What the Nanny Said - was a bit of a slow burn but well worth persevering. A twisty family thriller with well developed characters, and interesting POV's alternating between two time periods. It was a bit creepy, a bit of a "whodunnit" and at times a bit emotional. It was hard to determine who was telling the truth and who's POV was genuine. I would have liked a bit more from the ending, but I thought the book was nicely done and a entertaining read.

This was such a twisty, emotional ride! It starts with a young mom struggling in London, a "too good to be true" nanny, and then jumps 25 years later when Evie finds old newspaper clippings that lead her down a dark path of secrets, obsession, and a shocking family truth. Perfect if you love Lisa Jewell or Alice Feeney!

Lara Finch’s “what the nanny said” centers on Lucy, a young mother residing in London in 1999, who faces the challenges of being a mother and a wife. Life for Lucy shifts dramatically when she employs Taylor, who supposedly is an ideal candidate as a nanny. Initially, Taylor will be a calming presence in Lucy’s life, but things change quickly, and turmoil enters.
The characters are well developed with a complex interplay between them, and the palpable sense of tension between them pervasive throughout the narrative. The novel skillfully alternates between Evie’s contemporary investigation and Lucy’s historical experiences. The altering viewpoints of Evie and Lucy provide direct insight into the thoughts, feelings, and actions of the character. The themes of motherhood and deception are present.
There were times in the story where I felt that I could have predicted the events, however, it did not diminish my interest and excitement to read the story. I was surprised at the ending, and the tension kept me engaged throughout until the very end.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the advance review copy in exchange for my review.

What The Nanny Said had me hooked from page one—equal parts domestic suspense and psychological mind game. Lara Finch knows how to build tension slowly, expertly, until you're second-guessing everything and everyone. I tore through it in a single sitting.

At first, it all seems familiar: a new nanny, a wealthy family, a picture-perfect facade. But things unravel quickly, and Finch is brilliant at using those small, unsettling moments—the offhand comment, the too-long glance, the silence that follows a question—to keep you on edge. I never quite knew who to trust, and I loved that.

The nanny herself is a fascinating narrator: observant, cautious, and clearly holding things back. Watching her navigate this glossy but brittle world was like watching someone walk a tightrope with no net. I found myself tense even in the quietest scenes, waiting for the cracks to widen.

If you're into slow-burn thrillers where the danger creeps in like a fog and the final reveal leaves your stomach in knots, What The Nanny Said delivers. Dark, smart, and satisfyingly twisty—I couldn’t look away.

I loved it!!!!!

I was immediately hooked from the first chapter. I liked the character, even though Taylor is “crazy”. I loved the chapter lengths, the flow of the book, it made it very easy to read the book. It’s not very often I read a book within a couple of days but I did with this. I couldn’t put it down.
I loved the twists and turns and the plot.
Thank you Lara Finch, NetGalley and the publishers for the early access to read What the nanny said

oooo from the cover to the blurb i was in. that cover gave me creepy, uneasy vibes. and then i read the blurb and already did the "o" with my mouth. and so i was already in. it soon succeeded in all id wished it to be even from those first moments.if i could have walked around reading this book so i didn't have to put it down i would've. but my shins wouldn't survive that. but i read it in as much as one go as i could. it was clever, exciting and thrilling. it was just superb.
i felt confused and unsure in all the best ways you get from a fab book like this. was everything as it seemed. was i being conned or lied to or teased and by whom? was the author even having the brilliant game with me? i dont care because the result was fantastic.
the book brings us the telling of a mother and daughter. Lucy was struggling with life, she was spiralling. so she hired what looked to be the perfect nanny for her daughter Evie. but perfect is never quite as it seems is it? and this certainly seemed the case with our nanny. or was it? was this real. or was it again part of Lucy losing control of things?
i love how the layout meant the timeline slipped to show us more of the story and perspectives. this built more tension and suspense and then toppled you into the unease alongside the characters.
because when we hit the future just who is who and what happened to all our characters...including the dad!?
this is so much more to this book. sooooo much. but to spill those details would ruin your own delicious mini shocks and reveals you get all the way through. the characters were all so captivating you are taken in to each of their story and via the timelines we get the reveals that just keep coming.
i didn't know whos side i was on and there was even more complexities to our story and characters that made you feel for so many of the situations and people involved.
wow. thats all you need to know about this book. wow.

This was a great read! There were so many twists and turns and kept me on the edge of my seat! I couldn’t put it down!

