Friday, September 27, 2019

Book Review: The Nanny

Do you  have a specific time of year that you read a specific genre? Like beach reads in the summer? I have that but I also do thrillers in the fall. I don't know why but fall feels very thrillerish to me so here we are. And I kind of lump all mystery/suspense in the thriller category so don't bother telling me I'm wrong.

The Nanny - Gillian Macmillan

When her beloved nanny, Hannah, left without a trace in the summer of 1988, seven-year-old Jocelyn Holt was devastated. Haunted by the loss, Jo grew up bitter and distant, and eventually left her parents and Lake Hall, their faded aristocratic home, behind.

Thirty years later, Jo returns to the house and is forced to confront her troubled relationship with her mother. But when human remains are accidentally uncovered in a lake on the estate, Jo begins to question everything she thought she knew.

Then an unexpected visitor knocks on the door and Jo’s world is destroyed again. Desperate to piece together the gaping holes in her memory, Jo must uncover who her nanny really was, why she left, and if she can trust her own mother…

In this compulsively readable tale of secrets, lies, and deception, Gilly Macmillan explores the darkest impulses and desires of the human heart. Diabolically clever, The Nanny reminds us that sometimes the truth hurts so much you’d rather hear the lie.

I should tell you that this is the first book I have read from Gillian Macmillan and it certainly won't be the last. I really liked the writing voice, I liked how the story flowed, taking little detours but always getting us back on track.

Was there big shockers for me? I don't think so. I didn't feel like I could guess the entire story, but there were definitely some areas that I was like, "well obviously..." so I got a little worried I wasn't going to enjoy this one as much. Coming in at 400 pages this was really pushing it for me size wise since I try to stay at 300 and under for time purposes, and there are a few areas I felt could have been edited out, but for the most part I felt like I was flying through this one because the author pulls you in and is always leaving you little crumbs so you feel like you can't really stop yet. The entire dysfunctional (at best) family has secrets they don't want to come out and each one is a little piece of the puzzle.

Also- the story is through different perspectives AND we flip flop from the past to the present so for me (with memory issues and cognitive dysfunction) I had a hard time keeping things straight but I'm certain with a good brain you'll be just fine!

I really liked Jo and I think her journey to figure out what happened to her nanny was really interesting but man alive- Jo would fall for anything. Gullible isn't even the word to describe her, it was really like a child like mind even as an adult. I didn't really care for Virginia or Hannah but I don't think we were supposed to. If I had to describe this book? Gray. The entire time it felt gray. The house is spooky, the land around it is gloomy, nobody is a ray of sunshine themselves, and the story is just eerie. Plus anytime you have dead bodies in the lake it kind of brings the atmosphere down a bit.

Overall? I'm giving this one a good 3. I liked it, I liked the slow burn aspect of it, I liked the conclusion and felt satisfied, and I had a hard time putting it down. The only thing keeping this from a 4 or even a 5 is I wanted more drama, more big surprises, something really scandalous to make me say, "what the heck is even happening?!". If you like a good mystery, you'll enjoy this one.

   
A big thank you to William Morrow and TLC Book Tours for my ARC! This post contains affiliate links so if you click on them (or order) I just make a whopping few cents and that helps me keep the blog moving. 

5 comments:

Kim {Hope Whispers} said...

If Im going to read something dark, its usually during the fall or winter. This book sounds like something I could get into. Ill have to add it to my tbr shelf :) Thanks for sharing and Happy Friday!!

Anonymous said...

This sounds right up my alley! I'm requesting it at my library now. Thanks for the recommendation!

Beth (Coffee Until Cocktails) said...

I like darker reads in the Fall too. If I'm going to be bundled up and hunkered down inside, give me all the the thrillers! I'm adding this one to my list!

Shann Eva said...

Fall seems like the perfect time for thrillers and mysteries to me too. This sounds like a good one. I do have trouble keeping things straight when it jumps from one person to another, though, so I'm glad you pointed that out.

Anonymous said...

I've never heard of this author before, but this book sounds really good. I'm going to add it to my list!