Started off strong but lost steam about halfway through. I gave it a 3.5 as I was interested enough to finish and did have one decent twist I didn't see coming.

I really was hooked on this book when I started but then it fell off for me. I expected a lot more suspense. The character of Lucy was all over the place and I know that was part of the point, but it made it really hard to follow. I felt like there was a lot that could have been left out and just cut to the chase. It still kept me interested but this wasn’t a hit for me. I appreciate the ARC.

Suspenseful and dark, this had me guessing until the very end.

Whilst I found the conversation to be a little too formal/stilted at times, I absolutely adored the plot line and thought it was exquisite.

Evie & Lucy’s story is one that will stick with me for a long time. One that shows a mother’s love is endless, and the damage that gaslighting can cause, all whilst gently and compassionately writing about genuine mental health issues.

What The Nanny Said was a great psychological thriller. The dual timelines were really easy to follow. A few good twists!

Wow, this is one of the best psychological thrillers I’ve read recently. I was hooked from the first sentence

The book is told from 3 POV’s which sometimes when it’s multiple it can feel a little overwhelming but that wasn’t the case with this book, the way the different pov’s answered questions leading into the next was great.

Evie’s character was great, it felt realistic to go looking for answers and how it explained how she was feeling and all her different theories whilst searching. I loved how she put herself first and did what she needed to do.

My only complaint is the ending, I needed to know more on one of the main characters, what happened to her. I hope there will be a second book to explain that as it would be great

Overall a great, gripping book. That you won’t want to put down once you’ve started.

What The Nanny Said
by Lara Finch
Pub Date: Jul 16 2025

What The Nanny Said is a haunting and sophisticated emotional thriller that will have you hooked from the first page! It was fast paced, full of twists and turns I didn't see coming. The story shifts between past and present which I feel really made it interesting. It was an addictive, twisty read that kept me guessing right up until the shocking ending! A must read.

Synopsis: 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.

Many thanks to #WhatTheNannySaid #NetGalley and #StormPublishing for providing me an E-ARC of this 5 star book!

This was a difficult thriller to review. I usually absolutely adore thrillers but this one was just very boring and not much going on throughout the whole book.
I was intrigued at first to find out what had happened to this family and who was dead, who killed who and what had the nanny done.
It was a bit of a strange read. It had everything you want in a thriller like the twists and the bad guy/good guy but it just felt a bit flat.
I grew bored rather quickly and skipped pages and paragraphs just to see what actually happens and call it a day.
The ending was better, an interesting plot and I can see that the author has made the effort to write an ending that is different to usual thrillers.

It was interesting to see the different viewpoints of the characters in this book which really changed in tone everyone's actions. Because although Lucy seemed very innocent in all the situations, she had her own secrets and dark deeds and definitely was an unreliable narrator, along with Taylor and so the truth was quite murky at times. Nobody was clean, except for Evie and I am super glad that she did not remember that crazy year in her young childhood when Taylor, the nanny showed up.

It is very obvious from the beginning that Taylor has her own agenda when she worms her way into Sam and Lucy's life. Jumping from the present with Evie on the hunt for why Mia had taken her away after the terrible murder and disappearance of her parents to the events as they happened and then interspersed with Taylor's police interrogation (which is totally of the wall wild) of those events. It was hard to put this book down because there were so many twists, dark happenings, and I just had to find out what really happened and why Evie ended up in Mexico with Mia so long ago.

So, in summary it is a good thriller with lots of twists, a few dead bodies, lies and secrets, unreliable narrators and quite a mystery to puzzle out. It was fun to read.

I really enjoyed this book, though it lost me a little bit at the end. The story is told across two timelines: the past (1999) and the present. We follow Evie as she tries to discover the connection between her mother and a murder that occurred in 1999. I thought I had solved the mystery, but I was wrong. Overall, I'm giving this book four stars.

Just finished What the Nanny Said by Lara Finch and WOW—twisty, chilling, and totally addictive. A slow-burn thriller with secrets that unravel across decades. Perfect for fans of Lisa Jewell!

"What the Nanny Said" by Lara Finch is set in the affluent Little Venice suburb of London, spanning 25 years. Lucy is frazzled and neurotic. Her husband Sam is successful in tv reporting. He thinks his wife is going out of her mind and therefore not safe with their daughter Evie. Taylor Love seems the perfect nanny...capable and her charge Evie adores her. But instead of helping Lucy, she is controlling the narrative and is out to take everything.

She is pure evil. What seems to good to be true, often is. My spidey senses were pricked very early on with Taylor.

Twenty-five years later, Evie, who now lives in Mexico, suffers the heartbreak of suddenly losing her mum. She discovers newspaper clippings hidden amongst her mother's belongings – stories about a murdered woman and her missing daughter who shares Evie's exact name and birthday. As well as a strip of passport photos. Mia ran out of time...she died before she could tell her daughter the truth about their past.

Evie returns to London curious to find out this truth and uncovers a twisted confusing trail, which leads her to her mother's secret. It is so dark and unimaginable. Finally the pieces come together as she reaches out to the people who lived in the periphery of what happened in the Little Venice house.

I found myself thinking constantly about this book. It is modern thriller and almost unbelievable that rich entitled people can be so vulnerable and naive. We move quickly back and forward between points of view of Lucy and Evie and police station conversations, covering each period of time from every angle.....and varying degrees of truth.

An enthralling read. Thanks to NetGalley, Lara Finch and Storm Publishing. The clear message is, don't employ a nanny from a chance encounter in a park!

I enjoyed this book! It was twisty, addicting and I very much enjoyed the duel timelines and the duel POVs!! I thought the characters were quite memorable as well!

