Very gothic/atmospheric read! Loved the scenery and the mythology. However, I felt like it was like a lot of other books and shows I've watched recently (nanny lying about who she is, employer with secrets). Liked that it touched on women's mental health after childbirth and how there really isn't enough support for them. Didn't like how quickly it was all sealed up at the end.

Lexi Ellis, who struggles with mental illness that includes depression and hallucinations, takes a job as a nanny under false pretenses for a wealthy widower’s two young children. His wife died under mysterious circumstances, allegedly by her own hand, but the eldest daughter’s talk of a “sad lady” and other mysterious happenings convince Lexi something more is at play.

This was an entertaining, albeit superficial read. It has some great gothic elements and was equal parts suspenseful and creepy at times. Lexi is a wholly unreliable narrator which kept me off balance in a good way.

That said, it’s not a great mystery by any means (the whodunnit was pretty obvious), and overall, the book seemed to want to tackle too many things. When I started reading, I thought it would dive deeply into mental illness – the stigma surrounding it, the difficulty in seeking and finding treatment, the road to healing and managing the day-to-day for someone with this particular struggle – but no.

Though Lexi’s mental illness is used as the catalyst for the desperate circumstances she finds herself in at the beginning of the book, for the remaining chapters it is simply used as a plot device to make you distrust her ability to discern reality as events unfold. Using mental illness in this way felt disingenuous and there was no closure there – everything was wrapped up with a neat little bow by the end of the book, in a completely unrealistic way.

The book also seemed to want to tackle climate change, which could have made for a really interesting discourse, but alas, this too was simply used as a plot device to further the story, which was a strange mix of domestic suspense and supernatural thriller. And again, it didn’t seem to know which it wanted to be, so it just blended the two together and called it a day.

Lastly, I’ll say that I’m really over the trope of main characters who hate children taking jobs as nannies under false pretenses. This is the second book I’ve read recently with that particular plot device (the first being “The Turn of the Key” by Ruth Ware), and I’m over it. This annoyance is entirely personal, but I just can’t get over how insufferable I find it. I worked at a daycare for years to support myself through school, and I can not say it enough: if you don’t like kids, don’t work with kids! And having a main character who literally sees a job she has absolutely no qualifications for, and who says, “well I don’t like kids and have no experience with them, but how hard could it be?” makes me want to tear my hair out. It makes the main character instantly and irredeemably unlikeable for me. But, like I said, that’s just a personal pet peeve.

Overall, the book kept me turning the pages despite some obvious flaws that I rolled my eyes through. It’s an entertaining, cotton candy-esque read, and if you like intriguing suspense where everything gets wrapped up nicely at the end, then you’ll probably enjoy this book.

I love a good modern gothic thriller with a nanny trope and The Nesting did not disappoint. It was creepy, twisted, and full of surprises- everything I hoped it would be.
Many thanks to Berkley Publishing Group and NetGalley for the advance copy.

Fun supernatural mystery set in Norway. I loved the description of the locale and all the creepy occurrences. I don't know that it made a ton of sense but I enjoyed the ride. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for a free copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

This book took off to a very good start, it had all the right makings of a Psychological Thriller but in the end it took a turn into more of a Gothic Thriller and just didn't land where I was looking to go.

Lexi's character was sufficiently flawed and there were some good creepy elements, which i love. The author is a great writer and you really felt that gothic atmosphere feeling in the writing but pulling it together in the end - fell short for me.

I do think I would try another by C.J. Cooke.

I liked the characters and storyline of this book. I gave it only 3 stars because I felt like the ending could have been stronger. Overall, it was fun to read.

The Nesting
By CJ Cooke

The Nesting by CJ Cooke is an amazing gothic thriller read I loved. This atmospheric read was so addicting that I could not put this book down and had this along with me wherever I went. This is a story about Norwegian architect Tom Faraday who built his isolated and yet ultra modern dream home where his wife Aurelia committed suicide. With his two young daughters, he hired Lexi Ellis as his nanny but some strange and mysterious goings on are happening in that home that leads to question whether Aurelia indeed committed suicide or not.

