3.75 stars.

I don't know what I was expecting when I went into this book, but it honestly surprised me. I did not expect the bluntness and openness the author would have for the topics she covered, many of them personal and emotional, and I was surprised by how critically she viewed and recorded the world and the people around her in this memoir. At times it felt almost uncomfortable to read, like we were seeing too much into the lives of the people she wrote about, including her own, with all of the private mess and drama dumped out in the open, but it seems to me that the uncomfortableness of it is kind of the point. Stephanie is sharing her experiences, and, as she mentions at one point in the book, being a full time nanny is full of those kinds of uncomfortable experiences, where you see far too much of all the private unpleasantness of the families you work for. And the candor with which she writes works for her and her narrative. I absolutely flew through this book every time I picked it up and would struggle to put it back down! Something about it was so gripping.

The way Stephanie contrasted the lives of her clients with her own impoverished upbringing struck a cord. She raises, several times, the point that the opportunities throughout life provided to poor children and wealthy children are wildly different. Wealthy children are, at every turn, given everything they could need for future success. Poor children, on the other hand, are typically set up to fail. While occasionally overly simplified, or presented through a biased lens, this memoir is full of similar notes on Stephanie's observations regarding the role class, wealth, race, and gender play on a person's development and life path.

As much as I enjoyed this book, the narrative did feel a bit disjointed at times. We jumped around in time a lot, and Stephanie frequently relayed her experiences complete with her mental and emotional state at the time, which could occasionally be jarring when things suddenly changed. But it only really bothered me in the final 10% of the book, where I found the pacing to be rushed compared to the rest of the memoir.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book and I recommend it to anyone with an interest in intersectionality, or even just childcare!

I didn't have high expectations going into this book, having previously read what I thought were similar exposé books about ultra-wealthy Manhattanites.

However, this book stands alone from the others because it has an interesting comparison with the author's childhood running through the duration of it. I liked the duality of the life that Stephanie grew up in and the life she was living as a nanny for these insanely rich families.

You can tell she genuinely cared for the children she nannied for, and it was so sweet to see the relationships build over time.

Overall, it was a well-written, interesting book that was much better than I expected. I love being pleasantly surprised by books and this one is a keeper!

Thank you to #netgalley for this ARC of #wantedtoddlerspersonalassistant

Well written and thoufht provoking memoir. Felt the present day and past storylines weaved together nicely.

This one leaned more to the author's personal story than to insidery stories of the wealthy, and that wasn't quite what I had thought this one would be based on the description. The connections she drew weren't always logical to follow, but overall the story was interesting, though a little unpolished.

This was such an interesting book! My husband and I have a nanny (but we are not the 1%!) and it was so interesting hearing everything from Stephanie's perspective and interspersed with her upbringing. This gave me a whole new perspective about what nannying for the 1% looks like. Very different than what our nanny does for us. I loved that ultimately Stephanie made her dreams come true - living in NYC and being a published author!

https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZP81WujQt/
“Wanted: Toddler's Personal Assistant” is a modern look at the class inequalities in America today and a peek into how the ultra-wealthy live. In her memoir, Kiser describes her life of nannying for different families that belong to the 1% in New York City. The stark comparisons Kiser makes between her childhood with poor parents in a chaotic environment and the unlimited resources of the children of the mega-rich shed light on the class division in America.

The book is a well-written glimpse into the type of wealth that almost all Americans will never see. I enjoyed Kiser’s humor when describing the often-ridiculous behaviors of the people she worked for – think $500 an hour for a learning class for a toddler.

I relate to Kiser as she shares her struggles in understanding who she is and what she wants in her 20s. I appreciated that she was candid in her vulnerability of feeling somewhat lost.

In the end, Kiser comes to the age-old truth that while unlimited resources and funds may bring you closer to happiness, true joy comes from those you love. It is not a perfect book, but I enjoyed it and would recommend it to fans of memoirs.

