This is the first book I have read by Ruth Ware. I didn’t know what to expect but the book, in the end, was much more than I could have hoped for.

There is so much psychological twists and turns, it was hard to try to think ahead to what the possible ending could be. Good thing, too, as I would never have expected what happened.

Rowan Caine is writing her hoped-for lawyer from prison. In trying to explain how she is innocent, she starts from the beginning and gives detail so he can understand.

Rowan is the new live-in child minder for four girls. The girls range in age from very young to a teenager. The salary should have warned her that this job was far from easy but, for her own reasons, it still made complete sense to leave family and friends in England and move to Scotland and an isolated manor house.

What she discovers is very odd, sinister and yet, she is still brave enough to keep going where others have fled, literally after half a day on the job.

Rowan is constantly trying to be the perfect nanny and not let any of her quirks show through.

The letters from prison were a plot device that I really liked. It gave us a taste of the future but without giving too much of the past away. I will certainly be looking for other books by this author.

I was provided a digital advance reader copy of this book by the publisher via Netgalley.

“The Turn of the Key” by Ruth Ware will certainly deliver a spine-tingling, shivery reading experience. . . especially if you are reading in bed at night!

With each turn of the page, “The Turn of the Key” had me fighting a battle between the voice of my “desire to keep going with a good scary story” saying “What is going to happen next?!”. . . and the voice of my “desire to not add any additional phobias in my life” saying “Why are you doing this?!”

The story really builds momentum and had me turning the pages faster and faster, as I progressed.

And, although the ending was jarring to my personal experience of the book’s storyline, I was somewhat relieved to find my ability to resume a good night’s sleep a welcome result!
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My reviews can also be seen at https://www.thisismyeverybody.com . . . Including my free resources for book club support, reading and DIY home ideas inspired by each recommended book.

✨😎✨A big thank you to Ruth Ware, Gallery Books (Simon & Schuster) and NetGalley for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed in my review are my own.

What was she looking for? What was Rowan hiding? The Turn of the Key had me wondering these questions until the very end. Once that key turned the story unravelled. Oh my! Those twists had me in shock. It was a page turner the entire time but once the first twist happened I couldn't turn the pages fast enough. I highly recommend reading this book yourself.

Ruth Ware has done it again! For me, The Turn of the Key ranks as one of her best books. Ware has really found her calling in the Gothic suspense genre. She is able to perfectly capture the creepiness of a setting with her words. Any time I was reading this at night, I made sure to have all of the lights on! While a bit slow in the beginning, the story quickly develops into one of those can't-put-down reads. There are a few twists and turns throughout so the reader isn't waiting for one big one at the end... though it certainly comes!

4 modern gothic stars

I’ve read everything that Ruth Ware has written, and I find each book unique. “In a Dark Dark Wood” is still my favorite. This one was really good though! I enjoyed the gothic, yet modern, atmosphere that she created. There were secrets everywhere and twists that I did not expect. This one has an interesting storytelling method, with the main character in prison writing letters to her lawyer, explaining her side of the story.

We are introduced to Rowan as she stumbles across a job post -- a nanny is wanted in the remote Scottish Highlands. What could be so difficult about caring for a family of four children when she’s got great experience? The home has been remodeled and is “smart” with panels replacing light switches and shower nozzles, cameras everywhere, and music built in. The salary is generous, but it turns out there is much more to this situation!

As you might expect, the job is much more difficult – the house seems to be haunted and the children don’t trust Rowan, their fourth nanny in a short period of time. Strangely, the parents leave town for business almost immediately upon hiring her, leaving Rowan in charge of the children. As the letters unfold, we learn Rowan’s side of the story and I dreaded getting to the part of the story that involved the death of a child.

There are some ghostly elements thrown in, a creepy past with former owners, a poison garden, and expansive grounds with hazards for the children. I found Rowan an interesting character and I was not prepared for the reveals in this one! I found the ending to be a bit ambiguous, thanks to Goodreads Friend Jayme, I think I know what the author meant.

Thank you to NetGalley, Gallery/Pocket Books, and Ruth Ware for an early copy of the book to read. This one is available today!