What The Nanny Said is a fast-paced psychological thriller about the lengths a person will go in order to protect the one they love. After her mother's unexpected death, Evie finds evidence of disappearances and murders in England along with photos of an unknown woman. Evie is determined to find out if the mother she knew assisted in the murder of "Lucy." As Evie travels to England, the pieces of the puzzle begin falling into place as Evie seeks the truth.

This book included multiple POVs, which I enjoy, as well as chapters from various timelines (past and present). I love it when thrillers switch between timelines because you can look for clues and get a more fleshed-out view of the story. One of the timelines reads as a transcript from a police interview with the nanny, which provides a different tone in the story. The police transcripts present a theatrical and over-exaggerated retelling of the events. As the story progresses, you can determine the real version of events and how much of it is accurate. I really felt for Lucy's character; she has a troubled past that influences her thoughts and behaviors in certain plot points. It's hard to read some of the police transcript because everything was blown out of proportion and made Lucy seem mentally unfit to raise a child, but we understand her inner thoughts and reasoning during her POV chapters.

This was a fast read, and I found the characters to be enjoyable, and Lucy's story was very compelling. I will say that in terms of plot, everything was a little more predictable than I would like in a thriller. I figured out the story pretty quickly, and it became less "I don't know what's going to happen next" and more of "I know how this ends, but how do we get to that point?" In terms of plot points, there wasn't anything super unique or groundbreaking for a thriller novel. However, it was a fun, fast-paced read with characters you begin to loathe, with the opportunity to compare the real chain of events versus the tale the nanny spins. But just because I figured it out doesn't mean that you will. I would be interested in reading more of her books!

The cover, the description and the title grabbed my attention to wanting to read this book. I did enjoy this book with the twist. I didn’t care for the ending , It left me wanting more! I only liked Evie and Melody even though they weren’t the main characters. I gave it four stars .

I was drawn to this book by the cover and title and having read the blurb, I got stuck right into this psychological thriller. It's always difficult to know whether a thriller will keep my interest but I was certainly hooked from the first few pages.

The book follows Evie, who on her Mothers death discovers papers relating to a girl in England with the same name and date of birth as her, who went missing in the 1990s. between the perspective of Evie and that of a woman called Lucy in London, the tale unfolds and Evie begins to discover secrets that have been buried for some time.

Although elements of the plot felt predictable, the pacing of the novel was good and Lara built just the right amount of tension. If psychological thrillers are your thing, I don't think you'll be disappointed with this book.

If you’ve ever side-eyed a too-perfect nanny in a psychological thriller, What The Nanny Said will confirm all your worst suspicions and then some.

We start in a beautiful London home, where a young mother is slowly unraveling and the nanny seems like a godsend.

Spoiler: she’s not.

Fast-forward twenty-five years, and Evie is sifting through her late mother’s things when she finds something straight out of a true crime podcast: newspaper clippings about a murdered woman and a missing girl… with her exact name and birthday.

Cue all the shivers.

This one’s a slow-burn thriller with that creeping, elegant dread I absolutely love.

Lara Finch weaves themes of maternal love, buried secrets, and obsession into a story that quietly grabs you and doesn’t let go until you’ve turned the last page muttering, “What. Just. Happened.”

Recommended if you like:
* Domestic suspense
* Quietly twisted female villains (the best kind)
* Family secrets that make you want to call your mum immediately

Things I enjoyed about this book:
Dual timeline
Great suspense
Toxic relationship


Things I didn't like:
The characters
The slow burn aspect
The abrupt ending

There was so many parts of this book I found addicting but there was also parts of the book I wanted to give up or was annoyed by everything happening. I'm gonna rate this one middle of the road.

What the Nanny Said is a gripping thriller told from the perspective of multiple characters in past and present settings. I really enjoyed this novel, trying to figure out who was telling the truth and who was keeping secrets. The book felt similar to how I would imagine a modern day Agatha Christie story. Five Stars!

Thank you to the Author and Netgalley for this ARC! Omg did i love this book! The twists and turns and how I thought i had it figured out but i most certainly did not! Between all the twists and turns with Sam, Lucy & Taylor! Completely mind blown when I finished it!! Im not going to lie I would love a spin off to this book! Spoilers coming….I completely was convinced sam was the murdered and when I found out he wasn’t I couldn’t believe it! Definitely a 5 star read!!

I received an arc from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This was absolutely nonsense from start to finish and I should have DNFd when I had the chance.

The dual timelines in the plot made the book feel desirable. I loved reading the different perspectives and I feel like the characters had a hard edge. The chapters drew me in and held on and the twist at the end was one that I didn't see coming so it felt shocking.

Very much enjoyed this book, really suspenseful, unreliable narrators with different POVs meaning you had to think about who you believed until a pattern emerged. Only thing I didn’t like was that it ended on kind of a cliffhanger - not sure if the author is setting up for a second book or not but really wanted some closure on one of the characters but none there.

