3.5 ⭐️rounded up The book explores issues around class, race, and privilege. Rachel, a 17-year-old from Boston, spends the summer in Greenwich in the home of her wealthy aunt and uncle, to "help" with her three-year-old cousin. Rachel, who is white, befriends Claudia, the 21-year-old nanny who is black and confronts clashes of race, class, and sexual indentity. Most of the plot takes place in 1999, as adult Rachel recounts that fateful summer and tragedy that threatened to tear her family apart. Unfortunately most of the characters are unlikable, with minimal character development, which made it a struggle for me to care about their story.

Rachel arrives at her aunt and uncle’s mansion in Greenwich, Connecticut in the summer of 1999. Her aunt is struggling to heal from an injury, and Rachel came to help out, as well as escape her own troubles back home. But her aunt is aloof and her uncle is consumed with his business, so Rachel befriends Claudia, a recent college graduate, aspiring artist, and the live-in babysitter for Rachel’s cousin. As summer deepens, Rachel eagerly hopes their friendship might grow into something more but soon a tragic accident occurs and all eyes turn to Claudia.

Rachel is caught between her upbringing and her feelings for Claudia, as well as her desire to do the right thing without sullying the family name. The story goes back and forth between the past, and Rachel's neglectful childhood, and her current predicatment. It's a story of privilege, and how often the privileged neglect their responsibilities to others. On one hand, you want Rachel to spill the beans in a shocking reveal, on the other hand you understand her reticence to do so. The author does a good job exploring the inequality of race, sex, and wealth, as it relates to the events at hand. It starts out slow, then unveals over time. I found it an interesting story, but Rachel could have been a bit more likeable.

Perfect summer read! I flew through this family drama, putting everything else aside in the process. I became so absorbed with Rachel, Claudia, the Corbins, and especially sweet, sweet baby Sabine. There were so many moments that were shocking, heartbreaking, tense... and Kate Broad really brought it all together by the end. Truly impressive for a debut novel, I can't wait to read her future novels.

Some people mention that the pace is unbalanced, but I feel like that's what kept me so hooked throughout. It had an organic flow, similar to a realistic summer break before college. There are wild moments, elaborate parties, heart-warming dialogue, with secrets and disasters thrown in when you least expect it. Highly recommend for anyone who's looking for a fast-paced thriller-mystery this summer!

Thank you, NetGalley and St. Martin's Press, for the opportunity to read an advanced reader's copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

I think the "rich people behaving badly" trope is getting overdone - this one is a reminder that when it's good, it's so good though! I was completely taken with this story from page one.

What an impressive debut! I gotta admit, though. I went into this one expecting a rich-people-behaving-badly kind of thriller, but that’s not what this is. Not even close. And honestly, I’m glad it surprised me the way it did. I'm definitely not mad at it.

Like I said, this isn’t a thriller. It’s not even a mystery. It's a tightly written, emotionally sharp literary novel that examines race, privilege, silence, and complicity. It’s about the lies people tell themselves when the truth threatens the status quo, and how easy it is to do nothing when doing something might push you out of your comfort zone.

The story centers on eighteen-year-old Rachel, who’s spending the summer of 1999 with her aunt and uncle in Greenwich, Connecticut. Her aunt has been injured, and Rachel’s meant to help out around the house and with her young cousin Sabine. From the start, there’s a quiet sense of unease. Her aunt floats through the house in a haze. Her uncle’s either absent or distracted. Rachel feels isolated within a family that doesn’t seem to function but clings to routine anyway.

Then, Claudia, the live-in nanny, enters the frame. Claudia is a recent college graduate. She's Black, artistic, independent, grounded, and quietly commanding in a way that makes it impossible for Rachel to not notice her (and become a little obsessed with her). Their bond grows slowly, but it’s clear from the beginning that Rachel is drawn to Claudia, and not just as a friend or mentor. And what begins as a subtle coming-of-age story soon evolves into something heavier, messier, and completely unexpected.

About halfway through the book, something happened that completely changed the trajectory for me. I was tandem reading and listening to the audiobook, and I had to pause, rewind, and listen again. It hit like a punch. I saw it coming maybe a sentence or two before it happened and I so desperately wanted to jump into the book and intervene. It hit me so hard that I had to pause the book and take a breath. In less than a page, the entire story shifts, the tone darkens, and the fallout begins.

From that point on, every interaction felt loaded. Every decision, no matter how small, pulsed with tension. Relationships change. Silence grows louder, and everyone is only looking out for themselves. If you get caught in the crossfires? Oh, well. That's your problem.