This was a fantastic read that I highly recommend.

This was an interesting book in that it wove a Scandanavian mystery with the environmental impact of destroying the land, and a little Norse folklore thrown in.
The main Character serendipitously falls into a job with the sneaky help of 2 women on a train who trust her. Lexi was in a bad place having lost her live-in boyfriend of 8 years, fired from her job, have her best friend move into her boyfriend's apt, and fails in a suicide attempt. This has loser written all over it! She interviews for the nanny job lying about her education and background, and get it!
The father that hires her is a widower whose wife committed suicide. He and his partner bankrupt
but they continue building this strange house on the side of a cliff.
Strange things begin to occur, and spirits seem to be taking a part in ruining everything attached to the house and the people planning and working on it.
This book was eerie, and brought in too many coincidences without resolving the issues - were they really damaging the environment, who was telling the truth and who was deliberately deceiving the others, I thought that the story was unfocused - what was the message (other than we should conserve the environment)? It was suspenseful but not well resolved in my mind. (less)

This was one of those fast paced, drama packed popcorn thrillers that’s very fun to read! I loved the setting and the plot, and enjoyed the book overall. I did feel like it was a bit unrealistic at times, which I don’t care for, but I still think it’s an entertaining read.

The Nesting by C.J. Cooke follows Lexi who becomes a nanny after a devastating break up and suicide attempt. After a suicide attempt, Lexi's boyfriend dumps her and asks her to move out of their shared apartment. While trying to figure out what to do next she overhears a young woman discuss a job opportunity as a nanny for a family moving to Norway. Lexi then assumes this woman's identity, gets the job, and heads off to Norway to nanny for a widower's two young daughters. Lexi is immediately drawn to the family and the two girls who are struggling after their mother's suicide. While in Norway, the widower Tom is trying to finish the family's home and Lexi begins to think there may be more going on with his wife's suicide than it seems. For one, both the girls and Lexi are seeing strange apparitions and Lexi begins fear something is after the family.

This was a perfect gothic horror/mystery for Halloween reading. It wasn't extremely scary and most of the tension came from Lexi's own mental health and the sightings of elk and a mysterious woman. This book is described as horror and I can see the how it falls under horror with the supernatural elements, but I think at the heart of it the book is more of a gothic thriller with a supernatural twist, which gives it a broader appeal than just as a genre horror book. I would recommend this book to those who like gothic thrillers, ghost stories, or even just mysteries. I really enjoyed reading this book and seeing Lexi come out of rock bottom to forming genuine relationships with the two girls. I also thought the atmosphere was really well done in this book and the isolated environment and Norway really added to the spooky atmosphere of the story. While I did enjoy the book, the unraveling of the mystery felt a bit slow at times, but that is also a trait of most gothic style books so I don't think it will have much of an impact on readers.

A nanny's new job takes her into Norway

No one ever listens to me. When I tell the heroine of a spooky movie not to open the cellar door, or a character in a book to avoid the shortcut through the forest, they always do so anyway.

And so it is in “The Nesting,” by C. J. Cooke, when Lexi Ellis, after losing her job, her boyfriend, and her home, applies for a position to nanny two young girls. Don’t take that job, I try to tell Lexi.

Why not, you might ask? After all, a job is a good thing and her employer, a noted architect, is building the show-stopping, eco-sensitive home where they’ll be living.

The negatives, it turns out, are numerous. Lexi is an emotional wreck, having just attempted suicide, the home is in a different country — Norway — so she is far away from those she knows, and even more, it’s totally isolated.

Oh, and did I mention that Aurelia, the girls’ mother, committed suicide on the property not long ago and that Lexi is pretending to be Sophie Hallerton, the woman who initially applied for the job?

