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Nanny #2
Nanny Returns
This is the long-awaited sequel to the smash-hit bestseller, "The Nanny Diaries". Ten years after the fateful night that Nan was fired, she returns to New York with her husband HH. Finally settling in to build a permanent home and get her consulting business off the ground, Nan's plans are derailed by HH's sudden desire to start a family - and her surprisingly strong resistance to the idea. Matters are further complicated by a late-night, drunken visit from a now fifteen-year-old Grayer, who's stumbled on the nanny-cam tape Nan made on her last night in his mother's employment - and wants some answers. Racked with guilt and struggling to find a way to help Grayer and his seven-year-old brother, Stilton, through their parents' vicious divorce, Nan finds herself getting sucked into the Upper East Side world of wealth, power and dysfunction all over again. Set against the backdrop of a Manhattan economy cracking along the fault lines, "The Nanny Returns" plumbs the humor and heartbreak of a community who chose money over love, only to find the money evaporate - and their children ready to tell all.
320 pages, Paperback
First published November 23, 2009
155 people are currently reading
4931 people want to read
About the author
Emma McLaughlin
23 books982 followersMy partner, Nicki, and I have been writing together for 12 years. We're obsessed by what makes a satisfying story. I'm excited to hear from our readers what does it for them -- and what doesn't. As a working mom, the only book time I manage to steal these days is right before bed. I'm not the girl who can watch SVU and go to sleep with a smile. Ruling out kids/the economy/the world in peril as subject matter leaves sweeping Wharton epics or swift funny observations. The best is when a book makes you feel like you're still talking in the whee hours with your best college friend.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,044 reviews
October 18, 2010
I listened to the first Nanny novel as an audiobook many moons ago when I was working as a painter in college. Our local library had a paltry selection of audiobooks and I couldn't afford to be picky. I thought I would hate The Nanny Diaries, but instead I found myself enjoying the book. When I heard the authors had penned a sequel, I was curious enough to get the audiobook of Nanny Returns for my commute.
At some points, I felt like Nanny Returns actively hated me and was trying to physically hurt me, that's how bad I thought it was.
At the core of The Nanny Diaries was a resentment toward the non-parenting of the Upper West Side snobs of New York City. That drove the book, with the hook of having the titular Nanny function as a "fish out of water" in that scenario, seemingly the only person who cared for her employers' child. I honestly don't know what the reason for writing Nanny Returns was, besides "Hey, that first Nanny book made some money and we got a movie out of it... how about a sequel?"
The book flails around for a point, introducing plot after plot after plot (Nan's qualms about starting a family, her new job, reintergrating herself into the X's life, calamities at the private schools of the wealthy, and yes, disdain for the richie rich parents of New York City) with almost no followthrough. The main character alternates between whiny and callow, displaying none of the backbone I expected from the ending of the first Nanny novel.
Dialog between the characters is infuriatingly choppy; people break away from delivering vital information to one another by stopping mid-conversation and saying something like "I can't deal with you right now," or "Hold on a sec." The only purpose for this is to prolong "funny" confusion on the part of the main character. It's stilted and annoying. Nan will keep things from other characters (like the key piece of information that she was fired from her nanny position) and then spend dozens of pages sweating and angsting over a problem that could likely be address if she'd just SAY WHAT WAS ON HER MIND.
The overwrought descriptions of fashion slow the narrative down to a crawl at places. I guess this is "chick-lit", a genre that I know doesn't always aspire toward highbrow literature, but goodness, I never realized that anyone would care to read a blow-by-blow of what every character in a room was wearing from top to tail.
Even the jokey premise behind Nan's foils, the elder X matriarch and patriarch, seems lame now. The joke in the first novel was that Nan was maintaining their anonymity by calling them the X's. Here, the authors expand the X's out so far into the world that it seems incredibly stupid to keep up the charade. We know EVERYBODY else's name in this book. It's silly.
Again, I can actually recommend The Nanny Diaries, a book with some genuine anger expressed through a oftentimes funny story told with warmth. Nanny Returns was just repulsive.
At some points, I felt like Nanny Returns actively hated me and was trying to physically hurt me, that's how bad I thought it was.
At the core of The Nanny Diaries was a resentment toward the non-parenting of the Upper West Side snobs of New York City. That drove the book, with the hook of having the titular Nanny function as a "fish out of water" in that scenario, seemingly the only person who cared for her employers' child. I honestly don't know what the reason for writing Nanny Returns was, besides "Hey, that first Nanny book made some money and we got a movie out of it... how about a sequel?"
The book flails around for a point, introducing plot after plot after plot (Nan's qualms about starting a family, her new job, reintergrating herself into the X's life, calamities at the private schools of the wealthy, and yes, disdain for the richie rich parents of New York City) with almost no followthrough. The main character alternates between whiny and callow, displaying none of the backbone I expected from the ending of the first Nanny novel.
Dialog between the characters is infuriatingly choppy; people break away from delivering vital information to one another by stopping mid-conversation and saying something like "I can't deal with you right now," or "Hold on a sec." The only purpose for this is to prolong "funny" confusion on the part of the main character. It's stilted and annoying. Nan will keep things from other characters (like the key piece of information that she was fired from her nanny position) and then spend dozens of pages sweating and angsting over a problem that could likely be address if she'd just SAY WHAT WAS ON HER MIND.
The overwrought descriptions of fashion slow the narrative down to a crawl at places. I guess this is "chick-lit", a genre that I know doesn't always aspire toward highbrow literature, but goodness, I never realized that anyone would care to read a blow-by-blow of what every character in a room was wearing from top to tail.
Even the jokey premise behind Nan's foils, the elder X matriarch and patriarch, seems lame now. The joke in the first novel was that Nan was maintaining their anonymity by calling them the X's. Here, the authors expand the X's out so far into the world that it seems incredibly stupid to keep up the charade. We know EVERYBODY else's name in this book. It's silly.
