Due to a sudden, unexpected passing in the family a few years ago and another more recently and my subsequent (mental) health issues stemming from that, I was unable to download this book in time to review it before it was archived as I did not visit this site for several years after the bereavements. This meant I didn't read or venture onto netgalley for years as not only did it remind me of that person as they shared my passion for reading, but I also struggled to maintain interest in anything due to overwhelming depression. I was therefore unable to download this title in time and so I couldn't give a review as it wasn't successfully acquired before it was archived. The second issue that has happened with some of my other books is that I had them downloaded to one particular device and said device is now defunct, so I have no access to those books anymore, sadly.

This means I can't leave an accurate reflection of my feelings towards the book as I am unable to read it now and so I am leaving a message of explanation instead. I am now back to reading and reviewing full time as once considerable time had passed I have found that books have been helping me significantly in terms of my mindset and mental health - this was after having no interest in anything for quite a number of years after the passings. Anything requested and approved will be read and a review written and posted to Amazon (where I am a Hall of Famer & Top Reviewer), Goodreads (where I have several thousand friends and the same amount who follow my reviews) and Waterstones (or Barnes & Noble if the publisher is American based). Thank you for the opportunity and apologies for the inconvenience.

This was an interesting read but i was not overwhelmed by this. The characters were okay but i feel like they could have been rounded out a bit more as there were places that were a bit underdeveloped for me. The premise was the best part but it did not deliver entirely what i wanted from it.

This was a really difficult book to get into. It took me a lot longer to read it than any other book I’ve read. The style of the writing was not for me. The characters were annoying and I didn’t feel like there was much of a story to it really. Very disappointed as it sounded like my type of thing.
Thank you netgalley for the opportunity to read this

It’s not the most pioneering of plot ideas; impoverished nanny works for well heeled yet dysfunctional family, and is drawn to the alluring, intriguing matriarch. ‘Devotion,’ however, offers a diverting, arresting variation on the theme.

We learn at the outset that Lonnie, the subject of protagonist Ella’s affections, is going to disappear. Lonnie has her fun before she goes, enjoying the sport of mind games with her infatuated assistant. Ella, fooled into thinking that she’s one step ahead, is broken and violated by her attempts to stay one step ahead.

There are moments which veer into incredulity- the writers’ retreat, ostensibly the claustrophobic, suffocating centrepiece of the book, doesn’t quite work- but this is a striking debut which shows how if something looks too good to be true, it probably is.

2/5

I was really excited to read this book based on the description. However, I found it a bit boring.

I thought the book moved really slow and I really did not engage with the book though I pushed myself to keep reading.

However, this might be the book someone else would really enjoy.

I received this ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

Despite a strong start, the story line in Devotion lacked focus and the characters failed to impress as they engaged in several events that were purposeless and not really explained. I expected Devotion to explore a wide range of topics related to class, opportunity and friendship, which it did to an extent, but was ultimately left questioning the plot and each character's intentions.

As soon as Elle starts her new job as nanny to Lonnie and James' son, it becomes clear that her world is about to change drastically. It is not long until she realises that they lead a lifestyle she can only hope to mirror some day and this concept, together with Lonnie's mysterious and bold nature, is enough to drive Elle to obsession. For me this aspect felt somewhat sluggish as most of the first half of the book was spent analysing Elle’s thoughts and reactions with little background to her previous life. Introducing Lonnie’s thoughts through her diary entries was a successful way of delving into her world of secrets and regrets and I was hoping to experience the same through her manuscript but unfortunately it felt too detached and irrelevant to the main story line.

There was little direction and focus on the plot which ultimately led to further indifference and disregard for the characters. I spent the first half of the book trying to understand the path the author wanted to take with these characters and setting and the second half of the book puzzled at the turn of events during the scheduled holiday. I struggled to understand the final few chapters which felt disjointed from the story line and also a little sudden and rushed.

