Many thanks to NetGalley, St Martin's Press and Macmillan Audio for gifting me both a digital and audio ARC of this debut book by Kate Broad, with the audiobook wonderfully narrated by Imani Jade Powers. All opinions expressed in this review are my own - 4.5 stars!

Rachel Fiske is a young woman who has just graduated from high school and needs a summer escape plan. She heads to Greenwich CT to help her aunt recover from an injury and to help care for her young daughter. Her aunt and uncle are distant though, and Rachel still feels lost until she gets to know Claudia, her young cousin's nanny, better. But when a tragedy occurs, Rachel must make a choice.

This is a slow, character study novel, a coming of age book taking place in 1999. Rachel is portrayed as a naive young woman and seems to let life happen to her, as opposed to taking charge of it. Her home life is messy, with a sick younger sister, her high school friends turned their back on her, and she's just not feeling comfortable anywhere. Claudia gives her a glimpse of a different kind of life for a bit. None of these characters are really likable, but you'll still feel for them and feel the nostalgic pull of just not knowing how to fit into life. I liked how there was some foreshadowing of a tragedy throughout the book, with hints about a trial to add some tension into the narrative. Definitely a discussion of wealth and privilege, status, and racism. The audiobook production was immersive, and I enjoyed going back and forth between the two formats. Can't wait to see what will be next from this author.

Rachel is approaching the end of her senior year in high school. Typical teenage drama unfolds that leaves her isolated and not wanting to pose in any of the group graduation photos, much less attend any of the parties. Rachel goes to live with her wealthy aunt and uncle, Ellen and Laurent for the summer. Ellen is recovering from an accident and Rachel's mother feels it would be a good idea for Rachel to be there for her aunt and little cousin. Rachel connects with her cousin's nanny, Claudia and they form a friendship of sorts. An unexpected tragedy occurs and Rachel is torn between doing what is right and what her powerful aunt and uncle expect. The narration by Imani Jade Powers made it an easy to listen to audiobook.

Wow - this book has left me quite speechless with the emotional heaviness and the emotional neglect; the need to feel redeemed and the need to feel justified; the desire to be seen and the desire to blend in, regardless the fall out.

Rachel is “just” seventeen when a tragic accident thrusts her into a role that will undeniably set the trajectory for her life.

Family vs Friendship (and maybe love?) - to which do you pledge your allegiance? Both are deeply flawed and both provide alternate paths in life.

The decision isn’t an easy one but Rachel is forced (coerced) to make one immediately after that tragic accident.

This is a FIVE STAR must read that is one part thought-provoking and one part watching an inevitable train wreck.

I was gifted the ARC from NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press and I was gifted the ALC by Macmillan Audio. The narration by Imani Jade Powers was beautifully heartfelt and heartbreaking. She did a marvelous job bringing the characters, their personalities, their flaws, and their challenges to life! I’d love to find other works she’s narrated.

This MUST READ is set to release July 22nd 2025 - secure a copy now!

Greenwich AUDIO by Katie Broad is the story of one girl’s summer in Greenwich and its aftermath, affecting her entire life. I didn’t love this book. It was too full of teenage angst, even when she was forty years old. Rachel had been sent to live with her wealthy aunt and uncle for the summer, ostensibly because her sister had cancer and there was only so much her parents could handle. She fell into a life of opulence and decadence, there to “help” the nanny care for their three-year-old daughter, Sabine. The nanny was not much older than she and introduced her to things she’d never known. Her aunt was addicted to opioids and she helped herself to a few. After a night of drunken revelry she and the nanny were in the yard trying to sort it all out and Sabine fell out a window. Plenty of fore-shadowing. A trial ensued; they were that kind of people. There was the aftermath.

While Rachel;’s character was fully fleshed out, she was not a mentally healthy person. She went to college, as planned; medical school, as planned; and became a doctor. That summer never left her mind and she based her life on it. It was a sad story, told well, but pointlessly. A world of self-indulgence and she was the worst of the lot, although hers was different. I just couldn’t see the point.