Again, I can actually recommend The Nanny Diaries, a book with some genuine anger expressed through a oftentimes funny story told with warmth. Nanny Returns was just repulsive.
January 3, 2011
Thank God for a follow up. I've always worried about Grayer X. I knew that Nanny (Nan-neh!) would land on her feet, but Grayer...I always wondered what would happen to him.
If you liked "The Nanny Diaries" I do believe you will like this sequel (the ladies are even talking trilogy!!) We find Nanny's socialite nemesies struggling against the economy - what do you mean I can't have my Prada and my driver too? - and Nanny struggling with possible motherhood.
I felt like the book brought up a lot of things I've seen in my own community over the last couple of years: Mothers in their Porsche SUVs with the kids tucked in back, head phones on watching Sponge Bob on the SUV's DVD system - totally unattached to their kids, unplugged as I heard someone mention the other day (a teacher); kids getting rowdier and rowdier with little to no personal responsibility; and an overall sense of entitlement.
I think Emma and Nicola's books are really good commentaries on current society. If you haven't read "Citizen Girl," you really must. Especially if you're a young woman struggling to figure out what to do with your life in our crappy economy. Again, Emma and Nicola just nail the feelings and struggles of women everywhere.
In Nanny Returns Nanny ponders motherhood: to be or not to be. Every one says, "oh you're so good with kids!" she finally says so what? just because i'm good with kids doesn't mean I will make a good mother. I've often heard how great I am with kids and how wonderful a mom I would make because of that. I applaud Emma and Nicola for bringing up this touchy subject. Nanny's husband travels a lot for his job and she says she doesn't want her child to grow up fatherless like so many of the kids she nannied in her day. She knows the impression that having two active parents in a child's life makes. Just because you conceived a child does not make you a parent.
If you liked "The Nanny Diaries" I do believe you will like this sequel (the ladies are even talking trilogy!!) We find Nanny's socialite nemesies struggling against the economy - what do you mean I can't have my Prada and my driver too? - and Nanny struggling with possible motherhood.
I felt like the book brought up a lot of things I've seen in my own community over the last couple of years: Mothers in their Porsche SUVs with the kids tucked in back, head phones on watching Sponge Bob on the SUV's DVD system - totally unattached to their kids, unplugged as I heard someone mention the other day (a teacher); kids getting rowdier and rowdier with little to no personal responsibility; and an overall sense of entitlement.
I think Emma and Nicola's books are really good commentaries on current society. If you haven't read "Citizen Girl," you really must. Especially if you're a young woman struggling to figure out what to do with your life in our crappy economy. Again, Emma and Nicola just nail the feelings and struggles of women everywhere.
In Nanny Returns Nanny ponders motherhood: to be or not to be. Every one says, "oh you're so good with kids!" she finally says so what? just because i'm good with kids doesn't mean I will make a good mother. I've often heard how great I am with kids and how wonderful a mom I would make because of that. I applaud Emma and Nicola for bringing up this touchy subject. Nanny's husband travels a lot for his job and she says she doesn't want her child to grow up fatherless like so many of the kids she nannied in her day. She knows the impression that having two active parents in a child's life makes. Just because you conceived a child does not make you a parent.
July 4, 2012
Like most people who read this book, I had high expectations before I began it. I thoroughly enjoyed The Nanny Diaries, I thought it was funny, and well-written. So, why would this be any different?
That said, this is possibly one of the worst books I've ever had the displeasure of reading. I was so very excited to see it on the shelves at my book store, I hadn't even known it existed! So, of course, I bought it, ready for hilarity to ensue.
I found myself skipping through pages, rolling my eyes, and finding myself genuinely annoyed at Nan.
The characters of this book seem completely unrealistic. Her husband, perfect, smart, adores her, and wants children. Well, isn't that so original?
And Nan. God, I hated her in this book! I don't know what it was. She was so... Mary-Sue.
I actually feel angry for having wasted my time reading this. I kept saying, it will get better, it will get better. It never did.
Usually, a book brings me great joy and I find myself caught up in it's events, lost in it's words.
However, Nanny #2 was honestly the only book I've ever read where I can say I was relieved to see it was over.
All in all, I would recommend you did not waste your money on this book. If you're completely desperate to know what happened with Grayer, maybe pick it up at your library, but I would predict you would return it quickly, unfinished.
That said, this is possibly one of the worst books I've ever had the displeasure of reading. I was so very excited to see it on the shelves at my book store, I hadn't even known it existed! So, of course, I bought it, ready for hilarity to ensue.
I found myself skipping through pages, rolling my eyes, and finding myself genuinely annoyed at Nan.
The characters of this book seem completely unrealistic. Her husband, perfect, smart, adores her, and wants children. Well, isn't that so original?
And Nan. God, I hated her in this book! I don't know what it was. She was so... Mary-Sue.
I actually feel angry for having wasted my time reading this. I kept saying, it will get better, it will get better. It never did.
Usually, a book brings me great joy and I find myself caught up in it's events, lost in it's words.
However, Nanny #2 was honestly the only book I've ever read where I can say I was relieved to see it was over.
All in all, I would recommend you did not waste your money on this book. If you're completely desperate to know what happened with Grayer, maybe pick it up at your library, but I would predict you would return it quickly, unfinished.
December 31, 2009
Extremely disappointed with this book. I read to about page 60, then skipped to the last 10 pages or so just to get the gist of what happened. There were so many F-words in this book. Completely unnecessary.
In addition to the offensive language, the storyline was pretty unbelievable. Nan, now married to H.H. (Harvard Hottie) seems to be unable to get over the trauma of what happened while being a nanny to the X family. She goes all crazy over her husband wanting to have children.
