This is a rare case of needing to separate my opinion of the plot from the writing. The plot is Buffy the Vampire Slayer meets Gabby Duran and the Unsittables. Even the characters in the book compare themselves to Buffy. I found the plot a bit predictable. And yet, the writing is engaging and entertaining. The descriptions are solid , the characters amusing and engaging. There's a fair amount of humor but still serious stakes.

Look, the quickest way to my heart is to make any book dredge up all the nostalgia inside of me within the first few chapters. The Babysitters Coven delivered that in spades, and so you can probably already tell that I’m going to give this a good review. Throw in a rescue pit bull named Pig and well, come on. How do you not at least smile a lot while reading this book? Trust me, I did.

Esme is a quirky, snarky, and has a sense of style that is all her own. I appreciated her themed outfits, her interactions with her best friend Janis, and of course her pitty baby. I have a soft spot for dogs, what can I say. Cassandra, since we’re playing the Buffy comparison game, is probably Faith in this case. The loyal sidekick, the solid rock, the one who pales just a little in comparison to her larger than life partner. This story started out really cute, if a little younger in tone than I expected, and I had high hopes that I was in for a treat.

The plot though, was where I had a bit of a problem really sticking with this book. The mythology behind the coven, the “sitter” lore, felt a bit rocky at the best of times. I can’t say too much without spoiling, but I’m not sure if the point here was to keep this family friendly, or try to distance it from the content that it slightly mirrors. At first I thought that the way spells were cast in this book was cute but, like a lot of things, it started to feel a little cheesy after a while. It felt almost like forced levity, which was frustrating because I loved the characters so much. I’m told this is a series though, which means time for growth! So I’m sticking in there.

Overall I’d say that this is probably a book geared towards the younger half of YA. I could absolutely see a younger reader sitting down and absolutely adoring this whole story. Esme and Cassandra really are a lot of fun. I literally giggled out loud a few times while they were trying to figure out how everything worked. It kind of sucks when your trainer is also responsible for football season. Hahaha. However, I couldn’t love this as much as I wanted to because it just felt a little young for me. I’ll let you make the decision for yourself, but I can promise you that you’ll at least have a lot of fun getting to the end.

ARC Via Netgalley

Wow, a belated review. My bad! Essentially...this book isn't for me. It can promise Buffy: The Vampire Slayer all it wants, but it's also probably not the best idea to set me up with that and then crib from Buffy's worldbuilding so heavily. I get the sense that this was hyped on 90's nostalgia but...I mean this isn't really for my age-range, and for a "YA" it reads more "middle-grade" and 12-14. It doesn't have the verve or wit of Buffy, and while I'm no expert on the babysitters club series, I know it was a more complex and dramatic world. The Chat-Speak is over the top, the main character isn't...my favorite. It's something I might favorably review if I was 13 again, but then again, 13 year old me was also watching Buffy as it was coming out, and I was a real "anti-Twilight" snob my freshman year of high school. It doesn't resonate, and I'm not sure it'd resonate with preteens of today either.

This book has a really cool concept. I love when contemporary and fantasy can blend together so effortlessly and with such a cool twist! This wasn't my favorite book, but I also enjoyed it still.

This book has an audience and definitely has done okay with my students, but it was a slog for me to read. I didn't feel engaged at all. The action isn't always fluid, and I would have recommended a few edits.

I dragged my feet reading this and I'm kicking myself for it. This was very fun and refreshing! I think I was worried it would be too much like a babysitters club read (which I never enjoyed) but the super natural powers and fun twisty turns were very enjoyable!

In this book, there’s Esme, a teenage girl, who is calm, doesn’t have many friends, avoids being in trouble, and bullies. But things change for her when she turns 17, and she discovers that she has supernatural powers.
I must say that I have been putting this book off for months, there was something that made me not read it. I’m happy with that decision because this book has references to The Babysitters Club, the 113-book saga that talks about the adventures of a sitters’ club and well and let me tell you that I understood all the references; otherwise I wouldn’t have understood. The Babysitters Coven takes that idea, but gives it a twist by using supernatural themes.
The plot was entertaining, despite the fact that sometimes I felt that it wasn’t developing, but it was, I think it has that rhythm because Esme is learning how to use her powers and accepting them, and she also has a very important mission: protect the world from demons. The book also has plot twists that I didn’t see coming, especially with Esme's mother, she suffers from dementia, and we know why later.
Speaking of the characters, I can say that I identified with the Esme in certain aspects, such as avoiding getting into trouble or in her passion that she has for her work, besides that she’s fun. Another character was Cassandra, the new girl, she’s too rebellious, impulsive and irresponsible, I hope her arc improves in the next book.
I did enjoy the book and at the moment I cannot think of something negative, perhaps what I mentioned earlier, that I felt that the plot didn’t advance, but in the end it did. It wasn’t a book that has changed my life, nor one that I would reread, that’s why I give it 3 stars because I liked.
You can read it if you like teenage paranormal books and if you just want to read something light.

