The nurse is a psychologist thriller with a twist you’ll never see coming. Dr. Roth hires Emily to be his wife’s nurse/babysitter/chauffeur/housekeeper. Mrs. Roth has a lengthy list of psychological conditions and should never be trusted, alone for too long, or allowed to drive. Emily quickly wonders if Mrs. Roth is as mentally unstable as Dr. Roth says she is, or if Dr. Roth is over medicating her for selfish reasons.
This book constantly had me guessing. I was back and forth over who I thought was in the wrong. Is Mrs. Roth completely unstable and paranoid with delusions? Is Dr. Roth a controlling monster? I thought I had it all figured out but the further into the book I got, the more surprises kept popping up to prove me wrong.

There are warning signs early on for Emily when Dr. Roth shows a different side to himself but since she is so far in debt and in need of money, she feels she cannot turn down the job when it is offered to her. And as time goes on, she is conflicted about what is happening in the Roth household. For me, the pacing of the story was pretty slow with too much detail provided at times. The last quarter of the story is where all the real action and resolution happens.

Emily is desperate for a job so is thrilled when she gets a job as a home nurse for a rich doctor’s wife. She is supposed to make sure Sabrina, the wife, takes her medicine. However, whenever the doctor isn’t there, Sabrina seems more lucid and tells her that her husband is keeping her trapped. Emily must figure out who to trust.

I thought the plot here was fine, but I had a problem with the writing. I found it to be overly descriptive in unnecessary ways. Like it felt like filler. The plot though felt very Verity-esque minus the romance aspect.

Oh my god what a book! So many twists and turns, so many questions about who to believe - honestly your jaw will be on the floor! Can’t wait to read more from this author

Woah! This was a twisty, suspenseful thriller that had me hooked! I loved it!

Emily is a licensed LPN and is deep in debt after recently graduating from college. She takes a well-paying job as a private nurse for a wealthy woman. The woman’s husband is a psychiatrist Emily had worked with at the local hospital, but immediately after beginning work for the couple, Emily wonders if something is going on. Is the husband over-medicating his wife?

The initial plot of this book seemed very familiar to me, and I was certain that I had read a similar story before. (It felt very much like Freida McFadden’s The Housemaid.) However, I urge readers who have this feeling to keep reading. The twist is quite different from the stories that may seem similar to this, and I enjoyed how this was resolved.

Domestic thrillers like this are typically told through the first person with an unreliable narrator. This book was different – using a third-person close narrator. This change in narration worked well for the story since we never doubted the situation that Emily found at the Roths’ home. It also caused me to question some of Emily’s decisions, which increased the suspense of the story.

Pacing varied. It started off at a fast-pace and immediately had me hooked. It slowed a bit toward the mid-point and the story felt like it was dragging. It picked up again towards the end, but the confession was much longer than it needed to be (it was over twenty pages!). I appreciate that the author wanted to tie up all the loose ends, but it went on too long.

My rating is 4.5 stars. I deducted ½ star for the pacing issues, but the mystery and the twisty ending are definitely worth five stars. Readers who love domestic thrillers will love this.

Thank you to @netgalley and @bookouture for this advance review copy. All opinions are my own.

Oh how do I write this review without spoiling it - this kept me up to late as I needed to finish it and yes I was not disappointed with the ending - perfect.

Initially it is quite a slow burn whilst it draws you into the book and the characters, there are hints of what is going to happen but just go with it and get absorbed.

I was given an advance copy by netgalley and the publishers but the review is entirely my own.

The concept and plot seemed so interesting but I found it really hard to get into. It just felt slow throughout, I wish it was faster paced ad I really wanted to enjoy it more than I did.

The Nurse
By: Jenna Kernan
5👩‍⚕️👩‍⚕️👩‍⚕️👩‍⚕️👩‍⚕️

Psychologist Dr. Henry Roth hires Emily to look after his wife Sabrina as her private nurse and companion. Emily jumps at the chance as he student loan debt is waiting to get paid off.
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As with most kind of jobs where some of high profile involved she is asked to sign a NDA. The house is amazing and she is granted a lot of access and access to a vehicle for the job. Sabrina requires a lot of medication. Is it all necessary? He requires a lot of Emily as he can be called away for work at any time. He has lots of requests! Sabrina has PTSD, depression, paranoia and a multitude of others diagnosis. Is Emily up for all that he is requesting?
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Let the fun begin! Emily is now getting starting to get conflicting information so the snooping and concerns start. This was my 3rd novel by Kernan and I am a huge fan of her psychological thrillers.
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Thank you Bookouture and Dreamscape Elect for these advanced copies. This novel is out October 2 and is defined worth reading!
#bookouture, #thenurse, #jennakernan, #bookreview, #booksconnectus, #stamperlady50, #netgalley, #dreamscapeselect

This was a much slower pace than I was expecting based on the synopsis. I love a good psychological thriller, especially ones involving the medical field, but this book didn’t really live up to my expectations, unfortunately. The overly detailed descriptions were sometimes difficult to get through and much of the book seemed to drag on. At about 50% it started to pick up a bit but I found that I wasn’t as invested in the characters as I would have liked.

I didnt see the twist coming at the end and it seemed a little rushed, quickly trying to tie up the loose ends.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and publisher for the ARC.

Oh Emily gets herself in deep by not honoring her NDA. She ends up caring for a mad woman. She can't quit because hs didn't honor the NDA and they are threatening her with a lawsuit and prison if she quits.
Both of her employers are controlling and scary. She keeps digging herself into a deeper hole.
It was great! What a ride!
I love it when protagonists can't mind their business.

This book was such a slow read. I really thought it would be a good book but it was such a slow pace that I couldn't engage in it! Very disappointed!

