Evie Segura lives with her boyfriend Antonio in Mexico City, not far from Mia, the mother she adores. Evie has a beautiful life, loved and adored by her mother and friends, she is perfectly at peace with her lot.

When Mia dies suddenly, and Evie discovers some old papers secreted away in Mia’s closet, her life is turned upside down, all what she thought was true is now open to speculation. Who are the photos of? Who are Evie’s real parents?

Told across two timelines, present day and 1999, with Evie as an adult and as a small child.

An engaging story at the start. As the story progresses we follow Evie as she sets out to find her real family and the mysterious events of the tragedies that occurred when she was a toddler, and what secrets have been buried in her past when she lived in Little Venice, London with her parents.

Up until approximately 50% of the way through I really felt that this book would be something special. Unfortunately it soon started to become more and more convoluted, with some really sketchy events. It wasn’t only the “interview” that was far fetched, the whole story become too silly and totally implausible.

I did finish the book but was very disappointed after such a cracker of a start. An unfinished ending so perhaps a sequel? If so I’m not sure I would be interested enough to buy.

2.5*

Thank you NetGalley and Storm Publishing.

If you are looking for a novel that is filled with backstabbing, false friendship, and family then this is the novel for you. It is also a dual timeline story which takes place modern day with the other plot going back to the late 90's. Overall this was a very impressive novel. I will admit there were times it was a little much but I lucked it.
In modern day we are introduced to Evie who is living in Mexico. Her mother has recently died and while goibg through her stuff ahe comes across some old newspaper from the 90's about a murder in England where the girl who disappeared bot only had the same name as her but was also the same age. Realizing that there were some things that her mother was never honest to her about she decides to investigate for herself.
In England during the late 90's we are introduced to Lucy and her young daughter Evie. Lucy loves her daughter but her mental health issues cause her to become paranoid. She ends up meeting a girl named Taylor and the two hit it off with Taylor becoming a nanny for Evie. However, within time Lucy starts to become increasingly paranoid that Taylor wants to steal her life.
I received an arc copy from Netgalley and all opinions are of my own.

What the Nanny Said is a story that is told in dual timelines and multiple POV's. You've got Lucy who is raising her daughter Evie. She tends to lean on her valium when things get rough. Taylor is the young woman that she befriended who then became Evie's nanny. Lucy and Taylor start as friends and then things start going terribly wrong and it seems that Taylor is trying to take Lucy's place.

What the Nanny Said was fast paced and a one sitting read for me because I HAD to know what was going on. This was the first book I've read in awhile that I had absolutely no clue how it was going to wrap up! You've got Lucy's version of things and you've got Taylor's version of things and the two are nowhere near the same. Who are you supposed to believe?? The author did a great job of keeping things interesting and keeping you guessing. I would feel fairly confident in saying that there will be a sequel to this one and I would 100% read it!!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

Are you a thriller fan? Check out What The Nanny Said by Lara Finch. It’s out soon and is one you’ll want to pick up.

This was a good book, a chilling story about the nanny, but the twist at the end was great. Lucy is a mum, with her husband out at work all day, she’s feeling stressed. When she starts talking to Taylor her dreams might have come true, she can become a nanny to her daughter. This was a twisty, psychological thriller that will leave you wondering how low people can go. A great 4.5 star read. Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for a copy.

Even though Lucy is married to a wealthy international journalist and lives in a multi-million-dollar home, she struggles with her young daughter, Evie, and the husband she doesn’t think she’s good enough for. She meets Taylor, a carefree young woman in her twenties, who soon wheedles her way into Lucy’s life and then her home as the nanny. We all know where this is going, folks, no surprises here. The only thing that saves this story is the other half of the narrative, told twenty-five years later from Evie’s point of view.

When her mother, Mia, passes away, she finds documents alluding to Mia’s life before raising Evie in Mexico. Included in the docs are newspaper articles detailing murders and disappearances that somehow tie in to Evie’s early life. She’s intrigued and returns to London to get some answers. But maybe some questions are best left unanswered.

So none of the characters are particularly likable except Evie. Lucy’s husband is your typical gaslighting, conceited jerk who treats her like crap and she lets him. Her complete lack of self-esteem and confidence is blamed on events in her childhood, but it’s her personality that processed those events in a certain way and continues to put up with Sam. He, of course, is the typical male whose head is easily turned by Taylor and blames women for manipulating him when he’s just an idiot.

Anyway, I didn’t care much about what happened to any of them, and there’s some mystery surrounding the crime, but savvy readers will realize it’s not as obvious as it seems. The story abruptly ends, so I’m not sure if there’s a sequel. It would make sense so that readers can learn what happened with certain characters. I’m not sure if I’d read a follow-up, maybe if the characters weren’t so stereotypical, or better yet, if it’s all about Evie.

