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

⭐️ 5/5. Wow! First off, I am always a fan of true story audiobooks when the author narrates it themselves. It gives it an extra layer of authenticity that I think is really unique and special. You know that nothing is being misinterpreted; and because I can hear the authors voice, I feel all the more connected to the story.
This book intrigued me from the beginning just from the title alone: “Toddler’s Personal Assistant”. While I have lived a comfortable life as a middle class American, I honestly had no idea the true demonstrations of wealth that the 1% in America casually toss around (like Armani clothes for their constantly spitting-up toddlers), so this book was fascinating to me. It was getting a look into the lavish lifestyles of the wealthy, hearing about the kind ones and the not so kind ones, hearing a first-hand account of the hardships that domestic household workers (especially those being paid under the table) suffered during the COVID pandemic in New York; and having it all told through the lens of a young women trying to find her place in the world.
The writing kept me engaged, there was a good balance of funny and heavy, and it introduced a lot of issues that I hadn’t considered before. An entertaining and educational read that is sprinkled in with relatability for most anyone who isn’t a part of the 1%. Stephanie shares her story with an honest vulnerability that is truly admirable.

Favorite quotes:

“I realized there was more I was willing to do without, if it meant I no longer had to dedicate every minute of my life to someone else’s.”

“I would have to make a little less to feel like more.”

Book Name: Wanted

Author: Stephanie Kiser

ARC
Thank you to Tantor Audio and Netgalley** for Audio Arc

Stars: 5

- Thoughts.
- The narrator is like that friend who always has the best stories.
- The author shows real sympathy for parents and doesn’t just throw shade.
- The amazing women in the book get the admiration they deserve.
- It’s clear how much the parents love their kids.
- Plus, the wild, bonkers world of the rich is a total rollercoaster!

More than a book about funny and extreme antecdotes of nannying uber wealthy families. Other threads of the book contrast the author’s own upbringing to the children she nanny’s, commentary on opportunities taken for granted, sexist roles within the household and, race.

Whenever someone asks how she became a nanny, Stephanie Kiser tells them the truth: it was a complete and tragic accident. Being a nanny was the last job she wanted, but necessity took precedence over pride, so she found herself answering wanted adds looking for a team player/someone who can fade into the background. And she went from becoming a first-generation college student to a toddler’s personal assistant, domestic staff, the help.

This is what most traditional nannies do: they work quietly, hardly seen and never heard. They take direction and orders with discretion and without opinion. The children can be endearing and adorable with a sense of curiosity that is contagious. But they’re also energetic, physically active, and often test boundaries. Grafting yourself into a family’s life takes time, and Stephanie found herself stuck in the middle of its greatest challenges.

She spent her twenties fulfilling nannying positions she never intended, for people she loved but for a career she did not want, that had met her financial needs but not her professional potential. The more time she spent nannying, the more she began to see a misunderstanding between classes; she wanted to write about her experience in a way that didn’t villainize either side.

Stephanie Kiser’s Wanted is to nannying as Stephanie Land’s The Maid is to the domestic worker industry: a VIP pass to the amusement park we call class, filled with financial Ferris wheels and merry-go-rounds of contradiction. In the world of the 1 percent, you can travel anywhere and celebrate anyone; even if you can’t place their face or their name, you’re part of the same club. But with the up close and unfiltered view of a household member, Stephanie discovered that under the exotic cars, vacation homes, and private jets, privileged people are just people after all. In whatever world you find yourself, Stephanie Kiser’s Wanted: Toddler’s Personal Assistant is a 100% must read.

As a working mom with a nanny, this was such an interesting book to read. I loved hearing her life story and what it was like to Nanny for the ultra wealthy. It's crazy that segment of the population exists! And reading this made me feel way better about our nanny set up, which is NOTHING like what Stephanie had to do. A very realistic thoughtful and beautiful story. I'm so happy for the author that she made her author dreams come true!

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC of this audiobook.

