Such a fun read! Loved this one!

Many thanks to the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for my ARC.

This was a pleasant read with lots of ups and downs. There was enough in the story to keep me turning the pages.

Sandy Taylor never disappoints.
Another gem of a read.
A book that captivates you from the very beginning.

Rose Brown, the main character in The Irish Nanny, is a teenager working as a maid at a hotel in Cork, Ireland in 1939 when she meets David Townsend. He is an American businessman who is staying at the hotel. They strike up a friendship, and later David asks Rose to be his children’s nanny in England. She doesn’t want to leave her beloved Ireland, her mother, sisters or best friend Polly, but she knows that her family needs the money. So, she moves to England and becomes a huge part of his family’s life.

Rose is a wonderful, warm character who is very well developed. I love how the author describes her and her relationships.

As the story unfolds across continents, I was sucked in. I loved this emotional, heart-wrenching book.

Thanks for NetGalley and Bookouture for an eARC in exchange for my thoughts.

I had high hopes for this book, as it seemed that it would be a unique perspective on WWII on an Irish woman in London. While that is partially true, the larger story is much more than that.
In fact, and to be perfectly honest, the war actually serves as a minuscule backdrop to Rose’s story. It’s there only to provide a couple of plot points and not much else.
That doesn’t mean that the story itself is bad (it’s not). But if you’re looking for heroics in the face of war, or detailed scenes about London in wartime, this is not the place to find them.
I felt like this story was more of a lyrical retelling of a young girl’s journey – one that takes her from her small town in Ireland to places she never dreamed she would visit. If looked at through this lens, the book is highly successful.
I liked how the author used Polly and Rose as the differing opinions on their small town, and I especially liked the message that opportunity finds us when we least expect it. I can’t say more about Polly and Rose’s outcomes without giving the plot away, but it did follow in an orderly telling. The story is very linear.
There were parts of it that reminded me of one of my favorite movies, The Quiet Man. Sure, it might be mostly because of the setting, but I think it’s more that the story seemed like it could be retold in an Irish Pub. There was a quality that just made it float along easily, moving from one part to the next.
I liked the characters. I thought that Rose was enjoyable, and the author really hit on how a young girl might have felt leaving home and going to a big city. I also liked Bridgy – she was a hoot, and Agnes was also interesting. I didn’t get much of a feel for the third sister. (I actually had to go back into the book to even remember her name – she didn’t figure highly in the story).
Where the story faltered for me was in the details. I never felt like I got a good enough answer for why Alice was the way she was. Raffi just seemed like an impertinent brat. David was a mystery. None of it seemed to jibe together very well. I particularly did not like the resolution for Alice and Raffi. It was contrived and answered no questions.
There were also places where the writing became tedious. I got very tired of reading “darling girl” or “dear child.” It was repetitive and frankly annoying. And don’t get me started on the scenes set in Brooklyn. I thought those were the most manipulative of all.
In fact, upon reflection, it kind of felt like this was Forrest Gump for the Irish nanny population. Rose is buffeted from one “event” to the next and just happens to be there for whatever occurs.
But I did like the messages of hope and resilience, as well as following the path that God may have laid out for you, even if you can’t figure out why that is the case. Rose certainly grew up (as did Polly). It was a sweet story.

The front cover of the book tells us that it is a heart wrenching read, they weren't wrong. My emotions went up and down like the waves on the Atlantic that Rose was sailing. I was gripped to the story the whole way through, trying to second guess what would happen. Rose has an eventful time but never forgets her Irish roots and is able to call upon her upbringing to get her through many situations. She is a strong character and you do forget that she is a young girl, (I feel she could have been portrayed as a little older than she was). But said I thoroughly enjoyed the book, which was well written.

What a revelation! A tale full of realistic emotions and survival. Reading The Irish Nanny was as wholesome as a reader can expect from this genre. A wonderful telling that will leave the reader joyous for having found the book!

This is a quiet story. It’s the kind of story that draws you in and makes you feel like you are floating around in endless calm waters under clear skies. I was lost in Rose’s world. I travelled with her through Ireland, England and finally,America.

Being character driven, the story had quite well developed characters. I loved Rose though I must admit that I kept losing the feel of her age throughout the story. At times, she felt younger, others, more mature. Nevertheless, I enjoyed her character and that of all the support characters. They each pulled me into their lives and I enjoyed getting to know them.

This is a beautiful,poignant read about love, loss, family and friendships. It is unique in various ways. For one thing, it made me think about the plight of Japanese Americans after Pearl Harbour. Its crazy how that happens every where in the world. In my country, I’ve seen Kenyan Somalis face the brunt of the other Kenyans’ anger whenever there are terrorist attacks. Collective punishment is a sad reality and my heart broke for the innocent Japanese who were living in America and had to face everyone’s anger. Anyway, I digress.

