Thanks to NetGalley and to the publisher for the ARC which I received in exchange for my honest review. The Nesting is the first novel I have read by author C.J. Cooke, and I very much enjoyed it. The novel is a chilling combination of Nordic folklore and domestic thriller. Told from multiple points of view, the story follows Lexi, a young woman who finds herself at loose ends, homeless and and desperate after a failed suicide attempt. The novel also centers on Aurelia, a beautiful and wealthy wife and mother, who feels as though she is slowly losing her grasp on reality. The reader learns early on that Aurelia is dead but many questions remain. Was it suicide, murder committed at the hands of a jealous spouse, or was she a sacrifice to a sinister supernatural being from Nordic folklore?

Aurelia is living in Norway with her adorable daughters while her husband Tom works on their dream summer home. In order to build this home, Tom chooses to divert a river. His actions have dire consequences for the build and for his family. Tom is a study in contradiction, a man seemingly hyperaware of the negative impact humans have on the environment and yet possessed with enough hubris to believe that he can simply divert a river to suit his needs. We learn that such behavior is particularly frowned upon in Nordic culture, and many locals on the job site warn Tom about mother's nature's revenge.

This book was simply riveting. Richly atmospheric and gothically chilling. I was hooked from the first page. There are some minor plot holes but with a story this engrossing I am willing to overlook them. I absolutely loved the Nordic supernatural elements included in the book and it is clear that the author has done a great deal of research in this area. The author does a good job with the conclusion of the novel and I was satisfied with the ending. If you are looking for a "Scandi Noir" look no further!!

I'll admit, I have rather low opinion of "thrillers." The weak female characters, the intellectually lazy sadism, the cliched storylines. But I do like a gothic tale, and those themes saved what would otherwise be overwrought Karen-lit.

It does not get off to a great start. Lexi is recovering from a failed suicide attempt and her support system is comprised of a boyfriend who kicks her out, a pal who dumps her, and an abusive characature of a mother. With no place to go and no one to rely on, Lexi just happens to overhear a girl named Sophie say she is going to turn down a job opportunity to nanny for an architect building a home in Norway. Boom, Lexi adopts Sophie’s identity and accepts the job in her name. (Jeez, why do I think thrillers are so cliched?)

Once in Norway, the book vastly improves. There’s great atmosphere and great mystery surrounding the death of the architect’s wife. Did the young mother of the two girls Lexi/Sophie is nannying for commit suicide, or was she murdered? The mystery is interwoven with the ethics of destroying nature for human habitation, ghostly sightings and Norse folktales. The writing was above average for a thriller and that helped keep me interested. It’ll be a long time before I have the appetite for another thriller, but this one wasn’t so bad. 3.5 stars.

DNF @ 23%. I really wanted to like this, but just couldn't get into it. I keep trying to make the gothic genre work for me, but it almost never does. This is probably more a case of it being me, not the book.

This is my first book by this author. CJ Cooke writes a haunting novel with gothic overtones set amidst Norway's forests and fjords. Lexi Ellis is not in a good place, with a broken relationship behind her, she is suicidal, depressed and virtually homeless. Her desperation leads her to take on the identity and CV of another woman, for the purpose of securing the post of a nanny after she overhears a conversation. This has her travelling to a remote part of Norway to look after two lovely young children, Gaia and Coco, their mother, Aurelia, recently committed suicide.

The widowed and grieving father is an architect, intent on constructing a home in the cliffs, like a nest encroaching on the environment, a dream of his and his late wife, Aurelia, a project that continuously runs into trouble. Lexi becomes determined to do everything, she can to protect the children. The chilling narrative shifts between present and past.

This is a dark and ghostly novel that will appeal to readers of this genre. Although not my personal favorite genre, the book is engaging. The writing is engrossing and will keep you intrigued.

C. J. Cooke tells us The Nesting from two different points of view, one from then and one from now. The story takes place mostly in Norway and reminds me of a Gothic tale. Enjoyable story, but a little confusing in the first couple of chapters. I want to thank NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for an early copy to review.

This is a great thriller to add to your reading list! I loved how it was set in Norway - I have been to Norway so I could picture the cliffs and the fjords. If you haven't been, then look up some pictures to get an idea of how beautiful they are.

I enjoyed this story a lot. Some parts were pretty spooky, maybe you wouldn't want to read them right before bed, but overall it wasn't a super scary book, in my opinion. The only part I didn't like or understand super well was the part about the diary at the end..I won't spoil it so I won't explain what I mean, but it didn't ruin the book in anyway. The ending was also a little bit confusing, too, like I missed a section - was Lexi forgiven, why, how? Overall, it was a great, quick read!

