Returning to her childhood home wasn't an easy decision for Jo but after her husband dies she is left with no real choice for herself and her daughter. Back in 1987, Hannah Burgess had been employed as Jo's full-time nanny until one night she disappeared. Jo had never got over the fact that she didn't say goodbye, with the gap widening more between her and her mother and it had grown even colder between them as time went on. Jo and her daughter find a skull in the lake so the police are called. It seems that the case of the disappearing nanny may be solved until a knock at the door proves everyone wrong.
Oh my, this is one mighty read, with some very distinctive characters from the start. Lady Holt is quite a regal figure who still manages to look the part of a wealthy woman but she is failing in health and wealth and seeing Hannah has certainly knocked the stuffing out of her. Hannah stills seems to have command over Jo.
The story drops back in time with both Hannah and Lady Holt in this multi-layered serving of deceit from both of them, while in present-day Hannah is making her mark on the third generation of the family.  This is one of those stories that made everything around me disappear as I was so engrossed in the story, unable to take my eyes off these characters for a minute. My opinions on the characters changing constantly the further I read. Brilliant conclusion.
This is a top class read that won't leave you alone even after you finish reading it. I wish to thank NetGalley for an e-copy of this book which I have reviewed honestly.

While I was expecting "something" from this book, THE NANNY delivered something very different from what I had imagined. It was compelling. It was masterful. It was just brilliant. Just WOW!

The story begins in 1987 with 7 year old Jocelyn waking one morning to find her nanny has disappeared overnight. She is devastated and distraught, for little Jocelyn adored her Nanny Hannah, and couldn't understand what she had done to make her leave so suddenly. Hannah Burgess had worked for the Holts at Lake House for seven years, having taken up the position when Lady Virginia was still pregnant. Suffice to say, Hannah was like a mother to Jocelyn as her own mother grew more distant over the years. It was always Hannah the child wanted, not her mother. And as a result, Jocelyn grew up distant, bitter and resentful towards her mother Virginia, long after Hannah had left them.

Thirty years later and Jo (as she is now called) returns with her 10 year old daughter Ruby from America after the tragic death of her husband Chris. Sadly, her own father had died just two months before from a heart attack, and she never returned for his funeral because it meant dealing with her mother. Jo adored her father and she feels his loss deeply alongside that of her husband. But now she has returned home to Lake Hall not because she wants to but because she has to. After her husband's death, her residential status in America was no longer validated and therefore she had no choice but to return home. It uprooted both her and Ruby, for it was their home and the only one Ruby had ever known. But needs must, and it was only until she got on her feet again.

The tension between Jo and Virginia is palpable. You could cut the air with a knife at times. Everything Virginia said, Jo took exception to and vice versa. The two women could hardly get along. The only light between them was Ruby. Virginia adored her granddaughter and indulged her every chance she could, which Jo (again) took exception to. Despite Jo having had a very privileged childhood, she did not want the same for her own daughter. The airs and graces that came with the aristocracy was what put such a distance between her own mother and herself - she couldn't bear for it to happen with Ruby. But Ruby is an adventurous spirit - a tomboy - and she thrives on running rampant around the grounds of Lake Hall, climbing walls and exploring. 

One day, Jo takes Ruby on a boat out on the lake she has been dying to explore and they end up at the little island in the centre. Virginia had been adamant in her refusal to allow them anywhere near it, but Jo didn't see the harm. However, that changes when Ruby makes a shocking find in the shallow waters of the island. A human skull. Jo quickly ushers Ruby back in the boat and they hurry back to Lake Hall...all the while, with Ruby looking back in awe at the find and wishing she had her phone to take a photo to show her friends.

The police are called and an investigation is underway to find out who the skull belongs to and how they got there. Rumours run riot in the village, with whispers of it being the way the Holts dispersed of their insolent family members. How many more bodies lay in deep dark lake? How many more secrets does it hold?

Virginia is quietly nervous about the find for she believes she know whose skull it is. After all, she put the body in there herself some thirty years ago! But she is staunch in her silence. And just as quietly, Jo begins to wonder whether her mother was somehow involved in Nanny Hannah's disappearance. But are the two incidents related?

Jo tries questioning her mother about the night Hannah disappeared as she remembers nothing beyond being told "Hannah left because you were such a horrible child!" But being back at Lake House brings memories long since buried and Jo finds herself continually thinking about Hannah. But Virginia refuses to discuss it. Hannah left and is never to be spoken of again...so imagine her surprise when Hannah returns!