The true brilliance of this novel lies in how it explores complicity. Rachel knows the truth of what really happened. She knows that what is happening (and I am being deliberately vague here) wasn't right. But she also knows that speaking up could unravel her own future. Her decision—what she chooses to say versus what she chooses to keep to herself—is the beating heart of this story. It’s maddening, infuriating, and real.

What really grabbed me about this book was how sparse yet precise the writing is. Every line matters. Every detail cuts. Like I said, this isn't a thriller, but it does get tense and the author builds tension without theatrics and lets her characters drive the emotional weight. Nothing is heavy-handed. Nothing is overdone. This is a book that trusts its readers to sit with discomfort, to observe the nuance, and to question their own silence.

The audiobook, narrated by Amani Jane Powers, is outstanding. Powers doesn’t just read the story—she breathes life into it. Each character sounds distinct, grounded, and emotionally resonant. The narration amplified the tension and intimacy in a way that pulled me even deeper into the story. If you enjoy audiobooks, I highly recommend going that route or tandem reading, as I did.

If you’re looking for an explosive thriller, this won’t scratch that itch. But if you want a book that interrogates race, class, and power through the lens of a single summer—and the weight of one white girl’s silence—this book delivers. It's a slow burn, and it lingers. It gets under your skin and stays there. The shift from light to dark happens almost without you noticing, and by the time you realize where it's going, it’s too late to look away.

Read it. It's worth the time.

Kate Broad masterfully weaves suspense into both the plot and characters in Greenwich. The novel explores themes like deceit, corruption, addiction, privilege, injustice—and the emotional journey of growing up and finding oneself.

The story follows Rachel, almost 18, fresh out of high school and newly ousted by her mean girl friends. With her younger sister undergoing cancer treatment and tensions high at home, her parents send her to spend the summer in Greenwich, CT, with her wealthy aunt and uncle. There, Rachel is meant to help around the house and with her little cousin, Sabine—but Sabine already has a live-in nanny: Claudia, a vibrant and magnetic 23-year-old recent art school grad.

Claudia’s presence—and the privilege and secrets simmering in this upscale world—set the stage for a slow-building tension. You sense early on that something devastating is coming, and Broad uses that suspense brilliantly to deepen the characters, revealing their vulnerabilities and flaws.

The final third of the book takes a sharp turn into courtroom drama, bringing issues of corruption and privilege fully into the spotlight.

Greenwich is a compelling, multi-layered read that blends contemporary fiction, family drama, LGBTQ themes, and mystery into something truly gripping.

This book addresses issues of privilege, wealth, race, relationships and regret in an incredibly thought provoking way. Highly recommend this one - it was ambitious and compelling.

"Greenwich" by Kate Broad was emotionally wrenching and gripping, a look at privilege in Greenwich through the lens of young women and a family in the 1990s. It took me a while to get into but then I couldn't put it down. Beautiful writing by Kate Broad.

From the opening scene, "Greenwich" pulled me into Rachel's unsettled mind with an emotional intensity that never let up. Broad's first-person narration creates this uncanny feeling of complicity—I found myself simultaneously sympathizing with Rachel's loneliness and questioning her reliability as she recounts her summer at her aunt's palatial Connecticut mansion.

The setting itself becomes a character—all gleaming surfaces and manicured lawns that mirror the superficial perfection the family strives to maintain. Seventeen-year-old Rachel arrives carrying the invisible weight of being forgotten—her parents consumed by her sister's illness, her friends by her unnamed mistakes. Her acute observations of the household dynamics reveal her desperate need to belong somewhere, anywhere.

What interested me most was Rachel's growing relationship with Claudia, her cousin's nanny. Their connection unfolds with a delicate intimacy that represents Rachel's awakening to both desire and the stark realities of privilege. I felt my chest tighten as Rachel begins noticing how the family treats Claudia—included yet excluded, present yet invisible.

When tragedy strikes midway through, the narrative transforms from coming-of-age to moral reckoning. Rachel's guilt-driven justifications for her choices left me emotionally conflicted. Her attempts to make things right while protecting herself expose layers of naïveté that made me wonder how much of our moral compass is truly our own.

The final revelations about Rachel's misconceptions stunned me. I'm still sitting with the uncomfortable truth that sometimes we cause the most harm precisely when we believe we're doing good. Broad has crafted something rare—a story that entertains while forcing us to examine our own moral blind spots.

Special thanks to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for providing the advance review copy, though all opinions expressed are entirely my own.

