I thoroughly enjoyed this book, but it was not too focused on nannying to rich New York City families as much as I'd like. I was expecting more growth on her experiences not just comparing her childhood to her current situation. The book does touch on ideas including motherhood and inequality, but they are mentioned in a passive manner.

This book started out interesting but dragged at times. She recognized she has privilege compared to other nannies who work with rich families in NYC. Her own upbringing was more messy but she went to college and was trying to survive and thrive in the city. She found that she could actually make a lot more money being a nanny yet at a cost to her personal life and getting emotionally entangled with the kids. It definitely does not seem that being a nanny is her calling and I hope she does find what that is!

Thank you to Netgalley and SOURCEBOOKS for an ARC and I voluntarily left this review.

Wanted: Toddler’s Personal Assistant: How Nannying for the 1% Taught Me about the Myths of Equality, Motherhood, and Upward Mobility in America by Stephanie Kiser is a engaging memoir that is equal parts heartwarming, insightful, and funny. Stephanie's voice, humor, and self-reflection shine through on every page.

I wasn’t able to read and review this book before it’s publishing date. However, now that I have read it I gave it 3 stars.

I really enjoyed this memoir. It was well written, funny and gave me insight into the lives of NY elite. Highly recommend— quick read and entertaining,

Wanted: Toddler’s Personal Assistant: How Nannying for the 1% Taught Me about the Myths of Equality, Motherhood, and Upward Mobility in America by Stephanie Kiser is a sharp and engaging memoir that pulls back the curtain on the hidden world of elite child care. Through her experiences as a nanny for wealthy families, Kiser exposes the stark contrasts between the lives of the ultra-privileged and the everyday struggles of those in lower-income, service-oriented jobs.

Kiser offers an insightful critique of the myths surrounding upward mobility, the American dream, and the inequality inherent in the system. As she recounts her time caring for the children of the 1%, she explores the personal and societal toll of the class divide, touching on the challenges of being a caretaker in a world that often dismisses the value of domestic work. Her writing is both thought-provoking and compassionate, making it easy to empathize with the complexities of her job and the emotional nuances of the relationships she builds with the families she works for.

While the book is both well-written and poignant, it occasionally feels like the pacing slows in certain sections as the author delves into repetitive critiques of class dynamics. At times, readers may feel that Kiser’s observations are not as fully developed as they could be, leaving some of the themes less impactful than they could have been.

Overall, Wanted: Toddler’s Personal Assistant is an insightful and candid look at class, motherhood, and the inequalities that shape our society. Kiser’s experiences offer valuable perspectives on the real costs of privilege and the myths that surround success and equality in America. This is a compelling read for anyone interested in class dynamics, labor, and the challenges of navigating systems designed to perpetuate inequality.

Stephanie Kiser moved to NYC to become a writer, but when she couldn’t nail down employment and her sizable student loans demanded to be paid, she turned to her plan b of becoming a nanny for the wealthy elite.

While full of humorous stories, this memoir digs onto a much deeper level as it discusses classism, racism, political differences, abortion, and equality. Kiser does an excellent job at bringing to light the differences that being born into wealth or poverty will bring a person.

I dual consumed via print and audio, and would most recommend the audio version.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC. Highly recommend!

I started out really enjoying this book, because it had some really fun, juicy tidbits about nannying for the rich, but then it started to slow down the more she flashed back through her own life growing up. I understand why she did it, but I don't think it made the book better. I kind of limped to the finish for this one. And I'm glad that the family she nannied for was really nice and lovely, but I feel like she may have had more success writing a fiction book about an obnoxious family :)

This book is interesting, but may have benefitted from more distance. Nannying for the super-rich is interesting, but the story still felt too close to for the author to view it objectively. Not every story needs to be deep or have lessons learned and the book was a fun read. I found myself wanting to see who the author becomes and rooting for her to make sense both of her childhood and her livelihood.

While this isn't the usual genre I read, this was an easy, light, quick read which gives a behind the scene tour into the life of an uber wealthy family. Perfect beach read!

Thank you to the publisher and net galley for this free ARC in exchange for my honest review.

The book wasn't light enough to be funny but also didn't go deep enough to be satisfying, just coasted in the middle which I found unsatisfying.

I previously enjoyed The Nanny Diaries when the book and then the movie, came out, so I was looking forward to reading this book, as it had a similar theme of glimpses behind the ultra wealthy's private lives. The author describes her experiences after college as a nanny for the highest upper class in NYC and contrasts it with her childhood experiences growing up poor with an unreliable family, Are we all products of our upbringing and can we escape that to become who we think we are meant to be or to better our circumstances? It is funny, fascinating and at times, heart breaking as she grows to love these children who are not her own but yet she is a large part of their childhood. It delves deeper into timely cultural topics of the pandemic, misogyny, class, and immigrants/race. I greatly enjoyed reading her perspectives and as a stay-at-home mom, I related to the importance, workload and stress/boredom/monotony of caring for young children all day/night while also seeing that society often looks down on those who chose to do that important work, whether as a career or as a family choice.