Posting to all links today 8/6

Facts are everything to Rowan, main character in Ruth Ware’s latest novel, Turn of the Key. In honor of her, let me state these facts very clearly, up front:
Fact: I read this book in five hours flat.
Fact: That time was spent by a pool, in broad daylight.
Fact: No less than five innocent people walked within five feet of me. This caused a cascading tide of events. I jumped through my skin. They jumped through their skin and asked me, quite shocked, if I was ok. To which, I could only look at my kindle, look-up remembering myself to be in public and look back down pathetically at that silent device, as if begging these kind strangers for safety, source of my whimpering.
Fact: For those (secondary fact? I was the only one) that were not in the throes of The Turn of the Key by Ruth Ware? This is not conducive to relaxing by a pool. I created a dozen skittish kittens on what should’ve been an otherwise beautiful, sunny, relaxing day.

Here is where this review is going to get really difficult because with brilliant books that are in this genre? THEY ARE IMPOSSIBLE TO TALK ABOUT.
Here's what we can safely talk about. Ware's brilliance is everywhere. The structure that Turn of the Key takes is conducive to heart palpitations. From the opening sentence, you know that Rowan is writing to a lawyer and pleading for help. However, her competing goals set-up a very anxiety ridden narrative.
1. Rowan is done giving parts of the story that make her look better to authorities. It has only made things worse. So, she is determined to tell the entire truth to her last chance lawyer because if there is one thing Rowan is sure of, it is this: no matter her flaws, her mistakes and what she could have done better? She didn't kill that child.
2. She is also frenetically getting the entirety of this story out as quickly as possible because she needs a better lawyer, like yesterday. Rotting in a prison for a crime she didn't commit. Rowan knows that both her and possibly the lives of the other children in the Heatherbrae home are in danger.
Ware takes the panic-ridden and frightened voice of a prisoner trapped for something they didn't do and mixes it with the desperate need to tell every aching detail of the truth. The anxiety spirals as she gets deeper into the story, trying to stay coherent, stay on track but as both her desperation to finish and emotional feelings overwhelm her, it all collides through the narrative.
YOU. WILL. FEEL. IT. Good luck staying out of the grips of Rowan's emotional despair and physical anxiety. Your stomach will flop, pulse will race, heart will jump. It is all there. Ware sucks you in through Rowan and makes you feel every painstaking breath throughout this story. From the very first, incomplete, sentence to the jaw dropping conclusion? You won't breathe. Or if you do? It won't be easy. It definitely won't be relaxed.

First off, I would like to begin by saying that I am a HUGE Ruth Ware Fan. I have read all of her previous novels, so I was very excited when I saw that she had a new one coming out. The Turn of the Key has been on my radar for quite some time, and it was probably my most anticipated read of the summer. I really liked the premise of the story. I thought the story started off strong. There were many things that I enjoyed about the book. I really liked the main character even though she was sketchy, the family she was going to nanny for, the idea of the smart house, the setting in a rather isolated location. These are all the components of a good thriller. And yet, something in this story fell short for me. I felt like I kept waiting for something to happen. I was reading the story and enjoying it, but it didn't have that "flipping pages to find out what is going to happen" feel for me. I was a little over 80% of the way done with the book when I finally felt like something was going to happen. The ending and reveal was, for me, anticlimactic. Sometimes, I can look past the slow build up if the ending is unexpected. I thought the ending was predictable and not very typical of the Ruth Ware that I have come to know and love. I was left feeling unsatisfied after reading the story, which pains me to say. Perhaps I have read too many thrillers lately. In a Dark, Dark Wood and The Woman in Cabin 10 continue to remain my favorite Ruth Ware books. With that being said, I know I will read the next Ruth Ware book when it comes out. I know that there were a lot of 5 star ratings for this book, but I ended up giving it 3/5 stars.

A Fabulous Opportunity That Goes Staggeringly Wrong

When she stumbled on the advertisement, Rowan thought it too good to be true, a nanny for four children in a house in the Highlands. The salary is generous and food and lodging are included. Rowan wants the job so badly she fudges her resume. She needn’t have worried. The family has recently been through four nannies with concerns that the house is haunted, and they’re desperate for a replacement.

