First book I read from this author.
I read this book quite fast during my commute and I really enjoyed it.
Alice, a young American girl, is very excited to spend a first summer in Scotland as an au pair. However, a month after her arrival in the family she disappears.
Melanie, the new au pair, investigates her disappearance in the hosting family that seems to be holding a lot of secrets.

I really enjoyed reading both Alice's and Melanie's stories in parallel, discovering both their impressions, feelings and takeaways regarding the situation and the family that both host them, discovering each characters secrets.

Thank you Netgalley

I really enjoyed this gripping thriller! I loved the way the story was told from two different view points and that eventually this merged into one. I enjoyed the alternating past and present context and found that really easy to follow. I hadn't read any of Jane Renshaw's books before but if this is a good representation of her writing then I can't wait to add more of her books to my bookshelf.

The Au Pair was masterfully paced, intriguing, and addicting down to the last page! While I thought this was a bit predictable at times, it wasn't in a bad way and helped take the edge off of how thrilling it was. Melanie and the Davidsons were so captivating to read about and I always felt like I knew exactly what was going on and was pleasantly surprised when these characters proved me wrong a couple of times!

Thank you to Inkubator Books and NetGalley for providing an ARC!

Gripping intense page turner. There were a fewer slow points but for the most part this book really kept my interest

A brilliant and faced past thriller filled with so much tension and well-written characters. Really enjoyed this one and struggled to put it down, I devoured within 24 hours!

The Davidsons seem like a normal family. But they do have one little secret…

Really well-done! The characters and tension were especially well-written. I thoroughly enjoyed it and couldn't put it down.

This was a fantastic thriller that was gripping from the first page! Really enjoyed the twists and the plot kept me guessing.

Thank you to NetGallery and the publisher for this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

Au pairs always make for an interesting read. This one was a fast paced twisty novel that would be great to read in one sitting or in between other harder books as a palate cleanser.

I love a good Nanny/ Au Pair murder or missing story and this was a quick and easy read for me! I found the twist to be a bit predictable but sometimes I just need something fast to read and this was that for me. Thanks to Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for a copy of this work in exchange for an honest review!

The Davidsons seem like a normal family. But they do have one little secret…American student Alice Snyder was excited to be spending the summer in Scotland, working as an au pair for the Davidson family at their remote lodge. But one month after she arrived, Alice disappeared without trace. Now the new au pair, Melanie, has arrived - and soon notices that the Davidsons are a bit odd. There’s the strange comings and goings at night, the creepy paying guests, and sinister uncle Gray who makes her flesh crawl. And then there’s the worrying scratch marks on the floor of the au pair’s bedroom. Did Alice try to barricade herself in? What could she have been so afraid of? Are the Davidsons somehow linked to her disappearance? And is Melanie herself now in danger?As she desperately tries to find out what happened to Alice, Melanie begins to understand that this old house harbours a truly horrifying secret. Alice was its last victim, but she might be its next.

I really enjoyed this story. From start to finish, it was amazing.

This was a fantastic thriller that was gripping from the first page! Really enjoyed the twists and the plot kept me guessing.

Thank you to NetGallery and the publisher for this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you net galley for an earlier version of the book. I thought I knew the twists, but the author surprised me. There was some very good twists! I recommend it !

This was a fantastic and fast-paced read that I absolutely could not put down. The twists were large and it was one of those books where you felt like you knew part of what was going on, but not quite enough to make sense of what was happening.

The two main characters (Melanie and Alice) which you read in the point of views of are strong female leads that the reader becomes very invested in the well-being of. Although both characters were very different in personality and age, I found myself drawn into both of their orbits and how we would find them as the plot thickened. Alice, a new high school graduate who runs away from home (just for the summer) to au pair is an overly sheltered and overly trusting young woman who takes joy in the small things and sees magic in all places. Melanie, older and a bit harder, is less trusting and more skeptical of the Davidsons and the lodge that they run.

I also loved the children, each so different in personality and actions. Each of these characters is so well described and developed that I was able to ascertain a clear picture of each in my head.

The alternating point of view between Alice (in the past) and Melanie (in the present) really worked well in adding to the twists of the story. Almost the entire story we are wondering what happened to Alice, while Melanie helps us determine what is wrong with the lodge and the Davidsons.

As Melanie stays for longer and finds out more about what happened or didn't happen with Alice, we start to wonder if Melanie might find herself in the same sort of trouble too, adding to the suspense.

The setting, like the characters is very well-described and gives the reader a clear picture of the Scottish country side and the idyllic lodge. This book both made me want to go to Scotland more and less at the same time. Although beautiful in its isolation, the reader is left to wonder whether this isolation will cause the downfall of Melanie and Alice.

This was my first Jane Renshaw book, but it defintiely will not be my last after reading The Au Pair. The amount of detail Renshaw was able to pack into the plot and characters was superb.

Calling all mystery, thriller, and suspense readers- this is a book to pick up

Ok read. There were a few twists but I feel like a lot was not explained. If you have a few hours, this is a relatively easy read but I wouldn’t waste more time on than that.

The Au Pair is a hell of a compulsive thriller that I read in 48hrs, which is rare for me. The plot was exciting, the Scottish location of Scallan Lodge was haunting and so atmospheric (it have me The Turn of the Key vibes, which I loved), the main character Alice was so well drafted: perfect young lady, the ideal daughter, yet not annoying.or boring. I also loved Tess and how she was setting the tone. Melanie/Donna was amazing and her selflessness made me root for her up till the end! Alice decided to run away from her loving adoptive family in Indiana and flew to Scotland where she knew her adoptive mother was from. She found a job as an au pair on a large property named Scallan Lodge and had to take care of three girls: Isabel, Tess and Christina. She quickly realized that something was off about the place, the house, and the family. One morning, we found her clothes on the beach, and all assumed that she took a dip in the ocean and drowned, considering she was a bad swimmer. This book takes her on a roller coaster ride hoping, to find out what really happened to Alice. What a great thriller, a well-balanced quota of good a bad people, and I so loved the ending. I'm swooning!

I was able to read this book through kindle unlimited.
I really enjoyed this book. I loved how everything tied together and the final surprise was wonderful.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this ARC

I liked Alice and Melanie and I instantly connected with them and the plot. The twists were somewhat predictable but still enjoyable. I had predicted the outcome but I didn't know how it would play out so I had to keep reading to find out.

I enjoyed reading this story and it was very well written. I was hooked from the beginning and i liked Alice and Melanie. The twists were a little predictable but I still enjoyed the story. I recommend it to everyone

Thank you Netgalley and Inkubator Books for this arc

4 ⭐️

Wow, what's the big connection and drive behind Donna wanting to find out what happened to Alice? Is Alice even still alive?!

This had a handful twists and a few little easter eggs along the way if you pick up on them.

I thought this was an interesting book and I'd read more by this author personally.

Okayyyyyy... I have an Au Pair. So when I saw a book titled The Au Pair, how could I scroll past without requesting? Absolutely loved this book, devoured it, and recommended it in my Au Pair/Host groups online. The story was written a little amateurish but it was an easy and quick read. I didn't mind this aspect because I expected that a lot of non-native English speakers would be reading this book and it would be perfectly suited for them. Two storylines that merge is an amazing way to tell a story. They interweaved beautifully.