A good summer read if you want to be transported to the world of the rich and the badly behaved! Rachel is 18 and at a time in her life when she's figuring out who she is, and gets lost in loneliness when she spends the summer with her wealthy aunt and uncle. The nanny Claudia quickly becomes her only friend, but she's caught in the middle when a tragic accident takes place and Claudia comes under fire. This book had some slumps, but overall it was a good summer read.

Rachel is almost 18 and is sent away to her aunt's magnificent mansion in Greenwich for the Summer. Her younger sister is recuperating from cancer surgery, and the parents needed to devote all of their energy to Rachel's sister's convalescence. Rachel soon notices something odd going on with her aunt and uncle. She becomes close to the family's nanny, who is a few years older. The nanny, Rachel, and her young cousin enjoy many outings together. Out of the blue, tragedy strikes, and someone has to take the blame.

Though at times predictable, this read was enjoyable. The writing was okay, but the plot was intriguing overall. The characters was interesting but I know this book will not be for everyone.

I am not a fan of this one! It might be because I read a similar book that I really enjoyed, and this one didn't match up. I didn't like the writing or the characters either. I couldn't connect with any of them in the sense that they seemed too fleeting and unreal. Thank you, NetGalley.

This Book was:
Sad
Boring
Embarassing
Discriminatory
Ego Driven
Inner Dialogueing ad nauseam
Discrimantory


What this book was was a long-winded inner dialogue with an adolescent who is still trying to find herself. There are hints of a tragedy yet to come, but Rachel was a tad too psychotic to be believable. I had a difficult time getting through this novel, even though I am a Connecticut citizen, and thought I would gain a fascinating insight into the super elite. I did not get what I thought I would get. And yes, Connecticut did have a female governor at one time, and it wasn't the Bridgeport Post newspaper in that time period; it had already become the Connecticut Post.

*ARC was supplied by the publisher, St. Martin's Press, the author, and NetGalley.

Many thanks to NetGalley and St Martin’s Press for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Unfortunately, this book did not work for me. Not only did I find it to seem a little more YA than I care for, I did not find the characters interesting nor the way this story was told to be fresh. It does make a good, quick beach read.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for this digital arc!

3.5* rounded down

Rachel has just graduated high school, and she's struggling. Though she's (somewhat) excited to head off to college in the fall, ready to set herself up for success before ultimately heading off to med school, things haven't been easy lately. Her younger sister recently received a serious diagnosis, requiring all of their parents attention. And she's had a major fall-out with all of her friends, becoming a total pariah for the end of her senior year. In an attempt to escape the isolation of home, she offers to visit her aunt Ellen in Connecticut, under the guise of supporting Ellen after a horseback riding accident and helping the nanny to care for her young cousin, Sabine. But Rachel can't escape her loneliness, and she continues to feel isolated even stuck most of the day with 3-year-old Sabine and her aunt, who only works part-time. Soon, the best part of her day becomes spending time with Sabine and her nanny, Claudia. Claudia is a recent college graduate but at that age, she's light-years ahead in terms of her coolness and ease with herself. Rachel quickly becomes obsessed, hoping for more with their friendship. But the summer barrels ahead towards a tragic accident, and Rachel must choose sides. Will she do what's easy, or what's right?

This struck me as solid lit fic, filled with the sense of sadness/outside-looking-in that can only be unironically told by a teenager (though Rachel doesn't grow past this, to be honest). The first half or so of the book is told slowly, building relationships and "suspense" (using that term loosely, since we come in aware that <i>something</i> is going to happen). I loved the first half to two-thirds of the book. However, I found myself disappointed as the story continued; there wasn't much delving into Rachel's issues with/discovery of her sexuality, even though it was a key point that was revisited numerous times. Rachel's character was stunted, it seemed as though she almost didn't grow at all emotionally. Could that be a facet of the issues presented? Yes, but that feels weak. I enjoyed the writing, but these progressions were frustrating nonetheless. All in all, very readable, fast, well done.

This novel dives into some deep and unfortunately still relevant themes:
Racial prejudice that persists even today
The long, often invisible road to healing— both physical and emotional
The power of money... and the silence it can buy

Truthfully, I almost put this one down (DNF ), but a twist halfway through pulled me back in. It did keep me reading to the end, so credit where it's due.

That said… I didn’t love it. The character development and relationships felt flat to me, and without that connection, the story just didn’t land. I wanted more depth—more feeling.

Would I recommend it? Sadly, no. This one missed the mark for me, despite my high hopes.

What is true for me though is we don’t have to love every book—but we always take something from the read. I definitely took something from this one.

Rachel is a 17 year old who ends up spending her summer before her freshman year of college at her aunt’s house. Rachel had a falling out with her friends, and she is ready for a summer at her rich aunt and uncle’s house. Rachel ends up helping out including spending time with her niece and the nanny. This book would throw in comments about the future, and we know something ends up happening that summer. Overall the book did keep moving. I think at the end I was wanting more from it and thought maybe certain things could have been fleshed out a little more. However, that doesn’t take away the fact that the book kept me wanting to know what happened that summer.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press, Kate Broad, and NetGalley for allowing me to read this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Adored the first half, and then liked but didn't love the second half. Felt what happened after the event to be rushed a little.