It doesn’t get better. The young girls are overly energetic, leaving Sophie/Lexi exhausted by the end of the day, and the beauty of their location fades as a sense of eeriness seems to overtake the house as odd things begin happening.

Cooke, an award-winning poet whose books have been published in 23 languages, also writes scholarly pieces on creative writing interventions for mental health. That fits Lexi, who before moving to Norway found that writing helped her cope with all her troubles.

*I received a complimentary arc from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review*

4/5 stars

*TW for mentions of suicide throughout the book, descriptions of physical abuse, and mentions of rape*

In The Nesting we follow Lexi, a troubled 28 year old who is attempting to put her life back together after some traumatic events have happened in her life. When she overhears a woman named Sophie mention and decide not to take a nannying job Lexi feels as if fate has stepped into her life and given her a huge break. All she has to do is life and pretend to be the perfect experienced Sophie and things will be alright in her eyes. That is until she realizes that she may be in way over her head and that she has no clue how to nanny one child let alone two who have just lost their mom in a sudden way. But it’s too late, she’s already been offered the job and she’s now staying in Norway with the young girls while their father tries to pick up the pieces of their lives and attempt to finish the build on the house he promised for his late wife. What seems like a simple task soon turns quite sinister. Weird things have been happening at the build. Animals coming too close to the work site, tools and materials coming up missing and ending up at the bottom of the cliff. And if all of that wasn’t enough some members of the house have been seeing a woman at night, with 2 black holes for eyes and sharp scary teeth. Gaia the oldest daughter calls her the sad lady and has been scared to stay in her room alone at night. Lexie is having a hard time determining what’s real and what may be a figment of her imagination, on top of keeping suspicion off of her and her lies. When the secrets and lies of the family and close friends start to unravel Lexi will have to find a way to get to the bottom of the weird occurrences and most importantly keep the girls she’s come to love safe.

Going into The Nesting I wasn’t too sure what to expect. I knew that it involved a woman going to a remote area of Norway to nanny but I wasn’t prepared for how atmospheric the novel would be. As with any thriller the characters ran the show and part of the fun in reading was trying to figure out who’s to be trusted. But the remote setting or Norway really become its own character. The myths and legends of the land and the landscape added such a fun and intriguing perspective to the story!! I think I enjoyed those parts of the story just as much, if not more than the actual storyline and main characters. If you love a thriller that truly puts you in the setting so that you’re fully immersed then this will be right up your alley. But if you love a character driven novel that leaves you giving the side eye throughout because you aren’t sure who to trust then this is also for you!!

I had so much fun reading this because as the books goes on you don’t know which character you can truly trust. And as for thrillers that’s one of my favorite tropes, plus with the way the environment played a huge role you could the sure if the strange occurrences were real or not.

I didn’t give this book a full 5 starts because although I really enjoyed it, I do feel like the ending was a bit rushed. But other than that this was a pretty solid read for me and I’m very much looking forward to the author’s future releases!! If you need a captivating and atmospheric thriller to hunker down and read for the winter then look no further!!

5 Stars: 5/5 Rating

Whew! What a great book. This combines a bit of fantasy with the supernatural. Lexi is such a complex character and I fell in love with her character. She is daring and vulnerable and so very secretive. Tom was not such a likable character for me personally. He seemed too obsessive and cold towards his family and friends. I wanted him to open up with them and especially with his children. Enter the Sad Lady....and you meet the supernatural. She will possibly give you nightmares.

Read this one because it is a good one!

I received a digital ARC of this book from netgalley and HarperCollins. All opinions expressed are my own.

Yes, another gothic read that hits it out of the park. Very reminiscent of classic gothic reads. I really enjoyed the setting in Norway and the Nordic overtones it really added to the haunting atmosphere, the house on a cliff the woods, as someone who lives beside a forest, I definitely felt for Lexi and the scary isolation. And that woods are a nefarious character in of its own. Lexi was a sympathetic character who just seemed like she couldn’t catch a break until she did but then that didn’t last. Overall, The Nesting is gothic read that has overtones of a ghost story and a suspenseful thriller that will sure to please many readers.