The Babysitters Coven, on the other hand, was as predictable as bubble gum lip gloss in the 1980s and really just as much fun. This mash-up of The Baby-Sitters Club and Buffy the Vampire Slayer doesn’t pack the punch of either of those works but is nonetheless a pleasant way to spend a couple of hours: Esme’s a babysitter — what else does she have to do? — and when new girl in town Cassandra joins her babysitting club, they discover that babysitters are responsible for more than just getting the kids to bed on time. In fact, babysitters are the superheroes who stand between the everyday world and unspeakable evil — and Esme and Cassandra are about to get in on the fight. It’s not a great book, but it’s fun.

Disclaimer: I received an Advance Reader Copy at no cost from the publisher/author. All opinions in my review are my own.

This book was such a joy to read. It is very different from much of the YA fantasy that I usually read. It reads like a mashup of The Babysitters Club and Buffy the Vampire Slayer, two things that have had a special place in my heart at one point or another in my life. I truly loved the originality behind the premise.

Esme is just the smart and quirky lead character that you want to champion. I adored her so much. She's so easy to relate to, and I think that other teens would be able to as well. Her character is the epitome of a typical teenage girl and it really took me back to my awkward teen years. I loved how realistic her character was.

I noticed while reading this that the main character seemed much younger than she is supposed to be in the story. Esme is seventeen, but the general feeling of the book would lead me to believe that she is several years younger.

I liked the theme of friendship throughout the book. A lot of books lay it down thick with romance and totally forget about friendships. This book felt quite the opposite. Esme does have a love interest in the story, but it peters out. Though it did feel like it may have been that way on purpose so that she can find a better love interest in the next book perhaps?

Overall, this is a fun and entertaining story that is perfect for young teenagers. In the end, while I enjoyed the book it was obvious that I am not the target audience. If you enjoy a light read with a touch of magic then you'll no doubt have fun with this book. I am definitely interested in reading the next book in this series.

Two of my favorite things from the 90s: Buffy the Vampire Slayer and the Babysitter's Club. This YA book is the perfect mashup and I loved every second of it! I highly recommend you check out The Babysitters Coven!

As a tween, I was obsessed with three things: the Babysitters Club and Fear Street book series, and the movie The Craft. The Babysitters Coven is a delightful and perfect blend of all three. Seriously, if this book had existed back then, my weird little brain would probably have exploded.

In the book, Esme is the teen I wished I was in high school: she has a babysitters club, an awesome sense of fashion, and discovers she has magical powers and is a destiny that includes protecting the world from the forces of evil. So she's part Claudia Kishi, part Sarah Bailey, and part Buffy Summers. I mean, it does not get any better than that. Kate Williams has created such a great character in Esme: her sense of humor is delightful, and her fierceness and fearlessness are so admirable. This is the kind of kick-ass character I would be so pumped for teen girls to read. She is smart and savvy and her connection with her family (especially the dog!) are so heartwarming and really ground this fantastical, witchy book. I can't wait to read the next book in the series!

(PS:, please can we get a crossover book with Pip from A Good Girl's Guide to Murder where they join forces and take over the world? K, thanks! )

This had some elements to it that should have made it my kind of book, but sadly the plot couldn't hold my attention the way I was hoping it would. While the premise was interesting, I found the story lagging to the point where I would lose my place on the page because I had trouble wanting to read it.

I am sure this is someone's kind of book and they will enjoy it much more than I did, but sadly this was not the book for me.

'The Babysitter's Coven' is the first book in a fun and spooky new young adult fantasy series that will leave readers demanding the next book. I want to say first off that I don't read any other reviews before I read I book I'm going to review because I don't want to have any bias going in. And I also really don't like it when books get described as perfect for fans of "X Show" or that it's a blend of "X" and "X." Like when the description for this book said that it was a mix of Adventures in Babysitting meets Buffy the Vampire Slayer, I immediately groaned. I think it's setting readers up to hope for and expect things that the story might not live up to, leaving readers unhappy and not giving the best reviews. After reading that comparison in the description though, I tried to keep it out of my head and keep an open mind - but I will admit that it kept creeping back in there and I found myself finding similarities and differences that really stood out to me.

That being said, I did enjoy the book overall. The story was somehow upbeat while facing these terrible situations and evil. I have to say that took some imagination because I didn't think it those things could be blended together in a way that would work as a novel, but the author managed to pull it off. The reason I immediately knew I had to read this book was because it's about witches and magic - basically any type of story that has witches in it means I'm going to read it. I did really like reading and learning about this crazy magic - it's history, the rituals performed, the "superpowers" that came with having this task of being a babysitter, and the horrible evil they are charged with stopping and saving innocents. It was really fun for me to learn about all of it and I hope we get to find out even more in the next book.

