#BOOKREVIEW: The Nesting by C. J. Cooke #TheNesting #Creepy #5STARS #Gothic #Gifted #ProvidedForReview

I LOVED it! Like 5 out of 5 loved it.

I initially picked it up to check the NetGalley eARC was formatted correctly – because I’ve been let down recently – it can’t just be me, right!?!?!

And I didn’t stop reading. I DIDN’T STOP. I was hooked, properly – genuinely hooked from page 1 until the ending. It isn’t often a book grabs my attention quite so hard as The Nesting by C. J. Cooke did. Maybe it was just the right book at the right time, the right genre for my mood but whatever it was I was one happy reader.

Anyway… Check out the synopsis for yourselves.

Book Blurb:

It was like something out of a fairytale…

The grieving widower.
The motherless daughters.
A beautiful house in the woods.
And a nanny come to save the day.

So what if Lexi isn’t telling the truth about who she is? Escaping to the remote snows of Norway was her lifeline. And all she wanted was to be a part of their lives.

But soon, isolated in that cold, creaking house in the middle of ancient, whispering woods, Lexi’s fairytale starts to turn into a nightmare.

With darkness creeping in from the outside, Lexi’s fears are deepening. Lexi knows she needs to protect the children in her care.

But protect them from what?

Sounds good, right!?!

And that cover! GORGEOUS! Stunning. And ALL the positive words. It might be my favourite cover art of 2020. I would definitely be rushing across the bookstore to pick up that beauty.

The writing was great, the descriptions were creepy, lush and made me want to visit Norway. I read in the acknowledgments that the author went on a research trip and her love of the beautiful Norwegian wilderness SHONE through her writing. I read this during #lockdown and it was the breath of cold chilling air that I needed to distract me from some of the everyday humdrum of Covid-19.

As I said the writing was good, the descriptions were lush but C. J. Cooke also nailed the pacing. It ebbed and flowed in such a manner that I couldn’t look away. There was a sense of urgency and fear that permeated some pages while other chapters had a slow burn of character development and set up. It WORKED. And worked so well.

The book wasn’t perfect – the ending was maybe a bit too neat for my liking and a few elements of the story were left open-ended – I think it is allowed in the genre thou and I don’t always need an explanation for CREEPY. But the ending didn’t quite hit the heights of the rest of the novel – I still LOVED it thou. I finished wanting to talk about the book, share the book and write my review – all the signs I needed to give it 5 out of 5.

Chilling. Gothic. And some very creepy fairy tales. The Nesting had EVERYTHING I wanted and more.

I received a copy of The Nesting by C. J. Cooke for review from the publisher, via NetGalley – Thank you! Thank you very much.