Nanny Dearest is a notable debut that delves into the complexities of human relationships and the haunting shadows of the past. Its strengths lie in its engaging plot, atmospheric writing, and the psychological depth of its characters. However, it does have its weaknesses, particularly in areas where the narrative could have been tightened for a more impactful delivery.
Overall, Flora Collins has crafted a thought-provoking and suspenseful story that will appeal to fans of domestic thrillers and psychological suspense. While it may not be perfect, it is certainly a promising start to Collins' literary career.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of <i>Nanny Dearest</i> in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

<h4 style="margin-top: 84px;">The Gist</h4>

<i>Nanny Dearest</i> by Flora Collins is a novel that intrigued me from the start with its interesting premise. The idea of a psychological thriller revolving around a nanny's dark secrets held a lot of potential. Unfortunately, while the book starts strong, it ultimately fails to deliver on its promise.

<h4>The Details</h4>

The story centers around Sue Keller, who reconnects with her childhood nanny, Anneliese, after her parents' deaths. As Sue delves deeper into Anneliese's past, she uncovers unsettling truths that threaten to upend her life. This setup is compelling, and the initial chapters are quite engaging. Collins does a commendable job of setting up an atmosphere of suspense and unease.

However, as the story progresses, the narrative begins to falter. One of the major issues is the pacing. The plot moves at a sluggish pace, and there are stretches where very little happens. This lack of momentum makes it difficult to stay invested in the characters and their fates.

Speaking of characters, they are another weak point of the book. Sue, the protagonist, is somewhat bland and lacks depth. Her motivations are not always clear, and her actions sometimes feel inconsistent. Anneliese, who should be a more intriguing and complex character, comes across as one-dimensional. Her backstory, which is supposed to add layers to her character, feels underdeveloped and fails to elicit the necessary emotional response.

The writing style is serviceable but not particularly memorable. There are moments of vivid description and insight, but these are few and far between. The dialogue often feels stilted and unnatural, which further detracts from the overall experience.

Additionally, the book's resolution is disappointing. After a long buildup, the climax feels rushed and unsatisfying. The revelations about Anneliese's past and her true intentions lack the impact needed to make the story memorable. Instead of leaving the reader with a sense of closure or shock, it ends on a rather flat note.

<h4>The Verdict</h4>

Overall, <i>Nanny Dearest</i> by Flora Collins is a book that had a lot of potential but ultimately did not live up to expectations. While it has a strong premise and a promising start, the slow pacing, underdeveloped characters, and lackluster writing make it a difficult read. Fans of psychological thrillers might find some elements to enjoy, but overall, it falls short of being a standout in the genre.

This was a story that had me turning the pages into the wee hours of the morning, a story that had me sleep deprived at work the next day, and a story that had me racing back to read more pages the second I could.
Masterfully woven, with skillful twists and turns that are unexpected, I thoroughly enjoyed this story!

Meh. Sort of boring and quite predictable. I feel like the characters weren’t very interesting either. I’ve watched better plot twists on Lifetime.

Still feeling adrift after the death of her father, Sue is happy when she reconnects with her nanny after 20 years. But her childhood memories of Nanny do not quite match her adult impressions of the woman who cared for her so many years ago. The more Sue learns of Nanny's life now, the more questions she has about exactly why shr left and are the children she's entrusted with now safe? A thriller mixed in with a child's emotional memories. The two characters each tell their stories but how much of the truth is hidden?

This was not really my cup of tea. While I am usually a fan of dual timelines, this one just didn't really click.

Trigger warning: animal violence/death.

Many thanks to Netgalley for the ARC of this book for review! It is centered around Sue, who loses her father, when she is in her 20s. She meets up with her old nanny, Annie, and is so happy to have her back in Her life. But as she starts to dig deeper she realizes Annie disappeared for a reason and becomes concerned for the new children Annie I’d nannying for, it sure if anyone is safe.

There are a lot of nanny books I’ve read and this one just missed the mark for me somehow. The book starts slow and the characters weren’t very likable and I found there to be plot holes. There was also animal abuse that was a no for me.

I really wanted to love this one. It was just ok for me. There was so much that happened that seemed a bit weird and didn't really add up.

I liked finding out about the past, but the present was what threw me off the most.

Thanks to Netgalley and publisher for a gifted copy of this title

Decent suspense. Even got me "yelling" at the character in that fun way, such as, "What's wrong with you, you silly girl?!"

I did a mix of audio and digital for this book. I enjoyed the narrator and found she told the story well. The concept of this one just didn't do much for me. I completely believe things like this happen, where you open up your home to a stranger and they become so involved, too involved, that this is now their life. I just found this one strange. I liked the past tense parts, hearing about Suzy's childhood. However, the modern day was just so unbelievable at times. The way Suzy acted and how she didn't see through Anneliese was just insane to me. You would have thought that it would have been more obvious, but she just kept giving her way too many chances when she did not deserve them and should not have trusted her.

This book was a huge surprise. Generally one expects a nanny book to be about an affair between a nanny and the father, but Collins doesn't go for such easy tropes. Still, the subtext of "do you really know this stranger living in your house" takes center stage. Great book.

