events that you won’t see coming and make you gasp out loud.
A completely gripping, utterly twisted thriller with a rollercoaster of twists and turns. This is one you won't want to put down.

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

Bookouture,
Thank You for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!
I will post my review to my blog, platforms, BookBub, B&N, Kobo and Waterstone closer to pub date.

I really wanted to love this book. I saw there were a lot of good reviews, so I had high hopes. However, I was let down. The book was very drawn out, and it took forever to get to the plot of the book. At the end of a lot of the chapters, the author tries hard to build suspense by making Emily say things like “if only I knew what was going to happen next.” About halfway through the book, it got better. There was one great big twist and I thought wow! But then the author kept going, and there was another twist, a pretty good one. I thought that would be the end of the book. NOPE! The author kept going and threw in more. That’s when it got to be too much. The book was somewhat enjoyable, but not worthy of 5 stars.

Sue Watson did it again! This is a terrific book!

Emily and her daughter have a peaceful life in their small seaside town. However, Emily is tortured by her secret past, terrified that someone will find her.
As her daughter grows up, Emily hides her secrets, but the truth slowly unravels around them!
This book is full of twists, secrets and revelations!
It was engaging from start to finish!

Thank you, Sue Watson, Bookouture, and NetGalley for the advanced copy!
I’m rating this book 5 stars!

What a wild ride. This is my first book by this author and I wasn’t able to put it down. So many twists and turns. Fantastic writing!

12 years ago, Emily left her life behind to keep her daughter safe. Living close to the sea has always been her dream and things seem great between her and her daughter, Sofia.
Then Emily starts to feel like someone is watching her. She has a nagging feeling that she has been found from the person she escaped from. She sees Sofia has been talking to a stranger online & the person is causing a rift between Emily and Sofia.
Who is watching them and why did Emily escape all those years ago?

Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

This read, captivated me. This read left me dizzy with the twists incoming from every direction.

Following Emily, who ran away from her relationship with her young toddler Sofia from Manchester to Sidmouth. After arriving and meeting an incredible couple they set up home in a flat and the couple became like family.

Emily always worried she would be found and therefore both her and Sofia had to live vigilantly never giving away too much of her life before.

BUT…

Slowly everything starts to come to ontop and Emily thinks she’s been found and her and her daughter are now in danger.

This was a fantastic read from the start, it was intriguing and a nice easy read with a hint of mystery. HOWEVER the pace soon increased when the author quite cleverly had a tornado of twists incoming that I did not see for the life of me.

Quite frankly I must have spent the last half of this book with my hand firmly over my mouth in shock.

This is definitely a thriller you do not want to miss out on!!

3 ⭐️⭐️⭐️. Where to start? Hmmm 🤔. The synopsis is really good for this one and I was thrilled to be given an advanced copy through NetGalley and Bookouture especially since I’m normally denied by Bookouture. Well let’s just say this is one I kinda wish I was denied! It wasn’t completely awful…it was actually a pretty quick and easy read BUT there were many reasons this book was only 3 stars. I’m going to do my best to explain without any spoilers so I apologize in advance if my review is vague.

First of all, the characters….I literally hated them all!! Emily (the main character) and Nancy (her best friend) were tied for worst character. Cerys, Sofia and Oliver were not too far behind them! If I had to pick one character who wasn’t completely annoying, it would be Mr. Woods.

Next, the storyline dragged for the first 50-60%. Emily has this huge secret that she has been hiding for over 12 years. She won’t get close to anyone, she won’t open up and share things for 12 whole years but then at the first sign of her past catching up to her, she all of a sudden has diarrhea of the mouth and is spilling everything to everyone….including a man who she literally just met like a week ago.

The next annoying thing was the way Emily parented her 15 year old daughter. I have a 15 year old and it would be a cold day in Hell before I worry about her privacy and allow her to run out of the house after dark! Just a lot of annoying parts when it comes to parenting in this book.

In conclusion I will say that there were a couple twists at the end that I didn’t see coming. It wasn’t enough to make me recommend this one but it was enough to make me feel like I didn’t totally waste my time reading it.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

To see other reviews I’ve left, check out my Instagram and Goodreads.
*Instagram - bookworm_traveler808
*Goodreads - Cherihy808

This ARC was provided to me via Kindle, from Bookouture and #NetGalley. Thank you for the opportunity to preview and review. Opinions expressed are completely my own.

Fast, easy and entertaining read.

I started this book blind, meaning I have no idea what this story is about, minus the title. Sue Watson's books are usually excellent, with loads of twists and turns. This story is very different, and it started slow and dragged on. Most of the characters are not fully developed, such as Mr. Woods. He is essential to this story from beginning to end, yet he's not set. I'm pretty disappointed because there is so much of his character that, if fully developed, could explain many of the events.

However slow it might be, I pushed through and was rewarded at the end. The ending is true to Sue Watson's style, and it has many layers, twists, and turns, all coming at once.

Thank you to Bookouture and NetGalley for letting me read this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

A quick and easy read that I finished in one sitting, it had me completely and utterly gripped in its clutches. Tense, twisty and unpredictable and had me on the edge of the seat I loved it,