This story has a Gothic feel to it, and it takes place mainly in Norway with a bit of Nordic folklore thrown in. The setting is amazing. It's very atmospheric and quite creepy at times. I really enjoyed it and will definitely be reading more by this author!


A super big thank you to Netgalley and publisher for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

I go back and forth on whether to give this book 3 or 4 stars.

Loved: The atmosphere and setting; the supernatural elements

Liked: The plot and writing

Not so much: The pacing. At times it went too long. I would have rather had Aurelia's diary instead of the alternating timeline.

The Nesting reminded me a lot of The Turn of The Key by Ruth Ware, but this was more of a gothic thriller. Please note there is a supernatural part of this story that makes it all that much more interesting! I was in the edge of my seat the whole book.
Lexi attempted suicide. Her longtime boyfriend broke up with her for her best friend. One day on a train ride she over head a girl named Sophie talking about a nannying job she was turning down.
Tom had two little girls Gaia and CoCo. His wife has passed away and he is in the process of building a new house in Norway. Lexi and Tom need each other. But Norway needs Lexi more.
I give this book 4 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️‘S. Thank you so much NetGalley for this book!

The Nesting had genuinely creepy scenes that sent chills as I read them but it was difficult to get to those places when it was so hard as a reader to stomach the adult characters. Not one of them did I connect with. From the very beginning, I couldn’t justify Sophie decisions and deceptions. I understand that this goes along with the untrustworthy narrator but I find it hard to get behind a book where I don’t like any of the characters.

The premise and writing were very good and intriguing but it couldn’t keep me interested enough to deal with the unlikeable protagonists.

In desperation, Lexi tried to end her life. Even though a friend found her in time, Lexi’s life will never be the same. She lost her job, her eight-year relationship as well as her home when her boyfriend kicked her out of their apartment. Despondent and destitute, she overhears a conversation on a train regarding a job. One of girls in the seat in front of her has been called for an interview to be a nanny in Norway, but is going to turn it down. Before she can talk herself out of it, Lexi snaps a picture of the application and the woman’s resume.

Much to her surprise Lexi, now known as Sophie, lands the job and has made her way to Norway to join her new employer and his children. She is now working for Tom Faraday, looking after and his two daughters. Coco is only nine-months old and her sister Gaia is six. They are in Norway with their father while he builds a vacation home for them to escape London when the weather is inclement and the crowds overwhelming.

Sophie finds out Tom’s wife, the children’s mother, died recently. She is saddened by the family’s loss, but thrilled to be in Norway. She quickly settles down to the daily routine. Soon she begins to see and hear things that are strange. Gaia confirms sightings of what can only be described as supernatural beings that Sophie has encountered. Maybe the children’s mother, Aurelia, did not kill herself. Perhaps, as folklore predicts, the land and animals are getting even with those who disturb them and the death of Aurelia was just the beginning.

The characters are interestingly flawed, yet endearing at times. The plot twists and turns, taking the reader back to before Aurelia dies to present day. Ms. Cooke grabs readers, taking us along Sophie/Lexi’s journey from the first pages to the last. The Nesting is a page-turning thriller that keeps you guessing until the satisfying end.

This is the first book I have read by C.J. (Carolyn Jess) Cooke. A novelist and poet, she hails from Belfast Northern Ireland and has published several other books. This is the first one I have read, but will not be the last. I loved it.

DISCLOSURE OF MATERIAL CONNECTION: I have a material connection because I received a review copy for free from Netgalley in exchange for a fair and honest review. Copyright © 2020 Laura Hartman

In places, the fast-paced storytelling of this delightfully creepy thriller feels rushed. But the story is compelling, and Lexi Ellis is a unique, relatable main character. In fact, her first-person narration is my favorite aspect of THE NESTING, and it makes the story work.