This started off really well. There is no argument that this is a very well written book, with interesting characters, atmospheric spooky setting and of course I was drawn to the Norwegian setting (dare I say my favourite pop group are one reason for this?)

However this felt to drag and this story felt overly long and drawn out, only for the ending to be rather abrupt and extremely neat.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my review.

This was my first experience reading CJ Cooke and it won’t be my last. The Nesting is really well written and researched. A creepy, gothic tale set in the Norwegian fjords, peppered with folklore and fairy tale, it couldn’t be more fitting for this time of the year. A real page turner with actual substance and great characters.
It is lovely to come across another great author from Belfast – I will be telling my friends and family about her.
Thanks to Harper Collins and Netgalley for the opportunity to read The Nesting in exchange for an honest review.

If you like old folklore and a mystery to send shivers down your spine then you can't go wrong with this one. Fast paced with good characterisation and description of setting, full of twists and turns to keep you turning the pages.

I try not to read reviews or hear too much about a book before reading it myself, but I kept hearing about this one. Phrases like "Gothic Thriller" and "Nordic Folklore" abounded, so I couldn't resist requesting a copy. I really enjoyed the start of this book, but I found the rest wishy-washy - not the writing (which is superb), but the plot and the characters. I think I was expecting something much darker than "The Nesting" delivered.

My thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for an advance copy to review. This review is entirely my own, unbiased, opinion.

After a break-up with her boyfriend and finding herself homeless Lexi finds her perfect getaway - nannying for a family who have lost their mother, and a father desperate to finish building their perfect home. But not all is as Lexi expected, there's something evil lurking, wanting to destroy it all.
Perfectly chilling Nordic Thriller. I couldn't get enough.

Cooke's writing keeps you hooked from the very beginning and the characters were very well written and even when I wasn't reading The Nestling it's all I could think about...getting back to picking up this brilliant book. Definitely 5/5 stars worthy.

After reading other reviews of this book, I expected it to be more frightening, creepy and atmospheric than it actually was. I also expected a reasoned, logical explanation to some of the strange events that happened. Being of somewhat cynical nature, I find myths and legends just that. However, I did enjoy the story and willed Lexi to succeed throughout. I loved the descriptions of the beautiful Norweigan scenery and the bleak, dark winter. I had different ideas of how I expected the story to develop and when it didn’t, maybe that’s why I was a little disappointed. It is definitely worth a read though and as I read it very quickly (for me), that would imply a well written tale.

I read some reviews before I started this book, and noticed quite a few said how they had been genuinely hooked from the first page. Well, you can add me to that list too. The Nesting is such a gorgeous, intricate novel with a pace and characters that keep you utterly immersed in the story. It isn't often that books which cross genres in this way - psychological suspense with Scandinavian mythology themes - work, but this absolutely does. The Nesting has to be one of my top books for this year, I adored it.

What an absolutely beautiful read this was.

I truly felt for Lexi the MC of The Nesting. The way she'd been treated in her relationships screams out to remind us of those who suffer with mental health and have no support network.
The same can be said about Aurelia's internal struggle with depression and either the oblivious attitudes of those closest to her, or perhaps their refusal to accept it.

Despite Lexi never having met Aurelia, Cooke portrays their potential kinship well making both characters more endearing.
In an odd way although this is a creepy thriller, I thought it uplifting when Lexi became Sophie and found the love of those children.

I wasn't a fan of Tom and I think this is Cooke's intention. He's rather neglectful of his grieving children and for a strict vegan he didn't mind messing with nature to suit his own architectural desires. It's surely hypocritical to refuse your children honey on account of the treatment of bees(!?) yet happily reroute a lake that serves the wildlife. Honestly, I think Cooke gives a clever and sly nod to the virtue signalling that's heavy in society nowadays with Tom's character.

The ending was a surprise for me. I guess not because it was unbelievable but more because I was so wrapped up enjoying the beautiful setting and invested in Lexi/Sophie and the girls that I forgot to untangle the hints along the way! A first for me that's for sure.

There were a few red herrings in The Nesting that seemed to be only for the sake of misdirection and weren't really resolved. One plot line in particular I don't believe added anything to the story at all, but I didnt give it another thought until I sat to write this review so it can't have really bothered me.