Grayer shows up drunk on her doorstep and she gets drawn into the messy X family again.
I really had a hard time with Nan's feelings of inadequacy. I just felt the premise for them was a poor one. She beats herself up for leaving Grayer all those years ago. As if she had a choice. She was fired by a crazy person. Nan was just too smart in the first book to be so stupid in the second. And her language. I don't know where she learned her bad language, but I definitely don't want her babysitting my kids.
Stupid. Do not read this book.
In addition to the offensive language, the storyline was pretty unbelievable. Nan, now married to H.H. (Harvard Hottie) seems to be unable to get over the trauma of what happened while being a nanny to the X family. She goes all crazy over her husband wanting to have children.
Grayer shows up drunk on her doorstep and she gets drawn into the messy X family again.
I really had a hard time with Nan's feelings of inadequacy. I just felt the premise for them was a poor one. She beats herself up for leaving Grayer all those years ago. As if she had a choice. She was fired by a crazy person. Nan was just too smart in the first book to be so stupid in the second. And her language. I don't know where she learned her bad language, but I definitely don't want her babysitting my kids.
Stupid. Do not read this book.
January 7, 2010
This was my first purchased download on the e-reader I was given for Christmas. I chose this title primarily out of curiosity--I wanted to know where the authors were taking our beloved Nan Hutchinson, who first appeared in "The Nanny Diaries." When we left Nan, she was getting the last laugh (after her firing) ranting into a nanny cam of her former employers Mr. and Mrs. X.
With "Nanny Returns" 12 years have gone by, Nan has recently returned to New York after traveling the world with her husband Ryan and his UN job. Nan, Ryan, and their dog Grace are living in a dilapidated home they optimistically hope to renovate. Nan is also getting her own HR consulting business off the ground.
Soon after returning to NY, her former charge, Grayer, tracks her down partly to confront her for abandoning him all those years ago and partly to seek her help with his 8-year old brother Stilton who is in need of a parental figure. Nanny finds that Grayer is, not surprisingly, a privileged, drug & alcohol abusing teenager and his parents' ability to raise their children have only deteriorated since she last saw them.
In addition to helping out with the X gang, Nan starts hanging out with her old friends who have married into money and are starting to produce their own privileged offspring. She also snatches up a consulting gig at a fancy prep school, Jarndyce, where her job consists primarily of stomping out fires. The prep-school kids are misbehaving, the faculty is abused and under-appreciated, and the wealthy parents are uninterested, absent, and, of course, image obsessed.
When her husband presses her to start a family, Nan stalls. Her view on family, marriage, and children is seriously negative. Ryan is still traveling with his job, their home is not at all livable, and she is juggling the X family issues, her friend's issues, and the prep school issues. The majority of the book has her erratically running around the city trying to solve everyone's problems when she seems to be the least qualified candidate for the job. Moreover, Nan's problems seem to be manufactured or of the type that could be easily avoided. Throughout all of it Nan seems jaded, overly self-righteous, and far less likable then she was as a young Nanny.
The character development in this book is lacking, and there are too many inconsequential sub-plots to keep up with. Even the Jarndyce plot was given the hack treatment ending in the most abrupt way. I feel like the whole Citrine/Clark sub-plot could have been cut out entirely. In doing so the authors could have taken the time to develop & re-work the rest of the story and characters within more fully.
With "Nanny Returns" 12 years have gone by, Nan has recently returned to New York after traveling the world with her husband Ryan and his UN job. Nan, Ryan, and their dog Grace are living in a dilapidated home they optimistically hope to renovate. Nan is also getting her own HR consulting business off the ground.
Soon after returning to NY, her former charge, Grayer, tracks her down partly to confront her for abandoning him all those years ago and partly to seek her help with his 8-year old brother Stilton who is in need of a parental figure. Nanny finds that Grayer is, not surprisingly, a privileged, drug & alcohol abusing teenager and his parents' ability to raise their children have only deteriorated since she last saw them.
In addition to helping out with the X gang, Nan starts hanging out with her old friends who have married into money and are starting to produce their own privileged offspring. She also snatches up a consulting gig at a fancy prep school, Jarndyce, where her job consists primarily of stomping out fires. The prep-school kids are misbehaving, the faculty is abused and under-appreciated, and the wealthy parents are uninterested, absent, and, of course, image obsessed.
When her husband presses her to start a family, Nan stalls. Her view on family, marriage, and children is seriously negative. Ryan is still traveling with his job, their home is not at all livable, and she is juggling the X family issues, her friend's issues, and the prep school issues. The majority of the book has her erratically running around the city trying to solve everyone's problems when she seems to be the least qualified candidate for the job. Moreover, Nan's problems seem to be manufactured or of the type that could be easily avoided. Throughout all of it Nan seems jaded, overly self-righteous, and far less likable then she was as a young Nanny.
The character development in this book is lacking, and there are too many inconsequential sub-plots to keep up with. Even the Jarndyce plot was given the hack treatment ending in the most abrupt way. I feel like the whole Citrine/Clark sub-plot could have been cut out entirely. In doing so the authors could have taken the time to develop & re-work the rest of the story and characters within more fully.
October 19, 2018
Audiobook #174
February 20, 2024
Live streaming this review:
I laughed *so* hard when Citrine said 'can you imagine me, the artist, with a banker?' Like... yes. That is exactly what happens in NYC, where most artists cannot live a nice lifestyle without a higher earning, square partner. Excellent commentary on the falsity of positioning it as artsy, of-the-people partner and stiff, square banker when it's supported partner vs. reasonable partner. You don't get to be a free spirit in NYC without there being someone else who's willing to carry the weight you won't.
