Rating: 2.3/5

I greatly admired Claire Allan's previous release, "Ask No Questions", which I thought was the best of the thrillers she had written since moving into the genre from that of women's fiction. I am less enamoured with "The Nurse", which - although capably written - is less of a thriller and more of a social crusade against what the author sees as institutional and systemic mysogyny.

This is not a bad book by any means - but I would take slight issue with it being marketed as a psychological thriller that would appeal to fans of Clare Mackintosh or Gillian McAllister. This didn't evoke the feeling of suspense that I would expect from a thriller and there was far greater emphasis on the socio-political points that the writer wanted to highlight.

This novel comes in the light of the shocking case of Sarah Everard and, as such, has the potential to make uncomfortable and harrowing reading. Claire Allan focusses particularly on the so-called "incel" movement (involuntary celibate), but also more broadly on the generalised treatment of women in society by men. Themes such as stalking, "gaslighting", physical / mental abuse and murder all feature in the narrative. The story also raises interesting and valid questions about the rôle of the internet and especially the toxic effect that certain social media platforms can have on already disturbed individuals.

I applaud the author for addressing such thorny subject matter in a candid fashion, but as a piece of suspenseful thriller writing (psychological or otherwise) I found it less appealing.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for supplying an ARC in return for an honest review.

This feels incredibly relevant as a novel – and guaranteed, you’ll be more aware of walking home on your own after reading. Nell Sweeney is a young nurse whose parents get the worst news: she’s been taken and police have yet to find her. Dubbed as being in the wrong place at the wrong time, time is running out to find Nell, and her parents – with their own relationship issues – fret over who took their daughter, and why. Meanwhile, there’s a sinister trend developing, one that will set any woman on her own on edge, and one that grew into something that looks difficult to end. It’s clear that other women are being watched, and being subjected to acts of unspeakable unpleasantness, becoming the pawn in cruel games of mistreatment – and all for likes and followers. Claire has written a very modern thriller, one that taps into the worries and fears of anyone walking home alone, or waiting for a bus alone, and you can expect to have this linger in your mind long after you’ve read the final page.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.
This was definitely a judge a book by its cover, it drew me in from the front.
I was addicted from the start, told from the point of view of 'him' as well as her mum gave both sides of the story.
It is scary that there are many people out there who think the same as 'him' and that this happens and that men think they are entitled to think like that also made it an even more spooky read.
The twist in the middle had me like woahhhh and I devoured the rest of the book.
After the twist in the middle the pace slowed down a bit, which is why I rated it 4star, as it was a bit slower towards the end, but an addictive read!

This was absolutely not what I was expecting when I started the book but omg, what a book!! For any woman, this book will terrify you and have you gripped in equal measure!! Its so engaging and captivating and the reason it gets so under your skin is because we all know that this kind of thing does happen. These men do exist, these places on the Internet exist and every woman has known that sinking feeling in her stomach when she's accidently caught some creeps attention. Obviously this is fiction but, let's be honest..... its not just fiction is it?! And that is why you just won't be able to put it down and it will take you through every emotion you can think of. Really beautifully written and an absolute gem a book!!! I couldnt recommend this highly enough

I wasn’t sure what to expect when I started The Nurse………. I certainly had no idea that it would go in the direction that it did. The dark web is a very scary place and the discovery of who is surfing it is extremely troubling.. This book was an eye opener for me. I couldn’t put it down despite being disturbed by the storyline.
Thank You to Avon Books UK, NetGalley and the author, Claire Allan, for the opportunity to read this ARC.

A very emotive and thought provoking read exploring the current and very real issue on INCELS.

A tense, gripping, disturbing, cleverly written plot that builds into a crescendo until it explodes in it's final chapters.

One that will hook you in from the beginning to the end.

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC of The Nurse by Claire Allan.

He is a man that is fed up with women. Finding solace with likeminded men on the dark web, he begins to talk about his exploits of late, scaring women by following them until they panic.

She is a woman who is just looking for a date with a nice guy. But now she is missing, and so is another one of her coworkers. Are the two connected? And how far could this escalate.