The narrator was Imani Jade Powers and she did a fine job, given the material. I kept listening, hoping there would be a point. There was not.

I was invited to listen to Greenwich by MacMillan Audio. All thoughts and opinions were mine.
#Netgalley #MacMillanAudio #ImaniJadePowers #KatieBroad #Greenwich

oh Rachel Fisk, growing up is so very hard, and giving up is equally rough. A case of Arrested Development in the not so gentle rooms of the Uber rich.
thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC. the audio version was fabulous.

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. The writing style made the audiobook difficult for me to discern between timelines at time, but overall the narrator did a nice job.

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.

I was really interested in the unique premise of this book, so I was really happy to get an early audiobook ARC! The narrator did a wonderful job bringing the story and characters to life!
I thought this was a really good coming of age debut. The story was fast paced. The characters, while somewhat unlikeable, were well written. I really enjoyed the writing style, as well as parts of the story being told in flashbacks.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

Any book set in the 90’s is an auto-read for me, so Greenwich was a no-brainer and I thoroughly enjoyed it. In the end, a lot of the characters in this book were infuriating and the overall storyline was genuinely heartbreaking. It’s a study in selfishness and coming-of-age in the midst of multiple family crisis and the questioning of personal identity. It’s queer awakening while simply attempting to fit in. All set against the backdrop of a time without constant scrolling and instant gratification, which always makes the vagueness of a story resonate with my depth to me. I went back and forth between the kindle and the audio and both were excellent options. I’d definitely recommend for a good LGBTQ+ read, coming-of-age fans, and northeaster US boujee people vibes.

A quiet, character-driven novel with beautiful prose and a strong sense of place. I appreciated the introspective tone and class commentary, but I struggled to feel emotionally invested in the main character’s journey. This book may resonate more deeply with readers who enjoy atmospheric literary fiction over plot-heavy narratives. The audiobook narration was lovely and suited the reflective mood. Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

An addicting family drama that drew me in from the start.

This book is rich people drama at its finest—set in the 90s, soaked in privilege, and brimming with bad decisions you can’t look away from. It’s not a question of if things will go wrong—just how badly and when.. You won’t find many characters to root for in this book, but their messiness makes for a compelling read. Messy, moody, and compulsively readable. A perfect summer spiral.

This whole book was just rich people with rich people problems. I honestly couldn't care less about these characters or their so called struggled

Greenwich was somehow both a slow burn and a wild ride. While the “main event” alluded to throughout the story took ages to arrive, the tension kept simmering. I found myself constantly building up theories and scenarios based on the subtle asides woven into Rachel’s recollections of that pivotal summer.

Rachel, as a character, was deeply unlikable—yet I couldn't stop feeling sorry for her. I kept thinking, maybe if this or that hadn’t happened, she wouldn’t be such a creepy brat. But the truth is, this is just who she is at her core. Despite her attempts to differentiate herself from the privileged world she comes from, she repeatedly proves she’s no better than the people she claims to despise.

Some plot threads felt like they were being set up for major reveals—like Julia’s cancer, the disturbing things Rachel discovered on the computer, or some of the more adult experiences she went through as a minor—but they ended up fading into the background. That might be intentional, though. Perhaps Broad is making a broader point: when you come from extreme wealth, nothing really sticks, and consequences rarely matter.

As for the “event” the book builds toward, I was convinced it was going to take a wildly different turn. The buildup pointed so clearly in one direction that when it finally happened, I was left confused and somewhat underwhelmed. And the ending—without giving spoilers—I was expecting something truly unhinged, especially considering Rachel’s obsession with Claudia. But again, not much really happens.

My emotions and stress levels were all over the place. This book was messy, intense, and unpredictable, and it definitely kept me on my toes.

