Sarah needs a new job as she is in debt so when a nannying job turns up she is desperate to get it. After accepting the job she has to sign a contract binding her to secrecy and we soon learn why. What a book this is, I thoroughly enjoyed it and what an ending. Wow.

Spiralling in debt due to her aunt’s unpaid hospital bills, Sarah Larsen takes her chance applying for a nannying job. Despite her not having previous experience, the Bird family seems pretty keen on hiring Sarah and offer her pay that is too good to ignore. So good that she signs the NDA without a second thought. After not reading the contract properly, she becomes tangled in a three-month contract with a family who the more she gets to know, the more she wants to run from.

I’ve read a lot of nannying books, all horrors/thrillers, so I assumed this would follow the same path. It didn’t. Wow. It had my attention from the first page. With a book where half the characters are very manipulative and not massively likeable, it’s so hard to work out the actual bad bad ones. Collette, especially, had me on a rollercoaster. I flipped between being in awe of her to finding her massively manipulative. Then, I fell in love with her, hated her, back to in love with her. There was a lot of feeling sorry for her. She’s a character that is very tough to unravel.

You find out why Sarah had to sign an NDA pretty early on in the book but then you’re faced with Sarah doing everything possible to get out of the contract. During a breakdown, she breaks her NDA, which has severe, shocking consequences that pull her even closer to the family, leaving her even more unable to get away. I spent the whole story trying to work out which of the family was the worst member, sussed everything about three quarters of the way through the book and then was hit with another shocker right at the end.

Brilliant read concerning manipulation, grief and mental health. I would be shocked if this book isn’t turned into a film or TV series at some point.

Thank you to Georgina Cross, Avon Books UK and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Utterly compelling!

This book hooked me almost straight away. It started out on a fairly normal path and then quite quickly got very strange but so much so that I had to continue.

I totally felt for the characters and their situations, the author ensured you were invested in their lives.

I really didn’t see the ending coming, at all!

Many thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for gifting me this arc in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this book in exchange for an honest review.
Wow-an interesting read-full of twists and turns totally adictive. A great read. Recommended.

When something is too good to be true, it usually is. That's the case with Sarah and her job offer with the Bird to be their nanny. The women of the house are secretive and unhinge, the men are unnerving. There isn't a part in this book that I didn't like. The characters are fully developed. The storyline is strong and the ending blew my mind. I tried very hard to figure out what the ending would be and I did not even contemplate that ending. The mystery is very subtle up until the end. Worth the read of the year.

Thank you to Avon Books UK, Avon and NetGalley for letting me read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A huge thank you to NetGalley and Avon books for granting me access to this ARC!

Our desperate protagonist, Sarah Larsen, is thrust into the wild world of the Bird family when she answers an ad to become a nanny, and it isn’t long before things soon become sinister. As this twisted tale unfolds, the mystery of it becomes suffocating. Sarah finds herself stuck in this web of madness and her escape seems impossible. Unlike anything I’ve ever read before, this gasp-out-loud thriller left my head spinning and I haven’t been able to stop thinking/talking about it. Twist after twist, the suspense does not dip.
‘Nanny needed’ is laced with dread from the very first page and you can’t help but anticipate something terrible. The pacing was amazing, and if you’re looking for a book that is impossible to put down, you’ve got it here.

This mystery thriller was Not at all what i expected
A really easy read that I read in 2 sittings..
Extremely creepy! With lots of twists to keep you on your toes.

I would recommend Nanny Needed by Georgina Cross

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

3.5 stars rounded up to 4

When Sarah Larsen finds the notice posted on a creamy card stuck in her buildings 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: q glamourous apartment on the Upper West Side of NYC; and a salary that adds several zeros 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. But there's something very strange about the Bird family.

When something seems to be to good to be true, there's normally a justified reason for it. Sarah's prayers seem to have been answered after she spots a card advertising a job in her buildings lobby. The pace is steady with lots of crazy twists. A dream job quickly turns into a nightmare. You will need to suspend your belief at times whilst reading this book. The characters were an interesting bunch.

I would like to thank #NetGalley #AvonBooksUk and the author #GeorginaCross for my ARC 0f #NannyNeeded in exchange for an honest review.