I'll bet US currency I've called the twist, it's that obvious. Mrs. X immediately forgets she has cancer after she says she has it, then when Nan reminds her by asking how she'll tell Stilton (the younger son) she says she doesn't need to tell him because he already likes her. Nan doesn't even suspect Mrs. X is lying, which is unrealistic when it's so obvious! It would work better if either (a) Mrs. X remembers the cancer and doesn't say she won't tell Stilton because he already likes her, so we can figure out the twist slowly with Nan, or (b) Nan suspect Mrs. X is lying from the beginning, but now has to figure out how to prove it without seeming super horrible to a cancer patient.
Ch. 5 - I thought this was meant to be a realistic portrayal (albeit dramatized) of wealthy NYC, but maybe it's satire? The way the school committee speaks about fundraising isn't realistic - sure, they could end up using the money for helipads, headmaster apartments, etc. but they wouldn't be so open about those being the primary motivators. They'd couch the need to fundraise X crazy amount in terms of support scholarships for disadvantaged students, etc. and then they'd use 95% of the money on the aforementioned frivolities instead.
Ch. 8 - The creation of a Mrs. X (viewed via Citrine) is horrifying and feels so real.
Ch. 9 - Wow, the X's are loathsome. Grayer is, unsurprisingly, growing up to be no different.
A fun '08 nostalgia read (well, as fun as anything reminding us of the crash can be).
I laughed *so* hard when Citrine said 'can you imagine me, the artist, with a banker?' Like... yes. That is exactly what happens in NYC, where most artists cannot live a nice lifestyle without a higher earning, square partner. Excellent commentary on the falsity of positioning it as artsy, of-the-people partner and stiff, square banker when it's supported partner vs. reasonable partner. You don't get to be a free spirit in NYC without there being someone else who's willing to carry the weight you won't.
I'll bet US currency I've called the twist, it's that obvious. Mrs. X immediately forgets she has cancer after she says she has it, then when Nan reminds her by asking how she'll tell Stilton (the younger son) she says she doesn't need to tell him because he already likes her. Nan doesn't even suspect Mrs. X is lying, which is unrealistic when it's so obvious! It would work better if either (a) Mrs. X remembers the cancer and doesn't say she won't tell Stilton because he already likes her, so we can figure out the twist slowly with Nan, or (b) Nan suspect Mrs. X is lying from the beginning, but now has to figure out how to prove it without seeming super horrible to a cancer patient.
Ch. 5 - I thought this was meant to be a realistic portrayal (albeit dramatized) of wealthy NYC, but maybe it's satire? The way the school committee speaks about fundraising isn't realistic - sure, they could end up using the money for helipads, headmaster apartments, etc. but they wouldn't be so open about those being the primary motivators. They'd couch the need to fundraise X crazy amount in terms of support scholarships for disadvantaged students, etc. and then they'd use 95% of the money on the aforementioned frivolities instead.
Ch. 8 - The creation of a Mrs. X (viewed via Citrine) is horrifying and feels so real.
Ch. 9 - Wow, the X's are loathsome. Grayer is, unsurprisingly, growing up to be no different.
A fun '08 nostalgia read (well, as fun as anything reminding us of the crash can be).
January 1, 2010
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.
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.
December 28, 2016
I loved the movie, loved the first book, and was extremely excited to see that the story continued.
I felt that there was a bit too much prolonged, and unclear, focus on her job and too many characters that were never properly introduced. All the new co-workers, and high society frienemies were quickly slipped into scenes and I found myself having to backtrack often when reading names, trying to remember which character was which.
Other than that, It's hard not to love Nan, and the writers are very good at evoking emotion from you. Particularly anger at everyone Nan is dealing with.
The portrayal of all the different forms of New York life, class and society is always painted in a very clear and clever way, making it all "Visually" fascinating.
I adored Stilton, and thought they did a wonderful job making him different from little Grayer in the first book.
All in all, I enjoyed the read. The ending took a turn for the very interesting and everything was wrapped up in satisfying way.
I felt that there was a bit too much prolonged, and unclear, focus on her job and too many characters that were never properly introduced. All the new co-workers, and high society frienemies were quickly slipped into scenes and I found myself having to backtrack often when reading names, trying to remember which character was which.
Other than that, It's hard not to love Nan, and the writers are very good at evoking emotion from you. Particularly anger at everyone Nan is dealing with.
The portrayal of all the different forms of New York life, class and society is always painted in a very clear and clever way, making it all "Visually" fascinating.
I adored Stilton, and thought they did a wonderful job making him different from little Grayer in the first book.
All in all, I enjoyed the read. The ending took a turn for the very interesting and everything was wrapped up in satisfying way.
September 6, 2015
Compared to The Nanny Diaries, this book is just slightly less entertaining than its predecessor. Grayer is obviously grown-up, out of control, and disillusioned. Nan has her own troubles to deal with and doing it all on her own while her husband is away on business in Africa. Now there is also Stilton, who Grayer is trying his best to protect against his parents. In short: things have changed.
Despite Nanny Returns not having the same charm as the previous novel, I was still wowed and delighted by the intelligent writing and powerful dialogue. Since reading The Nanny Diaries many years ago, I’ve read several novels co-written by McLaughlin and Kraus since then, and have always been drawn into and thrilled by their writing. There isn’t a book co-written by these two women that I won’t read.
In a nutshell: I enjoyed this novel and wish there was a third!
Despite Nanny Returns not having the same charm as the previous novel, I was still wowed and delighted by the intelligent writing and powerful dialogue. Since reading The Nanny Diaries many years ago, I’ve read several novels co-written by McLaughlin and Kraus since then, and have always been drawn into and thrilled by their writing. There isn’t a book co-written by these two women that I won’t read.
In a nutshell: I enjoyed this novel and wish there was a third!
