When Zoe Smith accepts a nanny position with the wealthy Stockport family, it feels like the fresh start she’s always a beautiful home, a privileged life, and a sweet little girl who needs her.
But something is off at Stockport Estate. Cece’s mother is distant, her father is cold, and Zoe can’t shake the feeling that she’s the only one truly looking out for the child. Then, a stranger arrives, delivering a cryptic warning before trying to kidnap Cece.
When a neighbor’s nanny is found dead, dressed in Zoe’s hoodie, the message is someone wants her gone.
But in a house full of secrets, who can she trust? And how far will her new employers go to keep the truth buried?
I’ve seen a few readers compare this story to The Housemaid, but I have to strongly disagree with that. Despite its issues (don't worry, we’ll get to those), I enjoyed this one A LOT more than I did The Housemaid. This one kept me turning the pages, even if I occasionally rolled my eyes while doing it.
Let’s start with the characters. The adult cast feels like it was cut from a very familiar cloth; we have the down-on-her-luck nanny who can’t afford to lose her job, the volatile housewife who flips between extremes (but curiously only when it comes to Zoe or Brenden), and a husband who’s… well, there. The wife, in particular, seems completely apathetic when it comes to her child, except for one oddly intense moment that felt more like a plot device than a genuine reaction.
And speaking of the child. Something is definitely up with Cece. She’s just too chill for a toddler. Like, eerily so. It had me wondering if either of the authors has ever spent more than five consecutive minutes with a young child as she doesn't act like any toddler I’ve ever known, and I’ve raised two of my own.
That being said, even with the thin characters and questionable toddler behavior, the story still managed to hook me. There’s something about the pacing, the atmosphere, or maybe just the general mess of it all that worked. It was entertaining, which, at the end of the day, is exactly what I was looking for.
Until it went completely off the rails for me. Because you see, once the book reaches a certain point it becomes clear that certain people deserve each other, and it really pushes the bounds of plausibility. How was someone able to get away with what they did? How was required testing passed? Why was everyone so in love with Brenden? These were all questions that I needed answers to. At least everyone got what they deserved in the end, so there was that.
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