This is a dual timeline story.
We follow Evie and her mother Mia living in Mexico. When Mia sadly passes away, Evie discovers that her real mom was Lucy, who lived and was murdered in England. Evie is left behind, all confused and wondering why Mia never told her about any of this. Evie finds herself heading to England to search for answers: Who was her dad, the one Mia never spoke about and whom Evie has never met in her life? Was Mia really her real mother? If not, who was she?

The second POV we follow is of Lucy’s life up until the murder. Lucy is a stay-at-home mom and married to Sam, who has a busy career at the BBC. Lucy is very lonely until she befriends Taylor, who soon becomes the nanny of the family as Lucy takes on a part-time job. What Lucy does not know is that her new friend and nanny will throw her life into absolute chaos!

My thoughts:
This dual timeline story is such a well-put thriller. The 2 stories lining up together made it a very fun read. There were a couple of good twists and turns, ones you do not see coming. Lucy was such a good and strong character in this book, I felt for her - how her life went into complete chaos! The ending makes me hope for a second book, because all I can think of now is what is Evie going to do?!

Thank you Netgalley and Storm Publishing for this amazing ARC!

What the Nanny Said was a riveting story that held my attention until the very last page. It had all the great elements for a psychological thriller along with not one, but TWO unreliable characters (in the best way). I read this book in two days which is insanely fast for me. I very much enjoyed seeing the POV switch between two women, both experiencing the same things while perceiving them as very different. The story follows a young woman in present day searching for the truth about who she and her birth parents were after discovering she was likely a missing child in the 90s. In her search for answers we get to know her birth parents and nanny, and to be honest they were all pretty awful people in their own ways. I was very interested in the ending and was pleased with it. I would absolutey recommend this book to friends!

An incredibly gripping thriller, Lara Finch is a master of the tension and suspense! I read this in one sitting because I could NOT put it down!

Really enjoyed this book, literally couldnt put it down. Read it in one day, everytime I thought I knew my blind was blown again! Fab read

An edge of your seat mystery/thriller/suspense. This is my first Lara Finch novel. I’ll look for more. I was up all night reading. Loved it!

3.5⭐

Evie's mother unexpectedly dies and leaves Evie with newspaper clippings that lead her to believe that her past is not what she always thought it was.

This book had some of my favorite things: multiple POVs (Edie after her mother's death, Lucy in 1999, and Taylor the nanny being interviewed by the police in 1999), alternating timelines that come together at the end to reveal the truth, and unreliable narrators. However, I found this book to be painfully slow and, for the most part, Edie's role in the story to be completely pointless. The final chapters of the book wrapped up somewhat unsatisfying to me and I saw the major twist coming from about halfway through the book.

Evie not only loses her Mum when she dies unexpectedly, she loses everything she believes about her family and upbringing. Everything starts to unravel but nothing in this novel is as it seems. It is so cleverly written and planned that it is impossible to work out. You will stay up to all hours trying to get to the next twist. Please don't start it if you have anything important to get finished!

This book delves into obsession that drips slow. slippery, selective and painful to piece together. Quietly devastating with lingering questions.

What the Nanny Said is a debut novel that is a compelling psychological thriller. We follow Evie as she comes to suspect, after her mother's death, that the woman who raised her may not have been her biological mother. Determined to uncover the truth, Evie embarks on a quest for answers. The narrative employs multiple timelines and points of view, providing valuable perspectives from various characters.

Evie's mother, Lucy, is portrayed as mentally fragile, shaped by past trauma and issues of abandonment, which contribute to her scattered and unpredictable behavior. Taylor, an acquaintance whom Lucy meets at a park, becomes a pivotal character in the story. Perceptive and resourceful, Taylor notices Lucy's vulnerability and offers to take over her childcare duties, enabling Lucy to return to work. Taylor's ambition and cunning soon become apparent, as she seeks to assume Lucy's role within the family dynamic. With Sam, Lucy's husband, aware of his wife's mental state, Taylor is able to gain leverage within the household.

As the plot unfolds, the novel presents a series of twists involving unexplained deaths, missing persons, and a classic "whodunit" scenario. While the story is consistently engaging and fast-paced, certain aspects—such as the extent of Taylor’s manipulative abilities—may challenge credibility. Nonetheless, the complexity and numerous plot twists contribute to an engrossing reading experience that maintains suspense throughout.

I enjoyed this book very much. I would definitely recommend this one to all of those thriller readers that love to be surprised with a plot twist.

I would like to extend my gratitude to NetGalley and Storm Publishing for providing me with an advanced e-copy of this book for an honest review. Additionally, I commend Laura Finch for crafting an excellent story.

What The Nanny Said
By: Lara Finch

5 Stars

When Evie loses her mother, secrets begin to come to light about a past that she never spoke of. The truth will either set Evie free or hurt her more. Either way, Evie knows she must learn the truth.

Lucy feels lucky when she meets Taylor. She is everything Lucy wants to be. While battling mental health issues, Lucy begins to see a new side to Taylor. A vindictive side that will not only hurt but help Lucy. This is a story filled with betrayal, mystery, and revenge.

This was written in a way to keep you wanting more. It had a push and pull narrative. Did she? Didn't she? Who is the bad guy, really? You have to read to find the truth and WOW!!!! What a shock. I really enjoyed this book. It was filled with so much drama and mystery. I was on the edge of my seat till the very end. Interesting and complex characters made this story a fast paced, edge of your seat read.