June 19, 2012
Mmmm... I would not hire Nan as a consultant.... sorry. :-). Not so very convincing, this story. and the hubby, what kinda dude is he really? I read a review saying I kept turning the pages, shaking my head, skipping sections... I did the same. The school episode caught my attention though. but not really enough. I remember giving the first nanny diaries three stars, this one started off with one star and only because of the school scene and hey, because I like the dog, Grace, it's two max.... I need a good reading challenge now. :-)
July 17, 2011
Some books do not need a sequel. This was one of them.
October 10, 2010
I was super excited to read Nanny Returns because I absolutely loved The Nanny Diaries (see my review here). I was shocked and surprised when I found myself skipping through pages and shaking my head while reading this one…more on that in a bit.
Nanny Returns tells the story of Nan, our favorite NYC Nanny 10 years later. Now married to Harvard Hottie Ryan, Nan returns from traveling the world with her husband to settle back into NYC.
One night, a 16 year old Grayer (Nan’s former charge) drunkenly stumbles to her NYC apartment demanding to know why she left him. Nan finds herself once again falling back into the crazy world of the X’s.
Okay, so the premise of the story is good. I’m excited to learn to more about what Grayer (and his new brother’s) lives are like. I can’t wait to see Nan handle the situation. But then, I’m confused.
A whole new plot of Nan’s freelance consulting for a private NYC prep school is introduced. I have no idea how this even connects to the plot of the story and I found myself flipping pages ahead just trying to get to something more interesting.
I shake my head as Nan once again gets way too involved in the X’s lives. The book brings up the issue of parental neglect and Nan takes over as Mrs. X lacks in the parenting department and Mr. X is nowhere to be found. Some random character (Mr. X’s girlfriend..I don’t remember her name- guess she wasn’t that important) is introduced and I am again confused.
Honestly, I don’t really know what else to say in this review. I flat out didn’t like this book. I didn’t understand the direction it was going in and I was disappointed. In the first book, I was literally laughing out loud and finished the book feeling completely touched and I finished this one sort of feeling thankful that I made it all the way through. Yikes.
Nanny Returns tells the story of Nan, our favorite NYC Nanny 10 years later. Now married to Harvard Hottie Ryan, Nan returns from traveling the world with her husband to settle back into NYC.
One night, a 16 year old Grayer (Nan’s former charge) drunkenly stumbles to her NYC apartment demanding to know why she left him. Nan finds herself once again falling back into the crazy world of the X’s.
Okay, so the premise of the story is good. I’m excited to learn to more about what Grayer (and his new brother’s) lives are like. I can’t wait to see Nan handle the situation. But then, I’m confused.
A whole new plot of Nan’s freelance consulting for a private NYC prep school is introduced. I have no idea how this even connects to the plot of the story and I found myself flipping pages ahead just trying to get to something more interesting.
I shake my head as Nan once again gets way too involved in the X’s lives. The book brings up the issue of parental neglect and Nan takes over as Mrs. X lacks in the parenting department and Mr. X is nowhere to be found. Some random character (Mr. X’s girlfriend..I don’t remember her name- guess she wasn’t that important) is introduced and I am again confused.
Honestly, I don’t really know what else to say in this review. I flat out didn’t like this book. I didn’t understand the direction it was going in and I was disappointed. In the first book, I was literally laughing out loud and finished the book feeling completely touched and I finished this one sort of feeling thankful that I made it all the way through. Yikes.
March 16, 2010
There is WAY too much going on in this book, and as a result, I didn't really care about any of it. The main plot lines in the story [seem:] to be the Xs and Nan's position with a consultant for Jarndyce, an exclusive private school run by an absolutely toxic parental board, which puts the Xs' exploits from the first book to shame. Oh, and Nan having a baby. That's supposed to be one of the main parts of the story, but it's completely overshadowed by everything else going on. Anyway, while working for Jarndyce, Nan is put in a variety of situations that go against her beliefs, providing the perfect opportunity for Nan to stand up stick it to the scum of the East side, but instead, and here come the spoilers, she totally and completely folds in the name of remodeling her new house. The authors tried to excuse Nan's behavior by establishing that she knew the actions she was enabling were morally reprehensible. The thing is, however, that knowing right from wrong and choosing wrong anyway does not make a person any less culpable. It makes you a hypocrite and a coward.
Oh, and the F-word is out of control in this book. Seriously--Out. Of. Control.
Oh, and the F-word is out of control in this book. Seriously--Out. Of. Control.
December 28, 2009
I am about half way through this book and am so dissapointed. As an avid Nanny Diaries fan, I read the book monthly- seriously yes, have it on cd in my car read by Julia Roberts, and dragged my husband to opening day of the movie I am so sad I bought this sequel. I am also a former "nanny" and swear I worked for the Mrs. X. I was even dismissed in a similiar fashion, so I grew attached to the book and felt apart of Nanny myself. It just doesn't flow together. Nanny is suddenly back in the X's lives after 10 years and a nasty dismissal as an employee? I just don't understand the plot and the characters seem dense. How does she just one day see Grayer again and then show up in the X's apartment? I am not a fan, and would tell other Nanny Diaries fans to avoid this one.I may not even finish this one.
January 4, 2019
This is the book to read if you want to just zone out. It has been so long since I read the first book, but after some Dr Google research, it all came flooding back to me. I enjoyed returning to the characters and seeing how much had changed or stayed the same. McLaughlin and Kraus do know how to write, but there seems to be little regard for the ending. The book speeds to a conclusion (and is quite an easy read), but simply stops. All the main plot points remain unresolved, so there is something unfinished about this novel. That is, unless they are planning a follow-up (which seems unlikely, considering this was first published nearly a decade ago). I would have liked it more if there had been something of a resolution. 2.5 stars.
March 27, 2011
Dystopia hits New York again. Nanny meets Grayer/Grover again after twelve years. The plot twists and turns played out in stressful, but page-turning ways. Nan and Grayer both grow. And the whole shebang makes me thankful I'm not living among Manhattan's moneyed crazy people.
