Release Date: October 15th 2020
Publisher: HarperFiction
Pages: 416
Find it on: Goodreads. BookDepository. Waterstones.
Source: The publisher kindly sent me a copy of this book to review
Rating: 4.5/5 stars

Synopsis

The woods are creeping in on a nanny and two young girls in this chilling modern Gothic thriller.

Architect Tom Faraday is determined to finish the high-concept, environmentally friendly home he’s building in Norway – in the same place where he lost his wife, Aurelia, to suicide. It was their dream house, and he wants to honor her with it.

Lexi Ellis takes a job as his nanny and immediately falls in love with his two young daughters, especially Gaia. But something feels off in the isolated house nestled in the forest along the fjord. Lexi sees mysterious muddy footprints inside the home. Aurelia’s diary appears in Lexi’s room one day. And Gaia keeps telling her about seeing the terrifying Sad Lady…

Soon Lexi suspects that Aurelia didn’t kill herself and that they are all in danger from something far more sinister lurking around them.

Review

The Nesting is the beautifully haunting story of Lexi Ellis, a young woman who takes the job of nanny for two young girls at a remote home in Norway. Their architect father has just finished building the house to in the same place his wife Aurelia committed suicide. As Lexi grows closer with the young children she starts to see and hear strange things in the isolated home. When she discovers Aureila’s diary she soon begins to suspect that perhaps the cause of death was not suicide and that other things are lurking in the house.

This one originally caught my eye because I was captivated by that absolutely stunning cover. I love thrillers with a supernatural touch so I already thought I was going to love this one. Cooke’s writing style in this is brilliant, she creates that slow creeping sense of dread and this book definitely sent a shiver up my spine in more than one occasion. I loved the remote setting for the story and it really came to life in Cooke’s words.

The Nesting is full to the brim with atmosphere and I found it so hard to put this one down. I ended up reading the last hundred and fifty pages in a single sitting because I just had to know how it was going to end. The story is reminiscent of Ruth Ware’s The Turn of the Key but I found The Nesting to be a more addictive read. I really liked the characters in this story, they felt relatable and well developed. I really liked Lexi as a main character and I really enjoyed the way that Cooke weaved the stories of Lexi and Aurelia together.

This eerie, haunting tale is absolutely perfect reading for Autumn, it’s the kind of book you can’t tear your eyes away from. I loved every second of this book and can’t wait to read more from C. J. Cooke.