Long holiday travels in your future? Heading to the slopes, but sitting in the comfort of the lodge? Looking for an escape from the holiday madness? Recently we were lucky enough to receive an early copy of Nanny Returns the follow-up sequel to the New York Times bestseller The Nanny Diaries by Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Kraus.

We read The Nanny Diaries when it first came out and loved it. At the time we were still in the midst of high school/college and found ourselves nannying to support our shopping addiction. Thankfully though, our nannying gigs were awesome and nothing nearly as dreadful as what Nan went through with the X family.

Just a few pages into Nanny Returns and we were reminded why we loved Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Kraus for their great storytelling and strong characters that are as relatable as they are ridiculous.

Quick overview of the plot – It’s ten years after the original story takes place and Nan and her husband (“Harvard Hottie” for those who know) return to NYC after years of traveling abroad. One fateful night, Nan’s previous page Grayer X shows up drunk on her doorstep, spilling his guts and crying out for help. Before she knows it, Nan – who has become successful outside of the nannying world – is sucked right back into the dysfunctional lives of the X family. But this time is different – Nan has the opportunity to help Grayer and his younger brother Stilton in ways she couldn’t during her college coed days of bending to every wish of her employer, the devilish Mrs. X.

As we read the book we couldn’t help but notice the tinges of Gossip Girl (OMFG) that are sprinkled throughout the story – NYC prep school kids drinking, doing drugs, negligent parents, too much money being thrown around… you get the picture. All that was missing was Queen B reigning over the kingdom. But we won’t lie, we love ourselves some Gossip Girl so naturally we were sucked in.

We highly recommend Nanny Returns - especially if you are in a girls-book-club-but-actually-all-we-do-is-drink-wine-club….everyone will read it, guaranteed.

Nanny Returns hits bookstores tomorrow, December 15 ($25.00). Maybe a last minute Christmas gift for someone on your list?