Good story with a good creepiness factor. I'm not usually a fan of supernatural type-type stories but this one help my attention. I enjoyed the two different timelines.

A troubled young woman—fresh from trying (and failing) to end it all—finds new life with a grieving family that’s still trying to come to terms with their own sorrow after the loss of their young matriarch, in the picturesque wilds of rural Norway… that’s the bare-bones premise of C.J. Cooke’s latest thriller, The Nesting.

Better, though, to add that it’s a gothic horror, eco-thriller, psychological suspense, and supernatural fairy tale, by turns… lest you’re tempted to write it off as a sappy romance (which it most definitely is not).
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Lexi Ellis hasn’t had what you’d call a great life, but things have gotten progressively worse, of late, and—on the heels of a botched suicide attempt—having her boyfriend of several years suddenly decide to end things is one more straw than she can handle.

No, make that almost one more straw; the last straw is that he also expects her—now jobless and still recovering mentally and physically—to also move out of his apartment… within the week.

It can only be serendipity that finds her penniless, lugging a knapsack with her meager belongings around London, riding aimlessly on the train… and eavesdropping on a pair of posh contemporaries sitting in front of her, as they discuss a job opportunity one of them has applied for—a nanny position for a widowed architect, who’s in the process of building a show-stopping summer house for himself and his two young daughters in rural Norway.

Unbeknownst to either of the women, Lexi is paying rapt attention to every word… and covertly snapping screen shots of the filled-out application the woman is showing her friend.

With a little luck—and no small amount of subterfuge—Lexi lands the job… as “Sophie” (the girl on the train). And, in short order, she’s leaving her troubles behind… jetting off to beautiful Norway, and being driven to the remote north, where the land is rugged, fjords are many, and other people are few.

Once she arrives, though, she quickly realizes she’s in way over her head, in a household that expects her to teach a six-year-old and an infant in the Montessori style, and follow a learning-and-activities chart for every waking hour of their day.

Still, she’s made her bed… and gradually, she not only gets a handle on what she’s doing, but she starts to enjoy it. She plays outside in a veritable winter wonderland with the children, discovers how to educate them inside… and finds herself falling in love with them a little more every day.

When she learns why her job exists—the little girls’ mother killed herself, throwing herself off a cliff into the icy fjord—and strange, even dangerous, things start happening—hallucinations? evil spirits?—Lexi realizes the frozen land that has been her savior might also be her downfall, for there’s something very dark going on in that mystical land of white.
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The Nesting, as I said earlier, has many notes. There are classic gothic overtones, with the suicide and the moody, dramatic locale. It’s an eco-thriller, espousing the need to be environmentally aware and to respect the earth around us… with obvious repercussions when we fall short. (Set in Norway—a country that perhaps more than any other embraces the concept of being one with the environment—such messages have an added gravitas, which rings true.)

Psychological suspense? Absolutely. And, the lovely Norse lore which is woven throughout brings in a surprising supernatural element.

With a POV that alternates between Lexi’s and the dead mother’s, The Nesting is a lyrical story that takes its time in the telling (and the unraveling). Like the best fairy tales, it eventually reaches a most-satisfying ending… but only after thoroughly putting its protagonists through the ringer. And who, really, doesn’t want that?
~GlamKitty

Fast-paced, edge-of-your-seat thrills! This book will hook you as you flip through the pages to determine what only what DID happen in the past, but what WILL happen in the present. I love how the novel starts off, with just a little glimpse into what happened in the past to a woman named Aurelia, just enough to leave us hanging with a ton of questions. What happened to her? They say she died of suicide, leaving her husband and two young children, but is that was truly happened or is something more dark and sinister at play?

The novel then jumps to the here and now and we meet young Lexi. She overhears a conversation between two other women on a bus one day, a woman named Sophie talking to her friend. Sophie is talking about applying for a nannying job in Norway. Intrigued, and determined to start over with a new life away from it all, Lexi gathers the information for how to apply for the job and applies, pretending to be Sophie. Soon afterwards, Lexi finds herself on a flight to Norway to be the Faraday family’s new nanny.

The story unfolds and is told from alternate timelines – both past and present, and is told from varying POV’s – Tom Faraday in the past and present, his late wife Aurelia in the past, and Lexi in the present.