I picked up this book because it was similiar to my own story - I ended up babysitting/nannying for a few years to pay for college and once I ended up in NYC is was for a couple of "money" families and I definitely grew up lower middle class so it was a bit of a culture shock for me. Seeing how similar our experiences were, even though she worked for the 1% and I worked for the moms that could afford midtown, was a bit wild. Overall, I think it is a great commentary on the life of nannies in NYC and how childcare can be such a lucritive business and even though we care for those kids like our own, it is still very much a business.

I asked for this book for two reasons: one, becuase I find the topic o child rearing fascinating and important (even though I'm nowhere close to being a mother); and because it seemed like it would be an entertaining look at the lives of the 1%.

But I found a lot more than that!

I really enjoyed the contrasting perspectives between the author's own empoverished childhood and the wealth and privilege of her work environment. I loved how engaging and thought provoking the writing was. It was great to consider questions of class, gender roles, and the so-called American Dream as I turned the pages.

I really enjoyed the read and would highly recommend it (in fact, I already rec-ed it to my book club!). The discussion guide at the end was also very interesting to consider!

Thank you Sourcebooks and NetGalley for the opportunity to review it.

Went into this expecting a light hearted “omg I can’t believe that” look into the life of the 1% and their kiddos, but left with a vulnerable, heavy memoir that I’m grateful to have read.

While we do get a look into the many families that Stephanie Kiser nannied for, we also do get a contrast between the 1%, Stephanie as a white nanny, and nannies of color. While Stephanie’s journey was no walk in the part, she acknowledges that she was still treated better than her co-workers of color.

Hindsight into someone’s life can make it really easy to say that it was privileged of Stephanie to leave her college scholarship for a school that would cost her thousands in student loans, that she should’ve just moved out of New York, etc. BUT she fully acknowledges that she, as an 18 year old, didn’t understand the impact of taking out loans like that. She even reflects on her journey from being a Republican to a Democrat. Life is all about learning.

Grateful for the “wtf??” laughter moments of nannying stories, but especially grateful for this shared story.

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

A fascinating insight into the nannying world! I really enjoyed the narrative voice of this book and am interested to see what they might write next. The stories of the rich families and contemplations on wealth gaps were super interesting. The childhood sections dragged for me at times, hence the 4 star review but overall a really enjoyable read.

This memoir wasn't entirely what I was expecting but that only made meike it even more! As a nanny myself, I was drawn to the stories of what it's like nannying for the rich, but was really hooked my the social commentary and how the author brought in her own childhood and upbringing and contrasted it with the lives of the children she nannied. Really excellent and well done.

Thanks to NetGalley and SourceBooks for this advance reader copy, in exchange for an honest review. This book was a memoir about the author’s experience working as a nanny to Uber-rich Manhattanites, while also recollecting her own childhood and how vastly different it was compared to the lives of the children she’s nannying.

This book kind of reminded me of the Nanny Diaries but, I appreciate the difference with the author comparing it to her own childhood and thus, also providing her own social commentary on a variety of issues. It gave the story a unique angle and I appreciated the dichotomy between the two main narrative threads. I did struggle to get through the book a bit, as just sadly lost interest in the story. The tone of the book sometimes felt more whiny, rather than observant and whatever else the author may have been going for. Perhaps this book just did not catch me at the right time but, I think the premise and overall arc of the story was interesting. I’d like to come back to this at another point and would be interested to see what others think!

Stephanie had a difficult childhood with her father working hard but not making lots of money. Her mother stayed home and had babies. Stephanie remembers some hard times and lots of shouting. Although she wasn’t a good student, she was a terrific basketball player which got her into a prestigious school that didn’t care about her grades as long as she played well at the sport. She managed to get into college and borrowed lots of money to do so. She got a degree in television writing. Her goal was to go to New York City. She soon realizes that any job she tries to get in television writing only pays a pittance and no where enough to pay for rent and her student loans. When she hears about getting a nannying job, she decides to check it out.

Nannying jobs for the super rich in New York City can pay six figures and some come with benefits. So, she tries her hand at that. Her first job was good but subsequent ones left a lot to be desired. Some of the people she worked for were very rude and demanded she adhere to ridiculous tasks and rules.