Esme is the book's main character and I think she was a great one for the story. She was definitely realistic and I easily identified with her right from the beginning. She's smart, tough, brave, loyal, and loving daughter and friend, and is willing to take on heavy responsibilities that she had no idea were coming. But she is human and a teenage girl, so she definitely had her fair share of flaws too. I liked the other two major characters in the story, Janis and Cassandra, as well. They both had rounded personalities that made them feel realistic and not just flat characters or stereotypes. The author wrote the book in the first person point of view from Esme's perspective, which I absolutely loved. If you've read any of my other reviews, point of view plays a huge part in whether I like a book and can literally make or break it for me. I think it was a fantastic idea to tell the story with Esme as the narrator. We get to know her on a deeper personal level than the other writing styles allow. We get access to her inner thoughts, emotions, memories, hopes and dreams, fears and nightmares, and everything in between. By the end of the book I felt like I really knew Esme and had been by her side throughout the entire story. This was a fantastic start to a quirky new YA fantasy that breathes some fresh air into the genre. I'll definitely be keeping my eye out for the next in the series. Highly recommended for fans of YA, fantasy, paranormal, witches, and contemporary.

I didn't click with this title, unfortunately. It had all the aspects that should have made me love it, but I just didn't really mesh with the execution of all the ideas.

It was cute, quirky, and fun. Honestly, my review won't say anything the others haven't.

It's a fun book that takes some time to get started. It's pretty quirky and a little slow in places, but it's fun to read. The themed outfits the girls create every day and long descriptions of clothing didn't move the story forward at all, but they were fun way to add personality and quirkiness.

If you like funny books with suspense and a few frights, you'll probably like this book. It won't blow your socks off, but it's a fun escape from reality.

I was really excited for this book and it just didn't hit the mark for me. The dialogue sounded very much like an adult trying to write as a teenager (not in a good way), and I set this one down several times before I actually finished it.

I want to start this review by saying that I have never seen any of those. So, my thoughts about The Babysitters Coven are not influenced by expectations or whatsover for this to give the same vibes or be as good as those shows.

I am that kind of a reader who always try to find the good in any book. And in normal circumstances, I would have given this book 2 out of 5 stars because I still saw some good things. But giving this book 2 stars would mean that it is an okay book. And it is not for me. Despite the few good things, it still did not work for me as a whole. To be honest, I wish I have not read this instead so I can still have the fantasy that it could be a good book with a very good cover. So, 1 out of 5 stars.

It can be funny. There are few lines which are clever and hilarious and I would lie if I will say that I did not laugh at least twice while reading this book. There is an actual spotlight to babysitting. It is rare for me to read fictional books, especially YA, that actually talks about babysitting. I find this refreshing and I loved that this actually discuss the importance of it and gives it the appreciation it deserves.

It is not action-packed as stated by the synopsis. The actions mostly happened on the last few chapters.
The humor can be awful at times. I love humorous narrators but this one did not do it for me. If pointing out people’s insecurities or physical flaws to introduce them is humorous for this book, then, this is not my humor. I don’t like the main character. Esme is going through a tough time because of her family and bullies in school and I would have sympathized with her. I wish I did. But it was a challenge connecting with her – and to other characters, and she can be so mean. She keeps on saying negative things about others which I think are so unnecessary and uncalled for a lot of times. I also wish Janis, Esme’s best friend, was given more spotlight. She’s a lot more interesting than Esme and Cassandra.

The writing is ineffective. It failed to make me feel what I should have felt. Further, it was simple, easy-to-read, fast-paced but it used abbreviations a lot of times that are so irritating. It was not magical. The magic system is a BIG MEH. Often times, I just find myself laughing a little thinking “THIS IS IT?” I wasn’t enchanted. I wasn’t amused. I wasn’t spooked. It’s insensitive to those with mental illness. There were a lot of bullying in this book that can utterly be triggering plus the main character has fatphobia and as far as I can remember, these were never challenged.

The Babysitters Coven is probably my most disappointing read of 2019. As a debut, I think Williams has a potential in writing fun contemporaries especially with her quirky ideas but this one just did not do it for me for plenty of reasons. I sadly cannot recommend this to anyone. And nope, I won’t read the next installment.

DNF @ 33 pages

I thought that I would write a full review for this, but this just didn't work for me, and I've already forgotten most it the little I read. Too much trying-too-hard-to-sound-like-a-teenager-is-actually-saying-this writing that feels like a weird mix between nostalgic but also trying to sound super-current with things like "af" randomly tacked onto phrases. I decided to check some other reviews, and then ultimately DNF this, when I got to this line:

"Besides, it sounded full-on mental-institution crazy, and I knew all about that."

This is from an eARC, so hopefully this line won't be in the final version, but I REALLY didn't like that line. So, really disappointing, since I was quite excited for this book - I mean, look at that cover!

The Babysitters Coven is a fun mashup of The Craft and The Babysitters Club! I really enjoyed the writing in this book and it was just a fun, quick read that really kept me engaged with the plot.

I did not finish this book. It was hard to follow in story and felt very unpolished. I enjoy this genre of books and did put this title in my collection but it was not the strongest I have read this year.