Thank you to #NetGalley, #Bookouture and Jenna Kerman for the opportunity to read an advance copy of THE NURSE, to be published October 2, 2023. A young woman is hired right out of LPN training to be a caregiver for a prominent psychiatrist’s wife but after a period of time, she begins to question whether she should be following and responding to the concerns of the doctor or her new patient. This was a very slow burn thriller, with action beginning after 60 percent of the book. Once activity began, it moved along much better. 3/5 Stars. #NetGalley #Bookouture #JennaKernan #THENURSE

This book was soooo slow. I kept reading thinking it has to get going but I nearly lost the will. I am afraid it didn't suit me ,I am far to much of an impatient reader and was really struggling with the style and pace of the book. Hopefully other more patient readers will enjoy the book more than i did.

Emily has recently qualified as a nurse and is looking for her first job. Luckily a well paying job comes up with Dr. Roth, who has hired her to care for his wife Sabrina. Dr. Roth explains that Sabrina is delusional and needs to take regular medications, as well as have someone help with household chores. As Emily’s job progresses she soon realises that everything may not be as it seems. What is the truth and Is Dr. Roth purposefully over medicating his wife?

This is an interesting story that slowly weaves its way to the twisted end, however it does so a little too slowly. I found it hard to keep engaged in the book as it takes quite a while for anything to happen. It picked up eventually but by that point, although I could relate to the characters, I had little investment in them and overall story. There are some surprises towards the end and it does eventually turn into more of a thriller. Overall this was slightly too slow for me but would suit those who enjoy slow burns with several twists. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this copy in return for an honest review.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the ARC!

This book is for fans of verity and the housemaid. There are plenty of twists and I didn’t guess what would happen but it also was unsettling. The female main character is a nurse which of course I related to and grappled with the ethical and moral dilemmas she faces. Dr. Roth and his wife Sabrina were interesting and god were they spoiled. It was hard not to constantly diagnose his wife but that’s the whole point. These characters were psychos so it’s worth a read but I personally struggled with the ethical and moral dilemmas of these health care professionals

I LOVE a good twist and this did not disappoint. I thought I had it figured out and then it shifted. This is such a great thriller for any level of thriller/mystery lover. Highly recommend. Will be looking for more from this author.

The Nurse by Jenna Kernan

This is a brilliant, intense and gripping mystery thriller novel that I very much enjoyed.

This book hit the ground running right from the very beginning. The prologue sets the tone for a gruesome and thrilling plot that is yet to be unravelled. From the start, we as readers are led to believe that there are dark secrets buried deep under the surface and it is our job to uncover them as we move through the story. Although the author does drop many hints along the way, they are so well disguised that if you don't pay attention, you will miss them. This only helps to build the level of suspense and intrigue surrounding these character and their lives.

The action does take a little while to fully develop in this book. There is a long, drawn out conversation between Emily and Dr Roth at the beginning that, to me, seemed unnecessarily long. However, once the action does set it, it quickly spirals out of control and leaves the readers desperately searching for the answers to all the mysteries. The author did a great job at writing this book and the way they've built suspense throughout is commendable! The ending of this book was fantastic too. Although there were hints that I picked up on throughout the novel, I was still shocked at the extent of the deceit carried out at the end. The author finally unravels the web of mystery in shocking and immensely clever way.

The characters in this book were incredibly well written. Emily's desperation for a job/money was made clear right from the beginning and offered an explanation as to why she would take such a challenging job. Emily did come across as naive and indecisive at some points, but this only helped to draw readers in and make the ending even more astounding. Dr Roth's character was perhaps the most interesting. As he discusses the job description with Emily there are multiple red flags that appear, but this helps the reader to build an opinion of Dr Roth which is then shattered at the end. Sabrina's character offered readers an engrossing dilemma: is she mentally ill, or is she not. Throughout the whole book we are left wondering whether she is sane or not, so we are never quite sure whether to take what she says as truth or fantasy. This adds a whole other element of mystery to the novel which was engrossing for us readers. At some points we feel sorry for her, and then at others we despise her; our feelings towards her bounce back and forth very much like Emily's. This book contains some of the most interesting and well-written characters that I have seen in a thriller novel.

Overall I rated this book 4 out of 5 stars. I would highly reccomend this book to fans of psychological thrillers. Thank you to Netgalley and Jenna Kernan for the ARC

I enjoyed this book. It was longer than those I usually read so I felt like it dragged at points or contained extraneous details, but that may be that it just wasn't my style. The writing is great and the plot definitely kept me engaged and coming back for more! I would have probably given it another star if there weren't so many errors when referring to mental illness (i.e. diagnoses that don't exist.) I have sent this feedback to the publisher and am happy to come back and add another star if those corrections are made.

This took me in straight from the start. I thought that Emily was perhaps not the wisest of people trying to search the home of the Roths but all was revealed at the end. It was a twisty thriller that gave information at a pace that kept me guessing what was going on all the time. It was well written and I did not expect the ending.

This is one of those perfect suspense books; you feel eager to find out what's going to happen next, while at the same time, dread reaching the end of the story. Fortunately, Jenna Kernan is a new author for me, so now that I'm finished with "The Nurse," I can immediately jump into her other titles.

I've had fabulous luck with excellent books lately (The Guest; The House Guest; Strange Sally Diamond; None of This Is True), and this story definitely continued my run. The main character was both smart and likable, and the narrative unfolded at an ideal pace. Without giving anything away, I had fun trying to piece together just who was a victim and who was a villain.

Kernan is a talented psychological suspense writer and I'm thrilled to have discovered her work. Thank you Bookouture, Jenna Kernan, and NetGalley for providing an advance copy of "The Nurse" and giving me the opportunity to share my thoughts about it!