Member Reviews
Overall I enjoyed this as my first Gilly Macmillan book! It was a slow burn which was hard to get through at first but once it picked up I loved the twists and turns!
Seven-year-old Jocelyn can't understand why her nanny Hannah just disappeared one day, without a word or a trace. Thirty years later, Jocelyn returns to the old house and finds the answers. I would have wished for a different ending....
This is the first Gilly Macmillan book that I've read, but it won't be my last! I loved the multiple perspectives and surprising twists.
DNF. I’ve tried to read this book three times now and I can never make it more than 25% of the way. I constantly zone out and don’t pay attention to what is going on. I’m just bored and don’t care. Usually I’ll finish thrillers even if I’m not a fan because I have to know how it ended but I’m not interested in sticking around for the ending of this one. I have two other books by this author that I want to read as I’ve heard good things about this author but The Nanny wasn’t a great introduction
The Nanny was an atmospheric, slow burning read that I enjoyed immensely. This is one of those books that isn't meant to rush through. The author takes her time and builds the suspense up layer by layer. The characters in this one were an interesting contradiction. I felt like I should like Jo more but I really didn't. I felt like I shouldn't like her mother but I actually did. The author does a really great job of slowly revealing their motivations and the truths behind their shared history. Let me tell you that this was such a great ride! I love, love, love slow burns where you can just trust the author to tell a really great story. I didn't know exactly what was coming but I was there for the ride. And the ending was perfection! I honestly don't think that this book could have ended any other way. This is my 2nd book by this author and it won't be my last. I love the way she builds up suspense in her books and cannot wait to read more by her!
Overall, I enjoyed this book and am eager to read more by this author. Luckily, I already have another of her books on my shelf to look forward to. I wouldn't call this book a thriller but instead would label it as suspense. Go in knowing this book is a slower burn and I think that readers will enjoy it all the more. I would recommend this book to fans of character driven mysteries and those who enjoy an atmospheric read. Highly recommended!
Bottom Line: A slow burning suspenseful read that I really enjoyed!
Disclosure: I received a copy of this book from the publisher. Honest thoughts are my own.
This book is great! Would definitely recommend. Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.
Family secrets take over in this newest release from Gilly Macmillan. As it alternates from many POVs, The Nanny takes the reader on quite a ride!
Long buried secrets, and slowly revealed twists, this was definitely an enjoyable read and I’m excited to get to more from this author.
Many thanks to Netgalley and William Morrow for the free copy. All opinions are my own
This was an enjoyable read, though the story line wasn't very original and I kept thinking that I had already read the book because of similar stories I had read in the past. It did keep me entertained though and was fast. The plot centers around a nanny for Lord and Lady Holt who isn't all she seems and a body found in the lake on their property.
There are some things in life that we just don't get over. In Jocelyn Holt's case, it was the loss of her nanny in 1988. This devastating loss ultimately made Jo a very unhappy and unfulfilled person. It is now decades later, and after years away, Jo returns to the home that once held precious memories. One thing Jo must do is to try and deal with the rift that has long developed between her and her mother.
When human remains are discovered, Jo cannot help but think they belong to her beloved nanny. There are a couple of other factors that come into play. Jo has gaps in her memory due to the loss she experienced. Also, a stranger shows up while Jo is at her mother's house and then just about everything from Jo's life going forward goes completely out of control. Who is this stranger, and why do things start to begin to connect in Jo's mind now that this woman has turned up?
While the premise was truly intriguing, there were just some things that did not gel with me while I was reading this book. What did work for me were the characters and their secrets and their truly bizarre behavior at times. I did find The Nanny to be compelling, however, because there was plenty of suspense along the way while Jo strove to piece together her past while reconciling it with her present.
Many thanks to William Morrow and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.
I personally don't think that this book was for me. As I did not finish it, I don't think it would be prudent for me to provide a review at this time. Thank you for the opportunity to read it early.
I honestly was not sure where this book was going, and I read a TON of thrillers, so that's saying something! Well-written and captivating - atmospheric and moody in just the right way. Great for public libraries where thrillers are popular.
