The blurb and cover really made me want to read this. Whilst I did enjoy it on the whole, some of it didn’t work for me and I don’t think it quite met the mark.

SPOILERS *****




I really wanted to enjoy this book!!! The cover and blurb both sounded really appealing to me, but I had many problems with the storyline..

- The story of the killing of Jemma was far fetched - how many kids murder their schoolyard bullies?
- The main character was extremely unrelatable due to her over the top thoughts and quick conclusion of murder to solve any problems
- Theo - why is she so terrified of him and considers him dangerous, just for looking at her weird and giving off bad vibes, when she was the one who was sticking her hand in his letterbox?
- The murder of her dad's 'other wife' seemed to be the only one with real justification, why plan to murder a nurse who MAY (1 in 500 chances probably) care for your mother, because you've seen her do something bad without knowing her motive (even though you yourself have the stupidest motives for murder)? You also have PROOF of her crime, yet instead of just getting her removed from the nursing register, you decide that killing her is the best option.
- WHY TAKE FOOD/DRINK FROM A WOMAN YOU WANT TO KILL FOR PUTTING POISIN IN OTHER PEOPLE'S FOOD AND DRINK??!?! You are so paranoid about Theo (who's done NOTHING, but you KNOW this woman has done this before), yet don't think twice about accepting this woman's food/drink
- the MO for Carol's wanting to kill the main character was also extremely weak

This had a basis for a great story, but everything seemed to be randomly thrown in, twists felt forced, and were extremely predictable. I felt like I was waiting for something to happen for the whole book. I wish there weren't so many plotholes - I had really high hopes for this one!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC

This is another great book by Valerie Keogh. She is one of my favourite authors and this book certainly didn’t disappoint.
I was drawn in quickly and the twists kept coming.
It’s a fab psychological thriller and one that I’d definitely recommend.

A great book, where not everything is as it seems. Lissa dreams of being a nurse after an incident as a child.

We follow her over the years to see her dream has come true but at what cost

4 stars

Thanks to net galley for this arc

I was very excited about this book but found that it left me disappointed. It wasn’t gripping or twisty. It turned out to be a very sedate book that failed to thrill.

Lissa was bullied as a kid in school. However, when Lissa had enough, she took matters into her own hands. At a very young age. Fast forward some years later, Lissa a nurse. She works long hours in order to support her mother. We find out that the bad behaviours Lissa learned in childhood have followed her into adulthood.

This is one of the few thrillers that was more interesting and exciting in the beginning. I found the thrills and excitement dwindled as the book progressed. This was a super quick and easy read. However, I felt there were a lot of things that could have been further explored. A lot of the book just hit the surface level. I was hoping for more. The title also does not make sense. Yes, the main character is a nurse. But, it is just her job and didn't drive the book or the main characters actions.

Thank you Boldwood Books and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a great read! My first book by Valerie Keogh and it was instant satisfaction within the first chapter.
As a nurse… I just love medical thrillers. This was exactly that. The book was short and a quick read- less than 24 hours to finish. I could honestly read books like this all day - every day.
I will be adding some of Keogh’s other books to my TBR after finishing this. If you’re also a fan of medical thrillers - you HAVE to add this to your TBR list this year.
Thank you to Netgalley for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

While Lissa has her demons and she definitely isn't afraid to show her evil side. Definitely started slow but picked up. A relatively fast read, I like that we get to know Lissa and about her past, I feel like it helps wrap the story up in a nice bow.

This book wasn’t really what I was looking for. I expected more of a thriller and this was more of a coming of age novel. The real twist didn’t come until the very end of the book and it was seemingly underwhelming for me. I usually love medical books, but this book didn’t have anything that I usually get from this sub-genre. It was just a miss for me as I wanted and expected more.

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for this e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

I was able to read The Nurse as an ARC kindly provided by the author and NetGalley! Overall I did enjoy the book but found it a bit slower and lacking in twists. Even though I was able to guess the plot twists I really enjoyed the characters and storyline.