My favourite aspect of The Nesting was the atmosphere and Norwegian folklore. I love hearing of different culture's myths and beliefs especially centred in righteous retribution as Cooke has given us here.

This was my first read of C J Cooke and I'll definitely be looking for more.

would like to thank netgalley and the publisher for letting me read this book

an interesting tale that is at times hard to read....
but if you like atmospheric books then this is the one for you...

I LOVED it! Like 5 out of 5 loved it.

I initially picked it up to check the NetGalley eARC was formatted correctly – because I’ve been let down recently – it can’t just be me, right!?!?!

And I didn’t stop reading. I DIDN’T STOP. I was hooked, properly – genuinely hooked from page 1 until the ending. It isn’t often a book grabs my attention quite so hard as The Nesting by C. J. Cooke did. Maybe it was just the right book at the right time, the right genre for my mood but whatever it was I was one happy reader.

Anyway… Check out the synopsis for yourselves.

Book Blurb:

It was like something out of a fairytale…


The grieving widower.
The motherless daughters.
A beautiful house in the woods.
And a nanny come to save the day.

So what if Lexi isn’t telling the truth about who she is? Escaping to the remote snows of Norway was her lifeline. And all she wanted was to be a part of their lives.

But soon, isolated in that cold, creaking house in the middle of ancient, whispering woods, Lexi’s fairytale starts to turn into a nightmare.

With darkness creeping in from the outside, Lexi’s fears are deepening. Lexi knows she needs to protect the children in her care.

But protect them from what?

Sounds good, right!?!

And that cover! GORGEOUS! Stunning. And ALL the positive words. It might be my favourite cover art of 2020. I would definitely be rushing across the bookstore to pick up that beauty.

The writing was great, the descriptions were creepy, lush and made me want to visit Norway. I read in the acknowledgements that the author went on a research trip and her love of the beautiful Norwegian wilderness SHONE through her writing. I read this during #lockdown and it was the breath of cold chilling air that I needed to distract me from some of the everyday humdrum of Covid-19.

As I said the writing was good, the descriptions were lush but C. J. Cooke also nailed the pacing. It ebbed and flowed in such a manner that I couldn’t look away. There was a sense of urgency and fear that permeated some pages while other chapters had a slow burn of character development and set up. It WORKED. And worked so well.

The book wasn’t perfect – the ending was maybe a bit too neat for my liking and a few elements of the story were left open-ended – I think it is allowed in the genre thou and I don’t always need an explanation for CREEPY. But the ending didn’t quite hit the heights of the rest of the novel – I still LOVED it thou. I finished wanting to talk about the book, share the book and write my review – all the signs I needed to give it 5 out of 5.

Chilling. Gothic. And some very creepy fairy tales. The Nesting had EVERYTHING I wanted and more.

I received a copy of The Nesting by C. J. Cooke for review from the publisher, via NetGalley – Thank you! Thank you very much.

A very atmospheric gothic like read. Set in Norway, a country I have visited it was easy for me to imagine the setting and scenery. Would recommend to others. Will look out for other titles by this author

I loved this Norwegian mythology themed book. It was a page turned and also quite spooky at time. The description of the creature was something else and it had the hairs on the back of my neck standing to attention. The story moves between then and now and it really did keep me guessing as to the true nature of how things really happened.

We begin the story with Aurelia, wife and mother, who dies jumping off a cliff, but there is mystery surrounding her death the whole way through the story and as a reader, I did find myself wondering what really happened to her.

Then we meet Lexi our main character who is homeless and deeply depressed. She overhears a conversation on a train and in a desperate bid to salvage some sort of live she takes on the persona of Sophie a Nanny and applies for the job Sophie was going to turn down. Lexi becomes the Nanny to Gaia (age 6) and Coco (9 months old) and travels to Norway with them and their father where he is building a new home. His wife Aurelia died 4 months previous.

Without giving too much of the story away, readers should be ready for a gripping tale that will have you wondering what is real and what's not. This is a very atmospheric story and the forest and cliff come to life on the page as does the sad lady that seems to haunt them all. As the story progresses we learn more about the torment Aurelia faced in the months leading up to her death and the plot thickens when Sophie (Lexi) finds Aurelia's diary.

