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Nanny Returns by Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Kraus

Rating: 2/5 Stars

Genre: Contemporary

Release Date: 12/15/09

About the Book: It's been twelve years and Nan has been living abroad with her husband Ryan (aka Harvard Hottie). Now she's back, she's running a new business which gets her a job at a snooty private school back with the same crowd she left long ago. She's also trying to fix up her new house and Ryan is pressuring her to start a family. Than one night, Grayer X winds up on her doorstep and Nan finds herself back in the world of the Xs.

GreenBeanTeenQueen Says: I first read The Nanny Diaries three years ago when I myself was working as a nanny. Granted, I wasn't working for an elite, rich family in New York, but I still found the book to be a wickedly funny account of the nannying world and I really enjoyed it. So I was looking forward to returning to Nan's story, but sadly I was disappointed with this sequel.

After twelve years, getting married, and living all over the world with her husband, Nan has not grown up. She still has no spine and doesn't know how to say no. She feels guilty over leaving Grayer and gets easily pulled back into his life. I kept wanting to shake her for being so stupid! (And really, the way Grayer ends up back in Nan's life felt a little too convenient.) Grayer's younger brother Stilton is a mini-Grayer from the first book, just slightly older. I didn't think he really added anything, other than trying to be the sympathetic character that tugs at your heart, only it didn't really work this time around.

I felt there was just too much going on with the plot. The storyline with the Xs wasn't enough, so there's a plot with Nan working as a consultant at a private school which I found extremely boring and annoying. Instead of being satirically funny, it was frustrating. I felt sad for the teachers, and the part where the school wants to start monitoring the student's online activity made my librarian self cringe! I also found Nan's whining about Ryan wanting to start a family annoying and unsympathetic.

I'll admit, the ending gave me some hope for the characters, but it was a long journey to get there, and it lacked some of the satirical bite the first book had. Some readers might enjoy another trip with Nan to New York's elite, but I felt she was better off where her story ended before.

Reviewed from copy provided by the publisher

Comments

  1. I had hoped this would be good
    :( Sometimes the first books are so good that sequels don't seem to create similar magic.

    Thanks for the review

    ReplyDelete
  2. Yeah, I had hoped it would be good too. I think it was too long between books and it didn't work with older characters.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I am sorry that you did not enjoy this novel. I hate it when it's good the first time out and then when you read the sequel it sucks.

    ReplyDelete

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