On a positive note anyone either loving or having an interest in New York will be dazzled by the wonderful descriptions given of the various areas, shops, people, restaurants and general day to day living in this massive and diverse City, you cant help but be swept up in the NY vibe and the author clearly has done a good job of bringing the book setting to the reader
Most of the characters are purposely hard to like and again the author has done their job brilliantly of creating these weird, privileged, oddballs that are existing by a fine thread
The story was not for me though, I am stopping short of saying why as will ruin it for other readers but at best I would describe it as unfeasibly far fetched ( I did finish it however hence the review )

8/10 for the descriptions mentioned above and characters
2 Stars for the actual story

Difficult to give an overall rating

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC!

3.5 stars! Rounded up to 4 because damn I enjoyed this.

The story was a great idea and I loved how it panned out and the reveal of Patty, which I kinda had a few ideas why she wasn't shown at first and one was true, but then the story just goes on a crazy train of manipulation, lies, secrets, and unexpected reveals!

When Sarah began complaining about earning $1800 a week for the job once she found out what was happening, I thought, 'Girl. That's a sweet deal! I'd be reading Patty stories, playing about, etc all they'd want if it meant I was being paid that!' lol

I found the final twist to be a little like whaaaaaat but it was well planned out and didn't end up ruining the story for me!

Great thriller to read!

I was given a free copy of this book via NetGallery in exchange for an honest review.

THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS.

I was so prepared to give this five stars. I was so hyped reading the build-up and how wild everything was, especially at the moment Sarah realised there was no child to nanny.

However, then the wild journey quickly became one I wanted to get off of.

The family want to make sure Collette… didn’t get help? It’s never EVER fully explained and why she thinks of the hospitals she’s been in before as prisons. Was she mistreated? Sent to awful mental facilities? We’ll never know and it’s absolutely horrendous mental health representation.

SPEAKING OF BAD REPRESENTATION… we now move onto the housekeeper, who ends up being in love with Collette and that’s why she murders everybody around them like a strange version of Single White Female, going on a very long and boring “evil villain speech” as one often finds in a Scooby Doo cartoon. All that was missing were the famous words: “and I would have gotten away with it too!”

Also, it is never explained at all why Sarah gets sick towards the end and starts to believe that she sees Patty. Are we meant to believe that Pauline started to drug her again? Did Collette in order to make her stay? For a novel that ended with literally ten chapters of them all yelling the backstory to each other, it did not answer this question.

Now, we move onto something that really bugged me and that’s the fact that the author used the word “spastic” as an adjective when describing how Collette was organising a birthday party… what on Earth was the author thinking? What on Earth was the PUBLISHER and EDITOR that APPROVED this thinking?

It’s such a shame that a book that started off with such promise ended up becoming the biggest insult to a readers intelligence and just an insult in general with horrific use of a derogatory word.

This one was brilliantly dark. It had parallels with one of my favourite classics - when you read it, you will know! When I realised that, I saw a possible motivation and then suspected what would be the final twist around half way through. This didn’t matter because it kept me on my toes, seeing how it would play out and what lengths the characters were prepared to go to.

The ending was great - I finished this one with that lovely satisfied feeling. I wasn’t irritated that I wanted more as it was finished really well. I do think that is a difficult skill to master - leaving the reader happy, satisfied and content with the book not being a series.

It really does highlight that we never know what goes on behind closed doors, and in peoples minds. What motivates us to do what we do? It is fascinating that pretty much anything could happen, and thats what makes the dark books so good, it could happen to you.

The psychological thriller genre has a lot of subcategories. One of them is nanny-thrillers and it is obviously very popular at the moment. But this one is not a glorious example.

I decided to write a spoiler-free review although it makes it more difficult to explain what I disliked about the book. But I will do my best.

Sarah and her fiancé Jonathan are living in New York and work both in a restaurant. They are short of money and Sarah has debts. When she sees a flyer for a nanny job she is intrigued. Not at least because of the address. The family is super-rich and offers an incredible salary. The mother, Colette, seems a bit strange. But the money is too tempting. Without meeting the child she has to take care of Sarah takes the job.

At first I thought this would be a decent read and I was looking forward what secrets the family has to offer. But as soon as Sarah meets Colette (the prologue gave already a massive hint) I knew what was coming. Unfortunately Sarah is a dull and stupid character. I did not understand why Colette was so enchanted by her and threw money and presents at her all the time. The whole story is absolutely bonkers and every single person acts strange and illogical. I did not like how the issue of mental health was dealt with. To be honest, I did not get the point altogether. Sarah was hired for a reason but she is left in the dark about it which makes no sense because there is no way she won’t find out. The family wants to keep up the farce but no one plays the part themselves. This was all so stupid and illogical. And all the twists at the end made it worse. Not that I was surprised. At that point nothing could surprise me anymore in this silly story.

