The mysterious disappearance of an American au pair in Scotland who was adopted from Scotland when she was a baby?! Bring it on! This book has so many twists and turns, family drama and had me on the edge of my seat! I couldn’t put it down!!

This book started out with so much promise. I was immediately hooked from the first chapter. Unfortunately I didn't feel like much happened until the end. I loved the writing style though. I think the story was pretty unique and not something I see a lot. Which for me is always a good thing.

Thank you to NetGalley and Inkubator Books for an advance copy of this book in return for an honest review.

After the first chapter/prologue of this I thought I was going to LOVE it and fly through it really quickly, but alas after a great opening the pace was just all wrong for a thriller. Nothing really happens until a good 30-40% through the book. I want a thriller to grip me, to be reading because I need to know what happens, but I didn't get that feeling at all with this. I wanted to know more for the sake of the children in the story than the main characters.

There were a few twists, but honestly, most of them I saw coming. There is an awful lot of victim blaming and sexual assault in this book with disgusting characters, and a lot of it feels quite unnecessary and doesn't really add to the story. The storyline was also a little farfetched at times.

The dual POV worked for me - I like the idea of two people working the same job on different timelines and seeing their different interactions with the family.

I didn't find the ending very satisfying either to be quite honest, it wasn't the worst ending, but it was just a bit meh. Which to be honest is the general feeling I'm left with after reading it. It was just fine, but nothing to write home about.

First book I have read by Jane Renshaw and won't be the last.This was an easy read for me. I love a good psychological thriller The chapters switch from two characters point of view through out the story. Alice leaves home in the US ,applied for a job as an 'au pair' for the Summer for the Davidson family at their remote house. After a couple of weeks Alice disappears. All is not what it seems and there are many twist and turns as the story unfolds. It is definitely a page turner. Thanks to NetGalley for letting me read this book before publication.

The Au Pair is told through two different perspectives - Alice; the eighteen year old au pair who went missing, and Melanie/Donna; the new au pair who was hired to replace Alice, and begins digging into what *really* happened to her precursor.

I was pretty excited going into this book - I've gotten really into thrillers lately, and the premise of two girls who have the same job for the same family, but with very different outcomes seemed just up my alley. Ultimately though, I really didn't like this.

(TW) SA can be a difficult topic to write about, especially when you're doing so in a thriller/crime style of novel. The Au Pair unfortunately fell into the category where it didn't work. Everything felt incredibly like victim-blaming, though I'm sure that wasn't the author's intent - especially considering the girl who is trying to solve the "mystery" is pretty much in the same situation.

The other problem I ultimately had was the pacing. Nothing happened up until around the 25% mark when a few things exploded, and then immediately after all of the commotion died back down until somewhere around the 70-75% mark, where it picked back up. Not that thrillers have to be page after page of things constantly happening, but they do have to do enough to keep me interested, which The Au Pair unfortunately didn't do.

I typically binge these types of books, but I found myself stretching this one out. The multiple POVs, the writing style, the mysterious characters… I didn’t want it to end! Twists and turns had me turning the pages and constantly changing my mind on who was guilty. I couldn’t have anticipated that ending though, and the epilogue made me so happy. The Au Pair is my first Jane Renshaw read, but it won’t be my last!

"The Au Pair" weaves a mesmerizing tale of mystery and suspense with its slowburn narrative centered around an enigmatic Au Pair. The author masterfully crafts a web of intrigue, allowing the suspense to intensify gradually. The characters, especially the mysterious family, are intricately developed, keeping readers on edge as secrets unravel. The atmospheric setting adds to the tension, creating a captivating experience. This book is a compelling mystery that delivers a satisfying blend of character depth and a tantalizing unraveling of secrets.

Melanie is the second au pair to work for the Davidson family. Her predecessor, a young girl named Alice, is missing, assumed drowned after her clothes were found on the beach. Deep scratches on her bedroom floor show where Alice pushed a heavy dresser against the door, presumably to keep someone out. The story alternates between Alice and Melanie and as soon as Melanie is introduced it's revealed that she's there to investigate what happened to Alice. I never quite got caught up in the suspense of this one and couldn't suspend my disbelief nearly enough to be satisfied with the ending.

This psychological thriller was an enjoyable read with a good amount of suspense.
Content warnings:
Sexual assault, confinement, injury, cursing, kidnapping.

The pacing is designed to build tension, starting off pretty slow but picking up as the novel progresses. While many of the plot twists I saw coming, the writing still delivered a couple of surprises that enhanced the story.
Told from dual perspectives, the reader gets a multifaceted view of the drama. The transition between viewpoints is smooth, though I was initially confused due to one of the protagonists use of an alias.

I found the characters to be likable with the development realistic and strong.

Set in Scotland, the characters were not what I consider to be diverse, but it still wove a tapestry of dark, mysterious and tense themes such as trust and betrayal, self-discovery, family dysfunction, and secrets and revelations.

This read is great for fans of Gone Girl, The Turn of the Key, The Hand That Rocks the Cradle, and Shutter Island.