I flew through this one, which I found to be atmospheric and creepy in the best way. Although the main character really isn't the most likeable person and the book contains some tropes I hate, I did enjoy this one simply for the tension-building and alternating POV, which kept it interesting for me.

I found myself really wrapped up in the story and I was really enjoying it until the very end. I had to read it twice to make sure I wasn’t remembering incorrectly. I personally just didn’t care for how it ended but I know others might like it a lot!

DNF - Did not finish. I did not connect with the writing style or plot and will not be finishing this title. Thank you, NetGalley and Publisher for the early copy!

Unlikable characters who didn't make me feel the suspense of the plot line, slow moving scenes that did not keep me gripped to my kindle. And to top it off, it was completely predictable. Needed more thrill to be added. An okay read

3.5/5 Stars

Sue Kellar is mourning the recent death of her father after losing her mother years prior to cancer. One day, she runs into her childhood Nanny, Annaliese. As they spend more time with one another, Annaliese fills the parental figure role that Sue has been lacking. Sue's friends become worried when they begin to uncover the truth about who Annaliese really is, and the things she is hiding.

I enjoyed this story for the most part, but it had quite a slow pace. I liked how there was an alternating timeline between Annie's POV in 1996 and Sue's POV in the present. I think this did a great job of letting us understand both characters. It was interesting to be inside Annie's mind while she was nannying for Sue, and the extreme attachment she had. I found her character to be the most interesting of the two, and I could never tell whether or not we should trust her. She always seemed to have an explanation for everything. The biggest complaint I have is the ending... it was so unsatisfying. Also, there was a scene with animal abuse I could have definitely used without.

NANNY DEAREST by Flora Collins.

I had a very specific thing in mind when I added this book to my Tbr. I had just read NIGHTBITCH and I wanted to explore a little more on the topic of motherhood.

I have always been fascinated by the triangular relationship dynamics between parents and nannies and the children they care for.

This book explores the relationship between the child and the nanny more than with parental figures. I appreciated the storyline and loved the moments the characters experienced that bordered on obsession.

I could’ve handled a lot more of it.

Overall, this is a solid domestic thriller that will appeal to readers looking for a captivating read exploring interpersonal relationships.

Thanks to Netgalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing-Mira for this advanced copy!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This one did not really do it for me. I really liked the storyline but the characters were not likeable (or hateable!) enough for me. I am sure that a lot of other people will love it, I probably just read it wrong.

3.5/5

Nanny Dearest by Flora Collins is a really hard novel for me to nail down my feelings for. On one hand, I was basically unable to put it down and was thoroughly engrossed in what was happening, but on the other hand, it ended up falling a little flat for me. That being said, I still think it is a strong debut, and I love that Collins drew on personal experience and her family history to create this book. It really makes me wonder what parts of it are from her life, and made it seem that much more mysterious. I noticed that the book is being marketed as domestic suspense and I would definitely say that is accurate. While it has an air of mystery, I wouldn't call it a mystery and I wouldn't call it a thriller either. There are plenty of tense moments though, and I enjoyed seeing how the story unfolded. The end is what kind of threw me off, and it is what left me feeling a little meh about it.

I honestly think Nanny Dearest is a great book to go into as blind as possible, and I was glad I didn't read the synopsis again prior to reading it. The majority is a pretty slow burn, but once you get towards the end things picked up. There is a trigger for animal abuse, but it wasn't as descriptive as a lot of other books I've read and would be easy to skip over. It is only a small instance of the book, and this is a huge trigger for me, but I was able to handle it due to the way Collins wrote it. I do think that the audiobook is the way to go here as it is narrated by Brittany Pressley & Reba Buhr, and Pressley is one of my favorite narrators. Both she and Buhr did a really great job drawing me into the story, and I think it worked even better for me because of the two of them. I would recommend Nanny Dearest to readers of domestic drama who don't mind books that defy believability, and I would gladly read whatever Collins writes next.

I received a complimentary digital copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Favorite Quotes:

It is a microcosm of motherhood here, women huddled in clusters around the edge of the playground, shaking out Goldfish, handing over juice boxes, wiping away dirt from little hands… Men are so absent, you would forget they existed at all.

But there’s something wrong with me, Suzy. Something very, very wrong.

My Review:

This was a disturbingly realistic and disquieting piece packed with warped and fractured characters who were all rather lacking in the areas of mental health and likable personalities. The writing was insightful and perceptive with a constant thrum of apprehension and risk of discovery, but the discovery of exactly what was always in question. I was deeply curious and invested in their tale and had developed multiple theories as I read, and all of them were wrong. How I love it when that happens!

The tale unraveled slowly while ratcheting up the tension, which was present and tautly held from the first page to the last word. I was impatient at times when the storylines appeared to falter or veer in other directions although I later realized the author was weaving in additional threads as the characters became increasingly unhinged. But that ending has left me tapping my little foot while I contemplate my feelings, I’m quite unsettled and bordering on distressed. I have a feeling I will be ruminating on this one for some time.