I was looking forward to listening to The Nesting after loving C.J. Cooke's books The Lighthouse Witches and I Know My Name. And, The Nesting is a good book, just not as captivating as the ones I've read before. I did find myself struggling to warm up to Lexi (hard to explain without spoiling the book, but her way of getting the job irked me), and frankly that I think I was one of the reasons I had a hard time with the book. Storywise did I like the mystical vibes and happenings and the last part of the book was really thrilling. ( )

Excellent mystery/suspense with a supernatural element. ( )

The Nesting by C.J. Cooke is a 2020 HarperCollins publication.

Had potential, but missed the mark

Lexi Ellis, recovering from a suicide attempt, is desperate for work a place to live. She manages to steal another woman’s identity- now using the name, 'Sophie', and lands a plum job as a nanny for two girls named Gaia and Coco. The girls’ mother died tragically, and their father is determined to complete the home they had begun building before her death.

Despite her inexperience, Lexi quickly adjusts to her new job and forges a bond with the girls. Things begin to go awry when the girls claim to have seen a ‘Sad Lady’ and the other staff members may have begun to suspect Lexi is not who she claims to be.

This book should have been an easy win for me. Unfortunately, it fell flat. I did enjoy the Norwegian folklore, but the execution is quite poor, in my opinion. The story employs some wonderful Gothic plot devices, but the characters are dull and without enough depth or emotions to pull me toward them in any way- good or bad- not to mention the incredibly improbable situations, that even I couldn’t let slide.

Overall, the folklore is the saving grace for this one. Everything else about it was a letdown.

2 stars ( )

Kicked off the new year with a pretty good book. Filled with dread, suspense and confusion, this is a spectacular gothic mystery not to be missed.
Lexi is barely scraping bottom, when the opportunity to be the au-pair for two little girls in Norway springs up. Tom, the girls’ father, is recently widowed and building his late wife’s dream house near a fjord.
Lexi deceivingly snatches up the job and is prepared to start afresh in dreamy Norway looking after two girls whilst writing her novel.
Alas, nothing is as it seems and she finds herself busy beyond words. She is quite taken by the girls and finds herself falling in love with them as if they were her own, but... what is that presence she sometimes sees lurking around the house? Why did the girls’ mother kill herself? What is that sense of dread she gets when she is out with the girls near the woods? And is Tom really who he appears to be or is there something more sinister to him than meets the eye?
Absolutely loved this atmospheric little gem of a book. I never saw the ending coming and I am already purchasing the author’s previous novels. Super recommend. ( )

After a break-up with her boyfriend and finding herself homeless Lexi finds her perfect getaway - nannying for a family who have lost their mother, and a father desperate to finish building their perfect home. But not all is as Lexi expected, there's something evil lurking, wanting to destroy it all.
Perfectly chilling Nordic Thriller. I couldn't get enough.

Cooke's writing keeps you hooked from the very beginning and the characters were very well written and even when I wasn't reading The Nestling it's all I could think about...getting back to picking up this brilliant book. Definitely 5/5 stars worthy. ( )