The Au Pair by Emma Rous

The Au Pair

Author: Emma Rous

Publisher: Hachette Australia

Release date: 11th December 2018

Pages: 384 pages

R.R.P: $29.99

Seraphine Mayes and her brother Danny are known as the summer-born Summerbournes: the first set of summer twins to be born at Summerborne House. But on the day they were born their mother threw herself to her death, their au pair fled, and the village thrilled with whispers of dark-cloaked figures and a stolen baby.

Now twenty-five, and mourning the recent death of her father, Seraphine uncovers a family photograph taken on the day the twins were born featuring both parents posing with just one baby. Seraphine soon becomes fixated with the notion that she and Danny might not be twins after all, that she wasn't the baby born that day and that there was more to her mother's death than she has ever been told...

Why did their beloved au pair flee that day?

Where is she now?

Does she hold the key to what really happened?

My Review

Thoughts on the book: The Au Pair is the debut novel from Emma Rous and centres around a family secret that could tear an already fragile family apart. Seraphine Mayes has always felt different to the rest of her family and when her father suddenly dies her world gets ripped apart. While cleaning out her father's desk Seraphine finds a photo of the day her and her twin brother, Danny, were born and in the photo there is only one baby. The day the twins were born was already wrapped in controversy as their mother threw herself off a cliff and their au pair disappeared. Seraphine decides that she wants some answers and goes in search of their au pair, Laura to find out what she can remember from the day the twins were born. But when she finds Laura she is basically shut out and finds herself in danger when someone starts leaving warning messages everywhere for her. But this doesn't stop Seraphine and when she does uncover the truth she wishes that she hadn't. Can their family come back from this or will they be divided forever?

Thank you so much to Klara from Hachette Australia for reaching out to me about reading and reviewing The Au Pair and offering me the chance to interview Emma Rous. First off how amazing is the cover for The Au Pair. It's so simple yet striking at the same time and really suits the novel. Well done to whoever designed it. Now onto what I thought about The Au Pair, well what can I say I absolutely loved it. I devoured this book in record time and must say that I loved how it was told from Seraphine's point of view in the present and Laura's point of view in the past. It was as if I was just working out what was happening or had happened in the chapter and then I start the next one and everything I thought I knew was thrown back at me and I had to start again. OMG it was thrilling and upon hearing about it I knew I would like it but I was not actually expecting to love it as much as I did. I have heard that towards the end some people thought the book got a bit complicated and hard to believe but I think that's what made it so good for me because the story did get complicated and the ending was one that I would have never saw coming especially because the author hid it so well and barely mentioned it even though it was basically infront of our eyes the whole time. So if you want a good mystery pick up The Au Pair by Emma Rous today you certainly won't be disappointed. 

Rating: 5/5

Keep an eye on my blog tomorrow for my interview with Emma Rous the author of The Au Pair.