Thrilled at the return of her nanny, Jo invites her back to Lake Hall as Ruby's nanny while she commutes to London four days a week for her new job in an art gallery. Virginia is aghast! She doesn't see why she can't look after Ruby herself but she has proved herself incapable of doing so on  more than one occasion and Jo believes Hannah is the answer to all their problems. But Virginia doesn't think so. 

Who is this woman who calls herself Hannah? Is she really Hannah or is she just masquerading as her? Virginia doesn't believe it could be, for she put Hannah's body in the lake thirty years ago and her skull has just been recovered! So who is this woman? One thing is for sure, whoever she is, Virginia doesn't trust her. And neither does Ruby...and she says as much to her mother on more than one occasion. But Jo doesn't believe either her mother or her daughter. She trusts Hannah. She has nothing but wonderful memories of her time with Hannah as a child and wants to pass that on to Ruby. 

But Ruby begins to withdraw and is constantly tired. She loses that sparkle that was always there when they first arrived. She no longer explores or even wants to. Then when Virginia notices the bruises on her arm, Ruby discloses it was Hannah but rescinds it when Jo asks her about them. Virginia begins to wonder what Hannah's motives are, while Jo remains oblivious, silently (and not-so-silently) thanking her lucky stars for Hannah.

As the story unfolds through dual timelines, the reader begins to realise that Hannah is not all she appears to be. So what deep dark secrets of the past does she bring with her?

THE NANNY is layered with complexities throughout and various plots within, embellished with secrets upon secrets upon secrets that will have you turning the pages long into the night! Perceptions change with each chapter and the reader is left wondering - who is lying? Who is telling the truth? 

When the story began, I saw things through Jocelyn's eyes and tend to side with her to the point I, too, disliked her mother. But as the story progressed, my perception changed and I began to sympathise with Virginia and grow irritated with Jo for being so selfish and frustratingly blind! There were times I wanted to shake her and scream "You may not believe your mother, but do you really think Ruby would lie so blatantly?" The thought that she was telling lies was a seed planted by Hannah in the first place and as I began to question Hannah's true motives I thought Jo could benefit from a slap or two at times.

While Virginia was portrayed as the uncaring mother in the beginning, the reader must remember that was through Jocelyn's eyes, and as the story progressed I began to feel sad for Virginia. While she appeared to be a negative presence in the beginning, as the reader we soon begin to understand her and feel for her as a vulnerable old lady. This was her home and she was losing all control of it to the point she didn't even feel comfortable there. I felt sad that her opinions and views were overlooked so callously by her daughter that her existence was merely devalued. In her 70s, Virginia was still a very strong woman but was of insignificant worth to everyone but Ruby, who adored her grandmother. I think Jocelyn may have even been a little jealous when watching them together because Virginia was never that way with her as a child. No, that was because she had Hannah and she saw to it that Jocelyn relied solely upon her and no matter what attempts Virginia tried to make to be closer to her daughter, they failed. 

In the end, I found it ironic and even amusing that while Jocelyn tries so much to be different from her own mother in doing so she ends up adopting the same dismissive parenting approach with Ruby.

Throughout dual timelines beginning in 1976 through to 1987 and the present day, we are privy to the story as told by a cast of characters - Jocelyn, Virginia, Hannah and the detective investigating the discovery of the skull. Only Jocelyn and Virginia's chapters are in the first person, with the others being in the third person. But each chapter is telling in its own way through each character as the reader sees how differently things are perceived through Jocelyn and Virginia's eyes. 

The past chapters, taking place from 1976 to 1985, from Hannah's perspective are incredibly telling - and even chilling - as the reader learns more about her and her motives. This insight into the Hannah we know is both eerie and frightening. So why is she back now? And what has she come for?

THE NANNY is anything but the Mary Poppins type many of us have grown up with. She is cold, calculating, devious and back with a vengeance. I didn't trust her and couldn't see why Jocelyn did. With each page, I kept waiting for Hannah to reveal herself - how, I don't know, but it was with baited breath I kept turning the pages into the night.

The ending was intense and completely unexpected as the moment of revelation unraveled the many secrets that was held within the pages from start to finish. I did feel it was a bit rushed as it was so sudden but the intensity made it a compelling end to what was an absorbing and intriguing thriller. There were a couple of things I felt that could have been tied up with a little more finality to them but the end result was the same. Without giving too much away, for example, regarding Virginia's tablets...I just felt they could have been confirmed rather than just insinuated. 