In an elegant house in Little Venice, London, a young mother is quietly going out of her mind. When a charming nanny arrives to help care for her little girl Evie, she seems like salvation, beautiful, capable, devoted to the child. But the nanny wants more than just a job. She wants everything! Great thriller! At first I thought ugh this is gonna be just another regular book! Oh boy was I wrong! The storyline was very interesting and had me glued to my kindle! It had great suspense, mystery, gaslighting, intrigue and some jaw dropping twists! I highly recommend reading this book! It was well worth reading! Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for sharing this book with me!

Wow! My first Lara Finch novel but definitely not my last! I totally enjoyed this one from beginning to end. A brilliant cast of characters that kept me flipping pages non stop. So many secrets and lies, it was impossible to know who to trust. If you’re up for a roller coaster ride with a deliciously dark and twisted story, this one’s for you! Big 5 stars from me.
Thank you NetGalley, Lara Finch and Storm Publishing for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Thanks to NetGalley and Storm Publishing for this Advanced Reader’s Copy of What the Nanny Said by Lara Finch due to be published July 16, 2025.

When Taylor arrives in Lucy’s life to help with her daughter, Evie, Lucy is thrilled. But Taylor wants more than a job – she wants Lucy’s life.

This book was told in alternating time periods – present and 1999 – and was, at times, confusing. Throughout the book, it was hard to tell the “good person” from the “bad person” – who was lying and who was telling the truth. It had a satisfying ending but was a little slow at times. All in all, a pretty good read.

#NetGalley #Lara Finch #WhatTheNannySaid #StormPublishing

Lucy is a young mother and wife. She's struggling mentally, and her husband isn't exactly someone she can rely on. One day, she meets Taylor, who offers her support and help. She’s a saving angel in every way – but do angels even exist? Before you know it, you might have invited the devil into your home instead...

The author carefully builds the budding friendship between the two women, which means the book starts off at a rather slow pace. More and more details are gradually revealed, but you do find yourself wishing for a pedal to push things forward a bit faster.

At that point, I also strongly felt that everything was already quite clear, and I wondered what more there was left to be surprised by in the following pages.

BUT...
Patience always pays off – and suddenly I was caught in a whirlwind and kaboom!
Forget everything you thought you knew and focus on what’s now being laid out in front of you. You’ll enjoy it, just like I did.

The story shifts between past and present – a narrative device I always deeply appreciate.
The author has created an extremely clever and cunning manipulator, someone who has covered all bases and corners their victims with no way out.

Maybe, like me, you’ll be lulled into a false sense of calm at the start, but trust me: as the story evolves, you’ll be shaken wide awake.

Brilliantly constructed, with a serious "I’ll-confuse-the-reader-just-to-blow-them-away-with-the-ending" vibe. 5 stars.

Thank you.

3.5 ⭐

There’s no shortage of toxic manipulation in the wealthy community of Little Venice in London! I was in awe of the manipulative behaviors and of how quickly power can corrupt.

Everything is NOT as it seems.

Question EVERYTHING.

I felt the tension, was aware of the tactics, and loved the word choice/phrasing/flow.

I did struggle with the three Ps: pacing, the obsession with pigeonholing, and prejudice.

This author has plenty of promise.

I was gifted this copy and was under no obligation to provide a review.

The book follows Lucy, a young mother who hires a nanny, Taylor, to care for her daughter, Evie. Over time, Lucy realizes that Taylor doesn’t just want the job—she wants the life Lucy has: the fancy house, the privileged neighborhood, and the freedom of not working. Twenty-five years later, Evie finds newspaper clippings about a murdered woman and a missing daughter who shares her name and birthday. As she digs deeper, she uncovers that everything she knew about her past is not what it seemed.

The author does a great job alternating between past and present, building tension and keeping the reader engaged. That said, I’m rating this a 3.5 because, while the plot was interesting, the story dragged at times, and the middle got confusing. While everything came together in the end, the pacing could’ve been tighter.

What the Nanny Said is a wonderful psychological thriller about Evie, who investigates her mother Mia's past after her death.

I enjoyed the story for the most part. It was essentially a page turner, and I really enjoyed the narrative and Evie"s journey and character development, as well as the mystery of the past.

This book does have some negatives as there are political undertones in this novel, like constantly referring to people's nationality, asking where a character is from to refer to their heritage (Portugal and Scotland), mentions of being "thoroughly English", "half-English", "more than half", "English rose", "English ladies", "properly Mexican", "the way they do things in Mexico"...., like who cares about this type of stuff other than the people who care about this type of stuff?

There are other details, albeit minor. The name Ramona is sometimes spelled as Romana (like the pizza). A British female is called Taylor Love. I"m tired of authors trying to make a connection to Taylor Swift to sell books (other people may not mind this). At one point, one character started rambling about Tony Blair (I!) and the Euro (!!!)

Aside from the negatives this is a solid, fun read.