A high 3? I don’t know. I will have to think about the rating on this one.

This book examines the stark differences between the haves and the have notes. The extremely rich and those who work for them. The frustrating corruption of the legal system and all that that entails.

Rachael is a white girl visiting her aunt who is recovering from an injury and has a 3 yo daughter and also a nanny Claudia who is black. The family is very wealthy. They spend the summer together, make lots of messy choices and tragedy strikes.

Rachael and everyone in this book is extremely unlikeable and infuriating. Even Claudia who I think we are supposed to kind of like. She most certainly made some very poor choices. I disliked her the least I guess. Accept for the kid. She was ok. Cause she was a kid. I am sure she would have grown up to be horrible.

I found this book to be thought provoking and as I said infuriating which is the point. I did think it had some pacing issues which is why I am not rating it higher. I think it’s a good debut and would read from the author again.

Thanks to net galley and the publisher for the e arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Greenwich is a perfect beach read. It tells the story of 17 year old Rachel Fiske, who decides to stay with her aunt and uncle in Greenwich, Connecticut to escape her high school issues and enjoy summer before starting college.

Her aunt is still recovering from a horseback riding accident and needs help here and there. Rachel forms a bond with their lives in nanny, Claudia, and their friendship soon becomes complicated.

An accident turns everyone's world upside down and has dire consequences for years to come for Rachel and Claudia.

The book deals with heavy subjects, including coming of agents, race and money.

This novel simmered with quiet intensity from the very first page. You can feel a shadow of tragedy looming over Rachel’s story, but it never arrives when—or how—you expect. A slow-burn coming-of-age journey, it introduces us to Rachel, freshly graduated and adrift, unsure of her place in a world shaped by invisible lines of class, privilege, and deep-rooted shame.

It’s a complex, intimate portrait of a young woman navigating uncertainty, identity, and the echoes of choices made before her.

Three and a half stars rounded up, but I struggled with the rating for this one. Kate Broad’s “Greenwich” is her debut novel and it’s set in Greenwich, Connecticut. 17 year old Rachel Fiske is visiting her aunt, uncle, and young cousin at their mansion for the summer. In the fall she’s headed for Swarthmore College, on what she hopes to be her path to medical school and becoming a doctor.

Most of the storyline takes place back in summer of 1999, but there are multiple references throughout letting the reader know that Rachel is recounting the events of that summer. There are also multiple, but vague references to an accident that occurred that summer.

Rachel offered to spend the summer with her extended family on the premise of helping her aunt continue to heal after a horse riding accident months before. She let her parents believe she was offering to go in place of her mom, but she mainly offered to get away from her classmates back home.

After Rachel arrives, she’s surprised at her aunt’s behavior and her uncle’s absence due to work. She receives a warm welcome, though, from Claudia. Claudia is a recent college graduate who is a few years older than Rachel. She’s an aspiring artist and has been hired to be the live-in babysitter for Rachel’s young cousin, Sabine.

The book explores issues around class, race, and privilege. I felt a sense of dread as the book continued because I knew the tragedy was about to be revealed. I was not a fan of Rachel by the end of the book, for several reasons, but it may have been by design. I also felt like the book was slightly too long and became repetitive for me in places.

Overall, I recommend this book. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for my ARC.

This needs a trigger warning, but it also gives away part of the plot, so proceed with caution.

After Rachel has a falling out with her friends, and a sister who is sick, she feels like there’s not a place for her at home. Having recently graduated high school, she goes to spend the summer with her aunt, who’s recently suffered an injury, and to help out with her 3 year old cousin.

I went through so many different stages of how I felt about the MC while reading this. At first I felt sorry for her. Then I started questioning some of her decisions, but also understanding that she is 17, and doesn’t have the benefit of hindsight yet. Then I was getting annoyed with her for how she acts and what she brings onto herself. By the end, I didn’t like her at all.

I enjoyed the writing style. I also liked the message of this book, even though it left me frustrated. I also wonder how this book would’ve played out if there’d also been a pov for Claudia, the live in nanny.

This book looks at class, race, sexuality, and privilege through the lens of a 17 year old girl, and send a very clear message to the reader. I recommend it, but it is a dark, tough read.

