The Nursery by Sue Watson
Genre: Psychological thriller, Domestic thriller, Suspense
Read: 19th October 2022
Amazon
Published: 20th October 2022
★★★★ 3.5 stars (rounded up)
DESCRIPTION:
Then: Morning light shines into the nursery, casting shadows across the pale pink walls and wooden cot in the middle of the room. She opens the door expecting to hear the soft coo of her daughter Sofia stretching herself awake. But the room is silent. The cot is empty. Her little girl has vanished…
Now: Twelve years have passed, but Emily will never forget the night her life changed forever and she’s happy to have her daughter back beside her. A teenager now, Sofia – who was once a star student – is getting into trouble at school and she’s started asking questions about when she was a baby, but Emily can’t tell her what really happened the night she went missing. Nobody would understand why Emily did what she did, and if anyone ever found out, she could lose her daughter forever.
But when Emily catches Sofia messaging a stranger online, her heart pounds in her chest as she reads the last message received.
Your mother isn’t who you think she is.
Days later, Emily returns home to find the house silent. She checks every room but Sofia has vanished, again. She shudders as she remembers that night in the nursery. Has her past finally caught up with her? And is she already too late to save her precious daughter?
A completely gripping, utterly twisted thriller that will leave your jaw on the floor. Perfect for fans of Gone Girl, The Wife Between Us and The Woman in the Window.
MY THOUGHTS:
I am excited to be taking part in the #BooksOnTour #BlogTour for Sue Watson's tense domestic thriller THE NURSERY.
I'm a huge fan of Sue Watson and always eagerly await her next exciting thriller. She loves to write in a character that really gets under my skin though no one really stood out this time. Of course the teenager was a tad bratty (but then, aren't they all at that age? lol) but aside from that, no one really got under my skin as in some of her previous thrillers. I have to say the title, cover and premise intrigued me as I love missing/stolen children tropes so I was excited at the prospect of beginning this one. But...as I started it and got further in, I'm wondering am I reading the right book? I double check...yep, Sue Watson - check. The Nursery - check. So, where's the nursery? Where's the missing baby? The story the premise told seemed to be completely different. The only thing bearing any resemblance were the names. Ok, so what's going on here?
Emily and her teenage daughter Sofia live a quiet life in the small Devon town of Sidmouth. A place to which Emily fled some twelve years ago to escape a past, a husband and a secret she did not want coming out. They found refuge in the church on a rainy night where the vicar and his wife took them in. They introduced Emily to Mr and Mrs Woods who then took them in and gave them a place to rent for as long as they needed and Emily a job in their perfume shop. Twelve years later, Mrs Woods has passed on leaving her husband the fatherly task of caring for Emily and the now grown Sofia as if they were his own kin. Life is good now.
But beneath the surface something is bubbling. Emily senses that she is being watched and is shocked to discover empty strawberry milk cartons and chocolate wrappers in her yard. Then one night someone breaks into their flat, taking nothing but leaving an ominous note and a cryptic clue behind. Emily is frantic. Had the person from whom she fled caught up with her? Are she and Sofia in danger?
Things take an ominous turn when Emily discovers that her daughter has been messaging with a stranger online...and even more frightening is the message she catches a glimpse of before Sofia tucks her phone away from her mother's prying eyes:
"Your mother is a liar. She isn't who you think she is."
Who is doing this to her? Her ex? An online stalker? Or someone with more sinister intentions? And then Sofia disappears and Emily knows the secrets of the past will soon collide with the present.
So...that's all good and typically tense and interesting but where is the nursery in all that? As it is something of a key feature, I thought the nursery might be a prominent aspect but it doesn't appear till well over halfway through the book! And as it is a key factor, I felt it should have featured a little more in the story throughout...particularly the prologue, maybe? I understand the prologue as it was, but given that the nursery was an important part of the story, I feel that it should have featured there instead making the rest of the story a little more mysterious because the prologue as it was was more obvious to the story from the start. I also think maybe cryptic flashbacks of some kind throughout featuring the nursery would have added to the tension and the mystery too.
I honestly had a hard time getting into this book as it was something of a slow build that left me somewhat mystified as to where this nursery was. However, when it does make its appearance it is with such a bang it only reiterated my belief that it should have been given more prominence throughout. It is important, yes, and it is key to the story which is why I feel its presence should have been peppered throughout via cryptic flashbacks or nuances. Something to give readers a sense of its importance from the beginning while still keeping its true value a secret.
I am a big fan of Sue Watson's but this wasn't my favourite of hers. Parts of it dragged and while the story did pick up and became more interesting I feel it was a little too late. But what was delicious was the final twist at the end. I had already guessed it but it was still a delicious twist that left a far better taste. The other reveals, as they came, were also nice touches and I felt brought the story together more. There was only one aspect I felt didn't fit with Emily's private revelation about the mobile - the first cryptic clue left for her. How was it even possible?
And the premise? The depiction of one thing that is really another and in the end doesn't make any sense. No one was tucked in...why allude to that if it didn't happen?
THE NURSERY is certainly not what I expected and though I did end up enjoying it, it took a while to get there. It ended up a good read but it could have been a spectacular read! It was certainly a different avenue I'd not expected from one of my favourite authors and while not my favourite, I still enjoyed the ride...even if I was puzzled for most of it.
None of the characters are entirely likeable which probably didn't help. Emily is a mass of contradictions. Sofia is bratty. Nancy is a selfish cow. Oliver is too smooth. Cerys is psychotic. Only Mr Woods is likeable but who is he really? One thing is for certain...trust no one! I certainly didn't.
Best part about the book is that ending. WOW! Twisted. Delicious. Thank you Sue Watson.
"Be careful what you wish for".
I would like to thank #SueWatson, #NetGalley and #Bookouture for an ARC of #TheNursery in exchange for an honest review.
MEET THE AUTHOR:
Now a USA Today bestselling author, Sue has written sixteen novels (many involving cake), and many have been translated into several languages. Sue is now exploring the darker side of life with her latest thrillers OUR LITTLE LIES, THE WOMAN NEXT DOOR, THE EMPTY NEST, THE SISTER-IN-LAW, FIRST DATE, THE FOREVER HOME, THE NEW WIFE, THE RESORT and THE NURSERY.
Sue explored the darker side of life for her latest book 'Our Little Lies,' a dark, psychological thriller completely devoid of cake. She's hoping this change in direction will be reflected on the weighing scales.
Originally from Manchester, she now lives with her family in leafy Worcestershire where much of her day is spent writing – and procrastinating. Her hobby is eating cake while watching diet and exercise programmes from the sofa, a skill she’s perfected after many years of practice.
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