When Nell goes missing it seems like the only person concerned is her mother. Told from three points of view this book feeds off every woman’s worst fear.

I did not care for this book at all. There are so many trigger warnings that should come with this book. I struggled to read one chapter at a time. The writing was hard for me to get into, and the content was not what I expected at all.

I want to thank Netgalley, and Avon Books UK for an ARC of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Incels are a topic I am reading more and more about. The ultimate fear is to be kidnapped and held like Nell was.

Well written and sympathetic to the topic. I enjoyed this as much as you can about a horrible terrifying subject.

The Nurse
Claire Allen

Well, that was a book and a half! I’d never heard of Incels before reading this creepy novel and it’s so terrifying to realise that the author hasn’t made it up, people like ‘him’ really do exist. The Nurse is a dark and scary read with an all too believable storyline that gave me goosebumps more than once.
This is an excellent thriller by Claire Allen and is probably her best book yet (although I think I said that about her last one as well so who knows what she’ll come up with next! I can’t wait to see)
Many thanks to the publisher and to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Someone watches from the shadows...

Marian worries a lot about her daughter, Nell, now that she lives on her own. Marian's worst nightmare comes to life when Nell is reported missing, and she is forced to consider the possibility that her child may never come home again. With the clock ticking, police frantically search for Nell, and soon discover that Nell may only be the first woman to disappear. Can police untangle the web of lies and chilling secrets to find Nell? Or will Marian lose her daughter forever?
I loved this riveting and disturbing thriller from the very beginning. I was absolutely filled with disgust and hatred as I read from the "bad guy's" POV. I love when I can become emotionally invested in a novel and Claire Allan made me feel a lot of strong feelings throughout this novel. I read the eARC and enjoyed the audiobook version of this novel. I loved the use of multiple narrators, as this is something that makes it easier to follow along with a multi-POV story and helps bring the story and the characters' emotions and experiences to life. I recommend this novel to anyone who loves a thriller that will keep them on the edge of their seat!

This was everything you need for a thriller and crime story. It is not as black and white as you first think and like most typical thrillers, is full of twists. This is a first for me by the author and one I enjoyed and would read more of their work. The book cover is eye-catching and appealing and would spark my interest if in a bookshop. Thank you very much to the author, publisher and Netgalley for this ARC.

The Nurse is a gripping, tense-fill read that encapsulates how misogyny and hatred for women permeate in all levels of society, and in a spectrum.

Nurse Nell Sweeney is missing. It's clear a man has taken her. The book flits between 'him', a disaffected young man who is growing in his hatred for women, Nell's mother Marian, and, later, Nell herself.

Claire Allan brilliantly delves into the world of incels. Her 'him' chapter are the most chilling. We see his backstory and how he gets more and more entrenched with other likeminded men, and how it escalates to growing violence.

Then we see Marian, who we slowly learn how she, too, is the victim of male violence, albeit in a less overt way.

This book had me on the edge of my seat. Allan is an amazing writer. She brilliantly captures the rage and fear women face going about their lives, and how we truly aren't equal (despite what entitled incels on forums think).

I was lucky enough to also be able to borrow the audiobook - and the narrators really stepped up to add to the extra tension. So whether you prefer audiobook or ebook/paperback, buy this book! I loved it so much I bought my own copy.

Thank you to Avon Books UK and NetGalley for the ARC.

Nell is a nurse who house shares with another girl who is also a nurse at the same hospital. When Nell doesn’t come home her friend doesn’t report her missing for a few days thinking she might have just been stopping out with a new boyfriend. Nell has been abducted and it’s not for money but who has her and can she be found in time to save her, the race is on but can the police find her.
I generally read more period books but this was a great change. It’s one of those books that you really want to keep picking up so I definitely recommend it.

WoW!!!! what a superb book The Nurse by Claire Allan was. I was hooked from the very first few pages and ended up reading this latest book by Claire in 2 sittings. I wonder how well and do we know people especially friends around us!!! This book was a great eye opener.
Nell Sweeney is a 22 year old nurse who works at her local hospital. On one Thursday she disappears after finishing work, She hasn't been seen in her house-share or at her workplace since four days and her workmates are worried so they contact her mum Marian who reports this to their local Police.

Where is her daughter?

Is she in trouble?

I love the way this book is told by Marian and Nell, and a third person “Him”, an unidentified villain who may or may not be the kidnapper, he maybe just a friend? .

