I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Please look for the blurb of the story elsewhere here are my thoughts and opinions only.

If you are here for a thriller, please keep looking this is not it.

The book starts quite strong and makes you think its going to be a mystery, or a thriller or at least a “who done it” But that first feeling washes away within few pages as the introduction of the characters and their back story takes over the book, so it flopped for me pretty badly as I was expecting to read some other type of book.

The writing is ok, could be polished, mostly because the author can’t decide which character to follow, (so it follows a lot of them). And what’s important for the reader to know about each of the complex women we are learning about. All of that extra información and their back story doesn’t add much to the main event that somehow joined them.
The lack of focus on one story line makes the book slow and at the end I didn’t care for any of the Au-Pairs, I was happy when I finished and I hope never to read anything like this again.

Having said all of that, I should’ve given it a 2, but I have to admit that I found myself thinking about my own au-pair experience. The book reminded me of that time of my life, and got me thinking about the whole “international baby sitting” experience So I had to give it an extra star only because it brought emotions and memories.

I would recommend the book if you are hoping to become an Au-pair, or if you like idea of living in Paris working for a family. This book might bring you some perspectives on the subject, some harsh realities on the matter, some very unrealistic expectations some others a little more down to earth.

I struggled with this novel. The idea was promising but there were too many characters for me as a reader to keep my interest and focus.

I really struggled to get into this one, but I am glad I stuck with it.

Thanks Net Galley for this ARC of this book

Firstly, I would like to thank Net Galley for the opportunity to read this book.

A story set in Paris about three au pairs - Lou, Holly and Alexa, and the families whose children they are looking after. Everyone in the book has some sort of dysfunctional back story, and I found it a bit slow and meandering. I also found it difficult to connect with any of the characters.

However, the book was well enough written, and, according to previous reviews a lot of people enjoyed it. It just wasn’t ‘exciting’ enough for me.

"The Caretakers" by Amanda Bestor-Siegal refers to the au-pairs who look after the children of suburban Parisian families. It revolves around the death of Julien, the child that Alena is hired to look after. Is she guilty? Just how did they get into this situation? We see related events from the perspectives of other au-pairs, a French language teacher, the mother and sister of the family affected, and also their back stories too. Definitely relatable to anyone who has spent a year abroad, trying to make friends. A good read.

The Caretakers is an intriguing and unexpected read. It sweeps you away to Paris. Lifting the lid on the life of au pairs, the families they look after. It's full of feeling and is emotive read that makes you think about the class divide and privilege seen world wide.

Unfortunately this was another DNF for me. I really tried to shoulder on with it but I just couldn’t get into it.
It’s quite a depressing book, the writing style is confusing, I couldn’t keep up with who was who and so therefore felt like I had no idea what was going on every time i tried to make a dent in it.

2.5 stars

This book starts as quite innocent. All we can see is a deeply upset mother that is grieving the death of her youngest son on her front lawn, for everyone to see. From that and a bit from the description, I was sure that we will follow some kind of investigative work as to discover what has happened and if the girl that was accused and arrested for this is in fact guilty. But no. This is not that kind of a story. The death of this little boy was just a pretext to tell about something much more dark.

I don’t remember the last time when I’ve read such a depressing book. Every single female character here was absolutely wrecked by the life they’ve chosen to live. I appreciate the value of reading a sad novel from time to time but in “The Caretakers” it was like the author personally hated every protagonist she created and the ultimate goal was to make them as miserable as possible. The level of toxicity in this book was so high I had to put it down every now and then to just give myself a break so I wouldn't tumble down mentally. I don’t know what that book was, but it was absolutely insane.

It maybe wouldn’t half as bad if the author has kept the tortures only to the main characters. But no: the decisions they’ve made weren’t made in a void. They were very severely impacting others - their spouses, children, parents, siblings, employees, even neighbors. It was mentally exhausting to read this book. If you’re easily triggered or overly sensitive - just stay away from this novel.

To be very honest I struggled reading this book and getting to the end of it, The subject matter seemed very interesting but somehow I just couldn't get properly engaged interested with it.