Coming of age, partly romance and definitely historic, this is a fab read that I recommend to everyone.

2.5 stars. This book seems geared for YA instead of adults. I found it simplistic and shallow, with little character change or depth. While the book is supposed to be set in the late 1930's/WW2 years, the scenes that the author sets made me think that it was actually pre-WW1.

Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the advanced copy. My opinions are my own and not influenced by anyone. Ever.

Thank you to NetGalley, & Bookouture for the opportunity to read and review this book before it's publication date! This in no way affected my review, opinions are my own.

I picked this one from NetGalley on a total whim, only days before it was set to publish (bad NetGalley decisions 101) and I'm actually so stoked I did because it ended up being one of my favorite books this year!

I'm new to Sandy Taylor as an author but I will definitely be looking up her backlist because I just genuinely LOVED reading this book. Her writing erased the world around me and had me totally invested - even as she took me over the course of someone's life over 10 years in 330 pages (easy to lose a reader there).

My favorite part was the relationships between the characters, especially that of Rose & her family. They felt as real to me as my own mother and brothers - there was love, laughter, sadness, snark, quips, and so much warmth. And I liked reading about someone that actually LOVED their small town with it's small ways, that was taken away from that comfort not by their own choosing (aka I'M GOING ON AN ADVENTURE!).

I also really liked the atmosphere of her writing - most especially the Irish bits. I don't see that the author is Irish herself (I could be wrong) but the way she wrote about the area and the way the characters spoke to each other felt so much like Derry Girls it was amazing (Derry Girls being my only real exposure to Irish culture, but I feel like people have said it's fairly accurate??).

There's actually so much more to say about why I loved this so much, but I think a lot of it is best discovered by reading it yourself. Just saying!

Seriously though: The overall story was thoroughly enjoyable - I actually wish we had been given MORE. (That ending, though!!) I would not hesitate to anyone with an interest in historical fiction!

The Irish Nanny is a sweet story, but (*plot twist*) isn’t really about a nanny at all.

Rose Brown is a young girl growing up in a tiny seaside Ireland town. Her best friend convinces her to take jobs together at a hotel in the larger city of Cork, where she meets a gentleman who later becomes her employer by inviting her to London to work for his family: not to nanny, as she originally assumes, but to “watch” his wife, Alice — a sweet but mentally unstable woman. The story chronicles their adventures through the late 1930s and into the beginnings of WWII.

PROS:
- A sweet, easy read with just enough heart-string pulling.
- Vivid word pictures that aren’t too wordy, especially of Ireland.

QUIRKS:
- I feel like the middle section of this book was just one temper tantrum after another... Alice, Raffi, Rose; most of which end in “uncontrollable” laughter, which I found uncomfortable and odd.
- The love interests (particularly the last guy)... really?
- When the Lyns (Japanese tailors/friends) get taken to the internment camp from their Brooklyn home, they’re never mentioned again, and the reader is supposed to be convinced that the internment camp is “for their own safety”?? Please. That rubbed me the wrong way.
- I feel weird for noticing but... apple sponge. The only thing the characters EVER eat (seriously, it’s mentioned like... 13 times).

Well that was a rollercoaster of emotions. The beautifully natured and gentle Irish girl, who finds herself taken away from her comfort zone and has to face many challenges to make her way in the world. Love, angst, pain, religion, sadness, joy, humour, fear and so much more. I thoroughly enjoyed the story and wanted the best for Rose, so much so I had to keep reading until I finished.

Rose lives in the small Irish town of Ballykillen with her mother and sisters. They are very modest and Rose is delighted when she and her friend Polly get a job in a hotel in Cork. There, she meets a gentleman, David, who later asks her to work for his family as companion for his wife. By accepting this offer, Rose embarks into a life changing experience which sees her travel to London and to New York with this family. But it is the WWII and their lives are turned upside down by the war events and will never be the same again.
This is a really nicely written book where the atmosphere of times and places is so well rendered. Lovely descriptions of Ireland and interesting ones of New York at that time. The musicality of the Irish language comes through in the dialogues and the thoughts Rose expresses and the family love in Rose's family comes through very beautifully.
I enjoyed the rhythm of the story throughout the book except for the very end which felt too quick for me, and I would have loved a slower landing to the story.
Overall a very pleasant read.

