Bell is an English nanny working for Hanna and Max, a professional couple with three children who live in Stockholm. When she answers the phone one morning, Bell finds out Hanna's husband has just woken from being in a coma. Except she thought Max was Hanna's husband. What is going on?

The answer is that Hanna is married to Emil, a seriously rich man who is also the father of Hanna's son, Linus. Hanna's past and present collide, and Bell's heart is also thrown into the mix.

Set in Sweden, in particular on the archipelago of islands near Stockholm, this story has a narrative that flashes back to before Emil's accident and also weaves in Bell's own back story as she struggles to come to terms with the loss of her fiance.

I particularly enjoyed the setting of the story and the way that the characters interacted felt realistic on the whole. What also helped was having the distraction of Bell's friends, Kris and Tove, who always have her best interests at heart. Emil's sister, Nina, isn't immediately likeable but my opinion of her improved as events unfolded.

As events move towards a conclusion, the atmosphere becomes suitably charged and intense. The ending is possibly a little contrived but also enables the loose ends of the plot to be tied up.

On the whole, a satisfying read and an author I will probably return to.

I was sent an advance review copy of this book by Pan Macmillan, in return for an honest appraisal.

I enjoyed this book, have read Karen Swan before but felt the setting and story was very different from her previous titles. The location was lovely and the story played out well. Enjoyable.

I loved this book. It was compelling from the beginning. I found it very thoughtfully and very well written. I loved the descriptions of each location and made me want to visit. The author made the characters come to life and made the whole story very real. The twists and turns made it a real page turner. I would highly recommend it.

I love Karen Swan’s novels and each year travelling to a new country is a delight, as her descriptive powers are so good. There is always a strong story attached as well. This year it is Stockholm and it’s Archipelago which was new to me, but as usual the scenery and customs play a part together with an empathetic plot, accurate description of a brain injury and convoluted family dramas. I was engaged in the story within a few pages, a gentle start broadening into heart wrenching dilemmas. Nice descriptions of wealth and privilege which in the end are not so important after all. There is a final twist right at the end which you really don’t see coming! The characters are well drawn, particularly Bell the Nanny and Linus the ten year old who has to cope with so much; their relationship is so touching.I can thoroughly recommend this great summer read.
Thanks to Pan MacMillan and NetGalley for an early reading copy in return for an honest review.

I'm a huge fan of Karen Swan's wonderful novels with their exotic settings, family mysteries and fabulous characters, so I was thrilled to receive an early copy of The Hidden Beach (such a gorgeous cover!) and could not wait to read it.

The story is set in Sweden in an area that I had never heard of: The Stockholm Archipelago: a scattering of tiny islands, where many Swedes have holiday homes. Bel Everhurst is working as a nanny for the glamorous Mogert family: Max and Hanna, and their children Linus, Ellinor and Tilde. Out of the blue, Bel receives a phone call meant for Hanna, explaining that her husband has woken up. Bel is confused (She's just seen Max on his bicycle!) but when she passes on the message, Hanna collapses in shock. Hanna's first husband (Linus's father) fell into a coma seven years ago after a terrible accident. Now he's awake - and he wants his family back.

I loved this story. It was so refreshing to read a summer holiday story set somewhere I'd never heard of. The tiny islands with rustic cabins (no electricity, no Internet!) sounded idyllic. The way the mystery about Hanna's husband and his accident unfolded kept me gripped. I thought I knew the way the story was going to end but I was wrong - I love it when that happens! I think I fell in love with Emil. Again, it was refreshing to have a character who had issues, and whose health problems meant that he didn't always come across as nice or sympathetic. The way Bel interacted with the children was also lovely. She was such a sweet person - and her friends sounded like a lot of fun!

The Hidden Beach is an absolutely gorgeous read, one of my favourites this year. I found myself thinking about the story long after I'd finished it because the characters were so brilliantly drawn. Thoroughly recommended: The Hidden Beach is the perfect holiday (or staycation!) read.

The Hidden Beach will be published on the 9th of July 2020.

Thank you to Karen Swan and Pan Macmillan for my copy of this book, which I requested from NetGalley and reviewed voluntarily.

Karen’s books are always a delight to read from start to finish and the hidden beach was no exception.
Set in beautiful Stockholm and the amazingly described archipelagos of the Swedish coast, you really felt as if you were there holidaying in the beautiful surroundings!
Bel an English nanny to hanna and Max’s three children finds herself caught up in their complex, difficult, exacting family dynamics! During their summer vacation old secrets are revealed, relationships are rekindled, re-evaluated and reformed. The difficult subject of coma and the related problems following head injury are realistically and sensitively told along with the long hard torturous path to recovery.
Family dynamics are at the fore of this book and it illustrates so well that families can and are made up from many different relationship types and that love and forgiveness are central to this.
A great read that I thoroughly enjoyed especially the relationship between Bel and Linus.
Thank you net galley for this early read.

I’m obviously in the minority judging by the other reviews. I skipped a huge chunk (very slow first half) to get to the end. Spoiler…And I knew from the blurb what was going to happen with the nanny and the ex. The lengthy descriptions took away the oomph of the plot, which was...a bit weird and the characters quite unlikeable. The Spanish Promise and The Paris Secret were jaw droppingly amazing and I’m usually a HUGE Karen Swan fan so I’ll definitely keep an eye for her next one.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for an early review copy.

This is a such a heartwarming and compelling story that sweeps you away to the idyll of Sweden.

It’s about Bell Everhurst(a nanny) and the Von Greyers family, a family whose world is turned upside down when the past is brought into the present by something that the family thought would never happen, triggering a whirlwind of emotions. Putting strains on relationships new and old as secrets long-buried to become unearthed.