Really enjoyed this! I always like to hear about how the other half lives and the crazy tendencies of the rich. I would def recommend. And easy read that kept me tiring the pages.

No matter your level of privilege and wealth, childcare is hard. But some extra money to pay for childcare certainly helps. In this part-memoir, part-cultural observation, Stephanie Kiser provides a look into “how the other half lives” when it comes to society’s most important and most demanding job - raising kids.

3.5! I enjoyed the juxtaposition of the author’s upbringing to her life caring for the ultra wealthy all while feeling unfulfilled in her career. Super relatable and interesting. Plus I love a window into really rich people living in NYC.

Part memoir, part sociology book, this is both the tale of the wealthy in New York City and the generational struggle to find meaning, belonging, and identity for post-collegiate millennials and Gen Zers. In her debut, Stephanie Kiser offers a fascinating glimpse into the rarefied world of elite Manhattan childcare, while deftly weaving in a broader commentary on class, privilege, and the increasingly elusive American Dream. As a former nanny for New York City's wealthiest families, Kiser provides both an insider's view of life among the 1% and a thoughtful examination of her own complex relationship with class mobility.

Fresh out of college and struggling with student loan debt, Kiser stumbles into high-end nannying as a temporary solution to stay afloat in expensive New York City. What begins as a stopgap measure evolves into a seven-year journey that forces her to confront uncomfortable truths about wealth, privilege, and the true cost of upward mobility in America.

The strength of Kiser's memoir lies in her ability to navigate multiple perspectives with nuance and empathy. She acknowledges both the genuine love wealthy parents have for their children and the sometimes "bonkers reality" of their privileged world. Her descriptions of $300 baby onesies and preschools that cost more than college tuition are delivered with wry humor rather than judgment. Particularly compelling is her examination of her own position within the domestic labor hierarchy - her status as a white, college-educated nanny grants her privileges denied to other caregivers, a dynamic she thoughtfully explores.

The narrative alternates between Kiser's experiences as a nanny and flashbacks to her own impoverished childhood. These juxtapositions effectively highlight the stark contrasts between her early life and the world she now inhabits, though at times the transitions between timelines can feel abrupt and disorienting.

Where the memoir truly shines is in its examination of the emotional complexity of professional caregiving. Kiser captures the unique paradox of becoming deeply attached to children while remaining perpetually aware of your status as a paid employee. Her account of eventually leaving her charges is particularly poignant, highlighting the personal cost of treating childcare as just another market transaction.

The book occasionally suffers from uneven pacing, and some readers might wish for more detailed exploration of certain themes - particularly the impact of COVID-19 on domestic workers, which feels somewhat rushed. Additionally, Kiser's occasional self-deprecating remarks about nannying being a "nothing job" may strike some readers as reinforcing the very prejudices about domestic work that she otherwise critiques.

Nevertheless, "Wanted: Toddler's Personal Assistant" offers valuable insight into elite childcare and the broader challenges facing young Americans trying to establish themselves in an increasingly unequal economy. It's a timely contribution to ongoing discussions about class, care work, and the true meaning of success in contemporary America.

The memoir will likely resonate with anyone who has ever felt caught between social worlds or struggled to reconcile their professional aspirations with economic realities. It's also a title to borrow for anyone interested in understanding the complex dynamics of domestic labor in America's wealthiest households.

Wanted was an excellent read! I appreciated the author's wild stories of caring for the children of the 1%. A great class critique.

I was expecting this to be kinda a tell-all about un-name-dropped upper east side parents and how nuts they are. It truly, really wasn't. Stephanie Kiser explores both her own impoverished childhood (and complicated family) as she nannies for the 1%. It is hard for her not to make connections between her own experiences while watching families with wildly different access. She also sees her own privilege within the nanny community of New York, as a white, young, college educated women in a line of work that often employees immigrants. It was a really interesting read.

This one gave me fun flashbacks to the Nanny Diaries, and my own years as a nanny (albeit in much more midwestern, less bougie homes). Escapist and well-written!

There is so much I relate to in this book! Mom guilt seen in the author’s nannying experience. The author’s own fears about not measuring up to the goals that others and culture have for her.

It was really enjoyable to follow the author’s story from high school to college to nannying to writing.

This review is missing one star only because some of the chapters jumped between topics in a way that I found confusing.

Thank you to Sourcebooks and NetGalley for an ARC of this book! This is my honest review.