This is a mystery thriller quite unlike anything I have ever read before. It is set in England, in a quiet sleepy village, and follows a family that have recently been reunited. One of the main characters named Jo, has moved back in with her mother, bringing her daughter along too, as her husband has recently died. Her father has died relatively recently too, so we mainly follow the perspectives of these three generations of women. When Jo was growing up she had a nanny, who it's more than fair to say, Jo had and still has an unhealthy obsessive relationship with. Her relationship with her own mother has always been poor, and she is determined not to make the same mistakes with her own daughter. However, shortly after moving back in with her mother, Jo's daughter finds a skull in the lake on their mothers property. Jo automatically assumes it is the nanny, and the mystery goes on from there.

This novel takes so many breathtaking twists and turns, I consistently found myself confused on who the skull could belong to, and indeed who caused the body to end up in the lake to begin with. The multiple perspectives are tricky to follow to begin with, just because of the clever way the author has decided to weave the story together. The timeline also jumps around, which again adds to the confusion at times. It isn't confusing in a difficult to follow kind of way, more just in trying to work out what exactly has gone on.

I didn't correctly guess the various parts to the mystery until late on, which was satisfying. I enjoyed having my head thoroughly confused at every turn. I didn't like the characters in this novel though. Some are more likeable than others, but of the main characters, I didn't like half of them. This did have an impact on my enjoyment of the book, because I just couldn't take some of the actions by those characters seriously. For example, Jo being so hung up on her nanny as a grown woman grated on me. Unlikeable characters aren't always a bad thing, but when I can't believe their actions on top of that, it is a jarring reading experience for me.

If you enjoy psychological thrillers, I still highly recommend this book, it's a page turner and will keep you awake thinking about who the remains belong to, and who killed that person and put them there.

Really enjoyed this book different from what I normally read and found it a bit slow at the beginning but stick with it in the end I couldn’t put it down look forward to reading more from this author

Seven-year-old Jocelyn loves her nanny more than her own mother. When her nanny disappears one night, Jo never gets over the loss. How could she vanish without saying goodbye?

Thirty years on, Jo is forced to return to her family home and confront her troubled relationship with her mother. When human remains are discovered in the lake in the grounds of the house, Jo begins to question everything.

Then an unexpected visitor knocks at the door and Jo’s world is destroyed again as, one by one, she discovers her childhood memories aren’t what they seemed.

What secrets was her nanny hiding, and what was she running away from? And can Jo trust what her mother tells her?

The Nanny is a mystery thriller that has so many twists and turns and what ifs, it left me reeling at points but desperately eager to continue on to the next chapter and the next and the next. I flipped opinions about characters from the start to the finish, and I really liked how Gilly Macmillan was able to present them as one kind of person and transform them into another within a few chapters.

Towards the end things perhaps rushed a little too quickly towards a dramatic conclusion, for which there would surely be consequences further down the line. However it was a gripping read with the story touching on themes of family relationships, manipulation, and where and why our love and trust are placed or misplaced. I very much enjoyed all the characters, particularly Virginia and Ruby, and found Jo’s struggles and dilemmas very relatable.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House UK, Cornerstone Century for an advance copy in return for a fair and honest review

I’d like to thank Random House UK, Cornerstone and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read ‘The Nanny’ by Gilly MacMillan in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

In 1987 Nanny Hannah disappears from Lake House where she’s been employed to take care of Jocelyn, Lord and Lady Holt’s seven-year-old daughter. Thirty years later Jocelyn, now known as Jo, is forced to return to her childhood home and is accompanied by her ten-year-old daughter Ruby. Jo’s never got on with her mother Virginia who she found cold and unloving, and when she’s offered a job in London she doesn’t trust her mother to take care of Ruby. When a human skull is discovered in the grounds of Lake House the police are called in to investigate and are keen to know why Nanny Hannah disappeared. Could secrets be unearthed which could destroy everything Jo’s always believed to be true?

‘The Nanny’ is a compelling thriller, absorbing, dramatic and full of tension. The chapters move between the characters, giving background as to what happened between 1987 and the present time. It’s been well-written and has interesting characters, a clever plot, twists and turns and a huge unexpected twist at the end. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this novel which I found hugely entertaining.

Why did The Nanny leave?

Jocelyn is devastated when the favourite Nanny she's hired, suddenly leaves with no explanations.

Years later Jocelyn now a widow has come back to live with her Mother and daughter in her childhood home. She and Ruby, her ten-year-old, discover a skull on the little island on the lake in the middle of the Estate.

Rumours and an investigation lead to the possibility that the skull and bones could be the remains of said Nanny.