March 25, 2015
Razočarenje...nakon prve knjige koja mi je bila baš zabavna, ova je toliko zamorna da je nisam ni završila.
June 18, 2018
This book was read as part of Jamison's Marvel-a-thon.
The challenge: Iron Man 2- read a book that is unpopular. (For the record, I loved all the Iron Mans).
Goodreads rating: 2.91 stars
tw: slights against Jews, slut shaming (a very personal video was leaked), dug use, insulting things written about teachers that offend marginalized groups, use of word r*tard, parental neglect, parental abuse
Well, this was alright but I'm not bursting at the seams with excitement. Good thing I only spent $4USD on this book. I'm not thrilled with it and I wasn't racing to finish it, as you can see that it took me a week to read. I was always curious to know what happened to Nan after she left the X's. But that is the only reason I really picked this up.
I guess my main problem was I couldn't understand why Nan associated herself with some of the most rudest and neglectful parents that I have ever read aout. My god. These people were absolutely horrible and Nan didn't do anything about it. She just let them say those nasty and horrible things. I know it's probably the richness and privilege. But it just rubbed me the wrong way. Nan should have said something when those remarks happened. She used the be a nanny, she knows what neglect does to kids.
And it didn't help that Grayer was an asshole (pardon my language, but he was). He found Nan after 10 years and wanted her help with his brother but everytime she helped him, he got all mad and treated Nan like dirt. Several of the choices Nan made almost cost her her marriage but yet, she did it because she loved her boys. Yes, I understand that his parents were incredibly neglectful and he probably learned some of that behavior from them but it's a huge pet peeve of mine when someone asks for help and then treats you horribly about it. I really did try to overlook his behavior given how he was raised but it was hard. Especially with how loving he was with his brother.
I also wasn't keen on how Ryan, Nan's husband, was pushing Nan into having kids. He just assumed that because she was a nanny, that she would be on board with this. Even if someone's career was in child care, that doesn't mean they want kids. Nan was very unsure if she wanted kids and told Ryan several times. He finally did get it but Nan shouldn't have had to fight so hard about it. Despite that issue, I really loved Ryan and Nan's relationship. Their banter back and forth was adorable and cheesy.
Overall, this wasn't the best book. But I appreciated that I got to learn about what happened to Nan after the first book ended. But the world Nan lives in pisses me off and I couldn't stand how Nan just accepted everything even when she knew it was wrong. I suppose, if you are looking for a quick an easy read, than this is the duology for you.
The challenge: Iron Man 2- read a book that is unpopular. (For the record, I loved all the Iron Mans).
Goodreads rating: 2.91 stars
tw: slights against Jews, slut shaming (a very personal video was leaked), dug use, insulting things written about teachers that offend marginalized groups, use of word r*tard, parental neglect, parental abuse
Well, this was alright but I'm not bursting at the seams with excitement. Good thing I only spent $4USD on this book. I'm not thrilled with it and I wasn't racing to finish it, as you can see that it took me a week to read. I was always curious to know what happened to Nan after she left the X's. But that is the only reason I really picked this up.
I guess my main problem was I couldn't understand why Nan associated herself with some of the most rudest and neglectful parents that I have ever read aout. My god. These people were absolutely horrible and Nan didn't do anything about it. She just let them say those nasty and horrible things. I know it's probably the richness and privilege. But it just rubbed me the wrong way. Nan should have said something when those remarks happened. She used the be a nanny, she knows what neglect does to kids.
And it didn't help that Grayer was an asshole (pardon my language, but he was). He found Nan after 10 years and wanted her help with his brother but everytime she helped him, he got all mad and treated Nan like dirt. Several of the choices Nan made almost cost her her marriage but yet, she did it because she loved her boys. Yes, I understand that his parents were incredibly neglectful and he probably learned some of that behavior from them but it's a huge pet peeve of mine when someone asks for help and then treats you horribly about it. I really did try to overlook his behavior given how he was raised but it was hard. Especially with how loving he was with his brother.
I also wasn't keen on how Ryan, Nan's husband, was pushing Nan into having kids. He just assumed that because she was a nanny, that she would be on board with this. Even if someone's career was in child care, that doesn't mean they want kids. Nan was very unsure if she wanted kids and told Ryan several times. He finally did get it but Nan shouldn't have had to fight so hard about it. Despite that issue, I really loved Ryan and Nan's relationship. Their banter back and forth was adorable and cheesy.
Overall, this wasn't the best book. But I appreciated that I got to learn about what happened to Nan after the first book ended. But the world Nan lives in pisses me off and I couldn't stand how Nan just accepted everything even when she knew it was wrong. I suppose, if you are looking for a quick an easy read, than this is the duology for you.
May 20, 2017
My daughter recently got a job as a nanny, and I get texts from her on an almost daily basis complaining or ranting about the mother of the kids. I asked her one day if she'd read or seen the movie of THE NANNY DIARIES, because Mrs. X would make her appreciate her employer. Then I remembered I had this sequel on my shelf, so I pulled it out and started reading. It's been awhile since I read the first book (2004 I think), but I fell right into this one without feeling any need to be refreshed on the first book.
It's twelve years later, and Nan and her husband have just moved back to New York after having lived overseas. There are numerous plot points that take off from there. They buy a house that is literally falling down around them (at one point a stairway collapses and they have to use a ladder to get up and down between floors), Nan starts a consulting business and gets a job with a private school that caters to privileged kids and their pretentious parents, they contemplate having children (Ryan wants to, Nan isn't so sure), Nan reconnects with old friends and not quite friends, and then the biggest plot - Grayer X suddenly pops up, embroiling her back into his life for the sake of saving his younger brother from their warring, divorcing parents.
