The Au Pair

By: Emma Rous

Narrated by: Elizabeth Sastre, Nicola Barber

Length: 11 hrs and 31 mins

Publisher's summary

If V. C. Andrews and Kate Morton had a literary love child, Emma Rous' USA Today best seller The Au Pair would be it.

One of the most anticipated books of 2019 from Pop Sugar, Bustle, Cosmo, Parade, and Goodreads!

Seraphine Mayes and her twin brother, Danny, were born in the middle of summer at their family's estate on the Norfolk coast. Within hours of their birth, their mother threw herself from the cliffs, the au pair fled, and the village thrilled with whispers of dark cloaks, changelings, and the aloof couple who drew a young nanny into their inner circle.

Now an adult, Seraphine mourns the recent death of her father. While going through his belongings, she uncovers a family photograph that raises dangerous questions. It was taken on the day the twins were born, and in the photo, their mother, surrounded by her husband and her young son, is smiling serenely and holding just one baby. Who is the child, and what really happened that day? 

©2019 Emma Rous (P)2019 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

An Indie Next and Library Reads Pick! 

“This is one hell of a ride.” (New York Post)  

“This will keep you turning those pages. The characters are still playing on my mind.” (Jane Corry, USA Today best-selling author of My Husband's Wife)  

“Entrancing and compelling, The Au Pair seamlessly alternates between two riveting narrators. Atmospheric and reminiscent of Daphne du Maurier's work, it's a beautiful read that delivers a shocking and satisfying ending.” (Liv Constantine, USA Today and Wall Street Journal best-selling author of The Last Mrs. Parrish)  

Just ridiculous

I didn't enjoy anything about this book... not even the narrator. The only redeeming quality was that I actually finished it to find out who was who. If I say more there will be spoilers. I just can't recommend this one

A Satisfying and Refreshing Thriller

Good characters, an extremely unique plot and excellent narration. A true psychological thriller with a plot that winds around itself, without being too obvious and ends with a total surprise.

Robin the Reviewer

If you liked soap operas in the early-mid 90's...

If you liked soap operas in the early to mid 90's then this one is for you. If you were wrapped up in the Marlena saga on Days of Our Lives, or how many times Erica was married on All my Children, you might like this story. Lots of twists, but in the end I had it right from the beginning. Can I get my credit back please?

Nooooooo!!!!!🙀

It had an awful story line and was predictable in the most boring way possible. Simply put it was 11 hours of my life than i will never get back.

Couldn’t put it down!

The Au Pair increasingly kept my attention with each chapter. I loved how each chapter went back and forth between two characters 25 years apart. By the end, I couldn’t WAIT to find out what happened both 25 years ago and in the present. Full of unexpected twists!

Disappointing

I wanted to like this book but the premise is not believable and the characters are shallow. This is the first audible book I was not happy with.

Wildly implausible

I almost gave up within the first (30) minutes, the plot was so implausible. I stuck it out because of the (2) excellent narrators, who somehow managed to make this silly story worth a listen. If you can ignore all the coincidences, unlikeable characters, poor decisions and implausibilities, it's sort-of entertaining.

Captivating and mysterious

Very captivating story, something about the mysterious vibes reminded me a little of Kate Morton.

Unfortunately, I found that the way the characters related to one another was a little strange; the relationships all felt off kilter. I also thought that many events were forced into the storyline in order to create more suspense, but they were too contrived. It smacked of trying too hard to build drama. Moreover, why do all the children have such incredibly lousy memories? – that especially never felt true.

Nevertheless, overall I liked it. I was easily able to overlook the parts that did not feel quite right and just enjoy the book.

Almost a 5 star, but...

Narrators' performances were perfect!! That always sets the book up for excellence.

The story line was interesting from the beginning. I enjoyed getting to know the two "then and now" characters, and the transition between them was clear. I liked the way the characters developed, and I was anxious to get back to visit with them each day.
The feel of suspense held me until the end, wondering how in the world all the clues would resolve themselves. I felt like I danced along the edge of a resolution throughout, like a word that is on the tip of my tongue, but won't come out. The resolution was quite the surprising twist, though, and no way did I come close to seeing the final answer, which was a bit surreal, yet possible. It got a little confusing here. I even created a character chart to refer back to as the ending finalized. I did feel a bit let down with the ending, like the author had so many clues on balloon strings, and a forced, contrived pull on all of them kept the balloons from floating away.

I could have offered a 5 star rating if there hadn't been unanswered questions at the end. Some I could live with as if they were in another book, another story - Vera's situation being one.
But there was one moment at the very end, when Seraphine looked at an old photo of the children in the snow and saw something in it she hadn't seen before, something shining in the corner. I never figured out what that was, but felt like it was significant, and if it was, then I may have completely misunderstood the ending. I listened repeatedly to that section, but I must have missed some basic understanding of the story. If anyone out there can tell me what it was, please do.

The Unfolding is Just Right

Rarely do I listen to mystery. I use audible books to help with insomnia. If it is too fast and has violent sequences, it won’t help me to sleep. The Au Pair is paced well. I really enjoyed the story and the narrator was excellent. The suspense is compelling while not being overwhelming. I look forward to more books by the author.