The story goes back and forth from her childhood and the hardships she faced to the present day and the opulence of the lives of the super rich. There are some chuckles and some sad times as well. I had hoped to read more about the different children and their families but was disappointed that this book was more of an autobiography of the author’s life.

Copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

If you liked The Nanny Diaries, you'll like this.

"Wanted: Toddler's Personal Assistant" by Stephanie Kiser offers a fascinating glimpse into the world of high-end nannying in New York City. Kiser's engaging writing style and keen observations make for an entertaining and often humorous read. Her personal journey from a struggling college graduate to a well-paid nanny for the ultra-wealthy is both relatable and captivating.

Kiser excels at painting vivid pictures of the lavish lifestyles she encounters, from Prada baby onesies to exorbitantly priced preschools. Her descriptions of the bonds she forms with the children in her care are touching and genuine, adding emotional depth to the narrative.

The author's honesty about the challenges of the job - long hours, sacrificed personal time, and the struggle to pursue her own dreams - adds authenticity to the story. Readers will find themselves rooting for Kiser as she navigates the complexities of her role and grapples with difficult decisions.

While the book provides an intriguing insider's perspective on the lives of the 1%, at times the political commentary on inequality and social mobility detracts from the personal narrative. The frequent digressions into broader societal issues, while important, occasionally overshadow the more compelling aspects of Kiser's individual experience and relationships with the families she works for.

Despite this minor drawback, "Wanted: Toddler's Personal Assistant" remains a highly readable and thought-provoking memoir. It offers a unique window into a world few of us will ever experience firsthand, while also touching on universal themes of ambition, sacrifice, and the search for fulfillment in one's career and life.

When her career plans don’t work out, Stephanie Kiser became a nanny as a temporary fix to pay her bills. Living in NYC is expensive. Nannies are paid well but sometimes asked to do crazy things. Kiser’s descriptions of the families are sometimes hysterical and others sad. She becomes very attached to most of the children she spends time with. This is a realistic portrait of what nannying to the wealthy in a big city is like. I enjoyed reading it and I thank NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this ARC.

Wanted: Toddler’s Personal Assistant was a very interesting insight into the ultra wealthy families of NYC. She also delves back into her own childhood stories and compares it to the world that she is currently working in. I would recommend this book to anyone who is interested in seeing how the ultra wealthy live and how the kids live. Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks for the ARC in exchange for a review.

I really enjoyed this memoir--for me it was a cross between the Nanny Diaries and a milder version of Educated, as the author contrasts her experience as a nanny with the poverty in her own childhood. Thanks to Netgalley and Sourcebooks for the ARC.

Wonderfully written and honest. Many readers will identify with the middle class struggle of salary, rent, food, and the looming college loan debt. Insightful and enlightening without a sense of judgement (except about her own life). A self- discovery story many can identify with.

Such a good read! I enjoyed reading Stephanie’s struggles and successes. There were some tough lessons taught during her lifetime. I found myself laughing at some of the situations she found herself in but I imagine she wasn’t laughing as they were occurring.

This book made me rethink some of my attitudes and outlooks on life, especially my role as a mother. A well written memoir!

NetGalley early release
Publishing date : August 6, 2024
Rating: 5 ⭐️

I’m not giving this book 5 stars because it kept me on my seat or because the writing was spectacular. I rated it 5 stars because I lived this life, just like her, and I thought the idea and her story were worth 5 stars. I’ve been there and done that and thought it was so relatable - if you’ve seen that lifestyle up close and personal, you know what I’m talking about. I was blessed enough to work for a HNF that treated me, and the rest of the staff, very nicely and respectfully, unlike some of Stephanie’s former bosses. But sometimes that’s the hand you get dealt and it sucks. I thought all her stories about her kids she watched over were precious and how she figured out what she wanted was beautifully written and expressed. It went much deeper than “nanny work” which I appreciated. Class is a very touchy topic that people don’t like to speak about and so I’m glad it got addressed in this book. I also got sent a free copy of this book from Madeleine Brown at sourcebooks so now I can reread it and highlight and mark up all of the wonderful parts I want to remember. Thank you!