The Nanny is Gilly Macmillan's latest and I enjoyed it--but even though I finished it two days ago, I can't remember much about it. This doesn't mean The Nanny is bad by any means as once I started it, I kept reading it whenever I could, but it does mean it lacks that wow/wtf/magic/whatever you want to call it thing that makes a book stay with you. Still a solid, if standard, read.
Jo’s beloved nanny, Hannah, left without a trace in the summer of 1988. Haunted by the loss, Jo eventually left her parents and her home behind. Thirty years later, Jo must return to her childhood home after the death of her husband. When human remains are accidentally uncovered in a lake on the estate, Jo begins to question everything she thought she knew about what happened 30 years before.
Macmillan tells the story 'The Nanny' in alternating points of view: Jo, her mother Virginia, the detective, and an unknown narrator. The alternating points of view allows the intrigue to build and the secrets, lies, and disfunction to be slowly revealed.
The plot is slow-burning, but once I got into it I couldn't put it down. The characters are complex and multi-dimensional, and the multiple POVs help keep the story interesting. 'The Nanny' is my first book by Gilly Macmillan, and I will definitely be looking for some of her other books after reading this one.
Recommended for anyone who enjoys domestic dramas, mysteries and thrillers.
As Always, I find it interesting to note the variance in reader's opinions. The Nanny, by Gilly Macmillan is clearly one of those books whose readers tend to have " love it" or "hate it" sort of opinions". I seem to fall in the "love it" group. I enjoyed a peek inside the home and lives of these (bizarre?) characters. I zipped through it very quickly and enjoyed every twist and turn, from the first page to the last.
Thank you NetGally, Gilly Macmillan, and the publisher, for the opportunity to read this novel in exchange for my honest and fair review.
Did not finish this book. The writing style was not for me. I did not like the first person present perspective, and I was not interested enough in the characters or story to continue with the difficult writing style.
This book had lots of twists and turns. The characters are terrible beings. Couldn’t decide who I hated more. Great story about nannies and families and people who are not what they seem
Having read other Gilly Macmillan books, I was eagerly awaiting diving into this one. I really never got into the book. I kept waiting for it to get better and going back and forth on if I should give up on reading it or force myself to finish. This is not normal Gilly Macmillan so if you're a fan of hers or have never read anything by her, I would skip this one. There was hardly any suspense, all the characters were bland and unlikable and the plot was so slow moving. There was more fluff than action and the "big reveal" at the end wasn't really as shocking as I think she was hoping it would be. Really bummed about this one but hoping for another good read from her in the future.
The Nanny checked off a few of my favorite things in a thriller- a sociopath, secrets, and multiple perspectives. However, overall, it was just okay. The Nanny was a little less mysterious than I prefer as well as a bit of a slow burn for me until the end. It was good enough for me to continue reading, but I didn't love it. I did enjoy the writing style and will be checking out other books by GIlly Macmillan.
The Nanny, by Gilly Macmillan, is a gem of a mystery/thriller. Generations of secrets prevail. The story is told from the point of view of each and many characters. Everyone has a story, and then there is the truth. There are a lot of evil nanny stories out there, but this nanny plays "bad nanny" twice, and for the same family. Who to believe, their motivations, and their actions are all a jumbled tale. Will the story line come to death, more death, and even more deadly danger?
I personally did not see the ending coming. I had an early premonition as to the conclusion of this game of betrayal and hidden secrets. Although that came to be, it was not the ultimate climax of the story. I liked the characters, even those less likely to be liked. The extent that we got to know each of their personalities, and the fact that we never really got to know anyone, were perfectly balanced. Just enough to keep your suspicions up and your mind turning.
The only disappointment was in the writing style. With so many viewpoints, and the then/now timeline, it was a bit confusing from time to time. Then again, maybe it is this style that adds to the twists and turns in which this novel is filled with. Very engaging, would recommend.
Thank you Netgalley for the ARC copy of The Nanny in exchange for my honest opinions.
#Netgalley #TheNanny
So this book was a tad... underwhelming. I found it boring at times. The mystery didn't really feel like a mystery at all. But it also wasn't suspenseful enough to be labeled a pure suspense novel.
The writing, the characters, and pacing was really well done, so I do think I'll try the author again and this book could definitely work for some people, but it just did not work for me.