Ah, incels. It just strikes fear in your heart hearing the word. This definitely addresses the seedy underbelly of that world and the danger it creates for women. I can only hope that it's an exaggerated version.

Having said that, as far as thriller/suspense novels go, I did enjoy this. It has you on the edge of your seat, with several unexpected turns. You'll be holding on to your hat for sure!

✨ {arc} BOOK REVIEW ✨ The Nurse by Claire Allan

~ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ~

🚨 for trigger warnings, DM me because this one has many 🚨

Whew 😥 this one was DEEPLY disturbing. I grabbed this because I love thrillers and thought the summary was intriguing… but holy shit, I did not expect to be as rattled when I finished it!

Claire Allan has a way of pulling the reader in from her journalistic storytelling to her ambiguous characters. The Nurse pivots between a few main characters’ perspectives: Nell (our nurse gone missing), Marian (Nell’s mum), and “Him” (a mystery man until about 60% into the book). The jerky transitions between narratives and POVs served the book so well - I literally felt like I had whiplash from my brain being dragged in so many different directions (note, I felt such a full & strong spectrum of emotions for so many of the characters in this book)!

As a massive thriller fan, I can’t emphasize enough how much I loved Allan’s way of not saving a final plot twist for the last chapter, but instead, sprinkling a couple plot twists / surprises throughout the mystery. I feel like more recently, I’ve read thrillers that try so hard for a mind-blowing plot twist and they don’t always land… so this one was a great diversion from that.

🔊 If you choose to read this one, I cannot emphasize enough how much I recommend reading the mini bio about Claire Allan + her life as a journalist, acknowledgements and the author’s note. I likely would’ve rated this one significantly lower had I not had the context and understand the full scope of this book 📖

📆 To all my thriller fans, mark your calendars because this book will be released on March 17, 2022!

🔎 Thank you NetGalley and Avon Books UK, Avon for the copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Claire Allan is one of my favourite authors at the moment and this book was just brilliant. To say I enjoyed it seems strange, it was a great story well written but deeply disturbing. I think it was just far too true to life. The mindset of a misogynistic incel is terrifying to explore but this book really hit home as to how these men operate, firstly as keyboard warriors then egged on by others playing out their fantasies in real life.
I loved Nell's mother Marian, I could really identify with her as a mother of a young woman. Her husband was a total waste of space and I felt no sympathy for him whatsoever.
Traumatic read but definitely a story of our time. I especially liked the epilogue which highlighted real life scenarios which inspired this book.

This psychological thriller is so intense that, as a reader, I had to close the book and walk away from the scene that was unfolding. I am not sure if it was the subject matter or the skillful writing and descriptives by the author that made my pulse race and forced me out of my chair to distract myself. No matter, this subject matter has a title and a following: incel: involuntary celibacy. These are men who are unable to have a romantic relationship in spite of wanting one and blaming the women as the cause. You can get swept up and be part of it on the dark web and that is exactly what happened.
   What started as a small “thrill” of scaring a girl, posting it on a website to make this man feel empowered and the hero to others with this misogynistic mentality turns into a deadly situation. There are others out there that want to “up” the ante against women and are quick to support any activity that does so.
   Running parallel to this storyline is what is happening to the missing girl's parents and their relationship. You learn that the mother has also been a victim of being abused mentally and physically for many years and the reasons why she tolerated it. So the subject matter hits home in every scene.
   It’s a gripping story with factual situations as described in the postscript by the author that gives it credence that this subculture exists.

The Nurse is a gripping thriller that deals with a topic that has been in the news over the last few years or so. The rise of incels and how internet forums and groups have grown around these men who feel that they are under threat from and owed something by women.
This particular story is told (mostly) from two points of view. Firstly Marian, who finds out that her daughter, a nurse in her early twenties has been abducted. Secondly from the point of view of a, to begin with, nameless man. This man has become increasingly frustrated with the women in his life. The boss who belittles him, even though he's sure that she has only been promoted due to her sex. His flatmate who flaunts her body and mocks him at the same time, the women who aren't interested in him. He spends more and more time online and finds purpose and a sense of acceptance with other men who have the same experience. The more time that he spends with these people online, getting recognition, the further his actions go.
I don't really want to go into to many details about what happens. This is a thriller and I think keeping the twists and turns unknown before you begin is a big part of what keeps you wanting to read more, to learn more.
This was a gripping read and one that I thoroughly enjoyed. It walked the balance between the victim's fear and a strange kind of understanding for the man who had fallen into this world perfectly. Give it a read if you have a chance, you won't regret it.
I received a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own and given voluntarily.