This book was such a pleasant surprise for me! I am typically a fantasy reader, but have been challenging myself to read more non-fiction. I was immediately drawn in by the blurb and I am always a sucker for author narrated audiobooks.

Stephanie’s pace and tone were even. She did get tripped up in some parts, but this is her story on a deeply personal level. I’d have been more concerned if she didn’t get caught up in in! I really enjoyed hearing the story from Stephanie herself as the novel is a first person narrative.

Content wise, I LOVED it! At first, I wasn’t sure how her personal backstory would feed in to her present day storyline. Let her cook, it all works out! I myself am a stay at home millennial mom of 3 who is very close in age to Stephanie based on her timeline in the novel. A lot of the subject matter Stephanie touched upon I found myself agreeing with and finding comfort in the fact that someone thought so similarly. It was more of a subplot, but I personally deeply resonated with the political journey Stephanie found herself on.

Stephanie’s insights as to how we as a society view mothers, working mothers and stay at home mothers, was refreshing. It’s something we all know, but putting pen to paper on the subject forces us to take a step back. Stephanie’s evolving self awareness of racial inequities in her chosen field was also refreshing to see. She did an excellent job of weaving important topics in to her own story flawlessly without understating them.

I went in to this thinking I’d just be learning how the rich choose to raise their children, and got a fulfilling story instead. I will be recommending this to friends and family!

In Wanted: Toddler’s Personal Assistant, the author takes us on a candid, often humorous journey through the ups and downs of modern (elite) parenting, as seen from the perspective of a professional nanny. But this memoir is more than just a glimpse into the chaos of toddlerhood and working in the homes of 1%er’s—it’s a deep dive into the author’s own childhood, offering a poignant contrast between her upbringing and the privileged families she serves.

I found this memoir to be a thoroughly enjoyable read. While the title might suggest a light, surface-level story, the book offers much more depth than expected. The author skillfully weaves together anecdotes from her work life with reflections on her own childhood, creating a rich narrative that resonates on multiple levels. The contrast between her upbringing and the world she now navigates as a nanny adds layers of insight and emotion to the story, making it both thought-provoking and relatable.

Overall, this memoir exceeded my expectations, delivering a blend of humor, heart, and social commentary that kept me engaged from start to finish (though I certainly wouldn’t have minded some more egregious stories of celebrities and superficial name-dropping that is what initially drew me to the title).

On the narration (audiobook) side, I always enjoy when a book is narrated by the author so that I know we’re really getting what the words intended. This is especially true/important for memoirs. The narration was a solid performance, though not without its fumbles (I did get a chuckle out of the Nissan Rouge), but they weren’t to the level where it becomes a distraction.

I would like to thank NetGalley, RBmedia, and the author for this audio ARC in exchange for my honest review.

A one-star book, to me, means that it was a waste of reading time. This book absolutely felt like that. It’s a nonfiction book written by a woman who grew up relatively poor and becomes a nanny for uber-wealthy families in NYC. The subtitle says that there should be commentary on upward mobility and motherhood but I honestly couldn’t find any of that in this book beyond trite platitudes about working wealthy moms not being taken seriously or the idea that the wealthy have a special coded language that sets you apart.

SO much of this book is backstory about the author’s childhood, which unfortunately just felt like her trying to prove that she grew up poor. I wish that the book included more stories about the differentiator of the book - her nannying experience. Overall, a big disappointment.

I flew through the audiobook narrated by the author, Stephanie Kiser, in a day. Stephanie’s account of a former nanny to the Uber rich was fascinating (and at times aggravating). This book is more than what it appears and a deep dive into class told from her own experience so I appreciated that it didn’t come off as preachy. By the end of reading this, I was truly happy for Stephanie’s success and hope she has a long career in publishing (or tv writing).

My only criticism is that it’s clear Stephanie isn’t an experienced audiobook narrator and that aspect came off as amateurish but it wasn’t enough to deter me to keep listening.