Thanks to netgalley for providing me a free copy.
This is the first book of this author and I was not disappointed. The book described the characters quite well and it’s nice to see the different story points come together. The whole landscape was leas my thing but overall it was quite a fun read.

Thank you netgalley for the earc. This novel follows a young runaway named Alice who takes up a job as an au pair in an isolated large castle up in Scotland as she seeks freedom and independence after graduating high school. As she’s taking care of the kids and house, she quickly notices odd and creepy things about the house, as well as the people living in it. It quickly becomes apparent that she isn’t safe in the house and we also follow another pov from someone following in her footsteps to figure out what happened to missing Alice. I thought this book was pretty good and I enjoy thrillers that involve people living in houses looking after kids, especially if the house is big with a lot of interesting hallways and hidden rooms. It got a bit dark sometimes because the nasty cruel behavior of some of the people in this book was sickening, but made it all the more high stakes. 4 stars.

Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book early! Overall, I enjoyed this book and my exact rating is a 3.5. The book follows Alice, a girl from America who travels to Scotland for a job an au pair. However, we find out that the house she's working in doesn't give off such great vibes. Eventually, Alice goes missing, and Donna, the new au pair, is determined to find out what happens to Alice.

I love a mystery with different timelines, I think it adds to the suspense in a unique way. I was hooked on finding out what happened to Alice, and I did not see the twist coming.

As a trigger warning to readers, this books does mention sexual assault heavily

Loved the premise but the book jist dragged for me. Literally nothing g happened and there are too many other books with similar plot lines that are just much more entertaining. I ended up skimming this just to see what happened at the end. It just wasnt for me

I really wanted to like this book but I was disappointed. This book had very similar vibes to the only one left by Riley sager but it fell short. The plot was just draggy and also I didn’t like the part where the Scottish girls made fun of the FMC (American au pair working for them) and the FMC didn’t stand up for herself since the FMC was taking up this job to step out from her comfort zone . Sorry not the one for me.
Thank you Netgalley and publishers for this book!

The Davidsons are a family in Scotland who were looking for an Au Pair for their children. Alice applies for the job and moved from America to their massive home. She is excited to spend the summer in their mansion with the kids in the beautiful countryside. Not long after arriving Alice goes missing.

Donna is the next Au Pair hired and she is curious about what happened to Alice. Why did she go missing? She noticed the Davidsons are acting weird and they seem to have many secrets. She wants to get to the bottom of Alice's disappearance. She doesn't believe she ran away. She has no idea what she is in for and what the Davidsons are really hiding.

I really enjoyed this book. It's dual perspectives. Alice when she first got at the house and Donna present day at the house It's my first from this author. It was a good mystery and I was not expecting the way it ended. I was suggest checking trigger warnings before reading this book as it is very dark. A 4 star read for me! It had pretty good pacing throughout the book and I loved the two main characters Alice and Donna. Will read more from this author!

Thanks to Netgalley allowing me to read this book.

At the core of this story is an intriguing mystery that I really wanted to watch unravel, but it was plumped full of unnecessary purple prose and descriptions that I got bored and skimmed. This could be significantly condensed and therefore much more enjoyable.

I’d like to thank Inkubator Books and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read ‘The Au Pair’ written by Jane Renshaw in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

Against her parents’ wishes, Alice Snyder has left her home in American to travel to Scotland to work as au pair for Caro and Ken Davidson. But someone has plans for Alice and in less than a month she disappears from Scallan Lodge leaving just her clothes on a rock by the sea. Melanie Macfarlane is the Davidson’s new au pair and is determined to find out what happened to Alice.

‘The Au Pair’ is the story of Alice who disappears and Melanie the new au pair who’ll go to any lengths to find out where she is. The story is told from the perspectives of Alice and Melanie and is interesting in places although the characters aren’t. The Davidson’s come over as thoroughly unlikeable, Uncle Gray’s behaviour is appalling, and Alice is more than a little naïve. A lot of time is spent in descriptions of places which I’ve found so boring I skipped over a few chapters and although the conclusion has a bit of excitement generally I’ve been disappointed in what could have been a gripping thriller. I’m sure some readers will enjoy it but I’m afraid I’m not one of them.

my first book from this Author and very much enjoyed.Alice wanted to go with her friends and boyfriend travelling but they would not allow her so she decides to run away from home Indiana .she takes a nanny job in Scotland in the UK. there are 2 children and a grown up daughter the house looks like a castle her new employee s Caro and Ken .and Kens brother Gray also lives there. Alice starts to be scared then she disappeared. Melanie takes the nanny job when they advertise to find out what happened to Alice a very gripping twisty addictive read

I really didn’t like this book- parts of it were really disturbing and triggering. The plot was dragged and it just wasn’t for me.

Through the unpredictable stories of Alice and Melanie, this book takes you back and forth between the past and present day to keep you engrossed and calculating the whole time.

I love how Jane Renshaw was able to keep me on my toes through this whole book. I wasn't able to put it down and will definitely be recommending this book to others.