The Nurse by Claire Allan was the perfect book with which to finish a year of varied and eclectic reading, and I am thrilled to end on such a high note.

Nell is a young nurse with the whole of her life ahead of her. Adored by her parents, and living with her closest friend, Nell is thriving in her freedom and independence. But a single phone call from a concerned roommate will change everything. Nell has gone missing, and as her frantic parents search for answers, time seems to be running out for a young woman who has had the great misfortune to not only be in the wrong place at the wrong time, but to see firsthand the evil that is omnipresent, and always lurking in the corners of our lives.

This is a chilling read that serves as a startling reminder that we are always only one decision away from a completely different outcome.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Avon Books UK for an ARC.

This is such a chilling book! Claire Allan isn’t afraid to deliver a punch to your gut with a gripping storyline that felt far too close for comfort at times as it mirrored some awful true life crimes that have occurred around the world recently. But she didn’t dwell on the side of voyeurism, instead using her characters to increase the tension throughout. I loved Marion-a mother who never gives up hope of seeing her daughter again even though the odds are stacked against her-and the use of the multiple viewpoints kept the plot flowing with a perfectly paced game of cat and mouse.
A difficult book to put down but I had to at times to give myself some breathing space away from the claustrophobic feeling that pushed down on me during some hard to read scenes.
Cleverly written and thought provoking.

The nurse by Claire Allan was such a great read, I loved the characters and both the storyline, kept me so engaged and wanting to turn the pages. It is a psychological thriller for fellow book readers who like this genre, definitely didn’t disappoint. Claire Allan kept you engaged throughout the whole book and everything blended very well together which I really liked. Such a thrilling and creative read that I thoroughly enjoyed.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance review copy in exchange for my honest review.

The nurse by Claire Allan

Wow, this was a great read ! I had a few late nights staying up to read this! Loved the characters and the storyline was great. The book flowed really well. Would definitely love to read more from this author.

Nell, is a young nurse, the daughter to Stephen and Marian. She is living independently, but one day, Marian gets a phone call from Nell’s roommate. Nell has not been to the house in at least 2 days. The police are called. There are three different points of view explored in this novel, Nell, her mother Marian, and an unnamed man who hates women. At the time of Nell’s disappearance, there is a new movement taking place to harass women and humiliate them. Nell had appeared in a video where a follower of this new movement attempts to scare women alone at night, was Nell taken as a result of this movement or is it a new friend/boyfriend that she has met since living independently? It was impossible to put this down. I recommend this book to anyone interested in psychological thrillers. Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the advance review copy in exchange for my honest review.

This ARC was provided to me via Kindle by Avon Books UK and #NetGalley for my honest opinion. Opinions expressed are completely my own.

You won’t want to put this one down. It’s full of twists and turns.

I am finding it difficult to find the words to review this book.
The subject matter is so true and the writing so incredibly good that it made it, for me, horrible to read.
There was always an undercurrent of evil that I could not get my head around. When I did I felt sick. What had been an uncomfortable read suddenly worsened to the nth degree. How? Why? What now?
The ending was fitting. It could never be right. Nothing could make that right. I was right to keep reading. This book needs reading.

What starts out as a bragging post on the dark web about men overpowering women quickly ramps up into a thriller of madness, kidnapping, and psychopaths. A thrilling and creative read.

This book blew my mind! I was expecting one thing and was given something that was way beyond my expectations. It was downright creepy and intense. I will never walk outside at night alone again that’s for sure. Nell was just trying to live her life to the fullest and a bad choice led to some very horrible consequences. She went missing and her parents began a frantic search for her. The search led to a very disturbing revelation about what lurks on the dark web. An intriguing thriller to add to your list.