I imagine the reader is supposed to hate Rachel. A privileged, awkward, try-hard that reminded me of all the things I hate about myself. I found this to be predictable and it didn’t make me feel any of the things it seemed to be aiming for. Maybe that was the point.

The narration was great. The book, though a little slow, had me on the edge of my seat by the end. Highly recommend!

Kate Broad’s Greenwich is an unsettling debut that blends coming-of-age with social critique. In the summer of 1999, seventeen-year-old Rachel moves in with her wealthy relatives in Greenwich, Connecticut, where privilege masks illness, grief, and simmering secrets. She’s drawn to Claudia, the family’s confident young BIPOC babysitter, until a sudden tragedy leaves Rachel the sole witness to what really happened—and forces her to decide between truth and loyalty.

Broad’s prose is sharp, and her themes of race, wealth, and complicity are timely. While some characters lean into archetypes and the pacing occasionally slows, the novel’s moral ambiguity and haunting atmosphere stick with the reader long after the last page. A provocative debut that asks: how much silence are we willing to buy with privilege?

Oh I liked this one! How much does the truth matter? How much do we matter? How much does someone else’s knowledge and perception of us change our self image? All questions this book had me asking myself. The characters are complex and the storyline kept me interested to the very end. The narrator did an excellent job.

Greenwich is the story of a rent high school grad sent to stay with her aunt’s family in Greenwich one summer even though they had a nanny too. The entire book revolves around a tragic event but that event is not revealed until the end. The suspense is off the charts, never knowing when things will go awry. Mixed with teenage angst and themes of racism and substance abuse and other very icky things. This was intense and compelling. All the way until the very end. I held my breath so many times.

Greenwich by Kate Broad follows Rachel who recounts her summer spent at her aunt and uncle’s estate at Greenwich, Connecticut. I really enjoyed the 1999 setting and the mention of AIM messenger really brought me back in time. I also liked how the story is told as a recollection of Rachel’s past so we know we will get the full arc of her growing up from that summer into adulthood. I found as the story progressed I disliked Rachel more and more.

Set in the summer of 1999, nearly-eighteen-year-old Rachel Fiske spends a turbulent summer at her aunt and uncle’s estate in Greenwich, Connecticut. Initially there to help after her aunt’s injury, she instead finds herself isolated and adrift until a bond develops with Claudia, the family’s Black, artsy live-in babysitter. This quiet, uneasy friendship turns explosive when a tragic accident occurs, and the family swiftly deflects blame onto Claudia, forcing Rachel to choose between truth and her own future.

For me this novel was a slow burn and a wild ride. I was reluctantly fascinated by Rachel, who felt trapped in her own privilege. I was left uncertain by narrative threads that seemed to fade away intentionally. There were times where I found the pacing excessively long and repetitive, particularly in later sections, with the novel’s moral and social explorations feeling overly familiar.

Greenwich is a haunting, introspective debut that trades standard suspense for moral complexity. It delves into the weight of silence, the burden of privilege, and the cost of doing or not doing the right thing. If you’re drawn to literary fiction that lingers long after you finish, this one delivers.
I would recommend for readers who enjoyed Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng. If you enjoy books that probe class, race, and conscience you'll like this.

The narration of Imani Jade Powers definitely added to my listening pleasure.

I’ll start off with the audiobook portion: I think the narrator did a good job. It sounded great.
Now for the book itself: I enjoyed this book overall but felt it was kind of slow. Once it started going, I was a little more invested but I did not care much for the main character so it made it hard to connect. I understand she’s probably meant to be a morally he grey character though, so maybe that’s just a me problem. I think for a debut novel, it was good and I’d still try other books from this author.