If you are looking for a fast pace, mystery that will send shivers down your spine, and you love old folklore and mythology, you will love C.J, Cooke's The Nesting.

Thank you so much for allowing me to read an early copy of this book. This is a thrilling atmospheric read. The author created not only the sense of place extremely well but also the sense of tension. I certainly will be recommending this to the library readers in the monthly books to read newsletter.

I absolutely loved this book and despite her deception I couldn’t help but warm thoroughly to Lexi, if anyone deserved a break, she did.
The characters were well written and each had their own individuality.
The Norwegian setting was perfect, eerie, spooky but breathtaking all the same and the hints at Norse folktales was intriguing.
Full of plot twists and well paced, I would definitely recommend this book.

I really couldn't make up my mind about how much I liked this book. Parts of it were really good and other parts were a bit too far-fetched for me. Still an enjoyable book
A different story line for me to read and on the plus side i did find myself getting involved with the characters. You are never quite certain what exactly happened to Aurelia and one or two clever sections make you even more doubtful
A very good read nevertheless

Firstly I would like to thank the publisher, author and Netgalley for my free ARC.

This is an incredibly thrilling story – atmospheric, compelling, intriguing and vividly scary. I haven’t read anything like this in a long time. It is laden with Nordic folklore, the power of nature and the inescapable compulsion of mind over body.

Lexi is struggling with her life. She hits rock bottom when she steals the identity of an unfortunate random girl on a train to apply for a job which she is then offered. Life now has potential and opportunities. Soon she is on a first class flight to Norway to a home with views of forests and a fjord. Events that follow require Lexi to dig deep, to find hidden resilience, to use the power of her mind over body in a good way. She discovers her strength, her resolve, and ultimately her people.

Themes: relationships, betrayal, deceit, foster care, suicide, folklore, abandonment, parenting, love, trust

I can’t recommend this book enough, but probably a good idea to keep the lights on! I have pre-ordered my hard copy for the book design and to read again!

This book is the perfect blend of suspense, mystery and folklore.

Lexi has just attempted suicide and soon finds herself homeless after breaking up with her long term partner. By chance, she overhears details of a nannying job in Norway and decides that it would be the perfect fresh start for her - the only problem is she doesn’t have any experience! Lexi ends up stealing the identity of someone much more qualified and finds herself in Norway as the nanny to two young girls who have recently lost their mother in suspicious circumstances. From there the plot unravels as the truth is slowly revealed along with a touch of the supernatural.

The Nordic setting is incredibly atmospheric and really a character in its own right. The remoteness and drama of the surroundings described really raised the stakes and drew me into the story. Several Norwegian style fairytales are inserted into the narrative, this was a nice touch but I did find the ones used a little bland and rather jarring next to the rest of the book. They weren’t long though so I was able to quickly move onto the main narrative.

The suspense comes in the form of a number of threats, both physical and supernatural. This worked very well together as they amplified each other. I liked that the supernatural elements weren’t too heavy handed either, there was just enough to make you ask questions but it wasn’t relied upon to drive the book.

The conclusion was also very satisfying with a big showdown and most loose ends being tied up. There were a few plot holes but I was happy enough to overlook these. I’d also say the book could have been a bit shorter to really pull it all together and ramp up the suspense but again this didn’t affect my enjoyment of the book too much.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I really loved this book, it was a wonderful mix of folklore and mystery. Great characters and a wonderful - if slightly creepy - location. Your imagination ran wild at the house locations and the lovely snowy weather.
A beautifully written book and one I will remember for a long time. Thank you

The nesting is a great thriller and it very chilling.

This book is dark creepy and twisted and has many twists and turns it will have you turning the pages to see what is going happen next it is a gripping read and will have you on the edge of your seat with so many answers to be answered and by the end you will have them all. This is my first book by this author and will not be my last. this book is very well written it really is a creepy read.

Dark and mysterious.
Fear of evil spirits and animals from Nordic folklore and superstition fill this tale. Who is the sad lady that haunts the house? Why do they see her and does she mean them harm? Is there more to Aurelia’s death? So many questions arise from this story of suspense that you will want to embark on the journey to discover what really happened that night. If you’re of a nervous disposition, read it in the daylight but do read it. Fabulous book.