While Joselyn is struggling to work, look after her Mother and the police investigation, the nanny turns up with no explanation. It is not long before she takes up residence again to help Jocelyn but is she all that she seems?

For a ‘Scary Nanny' story, this one is quite good, although predictable, the characters are strong, the book flows beautifully even though the chapters switch from past and present.

My only real problem is Jocelyn. She moans and whines in the beginning chapters about how she has always missed the nanny and wondered how she could have left Jocelyn without a goodbye, but when the nanny turns up, Jocelyn never once asks her or discusses with her what happened that night she went or why she had never been in touch since.

I cannot believe that Jocelyn could be so naïve and not realise that all is not right in the household and that there is something sinister about the nanny.

A good story if you have not read a book like this before.

Ellezig

Breakaway Reviewers received a copy of this book to review.

I really enjoyed this book.

The characters were believable and so was the storyline.

The only thing I would have liked to have been different was the ending, I would have preferred for it to have been a lot longer with more detail.

I'm always filled with guilt when I have to admit that a book/story for me, was only a 3 stars (average; not terrible but not spectacular). But this one, just wasn't it for me. I found the pace quite slow which made it difficult to want to keep reading. I couldn't identify with the characters at all or feel anything for them other than disdain to be honest, especially for Jocelyn, who at first I was starting to like but then she turned into a bit of a twit halfway in. And the twists? Well, there didn't seem to be many if any for me, and the very small ones that were there were a tad predictable. I'm sorry to sound so unpleasant about it, there were parts I liked, I did enjoy the mother there were times where I found her relatable. But The Nanny just didn't grab me, and I've been reading some 5/5's at the moment so it was obvious to me that this wasn't one I'd be giving a 5 to.

I do look forward to reading more in the future from the author, just because this one wasn't my cup of tea, isn't to say that the next won't be.

Be prepared for twists and turns. Expect the unexpected.
Good thriller read.
Thank you to both NetGalley and Random House for my eARC in exchange for my honest unbiased review

Jocelyn Holt has never been close to her mother, and her fondest memories of her childhood also include her old nanny Hannah, who vanished overnight when she was small. When Jocelyn is forced home to live with her aging mother and a skeleton is unearthed in the family lake, Jo begins to question whether somehow her mother was involved in Hannah's disappearance all those years ago.

The Nanny is a mystery thriller that has so many twists and turns and what ifs, it left me reeling at points but desperately eager to continue on to the next chapter and the next and the next. I flipped opinions about characters from the start to the finish, and I really liked how Gilly Mamillan was able to present them as one kind of person and transform them into another within a few chapters.

I started the book firmly on Jocelyn's side, and really disliking the grandmother in the story Virginia Holt. But by halfway through, I really felt for Virginia, and couldn't stand Jocelyn who honestly was one of the most pathetic, frustrating and selfish characters I've read in a long time. I physically threw up my hands at the book at one point because Jocelyn was being so dumb.

I felt sad and uncomfortable at times at how easy Virginia could be overlooked and talked over by other characters, and I think it highlighted well how old age/disability erasure can happen to those who are elderly and/or infirm in any way.

The end was quite rushed for me but I liked the intensity of some moments. I feel like I would have preferred more conversations between Jo and Virginia and a few more grievances properly aired and past actions explained. I also feel like there were some loose ends just not tied up properly and left to flap in the wind a bit.

Psychological thriller with lots of twists and turns.Strong characters who did not endear themselves to me and a truly nasty villain. Also the police were pretty hopeless.

Jocelyn is not your typical spoilt rich kid. Brought up in a mansion that has been in her family for generations, only child of Lord and Lady Holt, she loves her dad, adores her nanny, but cannot stand her mother She sees her as aloof, critical and unloving and took the first opportunity to leave her family home and escape to America. There Jo builds a life for herself with her husband and their daughter, Ruby. She is forced to return home when her husband is tragically killed in a car accident.

If only Jo had someone to help her with childcare; someone like her own dear nanny, Hannah, but Hannah disappeared mysteriously one night when Ruby was 7, taking all her belongings and not even saying goodbye. Then a human skill is found in the lake on the grounds and soon a woman claiming to be Hannah turns up at the house. Relishing the timing, Jo begs Hannah to help with Ruby, despite Lady Holt's clear disagreement. Nothing has changed for Jo - her mother is still cold and putting barriers in her way, whereas Hannah is the warm and supportive nanny she remembers from her childhood - but all is not as it seems.

This is a slow burning chiller: the kind of book that makes you want to yell warnings through the pages to the characters. Told through time and from the point of view of various characters, the truth slowly reveals itself amid twists and turns aplenty.

Having to return to a home and country she thought she had left behind forever was never in Jocelyn Holt's plans but very few things have turned out the way she wanted since her beloved nanny disappeared thirty years earlier when she was seven.

