by Kevin Wilson
Hardcover- $24.29
â??Weird, funny, but also unexpectedly moving.â? â??Buzzfeed
â??Laugh out loud funny. I love the way Kevin Wilson ...
Overall rating:
How would you rate this book?
Member ratings
Did Madison choose Lillian to be her friend because of the differences in their upbringing?
Did Madison choose Lillian to be her friend because it was convenient for her?
Or did Madison choose Lillian to be her friend because she needed a true friend?
The reason wasn’t clear, but in my opinion what Madison did to Lillian was unforgivable even though they did remain friends.
After many years of still staying in touch, Madison offers Lillian a job as the nanny to the children of her husband and ex-wife since their mother died.
Lillian was skepticaL about the nanny job, but also couldn’t believe the luck of being able to live in a mansion’s guest cottage with domestic help.
The only draw back is that the children have some rare disease where they automatically combust when they get upset. Yes...they catch on fire.
Lillian decided to take the challenge because there were many perks to this job.
NOTHING TO SEE HERE has an interesting premise, and the characters are even more interesting.
Lillian didn’t have a good experience the first time she met the children, but she remained calm and hoped for the best.
NOTHING TO SEE HERE is comical as well as heartwarming as Lillian learns to take care of Roland and Bessie and fall in love with these strange, needy, difficult children.
Lillian wants them to do well and to find out a way to help with this unusual problem. The reader will fall in love with Roland and Bessie too.
I never did warm up to or trust Madison...I still felt she was using Lillian and knew she could because Lillian adored her, and Madison had the money to demand what she wanted.
Madison's husband was even more unlikable. I would catch on fire if I were Lillian because of the anger I would feel toward Jasper and Madison and how they treat people and their own children.
I recommend NOTHING TO SEE HERE just so readers can experience Mr. Wilson's marvelous writing and storytelling skills.
This book will hold your interest simply because of the unique topic and because of the care and love Lillian gives the children.
I hope you enjoy it if you read it.
This book is heartwarming as well as heartbreaking. 5/5
This book was given to me by the publisher via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.
I listed to this book on audible and thoroughly enjoyed it. You do have to suspend your belief in reality, but it is a super fun, super fast read with interesting characters. I was hooked from the beginning to the end.
Nothing to see here, Kevin Wilson, author; Marin Ireland, narrator
When Lillian Breaker goes off to school, she is thrilled to be free of her mother. She has dreams of a different future, a brighter future that surely must await her. Arriving at her school as a scholarship student, she finds she is paired with the daughter of a very wealthy and influential family. Madison Billings is the stereotypical rich student who is hoping to find her Mrs., at school. She has plans for herself which include marrying someone, not only rich, but influential. However, she is flighty and has a sense of entitlement. She breaks rules. When she is caught with cocaine in her room, her father bribes Lillian’s mother with ten thousand dollars and so Lillian is force to take the blame. Instead of Madison, Lillian is expelled. She is deemed to be of less importance than Madison since her future is not going to be ruined in the same way as Madison’s. Madison’s fall from grace will not only shame her, but it will destroy her family’s good reputation as well. Lillian’s mom drinks and gambles; she does not have a good name or reputation. Lillian knows that rich people are able to use their influence and money to alter reality. They simply did in this case, as well.
Years later, married to Senator Jasper Roberts, the wealthy Madison calls Lillian to ask her for a favor. They had been in touch through the years by mail, but not in any other way. She makes Lillian an offer that is difficult to refuse. Lillian has no future, at the moment. Her life is floundering. When offered a great deal of money to help Madison out, she accepts. It seems that Madison’s husband’s ex-wife has committed suicide, and their 10 year old twins are now coming to live with them. Madison did not want to bring the children into the mansion to live with her husband Jasper and her son Timothy. Roland and Bessie have a unique ability. They are able to spontaneously combust, without any apparent injury to themselves, although they can be dangerous to others. Apparently they cannot control this unique ability.
Madison wants Lillian to be their governess, temporarily until they can work out something more permanent for the children. Would she watch them for a few months and live on the estate in their guesthouse? She will have all the creature comforts she wants and will be paid handsomely. It seems that her husband is up for the position of Secretary of State, which actually puts him in line for the Presidency. She doesn’t want anything to happen to jeopardize their future. Right now, he is a Senator. These children’s problems and their personal history is to be kept quiet until he is confirmed.
Lillian agrees. Madison is her best friend. Lillian has few friends. Lillian loves Madison. So, with the help of another employee, Carl, she begins to take charge and watch over the children’s safety and well-being. She tries to educate them and entertains them, as well. Soon, she becomes attached to them, and they to her. The characters are flawed. Some are selfish, some sexually confused, some suffer from unusual medical issues, some are driven by ambition. Each is developed well and feels authentic, even though the subject matter concerns a unique topic, the paranormal. It is expressed in such a way by the author that it becomes more commonplace than out of the ordinary.
It seems, given enough time, thought and effort, all problems can be solved, satisfactorily, although some are solved in ways the reader may agree with, and some may decidedly cause raised eyebrows. As the story develops, Lillian discovers more purpose to her life and another dimension to love.
The narrator does an excellent job interpreting each character so that it was easy to determine who was speaking at any given moment. I think the cover short changes the book. It looks juvenile, and if it wasn’t recommended by someone I respected, I would have passed it by. The novel’s messages are too important to be dismissed because of the cover’s cartoon like presentation. In addition, I did not find the book especially humorous, but rather, bittersweet.
We gave this 3.5 stars. Most of the club enjoyed this quirky fun easy read during these troubling times. A couple of members thought it was dumb and too unrealistic.
Enjoyable quick read. A little strange and hard to believe, even knowing it was supposed to be believable. I enjoyed the characters, if not the plot as much. I listened to it and the southern accent was a little too heavy. I may have liked it better reading it instead.
Book Club HQ to over 88,000+ book clubs and ready to welcome yours.
Get free weekly updates on top club picks, book giveaways, author events and more