The book has everything, life, loss, love, family drama, friendship, secrets, heartbreak, deception, not to mention romance.

Thanks NetGalley for introducing me to a new author. A wonderful new book and story telling. Following the lives of a family, a rich young man and a Nanny we see them intertwine and share the good the bad and the ugly! Romance and love surround the story but you have to wait till the very end to find out what happens.

Thank you for allowing me to discover such a good new author for my repertoire! Great plot line, interesting characters, I will recommend to friends and family.

I enjoyed this book and loved the very visual and descriptive way the author captured the beauty of Sweden and all of its stunning archipelagos. The story was a little slow at times and dare I say a little corny and predictable and ever so slightly unbelievable but I enjoyed it nevertheless and would recommend as a nice and easy summer holiday read. Many thanks to netgalley for an ARC in return for my honest opinion.

I really enjoyed reading this book and found the subject matter and setting very interesting. The inter play between the characters was fascinating and enjoyable. Definitely recommended to those readers who enjoy reading this type of book.

I was in two minds whether to continue with this book. It seemed to take ages for the story to start. It began with a brilliant premise: Hanna's husband wakes from a coma after seven years, only Hanna's now in a long-term relationship with another man, and has two children by him. But then it switches tack for awhile, with a lot of time being spent on the scenery. When the story did get going it was excellent. I liked Bell, the nanny and the main character. The kids were wonderful, and I liked Max and Nina. Hanna I found hard to like. Emil I liked mostly though some of his actions I thought were out of order. The ending was satisfying. With thanks to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Big fan of Karen Swan!

This book was the perfect escape from lockdown - I went to Norway a few years ago, the descriptions of Sweden (although obviously a different country) took me back to a place of the Midnight sun!

Bell is nanny to Hanna and Max - she clearly adores the children and the family. Bell takes a message for Hanna one evening and it changed everything.

Loved the complex layers of family in this novel, I found my heart being pulled by Max and the situation he found himself in.

The supporting cast of Bell's friends made up for her initial lack of prioritising herself , they always looked out for her and encouraged her to move forward.

Perfect lockdown garden read!

Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to review this book, this is my honest opinion

This was another great read from Karen Swan. I loved the descriptions of Stockholm and the Archipelago, which show the intense research she follows for each of her stories. The parties at Midsummer were great fun too, and showed different sides to some of the characters which I loved.
The drama surrounding the family following the phone call was very believable, and I felt strongly for Bell and the 10year old boy caught in the centre of the emotional storyline.

The Mogerts. Seemingly, a happy family with an ordinary life- a mum, dad, three children, a full-time job and a nanny-Bell. Nothing wrong with them... until the shock- the husband is awake, after being in a coma for 7 years. Surely, it's a mistake. Apart from... it's not.

That's when the whole drama starts: Hanna 's on the edge, Bell steps in to help, as always, more secrets- buried deep down, start coming to the surface. Bell 'just the nanny', in the midst of all the intrigue-Hanna. Emil, Max, an outsider, but a huge part of the family, as well as tremendous support and a second mother to the kids.

Then, the birthday party and more cans of worms being opened, until the truth finally comes out,

I deliberately don't give away much because you have to read it and find out for yourselves.

I must say, though, I didn't really like most of the characters, until I got to the end, when the truth came out and I understood all their motifs for what they had done.

The books itself is beautifully written and all the twists and turns- some expected and some not- kept my attention to the very end. At one point, I thought about giving it 4 stars and I nearly left it because it made me angry but I am glad I read it to the end,

Thanks #Netgalley, #PanMacmillan for your email offering me to read this book. I feel really honoured.

I nearly gave up on this one, bit I persevered and suddenly everything fell into place and it became a really good read.
Full of twists and turns, this is not your standard love triangle; emotions run amok and Bell, the nanny, finds herself in the middle of a family harbouring crazy emotions and ill advised love.
Stick with this book based in Sweden as it is fascinating reading about life in Stockholm and on the many islands in the archipelago. .

In the oldest part of Stockholm, Bell Everhurst is working as a nanny for an affluent family. Hanna and Max Mogert are parents to 7 year-old Linus, and 5-year old twins Ellinor and Tilde, and Bell has been with the family for over two years.

One early Spring morning, as she’s rushing out to take the children to school, she answers the phone – and everything changes. A woman from a clinic she’s never heard of asks her to pass on the message that Hanna’s husband is awake.

Bell is confused. She clearly just saw Max walking out of the house a few minutes earlier, but the woman mentioned Hanna by name.

But soon the truth comes tumbling out: Hanna’s first husband fell into a coma seven years earlier, following an accident. Now he’s awake. And he wants his family back.

I completely loved the main character of the book, Bell who is completely devoted to the children in her care, although sometimes I despaired with the Mogert’s who I felt took advantage of lovely personality. Hanna on the other hand…well, I just wanted to tell her a few home truths – all the way through the book I couldn’t warm to her, and thought her selfish, even where her children were concerned – she certainly put herself first.
I loved the description of the countryside, the boats coming in and out of the waterways, and I never knew the traditions associated with Midsommer so it was really nice to find out about them- and it was a lovely coincidence that I read that part of the book on actual Midsommer, so in a way I felt like I was there with them, wearing a flower wreath in my hair, and looking forward to spending a hot, sunny summer on the islands.

A really enjoyable read and Karen Swan never disappoints her readers with such stylish writing.

What a gorgeous book! I loved it. So many twists and turns which I didn’t see coming and kept me devouring this beautiful book. The story was brilliant and made even better by the setting of Sweden. Loved it

Karen Swan at her best. I loved it. Twists all the way. I loved the setting in Sweden, made you want to go to the islands. You were thinking about the book when you were not reading it. The ending was so clever