4.5 stars

Rachel, a 17-year-old from Boston, spends the summer in Greenwich in the home of her wealthy aunt and uncle, ostensibly to "help" with her three-year-old cousin, though she is also fleeing uncomfortable social situations at home. As Rachel, who is white, befriends Claudia, the 21-year-old nanny who is black, she also awkwardly confronts clashes of race, class, and sexual indentity. Most of the plot unfolds in 1999, as an adult Rachel recounts the fateful summer and tragedy that threatened to tear her family apart. Rachel's inability to come to terms with those events leave the reader as frustrated as the emotionally stunted character. Kate Broad's novel "Greenwich" honestly could be set in any town that suggests wealth and privilege, but Broad leans heavily into the stereotypes that this wealthy town has always evoked. Ultimately, her knowledge of the town and her unappealing characters left me wanting more.

Kate Broad's Greenwich was an enjoyable read that was entertaining and a great summer read. While it might not claim the title of "best book ever," it certainly delivers a engaging, suspenseful story well.

Broad draws you into a family during a summer where you know something is going to go horribly wrong. The pacing is excellent, ensuring there's never a dull moment. If you're a fan of Kiley Reid's Such a Fun Age, you'll likely find similar thematic explorations of race, class, etc.

Greenwich is a highly recommended pick if you're looking for a tense, thought-provoking, and thoroughly entertaining novel to dive into. Great for the pool -- thanks to NetGalley for the ARC and ALC.

A solid thriller with a decent commentary on wealth and class but I fear I could not STAND the protagonist. Rachel drove me nuts with her self-focused obsessions and overall cluelessness. It was impossible to believe she was seventeen and not fifteen. In books like this I usually rely on the protagonist to be a likable anchor in a sea of upper class snobbery but the utter lack of connection I felt towards Rachel made most character interactions a slog. It's hard to understand the central point of this book but the thriller aspects kept me glued to the page and the story is well-paced.

2 stars. I really wanted to like this book. The description sounded like a perfect vacay read--a mysterious incident in a big country house, visiting niece, misplaced blame--but alas I just didn't get hooked. My main issue was the inconsistency in the 17-yo niece's maturity--sometimes incredibly naive like a child, esp with the use of painkillers, yet somehow worldly enough to piece together a complex corruption scheme from overheard conversations between investors and her uncle. I could go on, but I'm not one to pile on negativity.

Best part about this one was the cover -- captured my eye for sure!

+++
Thank you to Net Galley and Random House for an ARC in exchange for my unbiased review.

Greenwich is a literary thriller / mystery centering on Rachel who arrives at her wealthy aunts mansion for the summer to help out with her younger cousin. Quickly upon arriving Rachel begins to realize not all is as it seems. Further complicating this is her quickly intensifying relationship with her cousins nanny, and the only POC the family really interacts with, Claudia.

This book is an exploration of the ways we betray each other and how one persons voice can cause irreparable damage. Rachel is an interesting character in that she usually isn’t doing the right thing. Her loyalty to her family sometimes clashes greatly with her personal beliefs. I liked the way we follow this story from its inception to the end, not just focusing on the summer where the catalytic events occur but following them to their conclusion years later.

I think Claudia’s story is the more interesting one and I found myself wishing this was a dual perspective story. The blatant racism in this book felt under examined though that’s likely due to Rachel’s extreme ignorance on the topic.

In the end I enjoyed this book but found myself wanting more from it. Claudia’s story seems only half told (though there is a larger conversation here about this) and I would have liked to get her voice more.

The ethics in this book are messy and it’s an interesting read but I think requires the reader to really do some work. With very little of the racism examined we are left to piece together comments Rachel makes and overhears to learn the extent of this content. Hearing Claudia’s story through Rachel’s lens felt reductive and I wish more had been done to discuss this, though this could of course be the point the author is making.

Thank you @netgalley and @stmartinspress for this e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

Greenwich is a compelling coming-of-age story that kept me reading, even as it got more and more uncomfortable to do so. Rachel Fiske feels lost after graduating from high school in the summer of 1999. Her younger sister, Jules, is battling illness, and Rachel has been ostracized from her friend group. She is sent to stay with her wealthy aunt and uncle in Greenwich to help care for their toddler, since Rachel's aunt is recovering from a riding injury. Once Rachel arrives at her aunt and uncle's country home, she quickly becomes obsessed with her cousin Sabine's nanny, Claudia. Over the summer, Rachel learns some unsavory truths about her aunt and uncle, and a tragic accident changes the course of everyone's lives. I had to know where the story was going, but this book is more of a slow-burn character study than an edge-of-your-seat thriller. A fantastic debut! Recommended if you enjoy reading about class, race, and morally grey characters. Thanks to St. Martin's, Netgalley, and author Kate Broad for the librarian preview!