Received as part of ARC this review done of my own free will.

The first half of this book is unputdownable. Very well-written. The characters are mostly believable, unlike most female characters in the domestic thriller genre who seem to make ridiculous decisions for no reason. I did chuckle at Lucy’s insistence that she only wanted to hang out with “normal” women who talk about baking and the garden. What an excruciatingly boring and honestly shockingly terrible model of a life to wish for herself and her little girl. But then I suppose I did actually admire the writer for not making us root unreservedly for Lucy. There were significant pacing issues in the second half and the ending could have been better. Nonetheless, I can already tell that the writer will write more and more accomplished books as she publishes more. I hope she gets the chance.

Thanks to NetGalley and Storm Publishing for letting me read an ARC of this book. 4/5 (rounded up from 3.5)

3.5

I snuggled up with Lara Finch's What the Nanny Said and a cup of tea, eager for a psychological thriller to envelop me in its snare of secrets. Located in the charming canals of Little Venice, London, the novel follows Lucy, a mother attempting to deal with the vagaries of caring for her daughter, Evie, while her journalist husband is working most of the time. When Taylor, a sleek and so-called perfect nanny, enters Lucy's life, she's a lifesaver, but her perfection might hide darker ambitions. This story is a maze of doubt, manipulation, and hidden truths, with a plot that promises suspense.

What most impressed me in What the Nanny Said was the clever use of untrustworthy narrators. Every character seems to be concealing the truth from themselves or someone else. It's a lusciously dark tone, just like in None of This Is True by Lisa Jewell, where I was questioning motives step for step. The elements of motherhood, delusion, and control are skilfully woven together, and add depth to the story. I kept questioning how far we'll go to maintain our sense of self, or how obsession can destroy even the most maternal of urges.

All that being said, I struggled with Taylor’s characterization. She’s portrayed as almost too clever, too resourceful, a near-superhuman manipulator. This made her less plausible and took me out of the story at times. Unlike the nuanced characters in What Lies Between Us by John Marrs, Taylor’s cunning sometimes felt exaggerated, bordering on caricature.

The writing is engaging, though I did find that there were a couple of stumbling transitions between present and past timelines that pulled me out of the scene. It's a minor complaint, but one that leapt out at me. The pace is fast, with brief chapters that kept me furiously tearing through pages to untangle the next thread of deception. I found myself thinking this book is just like a Sunday night TV movie kind of thing: not mind-blowing, but so delightful to snuggle up with, flaws and all.

The standout element, for me, was the motherhood and protection theme. Finch did an amazing job at showing the gut-wrenching vulnerability of parenting, the shame, the terror of failing your child. Lucy's internal conflict was achingly relatable, and it made her a fantastic anchor through the constant twists in the thriller.

I recommend What the Nanny Said to fans of domestic drama psychological thrillers with a touch of suspense, like The Couple Next Door or The Turn of the Key. It's a perfect fit for anyone who likes unreliable narrators and don't mind a villain who is a little too much. If you're looking for a quick, absorbing book that delves into the complexities of family and loyalty, this book will be ideal for you.

Let me just start by saying—I devoured this book. I read almost the entire thing in one sitting late at night because I had to know what was going on. It hooks you early, and once the pieces start falling into place… things get crazy. The plot twists are twisting, and I genuinely didn’t see one of them coming—jaw on the floor, trying to make sense of everything.

We follow Evie, who witnesses her mother suffer a heart attack, and from that moment, her life completely unravels. While going through her mom’s belongings, she finds a mysterious box filled with names, paperclips, and notes that suggest something darker—possibly even a murder. This discovery sends her on a journey to the UK, searching for answers about her biological parents. And what she uncovers is anything but simple.

The narrative shifts between three POVs: Evie in present time, Lucy’s perspective in 1999 and interviews between a nanny and a detective from the same year. These back-and-forths slowly reveal how the past and present connect, creating a chilling, layered mystery that makes you question everyone’s motives. I loved how each character contributed something meaningful to the story—there wasn’t a single one I disliked. Even the side characters added weight and nuance.

Lara Finch’s writing is smooth and easy to follow. It doesn’t get bogged down or overly complicated, making it the kind of book you can fall into without feeling lost. It’s suspenseful without being overwhelming, and there’s always just enough tension to keep you turning the pages.

If you’re into psychological thrillers with a domestic edge, unreliable characters, and secrets that unravel bit by bit—this book is for you. It gives serious The Couple Next Door and Behind Closed Doors vibes, but with its own haunting flavor.