Now a mother herself and preferring to be known as Jo she finds herself having to deal with her own grief as well as that of her daughter while her own mother remains as aloof and distant as she remembers from her discarded childhood. When she is offered a lifeline Jo is amazed to find that her memories don't quite fit those of others from her past and as the police have become involved she has no idea who she can trust or turn to.

This is a book which makes time slow down. I thought I'd read for just an hour, three hours later I finally stopped for the night.  I felt instantly involved with the main characters and plotline, and wasn't at all disappointed in the ending which was as shocking as it was satisfying.

I was able to read an advanced copy of this book thanks to Netgalley and the publishers in exchange for an unbiased review. I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys family dramas without a huge confusing cast where the police play second fiddle to the main protagonists who are beautifully executed but seriously flawed.

Really enjoyed this from Gilly Macmillan, a tense and well paced psychological thriller with some interesting characters and unexpected moments. 

I liked the "rich are different" feel to the narrative and the mystery of what happened to "The Nanny" is beautifully plotted. I love the descriptive nature of the storytelling and read it over two quick addictive sessions. 

Full review nearer June publication. 

Recommended.

This was a good page turner that kept me gripped throughout. A few times I thought I'd figured it all out and was proven wrong. Will define looking out for more books by this author.

Thank you to Netgalley for the chance to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book follows Jocelyn and her 10-year-old daughter Ruby as they return to the UK after the tragic death of her American Husband. Jo has to move in with her Mother Virginia as she has no money as its tied up in the US. The book is told from the perspective of Jocelyn, Virginia, Linda (who we discover is the Nanny Hannah who had changed her name in the 80's) and a police detective.
When Joycelyn was a child, her nanny Hannah disappeared one night without reason and Jo has never understood why as she felt she loved Hannah more than her own mother. When a skull is discovered in the lake at the house we wonder if this could be Hannah the missing Nanny.

I did enjoy this book on the whole but at points, it was a little slow and I personally didn't feel the police monologue added anything to the overall story. I would certainly read more by this author.

Jocelyn's Nanny vanished overnight when she was 7, and as an adult, she can't help wondering if her emotionally distant parents were to blame in some way. Living with her mother and her daughter, she struggles with her relationship with her mother, and then her nanny reappears.

Although a fairly pacy read, the twists were over-elaborate and the ending felt unsatisfactory.

Jocelyn adores her nanny, Hannah. She gives her the love and affection she craves while her parents, Lord and Lady Holt enjoy their glamorous parties and busy lives while ignoring their only child. Hannah, however suddenly disappears one night without even saying goodbye to the distraught Jocelyn. A mystery never solved or spoken of again. Fast forward 30 years and Jocelyn, now known as Jo returns to her family home from California with her young daughter in tow after the tragic death of her husband. Her father has now also died and Jo has to try and build bridges with her mother but their relationship is as strained as it always was. One day her daughter discovers a skull by the lake belonging to the house. Could it be Hannah? Without spoilers, the answers would appear to be obvious and just a short way into the book I wondered where the story would go. However, this dark, disturbing book had me riveted as it switched from the different eras and told from various perspectives. I raced through it as the long buried secrets were revealed. Clever, twisty and creepy, it was a brilliantly told story with an ending that left me wondering just who was the most evil.

Jocelyn was seven when her much loved Nanny disappeared overnight. Her relationship with her mother was never good and didn’t recover, Joeyln blamed her mother and she left her substantial home as soon as she could.
Years later she returns with her young daughter to the family home, she has been living in America but her husband has tragically died and Jocelyn finds herself financially embarrassed and in need of help.
Things are still fraught between Jo and her mother but one day, amazingly, the nanny reappears. Jocelyn sees her as a saviour and welcomes her back into their home. Her mother does not feel the same and a battle between them follows. Who is right?
Human remains are found in a lake belonging to the property and the story enters a different dimension.
An interesting book which looks at a mother and daughter relationship and how a young child looks at the actions of her adult careers. I really enjoyed it.

Virginia thought she had killed the nanny and disposed of her body in the lake. Hence she was not overly surprised when a skull is discovered in said lake. She is a little more surprised when the nanny turns up at the door...

An easy thriller which improved as it went on. It is a slow start but one the tale works through the scene setting the tension builds and surprises abound.

The Nanny is one hell of a thrilling story! I must admit when I read the synopsis I knew I would love the plot but I didn't expect the writing to be so good! Storyline moves along nicely without rushing and I was pleasantly surprised when I got to key points to realise how much book was left. I haven't read anything that's enchanted me like The Nanny did in a very long time. I wish all books were this good!!
5/5