This book raised some key issues related to friendship and the difference in class and lifestyle but fell short of my expectations. I would have preferred a deeper focus on the plot and an insight to Elle’s past as a way to connect with the main characters and understand their purpose.

Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing a free advanced reader's copy in exchange for my honest review.

'Devotion' was a truly fabulous read which I loved and adored for its creepiness. It helped that I've developed quite a weakness for psychological thrillers which are heavy on themes of obsession, jealousy and delusion.

I had a difficult time putting this down as, for a relatively slow-moving story, it never really lost momentum and it certainly had that ‘what happens next’ quality. Madeline Stevens achieved this with perfect characterisation of the novel’s narrator, Ella. Although some have compared 'Devotion' to 'Social Creature', this morbidly compelling, plot-less novel had a style all of it's own and kept me turning the pages. This début novel of suburban noir was a quick, addictive read that had an eerie and unsettling feel, making it unthinkable for me to look away.

An extremely worthwhile read and worthy of its five stars!

I received a complimentary digital copy of this novel, at my own request, from Faber and Faber via NetGalley. This review is my own unbiased opinion.

I love books about obsession, the boundaries of friendship and the idea that one person can insert themselves into another’s life in such an insidious manner. We follow main character Ella as she becomes a nanny to a young boy with wealthy, privileged parents. Ella becomes completely obsessed with the boy’s mother, Lonnie, in a way that seems to lie somewhere between adoration and jealousy. Things get more and more complicated as time goes on and frankly more and more odd as these characters are forced to face the truth of their relationships.

Devotion is quite a strange little book in the sense that most of the characters are difficult to root for in any way. Ella (or Elle as she begins to call herself) is, the reader understands pretty quickly, a distinctly damaged and unstable person. She comes across as desperate for drama and attention . She is a complete fantasist, and seems to want to live through Lonnie whose fleeting moods and actions she gives far too much weight and meaning to. Ella’s compulsion to ingratiate herself into Lonnie’s entire persona seems frequently quite indecent. She goes through Lonnie’s every possession in an invasive and bizarre way. Lonnie herself is portrayed as the typical bohemian type of woman for whom everything comes easy and who is stunningly elegant and poised. I found their odd and insular relationship with each other really compelling and I think it’s one of the best things about Devotion. There’s also a weird kind of lyricism to Steven’s writing which I loved.

If you like a book with a clear story arc, Devotion might not be for you. It is quite meandering and is a character study of sorts. I enjoyed it a lot, mostly because of the gorgeous prose, but I could maybe have done with slightly more resolution. Despite that, I do think this is the perfect read for a lazy summer afternoon about the strange lengths people will go to when they become completely possessed by obsession.

This was a reasonably decent story but I felt it fell away halfway and I kind of lost the point of the story! Was well written but I found the main characters a little annoying and not very likeable

I devoured Devotion in short order- a beautifully descriptive prose sinks you into the life of Ella and her ever growing devotion to Lonnie her employer, both women are gorgeously drawn, ethereal and quirky in their own separate ways, when brought together things end up somewhat explosive.

The whole story has a strange, unearthly feel to it, you almost feel like these women haunt you as you read- the central theme deals with this odd attraction where two personalities almost become one. The supporting cast levitate around them, cause and effect giving rise to an ever growing sense that something will go wrong. It is a story of love bordering on hate, of obsession and consequence, of having versus not having and all the things we want that are beyond our reach.

I found it both clever and compelling, terrific literary writing and an utterly gripping tale.

Recommended.

Ella is twenty six years old and broke. She gets hired by a rich couple to be their nanny. Ella is soon obsessed by the young mother, Lonnie. They are both the same age but their lifestyles are very different.

This is quite a creepy read. I did prefer the first part of the book. The second part seemed a bit lacklustre to me. It's also quite a slow burner. We are told the story round Ella's point of view. It covers some emotions like jealousy and loneliness. It didn't quite reach my expectations but maybe I expected too much. I did enjoy this story.

I would like to thank NetGalley, Faber & Faber and the author Madeleine Stevens for my ARC in exchange for an review.