Despite how busy the story is, the plots all weave together seamlessly. The book is written in first person present tense POV, my least favorite tense, but it's done so very well that I didn't mind at all. In fact I actually liked it. The writing is very engaging and the story is mesmerizing. NANNY RETURNS is a fantastic follow up, with a satisfying resolution and providing closure to the first book.
Review first posted on my blog.
It's twelve years later, and Nan and her husband have just moved back to New York after having lived overseas. There are numerous plot points that take off from there. They buy a house that is literally falling down around them (at one point a stairway collapses and they have to use a ladder to get up and down between floors), Nan starts a consulting business and gets a job with a private school that caters to privileged kids and their pretentious parents, they contemplate having children (Ryan wants to, Nan isn't so sure), Nan reconnects with old friends and not quite friends, and then the biggest plot - Grayer X suddenly pops up, embroiling her back into his life for the sake of saving his younger brother from their warring, divorcing parents.
Despite how busy the story is, the plots all weave together seamlessly. The book is written in first person present tense POV, my least favorite tense, but it's done so very well that I didn't mind at all. In fact I actually liked it. The writing is very engaging and the story is mesmerizing. NANNY RETURNS is a fantastic follow up, with a satisfying resolution and providing closure to the first book.
Review first posted on my blog.
February 27, 2010
This book serves as the sequel to the Nanny Diaries to provide closure about the X family and how Grayer turned out.
Wow...the writers wanted about a million other side stories going on at the same time! It was all too much with Nanny and Ryan's house renovation; Nanny's parents' eviction; Ryan's job, in which he was absent about 90% of the book; Nanny's unbelievable job in which she is hired to do (nothing) for a school but sit by and watch them fire good teachers because annoying students wanted them to; and finding her high school popular clique of friends...who, surprisingly, are still shallow and mean! If they had focused on the X family - Grayer story...I think it would have been much better. I was very disappointed in Grayer's character, his parents of course, were assumed that I wouldn't like. However, Grayer turned out spoiled and unappreciative; an underage smoker, drinker, and doing drugs; and did we mention having sex with older women (wtf)...and Nan did/said NOTHING about it! On the flip side, they created Stilton, Grayer's little brother. Stilton is a neat little character, full of life. I did admired that Grayer did take care of his little brother.
Unfortunately, I have to say that I wouldn't recommend this to anyone - it's plot line can be summarized very quickly without the time/effort.
Wow...the writers wanted about a million other side stories going on at the same time! It was all too much with Nanny and Ryan's house renovation; Nanny's parents' eviction; Ryan's job, in which he was absent about 90% of the book; Nanny's unbelievable job in which she is hired to do (nothing) for a school but sit by and watch them fire good teachers because annoying students wanted them to; and finding her high school popular clique of friends...who, surprisingly, are still shallow and mean! If they had focused on the X family - Grayer story...I think it would have been much better. I was very disappointed in Grayer's character, his parents of course, were assumed that I wouldn't like. However, Grayer turned out spoiled and unappreciative; an underage smoker, drinker, and doing drugs; and did we mention having sex with older women (wtf)...and Nan did/said NOTHING about it! On the flip side, they created Stilton, Grayer's little brother. Stilton is a neat little character, full of life. I did admired that Grayer did take care of his little brother.
Unfortunately, I have to say that I wouldn't recommend this to anyone - it's plot line can be summarized very quickly without the time/effort.
May 9, 2012
Too much language for my taste. Adult themes. I feel as though Ryan (Nan's husband) is underdeveloped. He is the perfect husband; he wants children ... that's all we really know about him. The antics on the elite made my angry, but I think that was the intended reaction. Overall, not a horrible book-I've read worst, but I was not impressed.
I have to admit that the only reason I decided to read this book (despite my own judgement based on the tag line) was because I remembered the 1st book being sappy and enjoyable.
I have to admit that the only reason I decided to read this book (despite my own judgement based on the tag line) was because I remembered the 1st book being sappy and enjoyable.
February 23, 2019
I read the first book a while ago, and this sequel has been lying on my shelf in my TBR list for a long time.
We meet Nan Hutchinson again, 12 years after the first book ends, and here she is faced with her old charge again, many years after having accusations from his parents thrown at her.
Nan ends up trying to save the day in a bit of a crazy situation.
It took me an age to really get into the story, unfortunately, and I really struggled to finish it. The mid to end of the book took on more momentum for me.
We meet Nan Hutchinson again, 12 years after the first book ends, and here she is faced with her old charge again, many years after having accusations from his parents thrown at her.
Nan ends up trying to save the day in a bit of a crazy situation.
It took me an age to really get into the story, unfortunately, and I really struggled to finish it. The mid to end of the book took on more momentum for me.
February 13, 2024
I enjoyed the first book in the series more, but this was still a fun read. It took me a while to get into it, but about 2/3rds of the way through it really picked up. Also, the ending felt a bit abrupt to me, bur it was just as witty and dramatic as Nanny Diaries.
January 16, 2019
An ok sequel to the first book. Easy to read and entertaining. Not much of a reconciliation at the end but interesting none the less.
February 21, 2019
I don't really see the point of this book. The first one was great but this was not.
February 17, 2020
Fun, fast read. If you liked "The Nanny Diaries," you'll like this sequel. Not deep reading, but takes on some social issues and is very funny.
January 19, 2010
I remember when NANNY DIARIES was one of the hot books back in 2000. It was marketed as a snarky darkly comic look into the hidden world of the New York City nanny. And I hated it. It was so incredibly disturbing. The way the NYC mothers were portrayed made them look like something just short of child abusers. And maybe that is how they should be portrayed. I do not doubt that NANNY DIARIES held more than a few grains of truth in it. I just didn't enjoy the ride. So, it was with some trepidation and a good bit of curiousity that I picked up NANNY RETURNS at the library.