I loved reading about Lexi’s job nannying for the Faraday family, and the mysterious surroundings she found herself in. There were a lot of strange things going on in the home and within the family, and Lexi was given a very mysterious and strange warning: if you hear noises in the basement, do NOT go there. I mean what!?

Full of bone-chilling, creepy, and spine-tingling pages, that you will devour once you start to read. I enjoyed the story being told from different characters in the book, and was curious to know why all these strange things were happening, and what truly happened to Aurelia that cost her her life.

Thank you @berkleypub and @netgalley for this advanced copy in exchange for my honest review!

Synopsis: after a suicide attempt and being thrown out of her house because of a breakup, Lexi impersonates a knowledgeable and experienced nanny to get a job taking care of 2 young girls while their Dad builds a beautiful house in Norway. The girls’ mother died by suicide a few months earlier and Lexi has big shoes to fill. She begins to experience weird and sinister things at the house in this Modern Gothic novel.

This is my second book this year by CJ Cooke and what really stuck with me in the first was her excellent way of normalizing mental health disorders. This one is no different. She tackles suicide attempts, antipsychotics, mental disorders, and psychological abuse by a parent in the first chapter.

This one dark and spooky. Both on an atmospheric level but also on a human and mental health level. Cooke seamlessly weaves Lexi’s mental health (paranoia, suicide ideation, overall dark thoughts) with what’s going on at the house. Is it real? Is she wanted? Can she do it? Is she safe? Is she seeing things? Lexi was extremely likable which was refreshing because a lot of protagonists in thrillers are extremely dim. My only critique is that I wish the ending had a little more defuse, that we knew a little more about the side characters who played big roles.

Lexi is a widower that has found her place deep in the woods with single father Tom and his two daughters. However, she begins to see things that are hard to believe. Is this place and are these people full of secrecy and mystery? She makes it her job to find out. This is a great book just in time for Halloween. It contains all the spooky vibes plus plenty of mystery and suspense. This is a page turner and draws the reader in. Great read and would definitely recommend to add it to your October TBR!

Thank you Berkley and Netgalley for the gifted e-copy.

Ummm...can you say UNRELIABLE NARRATORS? Plural???? This book was filled with them, and I totally loved it.

Lexi is a hot mess - boyfriend dumps her, no job, homeless, tried to commit suicide but it didn't work...she overhears some girls on a train talking about a nannying opportunity in Norway, and she's like "oh cool, I can do that. I'm just going to pretend to be this girl Sophie and apply!"

It works. And Lexi is now Sophie, an expert at vegan cooking and Montessori teaching, and she moves to the middle of a fjord Norway to take care of two little girls, Gaia and Coco. Their mother died by suicide a few months earlier and the dad is an architect and needs someone to care for the girls as he builds their dream home getaway. All is cool, except she doesn't trust the housekeeper, and she starts hearing things and seeing a weird lady with no eyes.

Anyway - as you read, you will get most of the answers to your questions, and be a bit spooked by this "Sad Lady" as Gaia calls her. That's the one component of the book that I wish had a different explanation. I still had some questions about that and wish it went in a different direction. The rest of it wrapped up nicely though!

C.J. Cooke had me on the edge of my seat while reading The Nesting. Lexi took a job nannying and now she must protect the children at all costs. As she starts to hear noises, she sees ghosts that haunt her, and knows secrets that could cause her harm; she knows that nothing else matters but the children in her care do matter. The Nesting is a thriller with twists and turns that kept me turning pages and hoping that all would end up okay by the end.



The flashback of Tom and Aurelia were sometimes confusing, sometimes added extra detail to the story, and sometimes was so long that I got lost in the text of what I was reading. I did not feel like the flashbacks were an overall good addition to the story, but I did not let it detour my reading.

I started this with a little trepidation - I'm not really a horror fan, although I do enjoy some, like Stephen King. But this was much more interesting than what I would think of as a traditional horror story.

In many ways, it's a suspense story - what happened to Aurelia (the dead mother of the little girls), what was the story with Tom (the father), what's up with Clive (the business partner and his wife), and what is going to happen to Sophie/Lexi, the nanny who's running from her own past and life in London.

But then we add in the scary parts of nature, and whether Tom and Aurelia have really brought down some sort of curse from trying to tamper with the course of the river.

