Nanny Returns: A Novel by Emma McLaughlin & Nicola Kraus

Next up on my list is Nanny Returns: A Novel by Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Kraus. This book is a sequel to The Nanny Diaries, which the pair released in 2002.

From Goodreads.com

Ten years after her original misadventures in babysitting, Nan returns to NYC in this saucy sequel to the phenomenal bestseller The Nanny Diaries. Now married and pondering motherhood herself, the recovering caregiver is about to get a whole new perspective on childrearing. Her trouble former charge bursts back into her life and her new consulting business introduces her to nannying’s sophisticated older sister: private school. With the same biting wit and tender heart that marked the original, this long-awaited follow-up skewers the elite culture of “outsourced parenting” on the razor-sharp tip of a 21st-century Mary Poppins umbrella. It’s as funny as it is affecting: call it chicklit with a conscience.

The end of the The Nanny Diaries left me heartbroken. The “X’s” had just fired Nan as Grayer’s nanny. Poor Nan was left baring her soul into a hidden Nanny Cam. Grayer just lost the one person in his life who cared about him. I was excited to hear that there was going to be a sequel to this story and I hoped this book would mean a happier ending for Nan and Grayer.

Usually I buy a book and read it quickly after. I picked up this book right after it was released, however it sat on my shelf for two months. As someone who usually buys a book and starts it immediately this was very uncharacteristic for me. Even though I wanted to know what happened, I was terrified I would again be heartbroken.

Once I overcame this fear and started the book, I found it to be a great read. I did very much enjoy the main plot centering around the relationship between Grayer and Nan. We were able to see that Grayer had suffered from his parents’ neglect, as Nan had warned. Now Grayer was trying to make sure that his younger brother, Stilton, did not suffer the same way. I wanted to know if Nan could make a difference in the boys’ lives this time around.

The one down side of this book was that sometimes there was too much going on. Between Nan’s new job, her house renovations, her husband’s constant traveling and need for a baby, and the attempts to reconnect with an old classmate, there was a lot of story. This sometimes left me feeling a bit overwhelmed. Since the authors were able to use each of these side stories to push the main plot, they did not detract too much from the overall story

Review: I felt the relationships and characters were as entertaining as they were very true to life. This book helped give me the closure I lacked after reading The Nanny Diaries. A recommended read, especially for those of you read its prequel!