I was not able to finish this one.

Initially I thought this one might be bad because the mystery/thriller genre is saturated with nanny stories, but really it was just bad because I could not have cared less about any of the characters.

The beginning was promising, I flew through the first ten percent. Unfortunately between there are where I have up (@62%) there was nothing at all to hold my attention. None of the characters were like able, the environmental story line was just overkill and the story just didn’t move.

I will say that I read this author’s previous book and found the back half to be much stronger than the first, maybe that’s the case with this one if you stick with it, but I just couldn’t,

When I began to read this book, I wasn’t at all sure that I was going to like it since I am not a big fan of gothic thrillers. Nevertheless, I persisted because I was genuinely interested in what was going to happen with the weak and vulnerable Lexi. After a suicide attempt, Lexi needs a new home and a new start and finds it “coincidentally” when she meets a young woman named Sophie Hallerton who was going to apply to be a nanny to a family in Norway, but then Sophie’s friend was having a baby so she decided to give up the new position. Lexi steps right into her shoes, almost literally since she completely steals Sophie’s identity and steps into the world of being a nanny to two dreadfully difficult children who are mourning the loss of their mother. Aurelia may or may not have committed suicide. Tom, her widower, is an architect who is consumed with building a house on the cliffs of Norway. The most interesting and deep character was Maren, the housekeeper and administrative assistant who hired Lexi and seems to creep around watching her all the time. Lexi had no idea where her deceit would take her, but apparently she has landed herself with bratty children and a house that may be haunted. The dark atmosphere gets darker as the story continues, with the figure of a woman appearing to Lexi at regular intervals, hinting at the supernatural. There are two time frames, the current with Lexi and all of her problems continuing her deceit and the pasts with Aurelia, an unhappy young woman who does not really seem to fit into the dark woods of her husband’s chosen dream home. The story is fast-paced, seeming at time like a fairytale that needs a happy ending. After all, the setting is certainly dream-like. Then, the darkness begins to close in around Lexi and she feels compelled to protect Gaia and Coco from whatever or whoever it is that may harm them. Like I said, I persisted in reading and was ultimately drawn into this haunting story of two women, years apart, desperate to protect two young girls from the danger all around them. This is a perfect book to read on a cool evening, with the lights low and soft music in the background. I did not buy into the all of the coincidences and thought that they were just too much to be believed. But I did like the atmosphere that the author presented with such great attention to detail, not only with description but also with the interaction between the characters. The hallways, the stairs, the rooms all seem dark. The forest is right outside and the cliffs of the fjord are there, too. The ending was not a big surprise, but it was certainly well written. Much of the book reminded me of the books that I read many years ago by Victoria Holt. Of course, my heart was younger and stronger then, so this book had much more of an effect on my racing pulse. Fans of thrillers will really enjoy this book and will want to devour it quickly.
Disclaimer
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255, “Guides Concerning the Use of Testimonials and Endorsements in Advertising.”

This is the first book I have read by this author. I'd like to give it 3 1/2 stars. It definitely held my interest. I wasn't sure if it was going to be a horror story or not. It definitely had horror aspects to it. I'm not fond of unreliable narrators , but Lexi/Sophie straightened up her act and was more reliable as the book went on. The setting had a huge role to play in this story and provided great atmosphere and suspense. The characters all had odd characteristics to them that I wasn't sure made total sense in some cases. I liked the way the story developed telling Aurelia's story in the past with Lexi/Sophie's in the present leading up to the big finale. I liked the way it ended.
I received an Advance Review Copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

"The woods are creeping in on a nanny and two young girls in this chilling modern Gothic thriller.

Architect Tom Faraday is determined to finish the high-concept, environmentally friendly home he’s building in Norway - in the same place where he lost his wife, Aurelia, to suicide. It was their dream house, and he wants to honor her with it.

Lexi Ellis takes a job as his nanny and immediately falls in love with his two young daughters, especially Gaia. But something feels off in the isolated house nestled in the forest along the fjord. Lexi sees mysterious muddy footprints inside the home. Aurelia’s diary appears in Lexi’s room one day. And Gaia keeps telling her about seeing the terrifying Sad Lady....

Soon Lexi suspects that Aurelia didn’t kill herself and that they are all in danger from something far more sinister lurking around them."

GOTHIC! GOTHIC! GOTHIC! Say it like Animal from the Muppets!

Set in Norway, the novel uses Norwegian legends, beliefs, and folk tales as an integral part of the plot.

