Publisher: Ballantine Books

ISBN: 9780593355992

Sarah Larsen is hanging on by a thread. She and her boyfriend, Jonathan, want to get married, but they’re living hand to mouth in New York City. They both work in the same restaurant and try to pick up as many shifts as possible all while talking about their dreams and what they want to do someday. The problem is that “someday” costs money, and that’s the one thing they don’t have enough of.

It seems like fate, then, that Sarah sees a help wanted ad in the lobby of their apartment building for a family that needs a nanny. The ad states that certain special conditions apply and that discretion is paramount. The address, on New York’s Upper West Side, makes Sarah jump at the chance. Anyone who can afford to live in that part of the city will definitely pay top dollar for a nanny.

Despite her lack of experience, the Bird family hires Sarah right away. Her eyes nearly pop out at the salary, and she doesn’t think twice about signing the nondisclosure agreement. The penthouse comes with a full-time housekeeper and chef, and her main employer, Collette Bird, seems more like a potential friend and less like a boss. The contract states she’s required to stay on for a minimum of three months; Sarah thinks she’s in for a cushy job.

What she’s not counting on is a dark secret that she’s now required to keep for the Birds. Sarah can’t quite get her brain wrapped around the truth of the family’s situation. Worse, she can’t even share the details with Jonathan. He’s her true love and her only family, ever since her parents died in a car accident and her Aunt Clara succumbed to an illness. She’s always told Jonathan everything, until now. If she shares the family secret, however, she’ll be sued within an inch of her life.

Every time Sarah thinks about leaving, the family steps in and makes the choice more or less impossible. When she wavers, the Birds interfere in her life to get her attention and it works. Now Sarah’s backed into a corner, and the only way out is to betray the Birds’ confidence. She’s just afraid that she’ll lose everything in the process.

Author Georgina Cross sets up a fantastic premise for this thriller. At regular intervals, the stakes get higher for Sarah and she finds herself tied more and more tightly to the Birds. With a little suspension of disbelief, readers will find themselves on a fun ride.

The book doesn’t quite do justice to all of its characters, however. While Sarah comes across as having a great deal of agency, other characters are passive to the point of being nonexistent. One character is tied to a major plot twist, yet they hover in the background for most of the story before that point. Sarah spends a great deal of time worrying about certain members of the Bird family, but her worry looms larger than those actual characters.

The lack of character presence makes it harder to buy into the climax and the avalanche of reveals that come. While the book hits many of the right notes of the genre, readers might find their patience tested by some of those reveals. Those who don’t mind a book a little over the top will enjoy this one. I recommend readers Borrow Nanny Needed.