More new releases from Kaira Rouda this year! Earlier this fall I got to read the long-awaited sequel to BEST DAY EVER and now a new thriller is here and dying to be read.
Thank you to Bookouture for the gifted ebook copy in exchange for my honest review
WHAT THE NANNY SAW – Kaira Rouda (Released November 13th, 2024)
You can see my thoughts on her other books here!
Book Description:
I keep all her secrets. She thinks she can trust me…
Cecilia has it all. The house on the beach. The cute figure. The beautiful baby. But she’s a long way from perfect.
She’s let me into her gorgeous house as her nanny because now she’s on her own, she needs a little help with her baby daughter Peyton. She barely notices me. But I see everything.
While Peyton naps, I rifle through her drawers and discover the dark secrets in her past, the threatening letter from her ex-husband.
It’s a shame that Cecilia doesn’t have my powers of observation. If she took some time, she might just recognise me. I’ve been following her for a while, after all.
If she knew who I was then I don’t think I’d be so invisible. And she wouldn’t be so surprised one morning when little Peyton’s cot is found empty…
A completely gripping and unputdownable read that will have you turning pages deep into the night. Fans of Shari Lapena and Freida McFadden will be hooked by What the Nanny Saw.
My Thoughts: 4/5 stars
Well aren’t we getting spoiled this year with more of the twisted characters that are the Stroms. BEST DAY EVER and THE SECOND MRS. STROM followed our favorite sociopath Paul Strom. I would recommend reading book two if you want to continue the series chronologically, mostly because this picks up after book two and there will be spoilers on the events that took place. That being said, the review may include mild spoilers for that ending due to the plot and events that occur – so proceed with caution if you don’t want those! Otherwise, this could be read as a standalone!
Taking place five years after the events in book two, we now follow Cecelia, the second wife to Paul Strom, and soon to be second ex-wife. While he sits in prison she has moved on with her life and met Evan. He seems nice and supportive and everything she would want in a healthy relationship. That all changes when she finds out she’s pregnant. He becomes distant and strange and it only gets worse after their daughter, Peyton, is born. She kicks him to the curb after he does something unforgiveable and she finds herself in need of a nanny. Enter Lizzie. Things seem perfect – Cecelia is getting the help she desperately needed, she gets along with Lizzie, Peyton is happy and well taken care of, and she’s been able to keep Evan away. We all know that “perfect” never lasts long in this genre.
Things all seem to happen at once. Evan and his mother want to see the baby, Cecelia is getting threatening text messages, and to top it off, Paul is getting released from prison. She quickly realizes she may not be able to completely trust Lizzie, and the paranoia spirals and things get wild. The pacing is always the best with Rouda’s books. I always know I need a chunk of time before I pick one of her books up. I’m loving the continuation with the Paul Strom series and Cecelia was a force to be reckoned with even with the stress of being a new mother. I highly recommend all three books!
About the Author:
Kaira Rouda is an award–winning, USA Today and Amazon Charts bestselling author of contemporary fiction that explores what goes on beneath the surface of seemingly perfect lives. Her novels of domestic suspense include The Widow, Somebody’s Home, The Next Wife, The Favorite Daughter, Best Day Ever, All the Difference, Beneath the Surface – optioned for a feature film – and Under the Palms. Her next novel, The Second Mrs. Strom, is out in August 2024, and Only the Nanny in November 2024. To date, Kaira’s work has been translated into more than a dozen languages. Three of her novels have been named Amazon Editor’s Picks for Best Mystery, Thriller & Suspense. The Next Wife was named a Suspense Magazine’s Best Book of 2021 Award, and a 2022 Silver Falchion for Best Suspense Novel and a 2022 Silver Falchion first runner-up for Best Book of the Year.
She lives in Southern California with her family and is working on her next novel. Please sign up for her newsletter to learn about new releases and exclusive content on her website, and follow her on social media.
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