Lexi Ellis, down on her luck and needing a job, pretends to be someone else to get a dream job of nanny to two small girls in the forests of Norway. She becomes involved in the local beliefs of spirits and ghosts and the mystery of the death of her employer's former wife. Good armchair travel and an entertaining plot.

I was pleasantly surprised by this boo. I enjoyed it so much. It's an atmospheric, gothic thriller that really makes you turn each page. I was surprised by the blend of nordic folklore and actual villians. My favorite character is little Gaia and I would love to read more stories with her and Lexi. However, each of these characters are fleshed out and I wanted to shake a couple of them. The heroine was actually a surprise for this genre as usually I find major issues with the MC but there were genuine surprises here. There's a mystery element as to the who dun it and I'm not exactly sure how I feel about it but, it was done so well. I highly recommend for fall as this definitely fits the mood.

I struggled on how I was going to write my review and also how I felt about the book. I will start with what I liked about it and go from there.

I loved the Nordic folktales. Those stories were not only interesting, they were a bit haunting which added a vibe to the story. I also loved how the local people believed in them and had their superstitions. Gaia was smart and cute. Probably my favorite character.

I truly wanted to like this story but right from start it was kind of doomed for me. I expected a lot more thriller than what I got from this story. The story seemed uneven. It starts off with a pretty strong event. It seemed to be building towards an explosive ending but it fell way flat for me. In no way did I feel this was a thriller. It seemed like a bunch of secrets and points of views that added up to a bunch of nothing. A lot of the story could have been cut down and most scenes taken out. The story didn’t find its way until the end. The end was ok. I didn’t love this story but I also didn’t hate it. I give this 2.5 rounded up to 3 stars.

I really liked this book. The isolated Scandinavian setting made a perfect backdrop for this creepy thriller. It had me guessing to the end. Thanks to NetGalley for the privilege to read and review this book.

Thank you NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for my ARC. I enjoyed the ghostly Norwegian setting. The beginning reminded me of The Turn of the Key, but the similarities ended there. There was so much going on in this book. The pacing was a little slow, so it read as a slow paced mystery. There were some holes in the story that never felt wrapped up. From maddness, to ghosts, to Norwegian folklore; this book had many plot points that were intriguing and had me wanting more. This was an overall enjoyable read. It lacked the necessary building suspense of a great mystery.

Atmospheric, creepy, and full of twists, The Nesting is an engaging thriller! I love an unreliable narrator and Lexi/Sophie was certainly that. I loved the dual storylines and the mix of thriller, ghost story, and folklore. I was genuinely creeped out at times, which doesn't always happen! A compelling read and the perfect spooky escape from the heat of summer.

C. J. Cooke's "The Nesting" captivated me from the first few paragraphs. There was suicide or murder, false identity, and abnormalities in nature just to name a few things going on. The characters' traits and back stories were revealed slowly and some remained more of a mystery than others, throughout the book. I wanted to read the book all in one sitting, until the last few chapters.. Unlike the rest of the book, the end seemed rushed and it did not come to a comfortable conclusion.

Overall, I enjoyed reading "The Nesting" and since this is my first book by C. J. Cooke, I would be more than willing to read some of her other works.

5 mind blowing stars! This isn’t even close to my normal read, especially with the mythical believes weaved within, but must admit it blew my mind! It was so well written, with absolutely amazing character development, and so much to weave and untangle I couldn’t help but immerse myself! Chilling, scary even, thrilling, and shocking! Unputdownable and mind blowing! Will definitely be looking for more by this author! Word of advice, clear your schedule prior to starting, as it’s one that’s hard to put down once you start! Otherwise, I highly recommend!
Will make sure to buzz around platforms and use low Amazon reviewer number on release date!

This psychological contemporary novel does a great job of sliding into Nordic noir. I enjoyed the superstitious, Norwegian mythological elements very much and felt they really enhanced the off-kilter feeling of the principal characters. So many ideas—environmental concerns, suicide, postpartum depression, myth, architecture, writing, Montessori schooling, and mental illness—blend together seamlessly in #thenesting by C J Cooke. I wish to thank #netgalley and the publisher for this ebook to read ahead of publication in exchange for an honest review.

This book is absolutely perfect to me. I could not put it down!! The entire story played out so well. I loved the use of Norwegian legends and folktales. My only selfish complaint is I wish it was longer but I totally could have stayed in this world for longer throughout the climactic scenes and afterward. The premise of this initially reminded me of Turn of the Key, but then obviously goes a completely different direction. There are so many thrillers these days that have a lot of the same tropes and reveals and The Nesting was fully unique. There was a great mix of real life horror and speculative horror. The overarching themes of nature was SO GOOD. Cannot wait to read this book again.