Nanny Needed by Georgina Cross
Genre: Domestic thriller, Psychological thriller, Suspense
Read: 24th April 2022
Published: 28th April 2022
★★★★ 4 stars
DESCRIPTION:
A young woman takes a job as a nanny for an impossibly wealthy family, thinking she's found her entry into a better life--only to discover instead she's walked into a world of deception and dark secrets.
Nanny needed. Discretion is of the utmost importance. Special conditions apply.
When Sarah Larsen finds the notice, posted on creamy card stock in her building's lobby, one glance at the exclusive address tells her she's found her ticket out of a dead-end job--and life.
At the interview, the job seems like a dream come true: a glamorous penthouse apartment on the Upper West Side of NYC; a salary that adds several zeroes to her current income; the beautiful, worldly mother of her charge, who feels more like a friend than a potential boss. She's overjoyed when they offer her the position and signs the NDA without a second thought.
In retrospect, the notice in her lobby was less an engraved invitation than a waving red flag. For there is something very strange about the Bird family. Why does the beautiful Mrs. Bird never leave the apartment alone? And what happened to the nanny before her? It soon becomes clear that the Birds' odd behaviors are more than the eccentricities of the wealthy.
But by then it's too late for Sarah to seek help. After all, discretion is of the utmost importance.
MY REVIEW:
OK, first you need to go into this one a little open-minded as it is not your typical run-of-the-mill thriller. In fact it's quite an original spin on the nanny trope that is both fresh and utterly twisted! But, oh, what a read! And I loved every single minute of it.
This is my first book by Georgina Cross and I must say I was impressed...even if it is a tad far fetched. So what? It's fiction. It's supposed to be fun and entertaining. And, boy was it ever! And I do love a good nanny thriller. But where do I start to review this deliciously twisted tale?
Sarah Larsen is 26 years old and drowning in debt after caring for her now deceased Aunt Clara, who raised her after the death of her parents when she was five. Wanting a fresh start, Sarah left Virginia Beach and headed to the bright lights of New York, where dreams are made of (as the song goes). But living in NYC is a tough gig as it is so expensive. She meets and falls in love with Jonathan and the two bceome engaged and move in together to pool their expenses and help keep Sarah from bankruptcy. Jonathan is the perfect fiance, supportive and basically an all-round good guy. Currently getting by on tips waitressing, Sarah and Jonathan have grand plans for their future if only they could get out from this mountain of debt.
One day, Sarah comes across a flyer pinned to the noticeboard in the foyer of their apartment building advertising for a nanny in the Upper West Side.
"Nanny needed. Discretion is of the utmost importance. Special conditions apply."
That alone should have been a red flag but she applies for the position, is interviewed and offered the job. The salary alone is just what she needs to help get them out of debt and move towards their future together.
Arriving at the Upper West Side penthouse to start her employment, Sarah is keen to meet the child whom she is to nanny. Her employer, Collette Bird, greets her in a cloud of Chanel No.5 but with no sign of 4 year old Patty just yet. To say Collette is odd is a bit of an understatement. Eccentric? Loopy? Or just plain strange? Whatever it is, Sarah gets an odd vibe whenever she's in her presence that she can't quite explain. But she thinks no more about it after signing her employment contract, which she barely reads, for three months with a salary of $1200 a week and a condition that "discretion is the utmost importance". Red flag much.
After Collette herself, dealing mostly with her stepson Stephen and the housekeeper Pauline, Sarah believes this job to be a dream come true. But...if it sounds too good to be true, then it usually is.
The Birds are an extremely odd family with a lot of secrets and a circle of protection that surrounds Collette particularly. For she never ever leaves the apartment. And Sarah soon discovers there is far more to this nanny position than she had bargained for. But she has signed a contract by which she is bound for three months or she could face financial ruin with an unwelcome lawsuit. She should have read that fine print.
Just wow! NANNY NEEDED really is pure unadulterated fun and entertainment, even if you have to suspend belief at times. Who cares? It's fiction and it was such a fun read. It was certainly a bunch of crazy with some very odd occurrences and some strange people. There were times it was creepy particularly when the big reveal came as the narrative takes a very disturbing direction. Seriously, the Crazy Train has arrived and is ready for boarding!
It is such a crazy read that was such fun and had me turning the pages that I read NANNY NEEDED in the space of a few hours in a day. It was such an addictive read I couldn't put it down. I was seriously like a moth to a flame.
Overall, it was engrossing and heart pounding and a whole lot of crazy fun! The reveal was shockingly unexpected and well played. The ending, satisfying. I have to say it was one of the most fun reads I have had in a thriller. I enjoyed every moment of this deliciously disturbing tale.
I would like to thank #GeorginaCross, #Netgalley, #AvonBooksUK for an ARC of #NannyNeeded in exchange for an honest review.
MEET THE AUTHOR:
She is represented by Rachel Beck with Liza Dawson Associates with her suspense fiction appealing to readers of The Good Girl by Mary Kubica, The Marriage Lie by Kimberly Belle, The Mother-in-Law by Sally Hepworth, and Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty.
Georgina has been writing since she was a child. Notebooks & floppy discs filled with stories: adventures growing up in New Orleans and tales from Malaysia & England where her family lives. After graduating from Louisiana State University, she pursued a career in marketing & communications and founded Susie's Wish non-profit which sends patients with life threatening illnesses to the beach. She spends time with her husband and their combined family of four sons watching plenty of scary movies and is thrilled to be a full-time author.
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