Rowan starts the job immediately because the parents, who have an architecture firm, are going on a two week trip. At first the house is wonderful, beautifully restored and updated with all the smart home gadgets. Unfortunately, the smart home seems to have a mind of it’s own with lights and music turning on and off at will.

Tragedy strikes the family, and when the story opens Rowan is in jail on a murder charge. She is accused of killing one of the children. The story is told from her point of view through letters to the lawyer she hopes will represent her.

At first I found the use of letters clunky. Rowan is obviously upset and keeps repeating herself. However, as she got into the story it was more interesting. Still, I didn’t care for the use of letters, particularly an excessively long letter to tell the story.

If you enjoy Gothic tales with a surprising twist at the end, you’ll enjoy this book.

I received this book from Net Galley for this review.

If you know me, then you know I love thrillers, and especially thrillers written by Ruth Ware. I have read every single one of her novels, so I was thrilled to receive an advanced copy of her latest thriller: The Turn of the Key (thanks Netgalley…also all opinions are my own!). This novel will be available Aug. 6th, you can go ahead and preorder it here now; and trust me this is one you do not want to miss out on. The story follows a girl that goes to be a Nanny at a “smart house” but quickly things start to get a little weird and creepy. I don’t want to give to much away, but this book will definitely meet all your needs of wanting that shocking twist.

Rating: 5/5 Stars

I could not wait to dive in to the latest RUTH WARE BOOK!!! I have been a fan from the very first release and love to see how much this author has progressed as a novelist. In this book, we find the main character struggling in her current place in life and seeking a new position. She ultimately takes on a different persona to land the nanny position for a wealthy family in a smart home. Their oddities from the beginning and the children don't seem on board with the new change once again with their care taker. From poisonous gardens, suspicious groundskeepers and technological scares, this book keeps you on your toes as all Ware books tend to do. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes a good thriller and enjoys the journey you are taken on in the different worlds that Ware builds. Another great job by a great author!

(#partner) Thank you to @gallerybooks and @netgalley for a copy of this book on exchange for a fair and honest review!

Happy publishing day to Ruth Ware’s latest atmospheric and twisty suspense novel, The Turn of the Key!⁠

Five out of five stars.

I finished this book last night and let me tell you–it had me guessing until the very last page. This is the story of Rowan, a childcare professional who sees and pursues an advertisement for a live-in nannying position at an old, isolated Scottish estate. She gets the job (which has an incredible pay rate), but hears all sorts of rumors about the bleak history of the estate and the four (!) nannies who have left before her. Strange things start happening while she is alone with the children, leaving the reader grasping for answers. All of this is conveyed to us in a letter that the nanny is writing to her lawyer from prison, where she has been charged with the murder of a child.

The suspense in this book was palpable. The setting is incredibly eerie and atmospheric, which adds a lot to the story. This book reads like a scary movie–that’s how vivid and fear-inducing it is. I felt like I was reading a cross between a grown-up version of the movie Smart House and Paranormal Activity!

This book will have you asking questions about technology and security systems, about ghosts, and about how fragile our grip on reality is as humans. I highly recommend this book!

Ware has fast become a favorite of mine. This is another great read...enjoy it while you’re catching up on your reading this summer!

“The Turn of The Key” 🗝by Ruth Ware was a page turner yet you weren’t sure you wanted to turn the page either. This book was suspenseful and even bit eerie but a great read that kept you on the edge of your seat wondering what goes bump in the night with a modern spin. Released today 8/6. #julesbookshelf 📚#42 #ruthware #theturnofthekey 🗝

This book was CREEPY! You don’t know if it is the smart house, or the cleaning lady, the children or even the main character, but something (or maybe everything) feels ‘off’ in a way that you can’t really specify. I’m used to read these types of books and it was funny to realize that even when nothing had happened in the book yet, not only I kept thinking about it, but I even dreamt about the house two nights in a row!

The story was *very* slow to develop, it’s definitely a slow-burning type of book, but it somehow keeps your attention until you read the 60-70% Mark, which is when everything starts happening at once.
The ending felt a bit rushed, to the point I even wondered how the author was going to finish it properly, with less than 10 pages left. But somehow in the end everything is more or less explained, there’s a few twists here and there, and you are left with a lot to think about.