It has taken me a long time to read enough of this book to be able to give an honest review. I kept picking it up, then becoming bored with it, and putting it down again.
Set in a wealthy Parisian suburb, the story revolves around six au pairs. The story deals with the fall out when a child, the charge of one au pair, is tragically found dead.
I really struggled with this, as the storyline is so slow and plodding. Way too many long descriptive passages pad it out, but fundamentally I could not connect with any of the main characters, or care about them, and eventually I gave up on it.
My thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for my advance copy of this book..

I loved this book.

Funny, clever and really intriguing, I was thinking about it long after I finished reading.

I thought this book was a bit much. There was a lot going on, a lot of characters to keep track of. In addition, I thought it was incredibly slow. I didn't think I was going to be able to finish it - however, I did find some reward in finishing it.

I wouldn't say it's a thriller really, more of a contemporary fiction novel.

The ending was flat, and the plot was overshadowed by, what I felt were, pointless descriptions of the characters and back stories. I couldn't connect with the characters, which is likely why I felt this way.

I found the blurb to be more interesting than the actual book.

Thanks to NetGalley and the author for this ARC.

3.5 stars.
A dramatic read based around the death of a young boy and the subsequent arrest of his nanny. The story then backtracks several weeks prior and gives the POVs of six different characters leading up to that moment. One perspective is the nanny of the dead child, one is his disinterested mother and several other nannies. Life in Paris as a nanny or as a wealthy family is exquisitely drawn. There is a gulf drawn between the social classes and we clearly see the weight of responsibilities, the pressure of class, family and the country we are born into. The plot is strong, and the characters are well drawn. However, there are too many narrators and secondary characters to keep track of and it slows the action. The mystery of the death is surrounded by a wealth of various different dramas. A sharp look at Paris and its nanny culture. An intriguing read. #thecaretakers #amandabestorsiegal #netgalley #Paris

This book sounded so promising but I just couldn’t click with it. I really struggled to finish it.
The book is about a group of au-pairs working on the outskirts of Paris. It’s about their life and their struggles. Tragedy strikes at one of the households and the au-pair is the main suspect. But did she do it?
There were parts of this book that were beautifully written but for me the plot and characters were all over the place. It left me feeling very confused and unable to connect with any of them. The story just didn’t seem to flow. I think it would work well as a tv adaption but as a book, it seemed disjointed and very hard to follow.

Slow and plodding. Too many characters, not enough character development. Found it hard to get through and gave up midway through.

This book is a good read once you get into it, There are multiple characters in it and Lou is one of my favourites. The Parisian setting will make you want to visit Paris! I found this book was not really a thriller more of a novel but it was well written .

Really enjoyed this novel because I thought it was just a little bit different from the norm. I loved the setting and the different families and the suspense element. A great read which kept me captivated throughout.

The basis of ‘The Caretakers’ follows the aftermath of a child’s death in a wealthy, Parisian suburb and the au pair is arrested, suspected of foul play.
To be honest this is less of the thriller genre I had expected and more a contemporary narrative, made up of several women from the au pair, caring community. This novel was interesting but personally I found the pacing very slow and I couldn’t really connect with the story or the characters. I did like the style and fluency of the writing and the nuanced details to convey the setting and tight-knit community.

Really sorry, but I don't recall requesting this book and it arrived at a time when I wasn't reading very much so never got round to reading it.
I would be happy to read and provide a full review if this was re-instated to my shelf.

Set in a wealthy Parisian suburb, an emotionally riveting debut told from the point of view of six women. It is centred around a group of au pairs, one of whom is arrested after a sudden and suspicious tragedy strikes her host family.

This book has a lot going on and at the start was a slow burner, but try your hardest to get over that hump and it is worth it. I would also say it is much more of an emotional story than a suspenseful thriller. Worthy read. This is a first for me by the author and one I enjoyed and would read more of their work. The book cover is eye-catching and appealing and would spark my interest if in a bookshop. Thank you very much to the author, publisher and Netgalley for this ARC.

3.5/5.