But that aside, THE NANNY is beautifully plotted and a definite five star read that had everything I love in a book. A mystery with twists and thrills, a touch of historical fiction, dual timelines and multiple narratives. The descriptions are rich and vivid that the reader feels as if they are living the tale as they read.

This is my first Gilly Macmillan and it won't be my last. I just hope her other books can live up to this brilliant offering.

I would like to thank #GillyMacmillan, #NetGalley and #RandomeHouseUK and #Cornerstone for an ARC of #TheNanny in exchange for an honest review.

The Nanny by Gilly Macmillan is a slow building  psychological thriller full of lies and deceptions. The chapters alternate between the past and present with different POV’s and even though most of the characters are unlikable, the ending I didn’t see coming made it an interesting read


Thank you to NetGalley, Random House UK and Gilly Macmillan for providing an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest and fair review.

You gotta love a good old dysfunctional family, and you get one here along with more!

I’ve never read anything like this before to be honest and I was pleasantly surprised. It had me on the edge of my seat, the nanny was not a nice person far from Mary poppins!

Loved all the different characters who are very intricate and all gelled together in a sort of mish mash of a family, it showed how someone can defo be a wolf in sheeps clothing and how memories can be twisted to suit.

Loved it, must read more by the author.

Excellent story of the unique challenges faced by British aristocracy - money truly isn't everything. The whole book is well written and all the threads are tied up neatly. I thought the ending was perfect though I can't shake the feeling that the story isn't actually over.

# The Nanny # Netgalley 
I was really looking forward to reading this book, however I do tend to read books in order of release date. So although I had the book reading others this one had to wait. Finally I get to it, with great anticipation with wanting to read it so much. However it was ok not as good as I expected, after reading the synopsis I got the impression it was going to be a book I would not want to put down. Unfortunately that turned out not to be the case. It seemed to really drag and too fussy at the beginning. Probably a few people would not know what I mean by being too fussy, it just seemed charterers where in plenty at first with little much else going on hence to fussy about characters. It’s had some good and bad reviews. Mines mediocre. It’s one of those books I could give or take. Had I not received the book through Netgalley I probably after first couple of chapters let it sit in my library for months if not a year or two I would not have been in any rush to have read it to be fair

I would firstly like to thank Netgalley and the publishers for allowing me the opportunity to read this one in exchange for an honest review. 

While it was rather a slow burner overall, this one was certainly worth a read. Filled with plenty of twists and turns and shocking reveals, I would definitely recommend this one for mystery/thriller read lovers. 
The characters are all brilliantly-written and were done so with so depth and mystery that I honestly didn't know who to trust! 
A must read!
Looking forward to this author's next.

Gripping and compelling: The Nanny drew me in from the first page and kept me entertained throughout.

The book begins in 1988 when Jocelyn Holt’s beloved nanny leaves suddenly on the night, leaving Jocelyn distant from her parents. She eventually leaves her home at Lake Hall for a new life in California. 

Thirty years later Jo returns home and is forced to address her relationship with her mother. Add in some human remains being found on the land and an unexpected visitor and you are guaranteed a book full of secrets, lies and deception.

I can highly recommend this book and would rate it 4.5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley, Random House UK and the author for the chance to review.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House UK for a free e-Book for my true and honest opinion. 

In the Nanny by Gilly Macmillan we follow Jocelyn, who when was 7 years old has a nanny. Her nanny was an important person to her, in fact she loved her nanny more than her own mother. However, when her nanny disappears one night, Jo never gets over the loss.

Flash forward 30 years later. 

Jo returns to her family home and her mother, whose relationship is extremely strained. The story starts when human remains are discovered in the grounds of the house and Jo starts to question everything she thought she knew. 

It hard to really to talk a lot without giving spoils, but it is a very who's done book, with twists and dark. I really enjoyed it and highly recommend. 

4 stars!

The Nanny by Gilly Macmillan is a slow building  psychological thriller full of lies and deceptions. The chapters alternate between the past and present with different POV’s and even though most of the characters are unlikable an ending I didn’t see coming  made it an interesting read 

I would like to thank  Netgalley and the publishers for providing an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest and fair review.

