Cover Image: The Babysitter

The Babysitter

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Member Reviews

*received for free from netgalley for honest review* Really creepy book! would read more of this series without question!

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A fabulous book which I could not put down. Really easy to read, gripping and wonderfully told story that I would recommend to others!!

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Very 80s. I liked that part of it. A real slasher movie feel.
Do I think it worked in book form? Hmm not so much.
Average, middle of the road thriller.
I like a little bit more to mine, sorry.

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WOW! I actually liked this book a lot. It reminded me of the books that I read growing up in the 90s. It was such a thrilling story! It has so many twists and turns to definitely keep me turning pages. I loved the way the book was written too. The pace made me want to keep reading it! I love a good who-dun-it mystery! This brought back a lot of nostalgia for me.

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This was such an entertaining read, and kept me glued until the very end. I love books by this very talented author, and will read so more by her again. Recommended.

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3.5 Stars

When Emma Whelan is attacked and left for dead during a babysitting job she recovers physically, but is left with a traumatic brain injury, and needs help in her everyday life. Her sister Jamie, driven away by guilt over her role in that night, returns after their mother’s death to sort things and finally face what happened to Emma. Cooper Haynes, a police detective a classmate of Emma’s and step-father of Jamie’s daughter’s new friend decides that it’s finally time to solve the mystery of who hurt Emma once and for all. People always suspected it was the work of a serial attacker known as the “Babysitter Stalker,” but it could be someone a lot closer to home. When history seems to repeat itself, the pair are even more determined to find out who’s behind the attacks before someone else ends up traumatized - or worse.

This book isn’t one for people who want super high-paced thrillers. It’s slow-going and is very character driven. It really introduces the world that we find the characters in and then the mystery itself, which really slowly unfolds as the book goes on. I did find myself intrigued by the mystery, but I think the book could have been a little bit shorter, just to keep the pace flowing better.

The characters however, were great. There’s a lot of personal tensions and there’s a lot of suspicions because you don’t really know ho to trust in either generation - the older people from Emma and Jamie’s or the younger set in Harley and Marissa’s. Who is behind the attacks is a big puzzle and I was really intrigued despite the slow burn of everything. I found myself really drawn into their world and turning pages, hoping to find out what was next.

Nancy Bush really knows how to tell a story and she’s great with the romantic suspense genre. If you’re interested in an intense mystery, maybe start it another one, but if you love character driven stories, this is the way to go!

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An edge of your seat read! I definitely lost sleep, because I could not tear myself away from this book. It was definitely worth it! Wow, what a page turner!! Highly recommend!

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I would like to thank Kesington books and the Netgalley website for allowing me to read this book.

The story takes place in Oregon at River Glen where there are rumors about the stalker babysitter. People are being stabbed, others pushed off a rooftop. As for Jamie, a high school student, she's not worried at all on a night like any other. She's supposed to babysit twins and go to a party later that night when her sister Emma comes to take over the watch. But nothing goes according to plan.

Twenty years later, Jamie still blames herself for leaving Emma in charge that night. When another babysitter is attacked, Jamie becomes afraid for his teenage daughter.

I was immediately hooked on the story which was so gripping, addictive, captivating, full of suspense and twists and turns with very relatable characters. This book kept me on the edge of my seat from beginning to end.

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I was able to read this book thanks to NetGalley. I really enjoyed the story and it was a quick paced thriller. I love the 80s vibes snd love the babysitter angle. I will be recommending it to family and friends snd will be looking for more from this author in the future. Thanks again for the opportunity to read this book.

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Sisters Emma & Jamie decide to share a babysitting job so that both may briefly attend a party taking place on the same evening. Jamie starts the evening babysitting & Emma goes to the party. Emma arrives at the home & Jamie sets out to the party. While the children are asleep upstairs some of the boys Emma knows from school decide to play a little prank on her & try to scare her. She recognizes them, chastises them & they leave. At some point after they leave someone breaks into the house & assaults Emma leaving her with scars & permanent brain damage. Her disability forces her to live with her mother. When her mother dies, Jamie & her daughter move back to the family home to care for Emma. A similar assault occurs when Emma's friend is babysitting & the investigation is resurrected.