Sandy Taylor’s The Irish Nanny has a beautiful cover. I enjoy reading WWII historical fiction and each book I read gives me a new insight into people’s lives during this period. We first meet a young Irish girl Rose Brown who lives in the small town of Ballykillen. Her father was a sailor and died at sea leaving his wife, Rose and her three younger sisters. Rose and her best friend, Polly go to Cork and get jobs as maids in a hotel. Rose has many conversations with David, an American businessman who lives in London with his wife, Alice, and son Raffi. Rose receives a letter from David with an offer to come to London and help take care of Raffi and support his wife. Rose takes the job so she can give more money to help her mom.

For me this book started so many different plots and never really made me get excited about what was going to happen next. Alice has lost her baby daughter and definitely needs some psychological help and Raffi should seek help too. I think this book might be more suited for young adult readers. The author has some interesting ideas for the plots (maybe too many). I think the book needs a good editing and expand a few of the plot lines in depth and take out a few. My thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for an ARC of this book. The opinions in this review are my own.

I didn't really enjoy this one, honestly. It wasn't poorly written or anything, I just felt it to be slightly boring.

Boy, I'm not sure what to say about this one. I liked it. This book kept me interested. It was written pretty well. The first part of the book we meet Rose Brown, her family and best friend Polly all from a small town/village in Bellykillen, Ireland.

Rose finds herself in London as a nanny to a very unusual family and that is where our adventure begins.

Many thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for this advanced readers copy. This book became available to purchase July 30, 2021.

Beautiful. Written with heart. A carefully researched, heart breaking story that gets you invested. This is a story that you will be thinking about long after you've finished reading the book. Just lovely.

My thanks to Netgalley and Bookoutoure for the opportunity to read this advanced copy in return for an unbiased review. #netgalley #theirishnanny

The Irish Nanny by Sandy Taylor is the story of a young Irish woman who leaves her beautiful, albeit, poor family home to go and work for a wealthy family in London. She is to assist the pregnant mother, which becomes quite the job, especially when the father leaves tp go to America and the country becomes embroiled in World War II. Soon, Rose has her hands full with caretaking for the entire family, and then they must leave to go to America where David, the father is.
Rose faces many challenges as she works with and loves the Townsend family... and fights for her own survival as well. The descriptions of Ireland and writing throughout were enjoyable, and I really felt like I was there in Ireland, London and Brooklyn with her. The ending was unexpected and very satisfying!
Definitely recommend this historical fiction book.

Most historical fiction that I read is set and centred around WWII and I loved that The Irish Nanny spanned Rose’s life before the war, through the war and how her life continued after.

I found that I was frustrated by Rose at times, by not standing up for herself and just letting decisions be made for her. I loved how much she cared about her family and those that became like her family. Unfortunately the ending was so abrupt that it was hard to determine how I felt, I wanted another chapter to really wrap everything up.

Overall, I really enjoyed the book. Rose was a great main character and I loved the adventures she had.

'The Irish Nanny' by Sandy Taylor is a heartbreaking historical fiction saga set in the Second World War. An expertly weaved story that really does make an emotional read. This is my first Sandy Taylor book and, again, I am so glad I am a blogger. It helps me discover little gems of authors that I wouldn't otherwise discover.
While working in Cork at a hotel with her best friend Polly, Rose Brown is offered a position within a family working in England. She knows the money will be so welcomed by her family in Ballykillen so takes it. Her postion has her looking after her employers wife as she has never recovered from the loss of their son. As events conspire so David, her employer, has to travel back to America and leaves Rose to take charge of the family and be the one who is relied on in the absence of David as war is announced.
As Rose and the family set sail to travel back to America and David there is tragedy. Leaving Rose having to take the lead once again. Rose lands on American soil with the baby, Sarah in her sole charge. This is the start of a new chapter for them all. Rose begins to settle in to her new life and starts to make new friends. America gets brought into the war and David makes the decision to go to war, leaving Rose and Sarah alone once again. What is in store for Rose, Sarah and David? Will they get through the war unscathed?
This is a book that's an excellently written immersive historical fiction saga which easily whisked me away to the war years with Rose on her journey. I could do nothing but hope Rose survived through the traumas she experiences over the years. A character that made me so emotional with everything life throws at her, I was rooting for her from the start. A strong woman who plows through everything with a positivity that makes you want to give her a round of applause. Ultimately as she takes on Sarah she gives her all her love and Sandy Taylor has it all shining through it all in her excellent writing.
An enthralling book that is overflowing with love, suspense, loss and even romance. The characters are so believable and relatable, especially Rose. Such an heartbreaking read which I thoroughly enjoyed. Highly recommended for anyone who loves historical fiction sagas.
Thank you to Bookouture and Netgalley for my copy of the book.