I have a deep passion for audiobooks. I typically listen to at least two each week, and my discerning eye for the description of the audiobook allows me to choose titles wisely that I usually genuinely enjoy. However, there are times when I come across books that simply aren't my cup of tea. This isn't a reflection on the narrator or the writing; sometimes, a book just doesn't resonate with me. Greenwich A Novel by Kate Broad narrated by Imani Jade Powers was just such an audiobook. This audiobooks, while not right for me, will undoubtedly find the ideal listeners. I want to express my gratitude to Macmillian Audio and NetGalley for providing me with access to this advanced digital audiobooks.

This book surprised me in the best way. Greenwich is set in the summer of 1999, and follows Rachel, a 17-year-old sent to live with her wealthy relatives in Connecticut after some trouble back home. At first it feels like your typical “outsider in a rich world” story, but it gets deeper and more complicated as it goes.

Rachel is kind of stuck—trying to start over, trying to figure out who she is, and definitely trying to stay on everyone’s good side. But she’s also watching things unravel around her. She bonds with Claudia, the nanny, in a way that’s part friendship, part romance, part lifeline. But when Rachel’s little cousin dies, the whole house turns cold and calculating fast. Claudia is blamed, and Rachel’s left with the weight of what she knows, what she saw, and what she doesn’t want to say out loud.

What I really liked is how real it all felt—messy, morally gray, emotionally tense. It touches on race, class, privilege, power, and how easy it is to let the truth get buried when it’s inconvenient. It also felt nostalgic in a way that made me think about what it was like to be 17—trying to be “good” in a world where the rules keep changing.

It’s not fast-paced, but it pulls you in little by little until suddenly you can’t stop reading. I’d recommend it to anyone who liked Little Fires Everywhere, The Girls by Emma Cline, or Saltburn (but less wild).

The writing was stellar! I would never have imagined this was a debut! I just wish I had enjoyed the story more. As a person in their late 60’s I have a hard time relating to young girls finding their way. This is absolutely a me problem and my rating should be judged accordingly. Despite not liking any of the characters, I was pulled into finding out how it would end.

I cannot wait to see what this author comes up with next. I will definitely read from her again!

The summer before Rachel heads off to college, she spends it with her aunt and uncle in Connecticut. She helps out with her toddler cousin, Sabine, and grows closer with the nanny, Claudia. But Rachel soon realizes that their life of wealth isn’t all that it seems, and a tragic accident causes her to question her family’s privilege.

It’s pretty easy to see where this story is going from the beginning both from the synopsis and Rachel’s narration. Despite this, I was still interested in how it got to the ending point. But I felt like parts of the story really dragged, mostly in Part 1. I like how it wrestled with themes of morality and white privilege, but they could have been fleshed out more. The ending is not happy or wrapped up neatly, but it’s also very realistic, so I wasn’t disappointed with it. Overall I liked the premise more than the execution, but I would check out more from this author. Thanks to NetGalley, Macmillan Audio, and Kate Broad for this free ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This book was good. It took me a while to come to that conclusion. Rachel is difficult; very difficult to understand, but I know this is what we are supposed to feel about her. She is a teenager and goes to live in Greenwich, Connecticut with her aunt and uncle. While there, things happen and Rachel has decisions to make. For every action, there is a reaction, so she needs to make good decisions. Rachel’s family is interesting, to say the least. Broad does a great job creating their intricacies.

Imani Jade Powers was fabulous. What talent! The story was told much better than if I would have read it. That is always nice!

The second half of the book is better and picks up the pace. I think Broad is a great author. I look forward to more of her books. Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press and Macmillan Audio for the arc of this book.

I don't know what I was expecting for this book but it was way different from whatever I was guessing. The book told a story of privilege and wrongdoing, which was meant to be uncomfortable, but I really hated the MC and had a hard time with that.

I was excited to read something set in Connecticut in the late 90s. I grew up there and was just starting college around the time. But aside from a few scattered references, there wasn’t much that felt distinctly 90s about this book. The time period/location felt more like a loose backdrop than a meaningful part of the story, which made the setting choices feel a little random.