This was an entertaining read, well written & with a good story line. The characters were all pretty real & interesting. I found it a bit repetitive with the story being discussed by every character, over & over, but overall I recommend this book for those who like a contemporary whodunit.

Thank you to Netgalley, the author Nancy Bush & the publisher Kensington Books for the free ARC in return for my honest review.

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Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

A fantastic book. One that keeps you guessing all the way through, full of suspense, twists, and turns. Definitely recommended.

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Twenty years ago, Jamie convinced her sister, Emma, to take over her babysitting gig so that she can go to a senior party. Not a big deal until Emma is viciously attacked and left for dead. Emma survived but was left with cognitive issues, and Jamie, who never got over the guilt of switching places with her sister, left her small town after graduation. Now she's back to take care of Emma after her mother's death, and so is the killer ...

A well-written, well-plotted thriller that kept me hooked until the end. Great tension build-up and I loved the 90s vibe - it remained me a lot of R. L. Stine's Babysitter series. The setting really adds to the story as well. It's that typical small town with plenty of gossip and secrets among the residents. Some who know a lot more about Emma's life than they're letting on.
The identity of Emma's attacker came as a surprise to me and there is a nice little twist at the end.
All in all, this is a solid thriller and I do recommend it. I would like to point out that this is a very slow burn thriller, so keep that in mind if you're looking for something a little more fast-paced.

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Books for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

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What a ride! This one had me on the edge of my seat from beginning to end! I couldn't put it down and was enthralled by the story and characters.

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Exciting thriller. Can’t imagine how bad Jamie felt fir her sister. The book was well written. I was on the edge of my seat reading it. Not quite sure how it would end up. Great exciting book

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OMG. This book did not disappoint. I couldnt stop turning the pages. It had you guessing right until the very end. You wont be able to put this book down. The characters were so mesmorizing that you kept reading wanting to know more and more.

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This was so good. As a child development major I did my share of babysitting. This is my worst nightmare. Jamie was supposed to babysit and wanted to go to a party so her sister Emma baby sits and is brutally murdered. Years later the murders start happening again. The plot and character development was great and it took the whole book on the edge of my seat to figure out who was doing these murders but will they get caught. You will have to read.! Enjoy!

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A quick fun read. I keep seeing it at the supermarket and when I go back it’s gone! A great read while you’re in between books.

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This was a fun read which reminded me of the romantic suspense that I used to frequent in the olden days. I didn’t remember reading a Nancy Bush book in recent times, so this gave me nostalgic feel too.

Being completely blocked for words, I am keeping this review short and hopefully sweet.

Twenty years ago, two sisters, one was to attend the Halloween party and the other was to babysit. They exchanged midway, and the babysitting sister Emma was stabbed. Jaime couldn’t withstand her guilt and left soon. Cut to the present and Jaime was forced to become her sister’s caregiver after her mom’s death as Emma had cognitive difficulties post the stabbing.

What I liked

The suspense and till the very end, I didn’t know who the stabber was or the motives for it.

Romance was kept to minimum, and the author concentrated more on the plot. Writing was detailed and brought out the complete picture of the lives of the two sisters.

Excitement was injected at regular intervals when the stabbings started at the present time.

I loved Emma. She had an air of innocence about her, and she was what she was. No masks, no lies. Just purity. Her panic attacks was written well as my heart was wrenched in pain when she was triggered.

My niggles

It was a slow read for me. I kept hoping something more would happen.

The love between the sisters wasn’t shown, maybe that was the plot of the story. But I was very disappointed when Jaime did not step up. And even when she did, it was obvious shewas quite reluctant to become her sister’s care giver. She couldn’t see the beauty in her sister.

Overall, I still had good fun reading the book and was stuck to my kindle right up to this moment. Hence the short but hopefully a succulent review.

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There is a whole lot going on in this book. The part with the babysitter stalker whispered rumors were quite exciting and had me very tense. Almost all of the rest of the book was filled with cheaters and teenaged drama. I did not expect the ending. That being said, it was a good read. I would recommend it.

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Look behind you! Beware the Babysitter stalker! He’s coming for you! What sounds like a laughable nightmarish B movie is actually a really well written thriller with great characters you care about and a mystery that kept me guessing. Told from different perspectives and time lines it’s a fast read with a couple of really blockbuster twists. Can’t wait for this movie!

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