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Thanks to NetGalley and Bantam for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Release Date: October 5th, 2021

368 Pages

Synopsis: A young woman takes a job as a nanny for an impossibly wealthy family, thinking she’s found her entry into a better life–only to discover instead she’s walked into a world of deception and dark secrets.

Nanny needed. Discretion is of the utmost importance. Special conditions apply.

When Sarah Larsen finds the notice, posted on creamy card stock in her building’s lobby, one glance at the exclusive address tells her she’s found her ticket out of a dead-end job–and life.

At the interview, the job seems like a dream come true: a glamorous penthouse apartment on the Upper West Side of NYC; a salary that adds several zeroes to her current income; the beautiful, worldly mother of her charge, who feels more like a friend than a potential boss. She’s overjoyed when they offer her the position and signs the NDA without a second thought.

In retrospect, the notice in her lobby was less an engraved invitation than a waving red flag. For there is something very strange about the Bird family. Why does the beautiful Mrs. Bird never leave the apartment alone? And what happened to the nanny before her? It soon becomes clear that the Birds’ odd behaviors are more than the eccentricities of the wealthy.

But by then it’s too late for Sarah to seek help. After all, discretion is of the utmost importance. (Goodreads)

Nanny Needed is one of those books that you need to be willing to suspend disbelief, but if you can do that, it’s an eminently fun and addictive read that you’ll find difficult to put down once you begin reading.

Sarah is a relatable protagonist that you can’t help but connect with. While she makes some poor decisions regarding this too-good-to-be-true nanny position, given the financial circumstances she and her supportive fiancé Jonathan are in, you can understand why she doesn’t run as fast as she can once she starts learning about the mysterious Bird family and the secrets they’re keeping. 

As for the Bird family, well to say they’re a train wreck is putting it mildly. They’re a perfect example of how you can be fabulously wealthy, but not have a clue about the correct way to handle personal affairs. 

The plot is completely crackers (in a good way) and I could easily see this being adapted for tv as a movie or miniseries. I did guess what the big twist was going to be fairly early in the book, but it was still entertaining seeing the events unfold up to the climax. The ending perfectly wrapped everything up, but I have to admit I was saddened over the death of one character. You can’t have perfectly happily-ever-afters all of the time though.

Nanny Needed is the first book I’ve read by Georgina Cross, and it’s made me want to go read her two previous books: The Missing Woman and The Stepdaughter. It’s completely over-the-top entertainment which I guarantee you’ll find unputdownable!