Book Review: Cuckoo in the Nest

It’s the heatwave summer of 1976 and 14-year-old would be poet Jackie Chadwick is newly fostered by the Walls. She desperately needs stability, but their insecure, jealous teenage daughter isn't happy about the cuckoo in the nest and sets about ousting her. When her attempts to do so lead to near-tragedy – and the Walls’ veneer of middle-class respectability begins to crumble – everyone in the household is forced to reassess what really matters.

Funny and poignant, Cuckoo in the Nest is inspired by Fran Hill’s own experience of being fostered. A glorious coming of age story set in the summer of 1976.

This debut novel will be released on April 26, 2023. Legend Press provided an early galley for review.

I was a child of the Seventies, so the time period of this story really attracted me (in 1976, I was slightly younger than the main character Jackie). The cover design of the book also has a groovy vibe to it (the font, the colors) so it put me in the mood for a jump back to a past I know very well. Unfortunately for me, the story is set in 1976 in the UK, so I had to rely on looking up some of the references (others I got just fine).

The story deals with some very powerful issues like alcoholism, abuse and more. Hill uses her many years of wisdom to approach these topics in a very careful manner and keeps their darker tones at bay with her lighter dialogue and narrative. In a way, that very much reflects the era of the Seventies that I remember.

Overall, I think this novel would be well suited for both adult and teen audiences.