When I first came across this novel by Shari J. Ryan and read the cover, I saw “an absolutely addictive and gripping psychological thriller with a breath-taking twist” written on it. In my mind I was like yeah yeah, that's what is always written on most thriller novel covers but at the end of this novel I was in fact mind blown and addicted.
I couldn't put it down because I was dying to know what was really happening in the novel. It's full of so many twists that at some point you think you've figured out what's actually going on, then the author brings in another twist that you definitely won't be expecting. And the end was shocking for me, I had to look for a lighter funny read to reset myself Haha.
The Perfect Nanny is a story about Haley Vaughn, a student of psychology who needs a summer job to pay for her rent because she's estranged from her parents. She receives a call from Mrs. Lara Smith to babysit her nine-year-old twin girls. As a requisite for the job, Lara pays for Haley to take a first aid class certification course, which is where she meets Liam Gellar.
She tentatively falls in love with Liam because she's scared she'll lose him the way she lost her ex-boyfriend Kyle. On the day she babysits the girls, Lara and Corbin Smith return from their event only to accuse Haley of kidnapping their third 15-month-old daughter, Fallon. This comes as a shock to not only Haley but to myself as a reader because there was never a third child mentioned at any time.
Through the roller coaster of finding out what really happened to the child and finding her, more secrets are unveiled. Such as: Lara is actually Larissa Hoyt, Haley's neighbor and her High school nemesis. The Hoyts were renting their apartment from Haley's father and sued him for every penny when a fire resulted in the death of Larissa's twin, Libby, thirteen years ago.
It also turns out that her new lover Liam Gellar is actually Lara's brother, Billy Hoyt, Haley's high school crush and the person responsible for her finding out that her parents escaped from a mental correctional facility. It starts to look like the Hoyts are still out to get revenge on Haley and her family. But this is wrong, of course, as the author throws another twist.
This new twist leads to one of the twin confessing she's responsible for the disappearance of her sister, the arrest of Lara and Corbin Smith and eventually the arrest of Liam Gellar who is actually sent to jail for the kidnapping after the missing child is found at his house. Then there is also Willa, who has been Haley's best friend and roommate for 7 years, or is she?
Haley's parents also begin to try to get their daughter to return home, but Haley vehemently refuses, as she's not ready to be drawn back into their controlling and psychotic world. But the ending turns out to be a shocker, as it turns out the whole story from Haley has been a big lie. Haley Vaughn is, in fact, the crazy person who escaped from a mental facility at a young age, and her parents were not crazy at all.
It also turns out she was responsible for the fire that killed Lara's twin, the death of her ex Kyle and the kidnap and finding of the missing baby Fallon. You'll have to read to find out just how unstable Haley was and find out that she killed Willa, her supposed best friend. Willa was, In fact, placed in her life by her parents to keep an eye on her and other plot twists that happen by her orchestration.
I recommend this book for suspense and thriller lovers. It will leave you hooked and on the edge of your seat. What I took away from this book is that children who display attitude disorders or behaviors should not be sheltered by their families out of shame, rather proper help should be sought for them. Haley's case should have been prevented if she'd had proper help at a young age.
Thank you for reading!!!