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! I love that it was narrated by the author. I feel like there was more emotion and emphasis on situations since she was telling her own story.

I enjoyed this memoir a lot. It was really interesting to hear both about the author’s own upbringing and childhood and that contrasting so sharply with the lives of the children she cared for. I found it interesting both because I grew up more in between these two extremes and because I worked for some wealthy families myself, but not nearly as wealthy as the ones highlighted in the book.

I really liked seeing the narrator’s relationship with her charges deepen over time. It was so sweet! But man, as a teacher, I truly related to the hard times she had with the kids as well and dealing with out of touch or unreasonable parents. It is truly a weird thing to feel like, wow, my whole life revolves around these kids, but they are not my kids. It makes sense to me that nannying, like teaching, often becomes a job that is more than just a job. But I am glad that the author ultimately was able to move on to other pursuits as well. I could tell that having the ability to choose her own happiness without having to worry about being able to afford her next meal was something she didn’t take for granted.

Thanks to NetGalley and Tantor Audio for the advanced audio book.

This was an eye-opening peek behind the curtain of those who work for the 1% in New York, that also reminds that the wealthy aren't a monolith.

A fascinating insight spotlighting parenting and the wealth gap in our country.

You get to see both shocking differences and similarites on both spectums of income as Stephanie compared her family and upbring to the affluant kids she nannied for many years. Althoigh the abundant opportunities and privilege are just handed out like expectant party favors. There are similar issue on mind set of parenting roles and involvement even with a family with a staff at their disposal.

This is a memoir so it speaks more on a personal level and raising question based on comparisons with the authors low income upbringing and less raising bigger social questions more than a faint remark here or there. But I find this was still eye opening and an entertaining read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Tantor Audio for an advanced.

This was a really interesting read. I’m certain nannying for the wealthy elite of Manhattan is an incredibly strange job. I wish the author would’ve spent more time discussing the way that women of color and immigrants were treated versus how white nannies were treated. She made a few observations about that disparity but I really wanted her to dive into it.

(audiobook isn't listed on Goodreads, Storygraph, etc yet so I didn't include links as there are none - will update accordingly)

I feel like I should first say - I read the print version of this book before listening to the audiobook. I gave the print version 4/5 starts because in the beginning of some chapters, it took too long to get the context I needed in order to establish which point in Stephanie's timeline it was in. That was the ONLY issue I had with this book.

The audiobook on the other hand makes up for that last, fifth star. The only thing better than reading a great book, is having a great book read to you by the person who wrote it. I recommend this audiobook to anyone whose interest is piqued by its description. Even if you don't personally have children I think the insight Stephanie provides here will still be enlightening, whether that's on class differences or parenting styles.

When it comes to social class, I've never read a non-fiction book written from such a unique perspective. Then, as I'd read each chapter I'd realize year-by-year how close in age I am with Stephanie - only to find out we are the same age. I was certain she was much older than me by the gravity and wisdom of her words.

Growing up I wasn't much of a babysitter and my only sibling is a half-brother who I unfortunately didn't/don't see often at all. Until having my own child, I was blind to the dualities of motherhood. I'm not even sure Stephanie knows it (I mean that as a comment, not patronizingly), but the insight she has into raising children and family dynamics from the caregiving angle are so far beyond anyone this age without children. If that's an unpopular opinion, I'm sorry - but as a mother there were portions of this book I've read that made me feel more validated than any book I've read by a biological, full-time caregiving mother. I got the sense that nannying makes the kids your coworkers as much as it makes them your boss, the outcome of your day relies largely on how the day of the children you're with goes. As a stay at home mom I face the same daily coin toss. I think finding those hard truths I identify so closely with in this book can be attributed to the degree of separation nannying provides; you're more likely to be frowned upon if you're overheard saying your kid sucks vs saying your coworker sucks. To have the domestic workload outlined so crisply is refreshing.

{Thank you bunches to NetGalley, Stephanie Kiser and publisher for this eARC in exchange for my honest review!}