But, Who is he??

This book was well written and had lots of twists and turn throughout that just had me hooked. I loved it.

I highly recommend this book. 5 stars from me.

Big Thanks to Avon Books UK and Netgalley for my advanced copy of this book..

Okay, wow! This was a lot. I have so many thoughts. So first of all, the cover is lovely but the book needed a better name and summary. I think people will skip it thinking it’s about nursing or a medical drama. That’s actually what I had in mind when I requested it but I liked this much more.

This book is about missing girls and incels. We start off with a prologue of a date that is going awry. We are then introduced to a mother who has just been informed that her adult daughter is missing. We alternate between her and AN INCEL! We know of no connection.

So there’s a lot going on with Mr. Incel. We don’t know his name but we meet him as things are going downhill in his life. He doesn’t like his living arrangement, his roommates blow him off, and he just feels like people are out to get GOOD GUYS like him in general. Yeah good guy, like Chucky maybe.

He decides to blow off some steam by scaring girls walking alone at night. Making them think he’s going to hurt them. Victimless crime, he thinks! He posts this to a 4chan type of site I’m guessing, and he’s immediately idolized by the other misogynistic nerds so he really gets an ego boost and has his bad opinions confirmed as he slips further into darkness. You do look at surroundings and how people treat him, which isn’t always great, but the truth is that women can’t win. If you’re too nice to them, they stalk you or say you led them on. If you say no up front, you’re mean. This entitlement to women, sex and attention doesn’t form out of the blue.

As the search for Nell continues, we alternate between Marian, her mother, and Mr. Incel. The suspense grows more and more at the end of each chapter, waiting to see where this will intersect and how it will pan out for the missing girl and her grief-stricken parents. The author really has a way of making you feel such pain for the parents. Meanwhile, things are getting a little out of control for Mr. Incel. It’s going off the rails when the other dudes are so bad he starts to look decent. Yikes.

I wish I could read this book aloud to men I know, especially chapter 3, just to let them know what we have to deal with. What it’s like to be afraid to walk alone and feel helpless. This is written in the UK, we have more access to protection here in the US.

This book is able to take a matter like Chads and Staceys and keep the suspense and not make it some comedic cringe festival. I was at the edge of my seat. Especially about halfway through when we start to find out a lot more of what’s going on. I would recommend this for the suspense and also just as a warning to what kind of weirdos are out there. Stay safe, ladies!

Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Nell was a nurse. She lived her friend & enjoyed her work. When she didn't come home her friend called her mother to say she hadn't heard from her for a few days & she hadn't turned up for her shift. Marian's life has revolved around Nell. Her marriage is not particularly happy & Nell is her world. She reports Nell's disappearance to the police.

A man is on an incel forum. He is tired of men being the bad guys, how an innocent look can be interpreted as attack. In an attempt to 'get back the power' & put women in their place he starts following women whilst videoing them. He doesn't attack them; just gives them a fright-getting off on their fear!. This video goes viral on the forum & for a while he basks in their admiration until another man decides to up the stakes & his suggestions make him realise he may have opened Pandora's box.

The story is told from different perspectives. We find out what has happened to Nell, we see Marian's anguish (rather a lot!) & we see the side of the stalker- I really liked how his identity was hinted at for a good part of the story. This book dealt with a dark world I was only vaguely aware of. Incels are very real & their presence is a worrying thing for any woman- & also for any sensible male too. It was a subject I thought was handled very well. I really enjoyed this book although I could probably have done without a lot of Marian's bits! Thanks to Netgalley & the publisher for letting me read & review this book.
Hide entire review because of spoilers

The Nurse is a thriller-crime novel that shows how resilient women are in a world dominated by men. The story focuses on the event surrounding the mysterious disappearance of a nurse and the investigation around it, told by multiple POVs.

This novel, I think is so relevant to the current times. It tells the story of the dynamic changes in the society that occurred as women fight for their rights and freedom. The author begins the story with excerpts from an “incel” forum and from there, the story proceeds to show how damaging the ideas in those forums become to the society.

This book was such an interesting book to read. The plot twist was so unexpected and for the most of the novel, i really believed that one of the characters was the culprit. The emotions were so heartfelt and just so raw, I could relate to them. The novel also had a movie feel to it, like I can imagine it being an episode of Criminal Minds or be a thriller movie like Gone Girl or something. It was a very well-paced novel and I definitely recommend it to thriller lovers.