That said, the book pulled me in early on. The first half was really readable, and I was invested enough to keep turning the pages. But somewhere in the second half, I started to realize not much was going to happen. There was just enough drama to keep me engaged, but not enough to fully satisfy. I kept waiting for a big reveal or a dramatic climax but it never came.

This book reads like a friend telling you a long, slightly riveting story. It was entertaining enough in the moment, but I won’t be thinking about it a week from now.

3.5 rounded up to 4.

This book hooked me at first — the writing is sharp, the look at privilege and recklessness is spot‑on, and the atmosphere of Greenwich in the late ’90s feels vivid without being overdone. Kate Broad captures that messy mix of longing, bad decisions, and blurred boundaries that can define adolescence.
But the more I listened, the harder it was for me to sit with Rachel. She’s needy, self‑loathing, and stuck in this cycle of wanting to matter — to someone — in a way that’s realistic but also grating. The story also feels like it goes on longer than it needs to, circling the same emotions until it loses some impact. By the end, I found myself wishing it had wrapped up sooner.
I listened to the audiobook narrated by Imani Jade Powers, who did a great job capturing Rachel’s rawness and uncertainty. Even with my frustrations about the character, her narration kept me engaged. The moral gray areas and complicated relationships felt uncomfortably real — and that’s what makes the story linger, even if I didn’t always enjoy being in Rachel’s head.

Thanks to Macmillan Audio for gifted access to this audiobook. All opinions below are my own.

This is Such a Fun Age with a white girl MC who is immature and feels as though she's better than everyone else but she is actually the worst. A rich family, black nanny, a tragedy... you can fill in the rest. I didn't like any of the characters and really hoped the sixteen years later would show some growth but ugh. I think it would suit best as a beach read where you’re looking for a little drama without much character depth.

All that said, the audio narration was well done and I enjoyed listening even though the characters made me uncomfortable.

I really enjoyed this debut novel by Kate Broad. Seventeen-year-old Rachel’s life is in a weird place. Her parents are preoccupied with her sick little sister, so they send her to her uncle and aunt’s mansion in Greenwich, Connecticut to help her aunt, who was recently injured. Her wealthy aunt and uncle live in a completely different world than Rachel knows, and they even have a live-in nanny— Claudia— who is just a bit older and cooler than Rachel.

Over the summer, Rachel tries to find her way in a place where she doesn’t really belong. She experiences what may be a first love. She also experiences extreme tragedy and the challenges and stressors that come with the aftermath of such a tragedy.

In a way, this is a coming of age story about Rachel. She is forced to grow up over the summer and learn much about herself and what she believes in.

Broad seems to still be finding her voice, but I really like her foreshadowing techniques and her story line in general. I am looking very forward to reading more of her work.

Narration by Imani Jade Powers was also fantastic.

Thanks in advance to NetGalley and MacMillan Audio for the advance listening copy of this wonderful book in exchange for an honest review.

Greenwich is a slow burn that somehow still manages to feel like a wild ride. The first half really drags, but there’s this quiet tension building the whole time—you know something awful is coming, and that dread keeps you turning the pages (or, in this case, listening). Things definitely pick up once the courtroom drama kicks in, but this isn’t a quick, twisty suspense novel. You have to sit with it, pay attention, and let the layers unfold.

Rachel is a tough narrator—unlikable in a lot of ways, but still weirdly sympathetic. She keeps insisting she’s not like the wealthy, privileged people around her, even as she constantly proves otherwise. Some plot points feel like they’re heading somewhere big but end up fading out, which may be the point: in a world of extreme privilege, consequences rarely stick. The ending wasn’t quite as shocking as I expected, but it left me thinking—and the performance on audio really captured Rachel’s voice and the creeping discomfort of that summer.

I know what the author was going for but I really didn't love it. This one just made me so angry. The incident was so preventable and I just can't deal with how much I hated Rachel.

The ending was so abrupt and I just really wanted to see the carnage at the end.

So all in all I didn't love this.

The narrator was great though.