Review: The Perfect Nanny

The Perfect Nanny

Author: Leila Slimani

Publication Date: January 9th 2018

Publisher: Penguin Books; Translation edition

Myriam and Paul Massés live in a small apartment in Paris's tenth arrondissement with their young daughter Mila and baby Adam. Shortly after having her second child, Myriam realises the life of a stay-at-home mother is not for her. When the opportunity to join an old friend's law firm presents itself, she jumps at the chance to pursue her dreams of becoming a brilliant lawyer. With both parents working it becomes necessary to find someone to look after the children, so they begin interviewing for a nanny. The fastidious Louise is exactly what they are looking for and she quickly becomes indispensable to the family. 

The opening chapter is jarring in its brutality, as the ending is presented at the beginning of the book. The author then proceeds to tell of the events that led the characters to this point, bringing the story full circle to its startling conclusion. The relationship between the central personalities is oddly claustrophobic and builds effective suspense toward the denouement. I did find some parts of the story to be slightly underwhelming, but overall The Perfect Nanny is an engrossing, sinister, little novel.

From the publisher:

She has the keys to their apartment. She knows everything. She has embedded herself so deeply in their lives that it now seems impossible to remove her.

When Myriam, a French-Moroccan lawyer, decides to return to work after having children, she and her husband look for the perfect nanny for their two young children. They never dreamed they would find Louise: a quiet, polite, devoted woman who sings to the children, cleans the family’s chic apartment in Paris’s upscale tenth arrondissement, stays late without complaint, and hosts enviable kiddie parties. But as the couple and the nanny become more dependent on one another, jealousy, resentment, and suspicions mount, shattering the idyllic tableau. Building tension with every page, The Perfect Nanny is a compulsive, riveting, bravely observed exploration of power, class, race, domesticity, and motherhood—and the American debut of an immensely talented writer.

The #1 international bestseller and winner of France’s most prestigious literary prize, the Goncourt

Review: Wicked Charm

Wicked Charm

Author: Amber Hart

Publication Date: January 30th 2018

Publisher: Entangled TEEN

Willow Bell moves with her parents to live with her grandmother in Waycross, Georgia, on the edge of the Okefenokee wetlands. When she sees Beau Cadwell, the grandson of Gran's neighbour, she is instantly smitten and it's not long before her feelings are reciprocated. However, Gran holds an intense dislike for Mr. Cadwell and believes he and his grandson are evil.

Beau is exotic and mysterious. He breaks the hearts of all the girls in Waycross and fully expects to do the same to Willow. Gran warns her away from him, afraid he will steal Willow's soul. Rumours and whispers spread through the town about him and his family. Willow feels intensely drawn to him, though and sees another side to Beau that is thoughtful and kind.

Willow is fascinated by the swamp and feels at home there, even with an array of hidden dangers lurking behind the heavy trees and beneath the murky water. But she has more to fear than gators, snakes and a smooth-talking heartbreaker, when Beau's newly ex-girlfriend is found murdered in the bog and the killer remains at large.

The novel kept me transfixed wanting to know more of the history between the Cadwell and Bell families, what caused the rift between Virginia Bell and Parker Cadwell and what had really happened to Beau's parents. Beautifully written, descriptive and atmospheric, Wicked Charm is filled with mystery, darkness and secrets.

Thank you to Entangled: Teen for the DRC to review.

From the publisher:

Nothing good comes from living in the Devil's swamp.

Willow Bell thinks moving to the Okefenokee area isn't half bad, but nothing prepares her for what awaits in the shadows of the bog.

Girls are showing up dead in the swamp. And she could be next.

Everyone warns Willow to stay away from Beau Cadwell―the bad boy at the top of their suspect list as the serial killer tormenting the small town.

But beneath his wicked, depthless eyes, there's something else that draws Willow to him.

When yet another girl he knew dies, though, Willow questions whether she can trust her instincts…or if they're leading to her own death.

Isabella's Reading Corner: Stillhouse Lake

Stillhouse Lake (Stillhouse Lake, #1)

Author: Rachel Caine

Publication Date: July 1st 2017

Publisher: Thomas & Mercer

Gina lives a somewhat satisfying existence as a wife and mom until an accident uncovers her husband Mel's secret penchant for killing women. Desperate to give her children some semblance of a normal life, she finds a haven for them in a peaceful community under assumed names. Reinventing herself as Gwen Proctor, she learns how to physically and emotionally defend herself to regain some control and power over her future. It is also to better shield her kids from the repercussions of Mel's crimes.

Gwen and her children's security in their new home is short lived however when a body is found in nearby Stillhouse Lake. With new threats against her, she must find the strength to protect them all from an even more sinister danger.

A unique aspect of this novel is that the story is told not from the perspective of the killer's victims, but from that of his family. Gwen looks back on her past, horrified that she had no knowledge or suspicion about what her husband was really like and capable of. This creates an overwhelming urge in her to become a different person and her transformation into a fighter is convincing.

Stillhouse Lake is a fast-paced thriller with well developed, dynamic characters and an exciting storyline. Gwen is an intriguing protagonist and one I'm looking forward to getting to know more of in the sequel, Killman Creek.

From the publisher:

An Amazon Charts and USA Today bestseller.

Gina Royal is the definition of average—a shy Midwestern housewife with a happy marriage and two adorable children. But when a car accident reveals her husband’s secret life as a serial killer, she must remake herself as Gwen Proctor—the ultimate warrior mom.