I liked the characters, especially Sophie/Lexi, who was plenty messed up but really devoted to the little girls - who were also important and likable characters. Tom's character was particularly ironic, since he was trying to be over the top environmentalist, but wound up causing a great deal of harm in the process.

And, most important for this sort of book, I really wasn't sure what was going on through much of the book - was this truly a supernatural curse, or were these events engineered by people? By the end, I think it was clear, but there were definitely numerous twists along the way.

A Twisty Gothic Tale Set in Norway

Lexi has reached bottom. After a suicide attempt and stay in the hospital, her boyfriend of eight years tosses her out with no money and no where to stay. Lexi uses his train pass to have somewhere to go and fate intervenes. She overhears two women talking about a job opportunity in Norway taking care of two children. The woman with the job application isn’t sure she wants to go, but Lexi is. She copies the job application and submits it right there on the train.

She gets the job and in some respects it’s wonderful. She falls in love with the two little girls, Gaia and Coco, but something seems off about the house. Tom, the father and a well known architect, is building his version of an ecologically friendly house to honor his dead wife, Aurelia. However, Lexi begins to wonder whether Aurelia committed suicide, or whether she was murdered.

Although the story starts with too much coincidence for my taste, it improves when Lexi gets to Norway. The characters in the house are suitably odd from Maren, the housekeeper devoted to Aurelia, to Clive, Tom’s business partner, and his strange spiritual wife, Derry. The children are wonderful. Their interactions with Lexi are a welcome contrast to the apparently supernatural happenings.

The atmosphere of the book is suitably dark with fairy tales, Nordic legends, and the diary of the dead woman. The story is told from multiple viewpoints and time periods, but it’s easy to follow and the various perspectives add depth to the story. If you enjoy spooky thrillers, this is a good one.

I received this book from Net Gallery for this review.

In need of a gothic thriller mixed with Nordic folklore? Look no further - you NEED this book! When I read the prologue, I was expecting a completely different story from the one I got. If you read a ton of thrillers like I do, you may think the prologue is familiar to what you have read before but fret you not - this is such a unique and suspenseful read. And the prologue comes full circle towards the end of the book and I love how everything intertwined.


Lexi truly grew on me as a character and Cooke really makes her shine. At first I had to side eye her and figure out what was going on in that head of hers. I was also equally fascinated by her and truly enjoyed watching her growth. And c'mon with Gaia.... LOVE THIS LITTLE GIRL SO HARD. Honestly, all these characters had such depth! I kinda really want more. Can we see Gaia and Coco grow up?!

I think one of my favorite things, however, is the Nordic folklore we get to learn about. I really would love to get my hands on Nordic folklore stories now! I don't know how Cooke managed to thoroughly bring everything together so seamlessly but I'm glad that she did.

You'll definitely have to suspend a little bit of reality for certain parts but I almost never have an issue with that. It IS fiction after all. And personally, the overall story outshines any nit picky things I could point out. This one hooked me right away, did lull a little bit in teeny tiny places, and then crescendos to a satisfying ending. Enjoy, readers.

DNF @ 30%.

I really wanted to love this book because I've been on such a gothic story kick, but I just couldn't make it through this book. It just feels like every other Scandinavian noir story without really adding anything new.

**3.5-stars**

Lexi is at rock bottom. Her life has never been easy, but at this point, she has days where she would rather not be alive. After her long-term relationship ends and her best friend basically tells her that she has become too much too deal with, Lexi knows she must find a way to make a new life for herself.

Riding a train one day, she overhears a conversation that provides her the opportunity to do just that. Stealing a woman named Sophie's identity, Lexi applies for a position as a nanny for a wealthy widower and his two young daughters. The best part is, the post is in the beautiful country of Norway.

She's astounded to learn that she has been hired on. Obviously, she's also nervous. She has a lot to pull off. Lexi, now Sophie, knows absolutely nothing about home-schooling, infants or any other general duties of being a nanny.

From the very first day, she's quickly swept up into the lives of the other staff members, Derry, Clive and Maron; the two children, Gaia and Coco, and the handsome widower, Tom. The house itself, is a drafty, historic home that the family resides in temporarily while Tom and Clive construct the main event: Aurelia's Nest.

As her days inside the house go on, Sophie begins to hear and see strange things. She also starts to learn about Tom's deceased wife, Aurelia, and the days leading up to her apparent suicide. Interspersed throughout the story, we do get some chapters told from Aurelia's perspective.