I will read more by this author! 3,5 stars, rounding up to 4!

Thank you, NetGalley for providing a free copy in exchange of an honest review!

I have read several books by Ruth Ware and really enjoyed all of them. She creates stories with intriguing characters, taut pacing and a dark, moody, gothic atmosphere. In The Turn of the Key I found myself thinking of the places created by the master Daphne du Maurier. Those early description of the remote Scotish land where the family lived were rich, lush and just a touch scary. I was fully engrossed within the first few pages thanks to the epistolary style of storytelling and the first person narrative. And she never lost me.

The story involves a young woman; a nanny who is now in jail accused of murdering one of the children in her care. This book is her story, told by her to a solicitor that she wishes would take her case. Rowan, is looking for a change in life. She is lonely and a bit lost when one evening she comes across an ad seeking a nanny to live in a remote area of Scotland. The ad offers a high salary and extraordinarily generous extras. It sounds too good to be true but she quickly completes the application and is happily surprised to be offered an interview.

Unfortunately there are some down sides. Four nannies have quit the position in the previous year, which the employers blame on the fact that the house is haunted. However Rowan doesn't believe in ghosts and packs up her life in London and moves to the home.

Soon she will begin finding there are many dark secrets. The Scotish wilderness takes on quite a character in itself. But uniquely, so does the house itself. The home was a rundown Victorian which the couple (who are architects) completely overhauled. And it is outfitted with all the latest smart technology. The house begins to feel like it is a living entity and adds more complexity to the story.

The twists and turns are fun and allowed me to speculate. Rowan is of course unreliable and I often questioned how much of her story could be believed. But even more I wondered why so many people had quit and who might be trying to scare them away. And of course there is the big tragedy. A child is dead, so if Rowan is truly innocent... who isn't? The book is full of surprises and many pieces of the story were not important to the outcome. There is one giant, important twist that completely shocked me and I am so glad that my detective skills failed!

I received a digital ARC from Netgalley for an honest review. Thanks go to Netgalley, Ms. Ware and Simon & Schuster.

Ms. Ware does an exceptional job at bringing the eeriness of the house and the grounds to life. When reading, you can feel the cold, smell the awful carcass and get just as scared as Rowan does in this atmospheric, gothic tale of a young nanny and her charges. The supporting cast of Jack and Jean help lend stability to the tale. This is a fast-paced and totally absorbing story that I really enjoyed. Another good one from Ms. Ware.

**Thank you to the publisher and Net Galley in exchange of an honest review.**

Rowan Caine is ready for the interview of her life. Instead of her job taking care of infants at Little Nippers in London, she has a chance at a nanny job, a very well paying nanny job, near the mountains of Scotland. She would live in a modernized Victorian home with the latest in smart technology. She would be taking care of an infant, two older girls, and occasionally helping with the family’s 14-year-old daughter. The job would be a lot of work, but the salary and upscale lifestyle would definitely help offset that.

Architect and mother Sandra Elincourt needs a nanny. Despite the beautiful home that she rebuilt and decorated with her husband and the generous salary they offer, the last 4 nannies all left in rather a hurry. She needs someone who is not only good with children but also reliable, someone who will stick around for a long time, at least a year. The Elincourts have a successful business, and she needs to stay plugged in to that. In order to do that, she needs someone at home who can take care of the kids. Rowan’s paperwork is all in order, and she says all the right things at the interview.

In other words, they Rowan and Sandra need each other.

Rowan gets the job and moves into Heatherbrae House, and she is immediately thrown into the deep end. Sandra has to leave for a work engagement right away, so Rowan will be charge of the three youngest girls by herself for the entire first weekend she’s there. There is a woman who comes in to help with the cleaning, and there is a handyman on site, but Rowan is left to care for three children she just met. And they don’t seem to like her much.