Typically darker family/domestic thrillers are my jam, but the first half of this book was just too much of a slow-burn and too much ‘rich people behaving badly’ without enough satire or propulsive plot development to keep me engaged. However, I applaud the author’s exploration of class, race, sexuality, and other issues through the main character’s interaction with the wealthy family’s nanny. It reminded me of how authors such as Celest NG use domestic settings to give an outsider’s perspective on privilege.Despite this book falling flat for me, I’ll definitely give the author another chance with their future works.

Greenwich is Kate broads debut novel reminiscent of Celeste ng and Kiley Reid. Set in 1999, Rachel fiske is sent to help her glamorous aunt in greenwich with her daughter. Rachel is drawn to the young nanny, Claudia and instantly learns from Claudia’s outside perspective the rules to the privileged life her aunt inhabits. Rachel begins to develop intense feelings for Claudia which set in motion a chain of events that lead to a horrible tragedy which set up the second half of the book.

Like ng and Reid, this book explores class, race, gender. sexuality, and privilege with the outsiders eye looking in on the power structure. The first half of the book moves slowly and deliberately but the second half takes off like a rocket! This is told in retrospect through Rachel’s adult perspective which adds a layer of depth as well.

A well-written debut full of insight, character, setting, and social commentary. Recommended for readers of literary and social fiction.

Thanks to the publisher for providing the arc via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I found this book deeply compelling. The characters are flawed, messy, and often unlikable—but that rawness made them feel incredibly real. At its core, the story is about the weight of hiding one’s true self and the toll that lies can take over time. Rachel’s struggle with her sexuality leads her to act out in ways that strain her relationships and complicate her sense of identity.

Beyond that, the novel thoughtfully explores classism and the harsh realities faced by those in different social circumstances. It highlights how unjust the world can be, depending on where you come from and who you are allowed to be. The narrative flows smoothly and handles heavy themes with both beauty and heartbreak. It’s a powerful, emotionally resonant read.

Thank you NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, and Kate Broad for the eARC.

I really loved this book. The character building and spiraling story kept me on my toes the entire time. I couldn't put it down.

Huge thank you to the publisher and Net Galley for the e-arc. Unfortunately, this book just wasn’t for me. I can usually handle unlikable characters, but in this case I just couldn’t get past it. Not only was I up against an unlikable main character, but I also found the writing style to be difficult and lacking. Difficult in that the timeline wasn’t always linear and it was sometimes tough to know when/where we were. Lacking in a way where the characters just weren’t fully formed. I wish we had a more clear picture of why we were reading from a first person perspective and I wish that any one single person actually took accountability for the situation. At the end I found myself asking what was the point? I do think the premise had promise and if this brand of literary fiction is for you it can absolutely be enjoyable.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. One of my all time favorite books. The slow burn and build up was terrifying and beautiful. The time period of 1999 was nostalgic for me but what really captured me was the story of privilege and lies and betrayal. How one decision you make to benefit yourself and your family can haunt you for life with how it plays out for someone else. Such a realistic and relatable plot with characters so well described and written that I could picture them right in front of me as I read.

Wow this is a very layered and complex debut novel! Rachel is staying with her wealthy extended family for the summer and she develops a friendship with their nanny. There is a tragic end to the vacation that is referenced early on but the full story unfolds throughout the book. There are elements of race, economic disparity, the corruption of power, and addiction woven in as well. I really appreciated how dynamic the characters were, with both good and tough traits. Rachel really encompassed the rush but also confusion of being young and finding yourself. There were parts of the book that felt very hard to read but that was what made it so real. I can't wait to read what Kate Broad writes next. Thanks to Kate Broad, St. Martin's Press, and NetGalley for the advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This was not it for me. I wasn't into the story and found all the characters to be very annoying. I grew up going to greenw3ich and I wish more of the vibes were there besides the pretentious aspect.

Teenage Rachel is ready to spend the summer with her wealthy aunt & uncle on an estate in Connecticut, to escape her life in Boston and help care for her younger cousin. There she meets her cousin's nanny, Claudia, and begins an intense friendship with her. When tragedy strikes, Rachel quickly learns how privilege can protect, and whether or not she deserves to use that privilege to protect others. Overall, I enjoyed this novel and how the subtlety of privilege explodes into the obvious as the story continues. As a teenager, Rachel thinks she knows how the world works, but also knows on some level that her experience will always be different than Claudia's. Greenwich moved quickly and kept my attention as the story built. I am looking forward to more by Kate Broad!

This book had the bones to be one of the best books I’ve read this year but ultimately missed the mark. Main reason, so much of the story deals with themes of race and class yet it’s almost glossed over many times throughout the story. The FMC Rachel has almost no character growth from the start of the book through to the epilogue which I did not like. However the writing was suspenseful and kept the reader engaged and I did overall like the book. 4.25/5 stars

Thanks to NetGalley for early access in exchange for my honest review.