The story is abstruse. The characters are all flat. The only good thing I can say about it is it was a short and quick read.

This book was wild, it was a fast paced thriller, I loved it, I found the pace to be just right and I legit was guessing throughout the book! WIld RIDE! Thanks for the review copy!

I liked it! I liked it a lot!

“Nanny” books have been written a dime to a dozen, some good, some not so good.
This one was different, definitely different and I loved it and the concept and the twist.

Nanny needed but why, when she app,ied and admitted she didn’t have any experience as a Nanny did they decide to take her on?

You need to know, you need to know these things.

And why has she to sign a discretions clause. She can’t speak about anything to anyone.
Why?
What’s the big secret?

I was hooked…..
But that’s not all folks….
When she gets the job it’s most bizarre.

I absolutely loved it.

I read some then I listened to some on audio. Audio is brilliant, the narrator is so good at holding your attention.

One I won’t forget, and an author I will certainly be following.

Nanny needed is an interesting read. Sarah & her boyfriend are living & struggling in a tiny apartment in New York, they are waiting tables and heavily in debt after paying Sarah’s Aunties medical bills, so when she finds an advert for a nanny job she decides to apply. The family are wealthy and they expect discretion but how hard can it be looking after a 3 year old.
This book was good but it is not a standard thriller although Georgina Cross does cover the mental health aspect well & it had quite a few red herrings and twists but I didn’t find the characters very likeable and the ending seemed very rushed.

Well this book gripped me from the beginning to the end and I really enjoyed reading it, things are never as they seem ….

NetGalley review.

This book had me hooked from the first few pages.

Sarah lives in New York with her fiancé Jonathan in a tiny apartment with bills mounting up and debt collectors coming after what Sarah owes for hospital bills and other costs after her Aunt was taken ill. They both work at a restaurant but then Sarah picks up a flyer in their lobby, a Nanny Wanted flyer. She applies and gets the job working for the Bird family in the Upper West Side.

The child she is employed to look after is 3 year old Patty but after a couple of days Sarah realises that not everything is as it seems. Collette Bird is unwell and needs Sarah more and more but then Jonathan is set up at work after Sarah tells him the truth about her role. What happens next crushes Sarah emotionally and physically.

This was atmospheric with twists and turns and I absolutely loved it.

Oh, what a tangled web we weave
When we practice to deceive

When Sarah Larsen accepts a job as a nanny for the mega wealthy Bird family in a sumptuous penthouse apartment and signs a Non Disclosure Agreement she doesn’t know what she has let herself in for.

Special conditions apply.
Discretion is of the utmost importance.

It is clear that the super rich get pretty much whatever they want by simply throwing money at a problem. When she starts work she doesn’t get to meet the child, Patty, who is nearly 4 years old as she is a little sick. Still the mother Charlotte Bird, the housekeeper Pauline, and Charlotte’s adult stepson Stephen from his father’s first marriage are very welcoming. Sarah thinks the job will be a piece of cake. How wrong she will be!

Nevertheless Sarah needs this job. She and her fiancé Jonathan are really struggling to keep up with all their debts as they are still paying off medical bills for Sarah’s grandmothers terminal illness. The nanny job pays really well.

But it isn’t long before she notices Charlotte’s bizarre mood swings and her almost manic behaviour. The family seem intent on keeping the fragile Charlotte a virtual prisoner in the apartment. She starts to wonder what happened to the previous nannies, I mean the whole vibe of the family is pretty crazy town.

But when when she thinks maybe she should chuck it all in they offer her a raise and remind her that her contract stipulates she remain for at least three months. Disconcerted she does the ‘verboten’ and confides a few of her concerns to Jonathan (what happened to the utmost discretion?) and that’s when the excrement really hits the fan.

A lot of the book was in bonkers territory but it was such a fun ride I donned my disbelief suspenders and ended up enjoying the story a lot. It was let down a little bit by the very ending but a very entertaining read. Many thanks to Netgalley and Avon Books UK for the much appreciated arc which I reviewed voluntarily and honestly.

Nanny needed starts with Sarah needing more money and finding a great opportunity to make that happen. A nannying job in the fanciest part of town.

What ensues is bizarre. While this is a quick read it ends far too abruptly for a story that has everything from murder to make believe. It is a good quick read but the level of detail given doesn’t begin to explain how any of this could have been possible, which makes it hard to take seriously at points.



Thank you to netgalley for providing this book for free in exchange for an honest review.