Rowan struggles at first to get the girls under control, get them fed and in bed on time. But as time goes on, they accept her and fight against her less. However, just as she’s starting to make headway with the girls, the house seems to turn on her. She knew it was a smart house, and she had downloaded the app to control it to her phone, but neither the app nor the control panels in the house are very user friendly, and Rowan struggles to get through the night without the lights suddenly coming on, or being blasted by music, or hearing footsteps over her head.

That last one isn’t part of the smart house, and Rowan starts to worry that there is someone upstairs from her bedroom somehow. There is no attic, and no floor above the one where her room is, so she can’t understand how she’s hearing the footsteps. But that’s what she hears.

With interrupted sleep and the struggle of handling three small children while the parents are out of town, Rowan has to figure out the best way to protect those children and herself from whatever danger—humor or other—that seems to be coming at that house. But then one of the children ends up dead, and Rowan is in prison for her murder, and all the secrets have to come out.

Ruth Ware’s The Turn of the Key is a beautifully told story of a horrible tragedy. A family is destroyed, a woman is jailed, and a child has lost her life. But the story of Rowan and her time working for the Elincourts is not necessarily what it seems. Reminiscent of Henry James’ The Turn of the Screw, there are secrets, lies, and hints of something supernatural happening. But you won’t find out the whole story, the entire truth, until you read to the very last page. So be sure to set aside lots of time for this one, because you will need to read it through all the way to that very last page to find out what really happened.

And be sure of this too—it will break your heart.

Reading The Turn of the Key is an experience you won’t soon forget. And I can’t recommend it enough!

Galleys for The Turn of the Key were provided by Gallery/Scout Press through NetGalley, with many thanks.

"I have to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. Because to leave out these parts would be less than the whole truth. To tell you only the parts that exonerate me would make me slip back into the old, old trap. Because it was the lies that got me here in the first place. And I have to believe that it’s the truth that will get me out."

Atmospheric and moody, 'The Turn of the Key' was the perfect psychological thriller! Mixing a contemporary "smart home" with the remote Scottish location, Ruth Ware expertly blends the modern with the creepy. Rowan is a nursery worker toiling away in London, who finds an almost too-good-to-be-true job notice for a live-in nanny position in Scotland. She doesn't quite have all the job requirements, so she fudges her resume...just a little.

Nonetheless Rowan is hired by Sandra and Bill Elincourt to care for their young children. Because they travel a great deal for their architecture firm, Rowan is left almost immediately in complete charge of the children. There are red flags everywhere: one of the children is almost hateful to Rowan, the house has cameras everywhere, and there is a handsome caretaker who might not be all he seems to be.

Rowan's patience (and sanity) is soon put to the test. The demands of the children are endless, and the lack of sleep from the nighttime noises make Rowan exhausted and edgy. Because Rowan is not really as experienced as she claimed to be, she is completely and utterly overwhelmed by her job and by the enormous house.

This book begins with the death of a child and with Rowan imprisoned for the crime. The story is told in an epistolary structure with Rowan penning all the details to a lawyer who she hopes will take her case. This is my first book by Ruth Ware and I adored it. The twists and turns were spectacular! Even though Rowan was not totally honest with her employers, I completely sympathized with her and her longing to live in such a glorious home as Heatherbrae House.

I was shocked by the twists in this book and did not want it to end. The conclusion was absolutely stunning! Perfection. I like to get lost in a book, and this book did just that. Highly recommend!

Rowan thinks she has got it made when she comes across an ad for a live-in nanny position with an incredible salary. But when she is hired, and arrives at the remote Heatherbrae House for work, things aren’t quite as rosy as they seemed. The kids misbehave—and don’t hide their distain for her. The mom is a control freak. And the house itself is incredibly spooky. To make matters worse, the parents leave on a week-long business trip just hours after her arrival. Things seem bad—but they are about to get worse. Before long, there are unexplained noises and presences, and it’s becoming more and more clear why the family hasn’t been able to keep any of their nannies around for long. I tore through this book in a single day (including one very late night when I couldn’t put it down!). It is thrilling and surprising with multiple twists that you won’t see coming. Such a fun and heart-stopping book!

WOW! This is an incredible, creepy, fantastic thriller! Ruth Ware is so good at creating the perfect atmosphere! I really felt drawn into the story! The format of the book was really wonderful as well.