by Holly Chamberlin
My rating: 4 Stars
The setting is gorgeous Maine, in June, and friends Amy Latimer and Hayley Franklin decide to become summer nannies. The possibilities are endless, so they sign up with an agency. Each girl has a very specific goal in mind and becoming a nanny could be quite profitable. Amy has an upcoming move to Boston and Hayley wants to make enough money to help her and her mom get away from her mom's abusive husband.
Both Amy and Hayley are quite successful in getting jobs. Amy has an odd one, though. She is hired outside of the agency by Cressida Prior. Amy is enthralled with her new boss, a woman almost completely opposite than her apparently laid-back mother. However, Amy soon learns that Cressida wants more from Amy than her being a nanny. Hayley gets a marvelous job, caring for darling twin two-year-old girls. In part, due to this idyllic setting, that Hayley wants more than to squirrel away money. No, she decides to shoot far higher, even at the cost of her own dignity.
The summer goes completely differently for the girls than either of them could have ever imagined. They both become increasingly unhappy, but for entirely different reasons. For Amy, her increasing adoration of her employer puts a lot of strain between her mother and Hayley. They've known each other forever, but now it seems they do not know each other at all. For Hayley, she just wants a way out of her unpleasant life, almost at any cost. Meeting Ethan, son of her employer, just might be the ticket.
The Summer Nanny is quite an introspective novel. So many things are handled quite well in this story. The blurb says, in part, "the passing weeks bring complications and revelations, altering friendships, testing the bond between mothers and daughters, and proving that the ripples from a single season can last forever . . ." I was often frustrated at the struggles that all of the women - including Amy and Hayley's moms - experienced. However, I was quite pleased at the tremendous growth.
I admit to having a hard time connecting at first, but then the potential exploded and I could not help but root for these lovely women. Of all of them, Hayley affected me the most. I so wanted this young lady to find happiness. This book is an excellent summer read and was captivating in its own right. My emotions were bit on a roller coaster during this story as it traveled a great road. I look forward to reading more by Holly Chamberlin. This gives me something to look forward to next summer already.
Thank you Kensington Books for this complimentary copy for my review in exchange for my honest opinion.
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