This thriller exceeded my expectations! I loved the dual timelines, dial POVs and the authors writing. This book was addicting and well written.

I was completely invested in this story right from the beginning and keen to uncover the mystery. It is dark and suspenseful with some great characters. It also had a good twist. Highly recommended!

🌟🌟🌟🌟
What the nanny said
by Lara Finch

Lucy, Evie, Sam, Taylor-die Hauptprotagonisten dieses Buches, die alle unterschiedliche Versionen ihres Zusammenlebens erzählen, durchleben ein intensives Netz aus Geschehnissen, die jeder anders schildert.
Evie von früher, die noch ein Kleinkind ist, bekommt wenig mit. Evie heute entdeckt nach dem Tod ihrer Mutter Bilder und Zeitungsartikel, die den Mord an ihrer biologischen Mutter, das Verschwinden ihres leiblichen Vaters und die mysteriöse Nanny namens Taylor beinhalten. Der Fall ist bis heute nicht aufgeklärt. Evie begibt sich schließlich nach London, um ihrer eigenen Geschichte auf den Grund zu gehen. Was sie erfährt, ändert ihr Leben komplett.
Parallel dazu erfährt der Leser über die Erzählungen Lucy's und ein Verhör mit der vermeintlichen Taylor Love, alles über die Monate vor dem Mord.
Wer ist wer, wer ist schuldig, wem soll der Leser glauben?


Dieses Buch fesselte mich von Anfang an. Das Konzept, aus den unterschiedlichen Perspektiven und Zeiten die Geschichte von Lucy, Taylor und Evie erzählt zu bekommen verursachte von Anfang an Spekulationen, Theorien und Spannung. Bis zum Ende der Geschichte war keine klare Antwort zu erkennen und Evies Entwicklung über das Buch hinweg ist inspirierend.

Der Schreibstil war angenehm zu lesen, die Pace des Buches war moderat aber der Geschichte angepasst.
Leider enttäuschte mich das Ende ein wenig-zumindest die Aufklärung der Geschichte. Das Ganze kam mir etwas chaotisch und wenig überraschend vor. Ein genialer Plottwist hat mir gefehlt.
Im Gesamtpaket gefiel mir das Buch super.

Well this was an unexpected, twisty, puzzling entertaining read!

Evie is living in Mexico, and one day goes to visit her mother. As she is there, her mother suffers from an aneurism and dies. While cleaning out her mother's closet, Evie discovers several newspaper article from 25 years ago about the murder/disappearance of a mother, father and their young 3 year old daughter named Evie. More searching has Evie discovering passports and information that makes her realize that she is that little girl, and her mother might not be her biological mother. Twice devastated- by the loss of the woman she knows and loves as her "mother", and the shocking discovery that her life may not be real, Evie decides to travel to the neighborhood of Little Venice in London where it all happened. She is looking for answers!

This is a very fast paced, draw you right in kind of story. It is a psychological thriller, with a mystery and a head puzzler thrown in! It is told between 3 POV's: Evie, Lucy and Taylor (with the last two narratives taking place in the past). Evie is struggling with anxiety, depression and self confidence. One day at the park, she and Evie (her young daughter) meet Taylor. Taylor is enigmatic, beautiful, magnetic. The two women become friends, and eventually Taylor becomes the nanny for Lucy and her BCC journalist husband, Sam.

The POV's from Lucy and Taylor demonstrate that both of these characters are unreliable narrators. The question is- which one is manipulating the truth- or is someone else driving the narrative? Lucy comes across as paranoid and submissive. Taylor seems very empathetic and kind, but soon cracks can be seen in her character. Sam seems charming at first- but soon he is revealed to be narcissistic, controlling and vile.

There are so many variations of what really happened. At first, I thought I knew exactly what was happening. However, as more info was revealed, I realized that each narrative held elements of the truth. This is a twisty, puzzling story. I could not stop turning the pages and stayed up way too late reading (probably because I thought I needed a Dr. Pepper at 9pm!!🤣🤪). It is hard to write this review, because I do not want to give any hints of spoilers!!

This is an impressive debut, and I look forward to reading more from Lara Finch!!

Thank you to NetGalley and Storm Publishing. This is my honest and voluntary review.

Thank you NetGalley for early access to this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book had such an amazing premise and I was so excited to dive in. But the book fell a little flat for me and took me on an adventure I was not a fan of with the ending being lackluster. 2.5 stars for me.

I loved the premise of the book - creepy atmosphere, dual timelines that kept me guessing, and mystery that I really wanted to get to the heart of. Unfortunately, this book was a bit too slow for me and I feel like Sam and Lucy's characters and relationships weren't really flushed out for me so it was hard to feel invested and connected to them.

Thank you to NetGalley and Storm Publishing for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

What The Nanny Said by Lara Finch delivers a suspenseful narrative with a mix of high points and moments that fall short. The novel shows real promise in parts, with well-crafted scenes that build intrigue and effectively draw the reader into the unfolding mystery. Finch’s writing shines in these moments, showcasing her ability to create tension and emotional weight.

However, the story occasionally veers into confusion, with certain sections feeling muddled or underdeveloped. These lapses can disrupt the flow and detract from the overall impact, making it harder to stay fully engaged. Despite this, the ending offers a satisfying payoff, tying together the loose threads and providing a conclusion that resonates.

Overall, while What The Nanny Said may not hit every mark, it presents enough strong elements to make it a worthwhile read for fans of domestic thrillers.

I knew when I read the title of this book I was going to like it and it was going to be messy. This was such a twisty thriller that kept me on my toes the entire time.