I’m a bit late to the party with this one but I absolutely loved The Nurse. Claire Allan is a new author on me and I’m glad to see she has a back catalogue that I can delve into.. it’s a tightly written thriller and the story unfolds slowly through the perspective of different characters. A fabulous read.

Someone is watching her. She just doesn’t know it yet.
Nell Sweeney has led an ordinary life. Every day she walks to and from the hospital where she works as a nurse, believing that no harm can befall her.
Until one day she is taken.
Because someone out there has a secret. Someone out there has been watching Nell – and they’ve been watching others like her too.
Nell is the unlucky one – she was in the wrong place at the wrong time. And if she isn’t found soon, someone will make sure that she isn’t the last woman to disappear…

This is a brilliant read.
Wonderful well written plot and story line that had me engaged from the start.
Love the well fleshed out characters and found them believable.
Great suspense and found myself second guessing every thought I had continuously.
Can't wait to read what the author brings out next.
Recommend reading.

I was provided an ARC from NetGalley and the publisher. This is my own hone\st voluntary review.

This was thoroughly gripping. I read it in two huge chunks and couldn’t stop thinking about it inbetween. It’s dark and suspenseful.

She was in the wrong place at the wrong time...
Nell lives an ordinary life. She spends most of her time working as a nurse or hanging out with her friends. She has no worries in the world and is enjoying life to the fullest, until one day when she is taken. Nell doesn't know that this was planned and calculated. She doesn't know that someone has been watching her and others like her. She doesn't know what her fate will be. Can she escape this nightmare she is enduring or will this be her doom?
I loved every second of this book. Claire Allan has written a gripping, fast-paced thriller that you won't want to put down. This story is so dark and disturbing, but also so, so great. I couldn't fly through it fast enough! I listened to the audiobook and read the e-book. The narrators really bring this story to a whole new level! I could feel the fear Nell was experiencing and the hatred he had for her and other women. I will be recommending this story to all my fellow thriller lovers!
I received a free copy of this book via NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving an honest review.

I love Claire Allen's books and this is no exception. A totally gripping book that I couldn't put down (I stayed up far too late to finish it) The characters were well rounded and believable and the execution well done. Highly recommended,

★★ 2.5 stars

I thoroughly enjoyed Claire Allan's previous thrillers "Forget Me Not" and "The Liar's Daughter" , and have a couple of others on my TBR list also, and was excited to dive into her latest. But THE NURSE, for me, wasn't as absorbing and I found the endless monologuing from all main narrators to be long and drawn out. That being said, the story did pick up in the second half somewhat but still not to the author's usual standards and not enough to enthrall me. The concept was intriguing but the delivery failed for me particularly as I found Marian to be irritating, both in character and narrative. I was, however, eager to discover what really happened to Nell.

The story focuses on the disappearance of Marian Sweeney's 22 year old daughter Nell who is reported missing four days after when her housemate realised she hadn't seen Nell in that time. Clodagh, her friend, hadn't worried at first because as a nurse, Nell worked different shifts and the girls would often be ships passing and miss seeing each other. That, and Nell's recent propensity to live life in the fast lane with a new group of friends, with drugs and drink the order of their nights out. Had Nell fallen in with the wrong crowd thus getting her into trouble? Was she really missing or was she just hiding in shame for her stupidity?

Marian is feeling bereft at her daughter's disappearance. Like all mothers, she claims to know her daughter and that she was a good girl. If there was anything worrying her then she would know - Nell would have told her. But would she? When Clodagh reveals Nell's recent behaviour to her, Marian begins to wonder if she really knew her daughter at all. And in the background is Marian's non-existent marriage to husband Stephen, Nell's father. The two of them are clearly at odds with one another and while Stephen does show an element of concern for his wife, Marian is in her own world where only she and Nell exist. It's blindingly obvious that this marriage won't survive whatever is to come - whether Nell is found or not.

And then there is a group of men in an online community who call themselves "incels" (involuntary celibate). They meet in a chat forum on the dark web sharing their views and experiences with the women of today who they feel emasculate them as men. Desiring a romantic or sexual connection but are unable to do so, these men feel that women are taking away their rights whilst claiming their own. Blaming women for everything that is wrong in their lives, they feel slighted by those they see are "the weaker sex" who they feel should respect them as being superior. And while there are those who are merely keyboard warriors, using the anonymity of the dark web, to rant and rave about the wrongs these feministic women have brought into their lives, there are a select few who act on their warped beliefs.

