It’s a new year, and what better way to kick it off than to willingly read something that you know will make you angry?
When I picked up “Nestlings” by Nat Cassidy, I knew what I was doing. I knew I wasn’t going to like it, I knew it was just going to make me dislike Nat Cassidy even more, but there’s just something so enjoyable about hating on a book.
“Nestlings” follows an unlucky couple, Reid and Ana, whose luck has seemed to finally change. They win a housing lottery for an apartment at the Deptford, one of the most infamous, regal buildings in New York City. Reid is overjoyed that they will have somewhere nice to raise their newborn daughter, Charlie. Ana is hoping that the new environment will help her recover from a childbirth injury that left her unable to walk. Only, things at the Deptford aren’t what they seem.
Shortly after their arrival, Ana starts to notice strange things about their new home. The concierge never seems to stop smiling and their neighbors are all in on a secret they won’t share. On top of that, Reid and Ana’s relationship is under obvious strain and Charlie has gone from fussy to unnervingly quiet.
As much as I want to, I can’t say that this is like every other haunted house book I’ve read. It’s definitely different, but not in a unique kind of way, more like an in-your-face-antagonizing-you kind of way. There are so many instances in this book that remind me of clickbait; overdramatic and aggressive just for the sake of being so. It’s almost like the author realized that his regular writing style was too boring, so every few chapters he decided to add in some sort of shock value. Kind of like how Youtubers over exaggerate in their thumbnails, except, you know, the author is published and an adult, and they are usually under the legal drinking age.
Unfortunately, there were more issues than his weird little ploys for attention. The main characters were unlikable, whiny and completely void of self awareness. They made the same mistakes twice, and then three times, making them seem incompetent and unworthy of their audience. And the baby just cemented my opinion that I don’t want children.
Still, I guess there were some things that were done well. For one, the story was nicely paced and decently coherent–at least, compared to his other book, “Mary: An Awakening of Terror”. And the story is told from the perspectives of both Ana and Reid, which gave me some much needed vacation time from whichever one had been talking.
Nat Cassidy definitely knows what to put on the back of a book to pull readers in, but from what I’ve read from him so far, I don’t think he’s as good at keeping their attention as he thinks. Each time after finishing one of his books, I’ve felt overwhelmed by all that happened, yet also disappointed because none of it was that good. There were so many directions he could’ve taken for this book, but he chose the worst one (someone give this man a GPS).
Overall, I give this book 2/5 stars, one for being readable and one for keeping my attention (even if the methods used to do so were questionable at best). That being said, I don’t regret reading it because it gave me something to complain about. I just wish Nat Cassidy luck in his next venture, third time’s the charm after all.