Another winner by Valerie Keogh! I recently discovered this author and have read several of her books so I was so excited to have the opportunity to read The Nurse. Really enjoyed it-I actually liked the main character Lissa and I was drawn into the book from the very beginning. Book flowed nicely and was a quick read. Looking forward to reading more of her books! Thank you to NetGalley, Valerie Keogh and Boldwood books for the opportunity to read and review this ARC. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

As always with this authors books I know I need to clear a space for complete non stop reading of their books in one sitting and this was no exception.

This was a gripping mystery/suspense storyline which I couldn’t put down with lots of twists and turns and shocks shah I didn’t see coming and as with all this authors books has me hooked from the first page.

Synopsis (from Netgalley, the provider of the book for me to review.)
*********************************************************
Do No Harm…

Bullied, overlooked and under-appreciated, Lissa McColl learns at an early age to do very bad, terrible, horrible things.
As a nurse, she is respected and valued for the first time in her life. But Lissa hates her job and the selfish, rude and inconsiderate people she has to deal with.
But being underestimated in this job had its advantages. Lissa can get close to people, and find out their secrets… sometimes with deadly results...

As someone who has been bullied since the day she came home from the hospital, I feel Lissa's pain. Would I do what she does and did? No, I don't think so. But then again, I could never be a nurse. ILirary Science was the only science I could deal with!) Lissa is a fascinating person to spend time with and the book was a rapid but excellent read. I can see it flying off the shelves. into book bags all over our library system. Pick it up - you won't regret it.
#shortbutsweetreviews

This book was definitely a bit different for me! It had some suspense, murder, mystery, and some twists and turns! The storyline was interesting and flowed nicely! This book was a decent read, not one of my top favorites but worth reading! Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for sharing this book with me!

Lissa has a rough start in life that leads her to do bad things. Then she becomes a nurse and has the opportunity to help people and do good. However, things aren't that simple and the behaviour of others might just make her do something bad again...

A thrilling and tense story that keeps you turning the pages. Loved the ending. A great read!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy of the book in return for my honest feedback.

This was a very different and interesting book. I never saw the ending coming. Lissa was a disturbed woman but oddly I felt sorry for her. The author is a very talented writer and I look forward to reading other books by her. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced free copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. I received a copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

This book started a bit slow and I think I was anticipating the usual. Become a nurse and kill your patients type of character. I was pleasantly surprised to find this was not the case and the story ran deeper than that. All in all a good read.

Thank you Boldwood Books and NetGalley for my ARC of “The Nurse.” Lissa was a fun and intriguing main character. She was a villain but I really came to adore her throughout. And there’s always worse people out there. This was a very quick read and kept me entranced throughout. Perfect for a beach read this summer!

A good twisty read as usual from this author, well written with interesting characters which kept me involved in the storyline from the beginning until the end.

My only criticism is I felt the ending fell a bit flat, even though it was a nice ending, or was it? I was expecting a bit more of a wow after reading this book.

Thank you to Netgalley and Boldwood Books for this ARC which I can thoroughly recommend.

When Lissa was small a girl at school annoyed her and bullied her along with several others. One day, having meticulously planned this, Lissa fell and fatally injured the bully. The look on her victim's face she never forgot. As an adult of 16 she finds her father had led a duplicitous life and when he suddenly died, left her and her mother in more than just financial difficulties. Lissa has plans for her and her mother who now requires twenty four hour care and her fathers will has strings for someone else, someone who Lissa feels if not there, life would be a whole lot easier.
A dramatic, rather chilling, intense read at times- but wow, one where the tension was on a knife edge. Down one star as to me rather a rushed, choppy ending, that said for the rest of the book I was on the edge of my seat. There’s a drama, a tension to this that very much kept me engrossed. When you are in the hands of someone else, be careful who those hands belong to….! There are lots of twists and turns and what I thought might transpire didn't, which was great and unexpected. A thriller of a read. “ Keep you friends close and your enemies even closer”

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