The Nurse by Claire Allan - Book Review

The Nurse by Claire Allan

Publication Date: 17th March 2022
Genre: Thriller 

3.5 Stars 

One Liner: Great premise, but rambles a little too much. 

*****

Nell Sweeney leads an ordinary life until she gets kidnapped. No one knows where she is or who took her. Who would want to harm a nurse? Or maybe she’s the unlucky one. Whatever the reason, they need to find her before it is too late. 

Everyone has secrets, and some are too dangerous to hide in the dark. The world of the dark web can be a safe place to vent frustrations, but only until things don’t go out of hand. What happens when a single post spirals things out of control? 

What I Like: 

• The story is based on the incel (involuntary celibates) movement, where men blame women for just about everything, including their lack of girlfriends. It’s not easy reading about sick minds, but the reality is far worse. 
• The story is narrated in three POVs (Marian, Nell’s mother, Nell, and Him, a key player whose identity is revealed later). The man’s POVs were very well done. 
• The book deals with narcissism in different forms. 
• There are no unexpected twists or far-fetched scenarios.

What Didn’t Work for Me: 

• The book is 400 pages long, and a lot of it is filled with Marian’s ramblings. As much as I understand that Marian is distraught about her missing daughter, reading her POV was tiresome. 
• The middle part drags, and nothing much happens except more rambling. I began fast reading from here. 
• I’m not sure why the book is titled The Nurse. It has nothing vital to do with the plot. Nell is a nurse, but I don’t think the story would change if she was in any other profession. 
• The story could’ve easily been completed in 280+ pages. A tighter narration would have been more effective (at least for me). 
• Relating to any of the characters was pretty much impossible. It felt like watching a slow thriller on the screen. That should’ve been a plus, but since it was too slow, the effect got diluted. 

To sum up, The Nurse deals with a crucial premise but rambles a little too much. 

Thank you, NetGalley and Avon Books UK, for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. 

#NetGalley