When I read the description & started this book I thought I would be completely rooting for Jo & her part of the story. As it went on, however, I found myself getting more and more annoyed by her - she was so determined to see the worst in her mother and take everything Hannah said as gospel, to the detriment of her own daughter's wellbeing. It was infuriating! But as the story unravelled I still wanted it to end well, although I did feel like there was only one way out which did end up happening.

It’s a slow burn but definitely worth reading!

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The first half of the book had me interested. I found myself making theories to what could of happened with the skull. 
I found it interesting how they connected Linda and Hannah. Giving Hannah a character that you couldn't fully trust the more you got to see the past POV. 
The ending felt underwhelming. Everything seemed to work out perfectly for the family. No real closure. No repercussions for anyones actions.

Jocelyn (Jo) Holt is bought up in a privileged world of parties, hunting, portraits and extravagant wealth. The daughter of a Lord and Lady, she wants for nothing.

But Jocelyn has a closer relationship with her Nanny, Hannah than she does with her own Mother, Virginia. So when Hannah disappears from the family home one night, Jocelyn is distraught and blames her Mother,

Jocelyn's upbringing from thereon is miserable. She resents her Mother and her relationship with her Father also starts to deteriorate.

Grown up Jocelyn, becomes Jo and is living in the United States when her Father dies. But it isn't until the death of her own husband that Jo decides to return home. She returns to Lake Hall with her 10 year old daughter Ruby.

Her relationship with Virginia is still fraught, though both women are hoping that their recent bereavements will bring them closer together. When an unexpected visitor turns up unannounced at Lake Hall, it turns both women's lives upside down for very different reasons.

When Ruby and a friend make a gruesome discovery in the grounds of Lake Hall, it is clear that life for the Holt family will never, ever be the same again.

Without saying much more, The Nanny is a novel full of surprises, and the ending is just brilliant and I can't wait to see what Gilly Macmillan has up her sleeve next!

Jo as she likes to be known as (not Jocelyn) was a child of privilege, she is the daughter of Lord and Lady Holt. She isn’t close to her mother at all. She feels she was responsible for her much loved nanny, Hannah, leaving suddenly.

Over the years, Jo grows up, gets married and moves to America and has her own daughter.

Sadly, her husband dies and she decides to return home. As her mother is also recently widowed….will they be able to recover some sort of relationship…

But then a skull is found on the estate….and questions are asked…..just what secrets are being kept?

A very detailed, character driven story with a twisty edge…...very clever and engrossing.

I would like to thank the Author/the Publishers/NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book for free in exchange for a fair and honest review

We know that something wrong is happening: a body is being dumped in deep water. The rower pulls away and rows back to the boat house and then she walks back to Lake Hall. As you begin reading you suspect that you know who has been killed and who dumped the body, but be patient: all will be revealed before too long.

Back in 1987 Jocelyn loved her nanny more than she loved her own mother, so it was a great shock when she woke one morning and discovered that her nanny had left during the night. Apparently this had happened because Jocelyn was such a bad child - or so her mother told her. The Jocelyn problem would be solved by sending her away to boarding school: the devastated young girl grew into a distant woman. She left Lake Hall, married and went to live in California with her husband, Chris and hadn't seen her parents for a decade or more. She and Chris were happy and they had a daughter, Ruby, but fate had something else in mind. Chris was killed by a drunken driver and thirty years after her nanny left, Jo (as Jocelyn now calls herself) was forced to bring Ruby back to Lake Hall. They had nowhere else to live.

It's only as you try to describe the story that you realise quite how good, how clever, the plotting really is. Jo's mother, Lady Holt, had been widowed a couple of months before Chris's death and she has secrets of her own, which she cannot share with Jo. Then Jo and Ruby discover a skull in the lake and the police discover some more body parts. Lady Holt is sure that it's a very old body - there's been a house here for a thousand years - but the police are not convinced. And Jo begins to realise that her childhood memories might not be correct.

Oh, that was so difficult to write without giving away any spoilers! You really should have the pleasure of discovering what happens as the Holt family do. I had a free day yesterday and I was going to achieve wonderful things around the house. Instead I spent it listening to The Nanny, and when I couldn't listen, I read. It's a cracking good read which had me hooked from beginning to end. I finished in the day because I couldn't have put it down until I knew what happened.

Characterisation is excellent. I fell for Jo and Ruby straight away. They're both grieving, but in their own way. I expected that Lady Holt would find Ruby a rather strange child, with her American straightforwardness and a name which the grandmother didn't really like, but she comes around quickly and grandmother and child bond. It's not quite without its problems as Virginia Holt had little experience of childcare and even less awareness of danger. With a job in London which might be a stepping stone to something more permanent, Jo needs some more reliable childcare. Her choice might put the family in more danger.