I found Devotion a fascinating read, and one that I thought about long after I finished reading. The nature and complexity of female relationships,wealth, class, servitude - and how well we really know people. The pacing in this book was fantastic as well, slowly upping the ante, waiting to see what happened - and the denouement as well.

I'd definitely be interested in reading more by this author.

This book was very enjoyable. It was the first by this author I have read. the language is exquisite and really makes you think about the concept of identity. Thank you!

Thanks to Netgalley and Faber and Faber for this ARC. I loved the cover of this book and was intrigued by the premise which felt like Lullaby meets Single White Female. However this wasn’t quite what I had expected.
This story follows 26-year old Ella, struggling to make ends meet in Brooklyn, who ends up with a nannying job for a rich bohemian woman called Lonnie, who’s also 26-years old. In the first half of the book we see Ella, who’s on the outside observing this privileged lifestyle and the prose is so good on class difference here. I was completely enthralled. However the second of the book didn’t have enough plot for my taste and the writing sort of fell flat for me, as the earlier sharpness and bitterness of the prose that I loved in the first half of the book simmered away. Although I did really love the setting and the characters were well-drawn, I just wish they had more to do and had more of an arc. Nonetheless I will be interested in seeing what the author will write next.
Looking at other readers’ review I just want to be clear that this book is not a psychological suspense as no crime happens and no-one is in any danger. This is more psychological drama/literary fiction. 3.5/5 from me.

This is unexpectedly deeper and slower than I thought it would be. The blurb makes it sound like it's jumping on the bandwagon of all those Ripley-esque books where two women exchange places, but actually it's figurative and abstract here, asking more intelligent questions about identity and social placement. There are shifting triangles of sex, desire and obsession but the pace is uneven so that it can feel meandering and overlong at times - the text could be usefully tightened up but this is worth a read if you like more literary explorations of self and other.

A "Single White Female" novel for the millennial age (with The Talented Mr Ripley vibes), Devotion is a suspenseful story of one woman's obsession with her employer.

Ella is 26 and unhappy with her life. She has unfulfilling sex with strangers and no money, but one day all that changes when she lands a job nannying for a rich young woman, Lonnie. Lonnie is the same age as Ella and everything that Ella is not - married, a mother, and has an enviable wardrobe and figure. Ella's behaviour quickly becomes stranger and stranger, and her and Lonnie's lives become intertwined throughout the novel.

I found myself a little disappointed on finishing Devotion, a kind of "is that it?" feeling, but equally found it hard to put down while I was reading. Although the plot is a little slow moving the pages flew by and the story was just suspenseful enough to keep me guessing.

A great mix of thriller and chic-lit.

Very entertaining and a refreshing perspective to follow through Ella. It stands out among other thrillers and I'll definitely keep up to date with Steven's in the future.

Devotion is a novel about obsession, resentment, being rich, and being desperate. Ella is hungry and poor, living in New York City far away from Oregon where she grew up. She lands a job as a nanny looking after William so his mother, Lonnie, can write. Lonnie is the same age as Ella, but their lives are very different. Regardless, they seem to cross the usual boundaries of employer and employee and become friends, though Ella also resents Lonnie, and has a strange connection to the men in Lonnie's life. She snoops around the family's home, making lists and becoming entwined, until the strange situation comes to a head.

This is a slow burn type of literary thriller, which centres around Ella's viewpoint and a lingering sense of what will happen between the main characters. It explores emotions like jealousy and loneliness in an interesting way, though for much of the book not much else happens. The plot didn't twist and turn as much as expected and the stakes never quite felt high enough.

It feels like a promising novel that doesn't quite fulfil expectations, though fans of slow paced stories of obsession may think otherwise. Comparisons with other literary thrillers (such as Social Creature) were perhaps its downfall: it doesn't have the kind of stakes and tension of those, but rather a more quiet, lingering build up of suspense. It's a decent book, but it never quite grips or has enough of a dark edge.