So one man, identified simply as "Him", who feels disrespected by women (both in his personal and professional life) and has the idea to follow lone women at night...to scare them...to see their fear and to feel it. When he shares his experiences online and encourages others to try it, there is one response that stands out to him calling him out as a liar. So then he decides to film his next target as proof, creating the hashtag #IHaveThePower which then goes viral. However, in his desire to share the power of his exploits, he soon discovers that things have gone too far when one of his followers takes things further, in a direction he is not comfortable with. He never intended anyone to get get hurt but he has started something he can no longer control. This part of the story was chilling, to say the least.

Then the remains of a woman are found and Marian fears, though doesn't want to believe, that it is her daughter. But what the incel who has Nell has something even more chilling planned...a live streamed grand finale in which he will take back the power.

The concept was invariably intriguing and even somewhat chilling. But I loathe constant monloguing without much dialogue to balance it out. This story is all in the narrator's heads and feels too one-sided in its delivery. Maybe that's the intention, but for me it bogged the whole story down and made it long and drawn out. This isn't the first book I have read featuring incels, a subculture movement of men on the dark web who desire romantic and sexual partners but are unable to get them thus declaring women to be feminists who emasculate men. It certainly is an interesting concept, a dangerous world that can be taken to the extreme.

Told from three perspectives - Marian, Nell and the incel - THE NURSE is an intensely dark read that had the potential to be a compelling thriller but it simply rambles a bit too much. I felt half the book could have been cut down, mostly Marian's constant incessant ramblings. I get that she's distraught, but her narrative was a snoozefest I ended up skimming for the most part. The rest of the tale drags a little too much. And the title? Not really essential to the plot, apart from the fact that Nell is a nurse. And...?

Personally, I feel the story could have been cut down with a far more exciting narration. 400 pages, mostly filled with Marian's ramblings, was just a bit too much. A shorter, pacier style would have been more compelling.

Overall, THE NURSE had an intriguing concept that failed to deliver in thrills and excitement. The story didn't particularly grab me when I tired of Marian's narrative so quickly and ended up skimming it for the most part. I know I'm in the minority here but this one just wasn't as thrilling as the author's other works.

I would like to thank #ClaireAllan, #Netgalley, #AvonBooks for an ARC of #TheNurse in exchange for an honest review.

This review appears on my blog at https://stinathebookaholic.blogspot.com/.

Absolutely loved it, best book I've read in a long time.
This book ticked all the boxes for me. Marion's daughter is a nurse, and hasn't turned up for work, as a mother, and self-defence instructor, this book hit on my worst nightmares.
I loved the different points of view in this book, I felt every bit of Marion's pain.
The "Him" chapters are where this book excelled for me, as I love a despicable character.
This book covers some very important topics, and everyone should read it. Easy 5 stars from me.

This was deep, dark and unpleasant. Claire Allan has done a good job of exposing incels: their thought processes, motives and ideologies. This does not make for a pleasant read, but the topic itself is unpalatable. What starts off as a man venting in the dark web, develops into a dark and terrifying ‘gang’ of man stalking women at night, and recording their victims fear, posting these clips online. This is the start of a terror campaign in Derry which escalates further.
Not for the faint hearted.

Thanks to #NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review

The Nurse was an intense and at times scary read that I did enjoy and struggled to put it down, reading it in a day.
Nell Sweeney is a nurse at the local hospital, she lives with her friend in a house share but has started mixing in different circles to get more out of life. Nell walks to work and back and up until someone followed her closely and scaring her she hadn’t thought about not feeling safe on her work commute. When she is taken by a man she sort of knows and tied up and left in the dark for hours at a time she realises she’s going to have to play to the tune of her abductors fiddle.
The book mainly flits from chapters from “him” or Nell’s mother Marian. Obviously Marian is worried sick and struggles to hold it together but I liked how we got an in-depth sight into her marriage and how she is going to change this wether her daughter is found alive or not. I liked how she went over her mothering skills and beats herself up over having gone wrong. The storyline was believable and that makes a big difference when reading a book like this. The book does cover some hard issues but highlights it well.
I would like to thank Netgalley and Avon Books UK for this ARC I received in exchange for an honest review.