Sophie also stumbles across a diary that appears to be Aurelia's, so she gets a little bit of glimpse into her life as well, which causes her to come to some startling conclusions regarding Tom and Aurelia's marriage.

I enjoyed my time with this novel. The beginning felt very An Anonymous Girl meets Turn of the Key, but once the narrative arrives in Norway, it really takes on a life of its own. Cooke excels at setting the atmosphere; a perfect Autumnal read. This entire novel is dripping with a cold, dark, ominous feeling throughout.

Part ghost story, part domestic drama, part ecological horror story, there's also a lovely sprinkling of Norwegian folklore to sink your teeth into.

While I enjoyed many aspects of this story, I also felt like there were a few too many plot holes, as well as aspects that felt too much like other stories I have read recently. However, with this being said, overall, this is a captivating book. I would absolutely read anything else C.J. Cooke writes. She definitely has a style I am interested in watching grow.

Thank you so much to the publisher, Berkley, for providing me with a copy of this to read and review. As always, I greatly appreciate the opportunity to provide my opinion.

A strong gothic thriller with a hint of the paranormal, The Nesting will keep you up at night. I love my thrillers and scary stories, and this one made me want to leave the lights on.

Lexi Ellis finds herself in a bad place in her personal life. She has attempted suicide unsuccessfully and is left with no boyfriend, friends or family and no place to live. In desperation she applies for a nanny position under the guise of being an experienced nanny named Sophie. Getting the position, Lexi finds herself in snowy Norway working for an architect whose wife just commit suicide, leaving behind two lovely little girls.

The story builds up tension slowly, becoming dark and tense. Told in both past and present tense, there is a dark foreboding of what is to come. The Nesting tells the story of the mother before her apparent suicide and Lexi’s experiences that lead her to believe that the girls need to be protected from something far scarier. When Gaia and Lexi begin seeing the “sad lady” the imagery is so intense, one can’t help but feel her in the room. A great, creepy read, The Nesting check all the boxes for a great, gothic thriller.

From my blog: Always With a Book:

This is the first book I've read by C.J. Cooke and I absolutely loved it. It was just the kind of read I needed to start of my fall reading - a Nordic Gothic thriller that completely captivated me from start to finish!

I totally binge-read this book, reading it in one day because once I started it, I literally could not put it down! I was totally hooked and while there are some really creepy parts to this book, there are some other parts that are just totally lyrical that really lulled me into this story. It is so completely atmospheric that I felt like I was right there in Norway with the characters - I place, I might add, that I am so desperate to visit one day!

I loved the characters and how it was told in alternating perspectives of Lexie in present day and Aurelia in the past. I also loved that there were so many times when I was sure whether I could trust either of them. While each have their issues and secrets, nothing disputes the fact that these two women care deeply about the little girls in this story. That becomes their number one priority and despite everything else, that drives them in all they do.

I loved how the author wove the Norwegian folktales into the story. At times it was a little eerie and creepy but it works so well here. It adds to the overall sense of place and tone of the story. This book could not have been coming out at a more perfect time - just as we begin our fall season and are craving those dark, spooky reads. I loved this one and know that I will certainly be recommending it to all my thriller-loving friends that love those dark, chilling reads.

This book was a clever combination of Nordic folk takes and modern environmental revenge. With a side of ghost story to blend the two together. Tom Faraday is trying to build a house. He is so obsessed with the house that even the destruction of the first house and the death of his wife can't dissuade him. Lexi impersonates an experienced nanny and joins the family on the construction site. Here is where I will tell you that I thought there was way too much about construction and environmental engineering. And this is from someone who actually understood what they were talking about. I don't think the reader cares. I/they want to read about the gothic aspects: the ghost who greats them, the noises in the old house, the folk tales that the wife had been reading her children, etc. But, those aspects were strong enough to shadow over the distracting parts about construction to keep my interest and make for a really good read!

I think the pacing was a little rocky--it was quite slow to start--but I enjoyed the suspense of finding whether it was really spooky-ooky stuff going on or just gaslighting. In the end, though, I think the choice was right for the story.

I expected to love The Nesting by C.J. Cooke. The marketing sound bites and the book synopsis really grabbed me. I love gothic mysteries, folklore, and suspenseful thrillers, so I had high expectations for this book. I wish I could say that all my expectations were met.