With her ex now in prison, Gwen has finally found refuge in a new home on remote Stillhouse Lake. Though still the target of stalkers and Internet trolls who think she had something to do with her husband’s crimes, Gwen dares to think her kids can finally grow up in peace.

But just when she’s starting to feel at ease in her new identity, a body turns up in the lake—and threatening letters start arriving from an all-too-familiar address. Gwen Proctor must keep friends close and enemies at bay to avoid being exposed—or watch her kids fall victim to a killer who takes pleasure in tormenting her. One thing is certain: she’s learned how to fight evil. And she’ll never stop.

You can read my original Isabella's Reading Corner post on Stillhouse Lake here.

Isabella's Reading Corner: The Chalk Man

The Chalk Man

Author: C.J. Tudor

Publication Date: January 9th 2018

Publisher: Crown

From the opening lines of The Chalk Man I was transfixed. This book took hold of me and refused to let go. I still have the shivers after finishing it!

As pre-teens Eddie Adams and his friends, Fat Gav, Metal Mickey, Hoppo and Nicky live a fairly idyllic life in a small English village. One Saturday afternoon they meet at the local fairground and a startling incident that occurs there creates a foreshadowing of the events to come. Soon after they are inspired to begin leaving coded messages to each other in the form of a stick man. Each member of the group is assigned a specific colour of chalk, so it's clear who left the code. However, their simple game has far reaching consequences and one of the messages leads them down a path of horror none of them expected.

Eddie narrates this fantastic story, which alternates between two time periods, 1986 and 2016. The characters are all extremely well-developed and exceptionally portrayed with intensely believable actions and interactions. I felt that I was able to clearly understand their motivations, especially the narrator.

This is a novel to immerse yourself in, know as little as possible before starting and read without interruption. Just when I found myself seduced by the nostalgic, dreamy atmosphere, I was jolted straight out of my lull with another surprise. Tudor doesn't hold back with the shocks. She supplies enough twists to keep even the most astute suspense thriller reader satisfied. The Chalk Man is beautiful, haunting and engrossing.  An absolutely stunning debut.

Thank you to Nick at Penguin Random House Canada for the ARC provided for review.

From the publisher:

A riveting and relentlessly compelling psychological suspense debut that weaves a mystery about a childhood game gone dangerously awry, and will keep readers guessing right up to the shocking ending

In 1986, Eddie and his friends are just kids on the verge of adolescence. They spend their days biking around their sleepy English village and looking for any taste of excitement they can get. The chalk men are their secret code: little chalk stick figures they leave for one another as messages only they can understand. But then a mysterious chalk man leads them right to a dismembered body, and nothing is ever the same.

     In 2016, Eddie is fully grown, and thinks he's put his past behind him. But then he gets a letter in the mail, containing a single chalk stick figure. When it turns out that his friends got the same message, they think it could be a prank . . . until one of them turns up dead.

     That's when Eddie realizes that saving himself means finally figuring out what really happened all those years ago.

Expertly alternating between flashbacks and the present day, The Chalk Man is the very best kind of suspense novel, one where every character is wonderfully fleshed out and compelling, where every mystery has a satisfying payoff, and where the twists will shock even the savviest reader.

You can read my original Isabella's Reading Corner post on The Chalk Man here.

Review: Pretty Dead Girls

Pretty Dead Girls

Author: Monica Murphy

Publication Date: January 2nd 2018

Publisher: Entangled TEEN

Someone is killing the mean girls of Cape Bonita Prep. 

Gretchen Nelson is one of the most popular girls at school. She is also a member of the Larks, ten girls who are considered to be the 'best of the best' on campus. When Gretchen is found murdered, it sends shockwaves through the privileged community. But Gretchen was not so beloved as she appeared to be. It's not long before the police are scouring attendance records for potential suspects. Soon a second female student is found murdered, also a senior member of the Larks. Penelope Malone, president of the group, begins to fear for her life. Could she be next on the killer's list?

Penelope traverses a course through her friends, attempting to uncover their secrets and see through possible deceptions before she herself is targeted by the murderer. Along the way she teams up with the mysteriously intriguing Cass Vincenti, who may know more than he's telling her. Penelope and Cass have differing personalities, which heightens the chemistry between them.

There is a large cast of characters who are unpredictable and quite a few that are intentionally unlikable. They all seem capable of lying and I didn't know who to trust, which made for some great suspense. With all the possible suspects I had a fun time trying to guess who the killer was. Much of the story takes place on campus and there's a constant undercurrent of real danger nearby. In Pretty Dead Girls, Murphy creates a tension in the air reminiscent of a teen slasher film. It's a fast paced and entertaining YA murder mystery I thoroughly enjoyed.

Thank you to Entangled: Teen for the eBook copy to review.

From the publisher:

Beautiful. Perfect. Dead.

In the peaceful seaside town of Cape Bonita, wicked secrets and lies are hidden just beneath the surface. But all it takes is one tragedy for them to be exposed.

The most popular girls in school are turning up dead, and Penelope Malone is terrified she's next. All the victims so far have been linked to Penelope―and to a boy from her physics class. The one she's never really noticed before, with the rumored dark past and a brooding stare that cuts right through her.

There's something he isn't telling her. But there's something she's not telling him, either.

Everyone has secrets, and theirs might get them killed.