It is twelve years after the first book and Nan has married the "Harvard Hottie" and has returned to NYC with her husband to work on growing her consulting business and renovate a crumbling brownstone in Harlem. One night, Nan answers a knock on her door and finds a drunken confused 16-year-old Grayer who asks her why she left him when he was four. Nan decides that fate has given her the chance to right some wrongs with Grayer and gets caught up in the lives of the Xes once again.
I liked NANNY RETURNS much more than the first book. The first book felt like one big chance for a former nanny to get back at her former employers. This book felt much more mature and thoughtful. Nan's consulting work involves her with a prestigious school that values appearances more than discipline and points to many problems with schools of the more privileged segments of society today. They have become places where it is more important to bestow a sense of entitlement on kids rather than teach them to be responsible individuals within society.
Nan also struggles with whether or not to have children as a result of what she saw during her nannying days. Her attempts to help Grayer and his little brother become a kind of penance for how she handled the situation with the Xes. The Xes are on their way to divorce and the book is filled with hints at how the affluent world of these privileged New Yorkers is crumbling due to the banking crisis and bad investments in mysterious pyramid schemes. Nan must work to keep Grayer and his brother from falling through the cracks as their parents become more and more self-absorbed and lost in their own concerns.
BOTTOM LINE: Recommended. This is a quick and entertaining read. It doesn't feel as angry as the first book although there are plenty of cringe-worthy parenting scenes in the book. You won't find a literary masterpiece here but you will find an entertaining vacation read.
It is twelve years after the first book and Nan has married the "Harvard Hottie" and has returned to NYC with her husband to work on growing her consulting business and renovate a crumbling brownstone in Harlem. One night, Nan answers a knock on her door and finds a drunken confused 16-year-old Grayer who asks her why she left him when he was four. Nan decides that fate has given her the chance to right some wrongs with Grayer and gets caught up in the lives of the Xes once again.
I liked NANNY RETURNS much more than the first book. The first book felt like one big chance for a former nanny to get back at her former employers. This book felt much more mature and thoughtful. Nan's consulting work involves her with a prestigious school that values appearances more than discipline and points to many problems with schools of the more privileged segments of society today. They have become places where it is more important to bestow a sense of entitlement on kids rather than teach them to be responsible individuals within society.
Nan also struggles with whether or not to have children as a result of what she saw during her nannying days. Her attempts to help Grayer and his little brother become a kind of penance for how she handled the situation with the Xes. The Xes are on their way to divorce and the book is filled with hints at how the affluent world of these privileged New Yorkers is crumbling due to the banking crisis and bad investments in mysterious pyramid schemes. Nan must work to keep Grayer and his brother from falling through the cracks as their parents become more and more self-absorbed and lost in their own concerns.
BOTTOM LINE: Recommended. This is a quick and entertaining read. It doesn't feel as angry as the first book although there are plenty of cringe-worthy parenting scenes in the book. You won't find a literary masterpiece here but you will find an entertaining vacation read.
September 27, 2020
I finally got my hands on the Nanny Returns (sequel to The Nanny Diaries). I have read the first book years ago. I got my copy of The Nanny Diaries from a second hand bookstore. I enjoyed it very much. So, I was so happy to learn that there is a sequel. It is just unfortunate that it took me years to remember that I still need to read it.
I really enjoyed the first book. I thought it was so hilarious. A peek into the grand lives of New York's elite. I was expecting Nanny Returns would be as hilarious and witty as the first one. I was bracing myself to be rolling on the floor laughing.
So, I was surprised when I realized that the book is not anymore hilarious. Not funny at all. All I could hear were Nan's worries. They were echoing all over the place. I am annoyed of how Nan was acting. She just allowed someone to be bullied. She didn't intervene. I was so disappointed. I can't believe she would forgo building a family of her own because of her fears. Her fears are unnecessary.
The writing is as great as the first book but I just did not like how the story had turned. Yes, a lot of changes, including Nan. I did not expect that she would turn into someone controlled by her fears. She's a confident woman and I would like her to be always that. She lived abroad for ten years. I think she can take whatever New York has to throw at her, even if it was far from what she expects. I didn't like that she just folded, right away. And I was scared for her that she will lost Ryan.
I give it two and a half stars and it has nothing to do with the writing. I thought the story is good but in a way off its direction. Not really the way I expected. I wanted it to be as funny as the first but it wasn't. I think I will read The Nanny Diaries again to get over my disappointment on this book.
Full review on http://iamnotabookworm.blogspot.com/2....
I really enjoyed the first book. I thought it was so hilarious. A peek into the grand lives of New York's elite. I was expecting Nanny Returns would be as hilarious and witty as the first one. I was bracing myself to be rolling on the floor laughing.
So, I was surprised when I realized that the book is not anymore hilarious. Not funny at all. All I could hear were Nan's worries. They were echoing all over the place. I am annoyed of how Nan was acting. She just allowed someone to be bullied. She didn't intervene. I was so disappointed. I can't believe she would forgo building a family of her own because of her fears. Her fears are unnecessary.
The writing is as great as the first book but I just did not like how the story had turned. Yes, a lot of changes, including Nan. I did not expect that she would turn into someone controlled by her fears. She's a confident woman and I would like her to be always that. She lived abroad for ten years. I think she can take whatever New York has to throw at her, even if it was far from what she expects. I didn't like that she just folded, right away. And I was scared for her that she will lost Ryan.
I give it two and a half stars and it has nothing to do with the writing. I thought the story is good but in a way off its direction. Not really the way I expected. I wanted it to be as funny as the first but it wasn't. I think I will read The Nanny Diaries again to get over my disappointment on this book.
Full review on http://iamnotabookworm.blogspot.com/2....
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