It has been a few years since The Nanny Diaries first burst into the forefront. Not only did it become a #1 New York Times bestseller, but it was also made into a mediocre movie. It was only a matter of time before the media hounds would come begging for a sequel. Nanny Returns is a pretty good one, if not very far-fetched.
Nan (A.K.A. Nanny) Hutchinson has been living abroad with her husband for many years. They return to New York, having bought a fixer-upper. Nan tries to make a name for herself in her new consulting business by taking a job as a faculty liason in an ultra-private school. With all of this going on at once, Nan's husband, Ryan, decides that this is the perfect time to start a family.
In the middle of the night, Nan gets a visit from Grayer, the now teenage son of the dreaded Mr. and Mrs. X. from her past. He and his brother need help, plain and simple. This starts a chain of events that Nan promised herself she would never do again...get involved with the "X" family.
While Nanny Returns is enjoyable, there are too many plotlines to follow, and therefore, too many plotlines that McLaughlin and Kraus do not wrap up (my biggest pet peeve). I found myself questioning the plausibility of this story as well. Mr. and Mrs. X see their sons as too much of a burden, so Nan offers to adopt them. Seriously? Read this for escape, but don't worry if you can't make sense of things. Neither could I.
MY RATING - 3