*I want to thank Netgalley and the author for this book in return for my honest review*

Stormi Ellis
Boundless Book Reviews

I literally couldn’t put this book down! From the first chapter I was gripped. I was not expecting the ending and convinced myself I’d figured it out but I was way off. Absolutely loved this book and can’t wait to read more of Lara Finch’s work!

What the Nanny Said is a wild psychological thriller that takes you on a wicked ride where you think you know everything but there are many things that will leave you stunned and wanting more.

Evie has just been traumatized by the passing of her mother Mia. Now she finds newspaper articles in Mia's belongings that lead her to believe her whole life is a lie. Evie heads off to England to unravel the life of the woman who may or may not have been her mother or has her real mother been dead all along and if so who is the woman who raised her and what happened to the father she never knew.

This book will keep you guessing and in the end you'll want more if the story.

**Received ARC through NetGalley. Voluntarily reviewed. **

In What the Nanny Said, nothing and no one is what they seem. At first glance, it's a domestic drama: grieving mother, perfect nanny, idyllic London setting. But peel back one layer (or ten), and you’ll find a web of manipulation so tightly spun, it practically squeaks. Taylor, the nanny, is disturbingly good at what she does both with the child and everyone else in the house. She doesn’t just care for the family; she slowly, methodically inhabits it. She reads her surroundings like a chessboard and moves her pieces with chilling precision.

And Lucy? She's grieving, vulnerable, and easy to sway. At least at first. Watching her slowly realize she may not be the one holding the strings is one of the most rewarding parts of the book. Just when you think you’ve got a handle on who’s lying (spoiler: almost everyone), Finch drops another reveal. The tension builds subtly, with clues hidden in the mundane, until the story tips into psychological thriller territory with satisfying, if occasionally over-the-top, twists.

A few of the twists stretch believability just enough to make your eyebrows twitch. Taylor is so composed, it borders on uncanny—which adds to the tension, but may feel a bit exaggerated.

All in all, a cleverly twisted psychological thriller that thrives on manipulation and gaslighting. If you enjoy watching characters dance on the edge of control and then slowly realize the floor beneath them is a trap door then you'll find plenty to love here. Just don’t trust anyone. Especially not the nanny.

Thank you NetGalley for this e-arc.

This was quite a doozy! So much to unpack in each of these characters. I believe the thing that made this book so engaging was how much it went back and forth from the present to the past in a way that actually felt like the story was still progressing. I often find that with these types of back and forth story structures it can feel like the story is stalling but in many ways this was the opposite for this story.

What The Nanny Said was a fast paced thriller about the lengths a mom will go to in order to keep the ones they love safe. After her moms unexpecteed death, Evie finds information her mom had hidden about a murder that took place in England many years ago. Determined to find out who her mom really is, Evie takes off to find out more information. Told from multiple points of view, this one keeps you on the edge of your seat wanting more. I am already looking forward to Lara Finch's next novel!

Following the death of her mother, Evie discovers that the woman who brought her up in Mexico wasn’t her real mother; her birth mother was murdered 20 years previously. The story is narrated in the past by Lucy, a vulnerable but privileged young mother, and Taylor her perfect nanny, with Evie narrating in the present. I loved this thriller. The characters were well fleshed out and relatable (even if they were toxic and unpleasant!) and the suspense well executed. The rarefied setting of London’s Little Venice added to the tension. My only gripe was the ending. It wasn’t fully resolved, and I found that disappointing. Nevertheless, this was an excellent, well-written domestic thriller that had me gripped to my Kindle. Thoroughly recommend. 4.5 stars.

Thank you to Lara Finch, Storm Publishing and Netgalley for my advance copy.

2.5 or 3/5

First off, that you so much NetGalley and Storm Publishing for giving me the opportunity to review this ARC.

I have to be honest; I have very conflicting opinions on this book. This is the story of a woman named Evie whose mother has recently passed away. While going through her mother's belongings, she finds newspaper clippings of a family in London who went missing over twenty years ago. And it just so happens, the daughter of the family has the same name and birthday as Evie. Throughout the book, you go through multiple POV's, each twisting the story a bit more.

The first half of this book went by so quickly and was SO addicting. (As a slow reader) I felt like I seriously flew through this book. The entire time, I was just waiting for a huge plot twist, literally at the edge of my seat, needing to know when this "WOW" moment was going to happen.

When the first "plot twist" happened, I found myself to be extremely disappointed. I felt like there could've been such a different direction and it would've made the book so much better. I was still waiting for a something even bigger to occur.

When the second plot twist hit, I was honestly really surprised. I wouldn't have seen it coming from a mile away. This definitely upped my rating for this book.

As a reader, I appreciated the direction that the author took the book, but I felt that there were times that they left me disappointed, especially because there was such a buildup for a monumental plot twist and instead left me in somewhat of a letdown.

When an overwhelmed new mother's nanny arrives to help her look after the baby, she is utterly thrilled. Even more so, when she discovers just how helpful the nanny is.

But wealth guarantees neither happiness nor security. And unfortunately, she has no idea just what this highly capable woman who has entered her home and her life is actually capable OF...

A dead mother, a disappeared child, and a deadly secret come together to make this psychological thriller interesting.

Set in two times; currently and 1999 with a setting of Little Venice and a nanny who wants everything. A keep you up all night thriller that you will read very quickly. Thanks to Storm Publishing and NetGalley for the chance to ARC this book.

This was an okay book. I liked the back and forth between the past and the present. And I enjoyed the main character finding herself with her parents past. It was a good take on a nanny murder story.