I loved the Norse folklore that was sprinkled throughout the book. Those stories definitely had a dark edge to them and presented the deepest feeling of foreboding for me. The remote forest location in Norway was the perfect setting for a creepy tale. The imagery was vivid. Ms. Cooke’s addition of the local superstitions set the perfect stage for a chilling novel. However, for me that is where the chills ended.

I liked the story enough to finish it, but I had too many issues with the characters and the plot for me to become enthralled with the book. The characters could use more development and backstory. None of the primary {adult} characters seemed to have a moral compass. I presume that some characters’ stories weren’t revealed as a way to make them more suspicious, but I’m not sure the author got the desired effect. I struggled with Lexi going from suicidal, gaunt, unbathed and homeless to successfully convincing someone that she is an experienced and highly thought of nanny. Lexi’s questionable mental health is supposed to make her an unreliable narrator, but I don’t think that was achieved.

There were plot points that went nowhere or didn’t sync with later plot points. The pace of the story was fairly slow through much of the book, and then the end felt rushed and somewhat convenient. Actions against nature had huge consequences while actions against humans had almost none. The author’s messages (veganism and conservation) could have been more subtly crafted into the story. I think the questionable characters, the folklore, the apparitions, and the copious number of problems and set backs were supposed to add to the suspense, but for me, it made the story seem unfocused and over ambitious.

Overall, the premise is great and there are some good themes and symbolism, but between the loose threads and the genre identity crisis, I felt that I was reading an early draft, not a honed final edition.

2.5 stars

There is quite a bit to love about this book.

I wouldn't call this a Gothic novel per se- maybe in the sense of the setting(which is brilliant by the way)and the plot is sort of old school Gothic...oh wait...I guess it is! LOL

Another huge plus are the well developed characters. I LOVED Lexi, Gaia and Coco.

There is quite a bit going on with this book(multiple storylines) but I didn't mind because it works. Fair warning- once you start reading this book you will want to finish it in one sitting.

Another plot point I really loved was the Nordic folklore. However, I felt cheated at the end regarding some of this-no explanation something. But perhaps I missed it?

Overall this a creepy beautifully crafted novel that I think with appeal to fans of Ruth Ware.

Sophie Hallerton, nanny to Tom's two small daughters, is not who they think. After stealing Sophie's identity Lexi Ellis travels to Norway to become a nanny to Gaia and Coco whose mother recently died. Norse fairy tales intermingle with a modern setting to create a darkly gothic novel that grabs your imagination and emotions. You won't want to put it down until every last question is answered. A great read. #Indigoemployee#Net Galley#TheNesting

⚠️CW: Postpartum depression, depression, suicide, suicidal ideation, cutting, infidelity, domestic violence, drowning

Thank you to @berkleypub and @netgalley for the digital ARC! The Nesting will be available on September 28th.

I’ve always loved ghost stories and been drawn to the unexplainable, so venturing into the world of paranormal thrillers this year has been a TREAT. It adds a touch of fantasy to a genre that can begin to feel a little monotonous. The addition of an “evil entity” opens the door for so many spooky moments, and I’m here for it. Also, the description of this particular entity? Can’t get it out of my head. MAJOR Samara from The Ring vibes. 👀

Quick summary: After a suicide attempt, Lexi poses as someone else to take a nannying job in Norway, believing the remote location will be the perfect chance to escape, start fresh, and work on her novel. It’s there she’ll be working for Tom, an architect and grieving widower who’s determined to build his family’s dream home, despite countless setbacks (including his wife’s suicide!!) and warnings from superstitious locals.

The Nesting is a stunningly atmospheric and unputdownable novel that whisked me away to a beautiful, haunted landscape: an old, secluded house in the woods on the edge of the fjord. The past and present timelines combined with Nordic folklore, paranormal elements, and traditional suspense make this the perfect pick for an Autumn night. I read it in one sitting, bundled up on the patio, listening to the wind and rain. (Highly recommend for optimum spooky vibes!!)

At first, this book felt similar to Ruth Ware’s The Turn of the Key. While I enjoyed that book, I’m pleased to say this was a different experience entirely. With a heavy focus on environmental ethics, The Nesting shows us that Mother Nature fights back, and she’ll take what she’s owed.