I bought the audio download myself and I was glad that I did. The book was narrated by Clare Corbett, Patience Tomlinson and Ben Eliot. I'm always wary when an audiobook has multiple narrators as the result can be a little confusing, but this was well handled and the narration was a pleasure to listen to. I'd be happy to hear more from all three narrators.

I'd like to thank the publishers for sending the book to The Bookbag. It was a cracking read and I loved every minute of it.

The Nanny is a book surrounding lies and family drama. At first it seemed a little slow paced for my liking but then soon changed direction. A thriller in which was well written but a little predictable. The character's had a way of really annoying me at times, especially Jo, I could not get my head round how she would put her own child at risk for trusting others. Unfortunately this was just an average book for me, I wanted ti like it more but felt a little disappointed with the characters to enjoy the plot more.

Not the page turner I was expecting after reading the blurb for this book. 
The plot was good but very predictable and in places the storyline was confusing and jumped about a lot. Not a gripping but an okay read. Just not for me. 
I would like to thank the author, Random House UK and Netgalley for the ARC in return for giving an honest review.

The Nanny by Gilly MacMillan was a slow burn of a story but absolutely worth sticking with.  The details are very cleverly revealed through the alternating points of view and times. The characters in this book are not particularly likeable and some are just evil - and don't we love that! Once I got into this book I really did have a hard time putting it down.  The writing creates a very vivid picture of Lake Hall and the village and you feel as if you are there when reading it. An ending that I didn't see coming also made for a very enjoyable read.

Jocelyn had a very privileged childhood at Lake Hall.  She adored her nanny Hannah, who was certainly no Mary Poppins let me tell you! She was devastated when he packed up and disappear one night when she was around 7 years old.  She never had a good relationship with her mother but 30 years later she is forced back to her childhood home from the USA when her husband dies.  With her 10 year old daughter she is back in England and coming to terms with her loss.  When a skull is found in the lake on the grounds of Lake Hall all the deep, dark secrets of the past start to emerge. That is about all I can say about the plot without giving much away.

Thanks to Random House UK, Cornerstone Century and Netgalley for my advanced copy of this book to read.  All opinions are my own and are in no way biased.

4.5 stars.
Growing up, Jocelyn loved her nanny Hannah and was devastated when she upped and left when Jocelyn was 7. He childhood thereafter wasn't all that and she left home as soon as she could, cutting ties with her family. But circumstances force her return some 30 years later, with her own daughter in tow. Forcing her to try and reconnect with her widowed mother. But then there's bones found in the lake and an unexpected visitor and Jocelyn, now known as Jo, is forced to go back to her past, to piece together the gaps, to figure out the present and exactly how much danger she's in.
I do love a good dysfunctional family and here you've got a doozy! But, like all families, there's secrets and lies aplenty and it takes a while to peel off the layers, cut through the noise, and find the truth therein. A truth that even shocks those who thought they knew what was what! 
Being a book with dysfunctional characters I did the usual and flipped my opinion of the characters several times along the way. I learn one thing - I sympathise with X, turn a page and Y is in my heart. You get the picture! But it did mean that I was pretty much exhausted by the end; in a good way, I hasten to add. But it's not all just about mother, daughter and nanny. There's a whole load of other stuff going on that interconnects and meanders around the main story, offering reasons for previously unexplained behaviours. 
We also have the usual twists and turns that go hand in hand with this genre. Some of which I guessed along the way, others that hit me like a truck and left me gobsmacked. A fair balance these days with the volume of this genre book I devour! 
Pacing was a little off for me. At times things dragged a bit and others, especially in the final run up, it felt a little rushed. Not enough to spoil things but enough to cause mild discomfort.
Characterisation was great. As already mentioned, I flipped my emotions several times along the way as I learned more about them. Scratch the surface and see what comes out kind of thing. Jo annoyed me along the way a bit as I do remember doing a fair bit of shouting at her. Spoilers prevent me from explaining further but she was a bit dumb in places. 
All in all, another winner from another author on my watch list. Looking out for her next one.

Enjoyed this dark novel, full of lies, deceit and mystery.  Perhaps the ending was a little contrived and disappointing, as it certainly didn't feel quite 'right' as far as the main characters and the future were concerned, but it's definitely worth a read.