I listened to an early audio copy, gifted by Macmillan Audio through NetGalley. As always, Macmillan delivered high-quality production. Imani Jade Powers was excellent as the narrator—she kept me locked in and second-guessing all the way through. Big thanks to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for the early listen—I really enjoyed this one!

I enjoyed this book as an entertaining and a great summer read. While it might not claim the title of "best book ever," it certainly delivers a suspenseful story well. Broad did a great job with pacing, you knew the whole time it was leading to something deeply tragic. It reminded me a ton of Kiley Reid's Such a Fun Age in its themes and setting. However, I might say this is a bit better?

Had a couple loose ends that kind of bothered me, but ultimately didn't lose me in the end which is rare with this kind of book.

Greenwich is a good one if you're looking for a page turner -- thoroughly entertaining novel -- Great for the pool -- thanks to NetGalley for the ARC and ALC of this book.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc and alc!

What a fantastic book. I loved it!! Imani Jade Powers is fantastic as the sole narrator of this story. If you are looking for a book this summer with a lot of suspense and drama, look no further than this book!


I will be definitely looking out for more by this author in the future!

Greenwich by Kate Broad is an engaging literary fiction set mostly in the 1990s in the notoriously wealthy town of Greenwich, Connecticut just outside of NYC. We follow the story of a young woman named Rachel who is set to enter college soon and Claudia, a slightly older nanny that her family hires to take care of her cousin for the summer.

Rachel and Claudia are separated by just the college years, and they form a unique friendship which Rachel never seems to have a clear handle on. Parts of this novel are very slice of life and slow paced as the two women take care of the young toddler.

When tragedy strikes, Rachel and Claudia are put in a moral dilemma. How they respond shapes the present and their futures. I very much enjoyed how this novel came full circle and wrapped up the plot. It is a story that encourages self reflection and will make for great discussions.

This story starts out simply enough. Rachel, a seemingly innocent seventeen-year-old girl goes to spend the summer with her wealthy aunt on her lavish estate in Greenwich, Connecticut to help with childcare. When she arrives though, she learns there is already a full-time live-in nanny. But with her aunt’s country club social calendar and her uncle corruption scandals, they can use an extra set of hands to control the chaos in their household.
Rachel quickly finds herself entangled in deception and keeping up appearances and forms an alliance with Claudia, the artistic, recent college graduate that she teams up with to tackle child rearing and indulgence of the amenities the lifestyle in Greenwich has to offer. Their alliance comes into question when circumstances turn controversial. Racial tension, lust, greed and family loyalty come into play and Rachel is forced to mature before her time when consequences of careless acts that summer end up in a courtroom battle.

This book took started off tame with some dark foreshadowing so readers will get the sense that not is all going to go as smoothly as expected for a relaxing summer getaway, but I did find the twists surprising and seriously shocking when it was all said and done.

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. I enjoyed this book, and the narration was well done.

This was a twisty surprise of a story that I really enjoyed. I loved the way Rachel's uncertainty and teenage angst were presented - it felt very authentic and relatable, even when I (as a mother to teens, past and present) rolled my eyes at her decision making and thought processes. The interactions between the characters were anxiety-laden and cringe-worthy in just the right measures, as Rachel struggled to navigate the have/have-not nature of the world she suddenly found herself enmeshed in.

While I figured out early on that Claudia would be made to pay the price for nearly everything, as The Other so often does, I was still shocked at the way things played out and thought Broad did a great job dancing the line between expectation and surprise. The narration was excellent and really added to the intensity of the story. This was a very easy and engaging listen for me.

I think the "rich people behaving badly" trope is getting overdone - this one is a reminder that when it's good, it's so good though! I was completely taken with this story from page one.

This is a coming of age book. Rachel goes to live with her rich aunt and uncle in Greenwich for the summer. She meets the nanny Claudia. She dabbles in drugs, alcohol and even sex but then a tragic accident happens and it changes her life path. She realizes her privilege gives her chances to make things right. It’s a fast paced book. It will be a good pool read.