This is such a cleverly written book. It kept me guessing up until the very end and that hardly ever happens. I was immersed in wonderful writing, varied and very interesting characters. Time flew while I was reading this book. I enjoyed it very much! I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. I received a copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

The Babysitter pulls you in slowly then never lets go.

Twenty years ago Jamie switched with her sister Emma so she could babysit and just like in the movies we all love , Emma is attacked and left for dead.

No one's lives will be the same in the small town.

Now their Mom has died Jamie has come back to look after Emma and the attacks begin all over again. Not all of them are baby sitters .

A town full of secrets and lies.

What is not to love!!

Thanks to NetGalley and Kensington books for a good suspenseful read!

Thank you so much to net galley for sending me a copy of this book. I really enjoyed this book and would definitely recommend if it sounds interesting to you!

Let me start off by saying this book is a slow burn. Don’t expect page turning action from start to finish. With that said it is worth the ride. This book takes it time to carefully lay out who the killer is, sprinkling clues here and there. It is well executed and ends with a shocking conclusion that I didn’t see coming. I will definitely read more from this author.

I want to thank NetGalley, the author and publisher for the e-ARC of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are honest, my own and left voluntarily.

I didn’t find this book to be a thriller at all, and ended up quite bored by 20% in. Its drags on and on and Is mostly just characters revisiting their lives and unloading. I had to skim through the rest of the book to see the twist, but even then, it fell flat for me.

Thanks NetGalley!

This book was too long with just too much going on. It took me forever to finish it because it couldn’t hold my interest. There were so many parts that felt drawn out and unnecessary. The premise is good-someone is attacking babysitters now and twenty years ago. Could it be the same person? It is advertised as a thriller but I found nothing very exciting or thrilling about it. Thanks to Zebra and NetGalley for providing me with this arc.

Thank you to Nancy Bush and NetGalley for giving me this ARC in exchange for an honest review. This book gave me chills. I used to babysit when I was in high school, so the premise of the story drew me in. The author did an amazing job weaving a very thought provoking thriller. The different characters and events left me guessing who exactly was the attacker and their motive. I was so sad for Emma and the state the attack left her in for years, but so somehow she was able to live in a very black and white reality. The pacing of the story was very good. I felt all the backstories and connections the different characters had with one another added to the mystery. I enjoyed how real Jamie was in her relationship with her family. I did not fault her for wanting to run away because people all have different ways of dealing with grief and guilt. Jamie's and Cooper's relationship was well developed, but not the sole focus of the story. Overall, this was a great book and I was satisfied with the ending as well as the big reveal of the attacker. This was my first Nancy Bush book I have read and I can tell you it will not be my last.

A good twist and turn book! I kept feeling like I was in a horror movie. I will have to read more of her books. Overall it was good book. Sometimes I felt it was slow, but I'm glad I was approved to read and review.

The book wrapped up quickly after seeming to drag out the investigation. I give this 4/12 stars our of 5.

Jamie Whelan comes home to River Glen, Oregon, uprooting Harley, 15, from LA when Jamie's mom dies leaving her to care for her brain damaged older sister, Emma. Emma traded places with Jamie, who was babysitting the Ryerson twins instead of attending a party, and was attacked. Coming home opens old history including a crush on Cooper Hayes.

Good investigations with lots of suspects and new attacks reflecting the old one.

This book was okay. I had hoped for more. I found the story dragged at times and it just did not engage me completely. I had huge periods of time between readings and I found that I did not have a desire to read it. I did finish it, but as far as a thriller goes, this one was kind of slow.

The Babysitter had so many twists and turns going on that I had to really keep engaged with the story line to keep up with all the action!
Lots of suspenseful moments that will keep you on the edge of your seat. If you like to read murder mysteries, pick up this book.
I liked the main characters, very relatable and enjoyed the interaction with each other.
Interesting and twisty ending that will surprise you.
I did feel the story seemed to drag a bit a few times but, don’t give up. Keep reading as it does pick up and gets pretty intense.
Many thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and author for the opportunity to read and review this book for my honest opinion.

This book definitely kept the pages turning. It was kind of a sad book, but so is life. I keep reading to see who was responsible for all the trauma, despite the times it was a bummer. This story did have a happy ending in it's own way, and I enjoyed the mystery and the family dynamics of mother, daughter, sister, and granddaughter. There is also a little romance thrown in for Jamie:)

Jamie’s sister was attacked twenty years ago while babysitting and the person responsible was never caught. Now similar attacks have been happening. Is the same person responsible? The Babysitter was a slow (and I mean slow) building thriller that packs in all the answers in the end. You won’t see them coming! It kept me guessing the whole way through.

ARC provided by NetGalley for an honest review.

DNF. I did not finish this one. I just couldn't engage with the story or the characters. This story was not for me at all. Too predictable and cliched.

Two crimes eerily similar decades apart. Similar situations involving a babysitter,the cool guys from school and the consequences.

What a mess. DNF at 67%. I skipped to the 97% mark to find out who the killer was, and I was not surprised in the slightest. There may be an interesting story buried underneath all that filler, but the entire book seems to consist of characters repeating themselves and going in circles. The lack of editing is astonishing.

My thanks to Zebra and NetGalley for providing a copy in exchange for review consideration.

The Babysitter is a slow burn thriller, but to me it was a little too slow. I really enjoyed the ending and was quite shocked at who the babysitter killer was, but throughout this book I would get bored. It started out very creepy and had me intrigued to find out more!

At the beginning of this story we follow Jamie and Emma who are sisters. Jamie is babysitting, but really wants to go to a party so she begs her sister to take over for her. Emma does take over, but she gets attacked by a stranger and almost dies. Now, I am a sucker for creepy babysitter storylines. They are just so spine-chilling because I couldn’t imagine being attacked while babysitting, or getting eerie phone calls all alone. Flash forward to 20 years later and Jamie has to come back home and watch over her sister because their mom passes. Jamie and her teenage daughter move back to care for Emma, but soon strange things start happening that resemble what happened on that fateful night 20 years ago.

We get to see multiple perspectives throughout this book and I think that made it super compelling to continue reading. They never did figure out who was behind attacking Emma, and when new attacks start happening, the police dig back into the case from 20 years ago. I liked how we were learning more about the past in bits and pieces, as well as, all the creepy stuff going on in the present.

My only complaint as I stated above was how I think it was a little too long. I want to be on the edge of my seat the whole time, even during a slow burn. The Babysitter definitely had it’s shocking, goosebumps moments, but it didn’t engage me to continue reading as fast as I could. This was my first book of the author’s and I can’t wait to read more.

Omg this was so much fun to read! Do you remember those horror movies with the babysitter like Halloween & Scream?! This is it but in book form, classic! Jaime was scheduled to babysit on the same night as the hottest house party to be at. So she begs her older sister, Emma, to switch places. We all know that’s like rule #5 don’t switch places!! Of course something goes horribly wrong, but what exactly happened? All we know is that Emma is never the same again and there’s no arrest, the case is unsolved.

Twenty years later, Emma and Jaime’s mother passes away. Jaime moves back home with her HS daughter to care for Emma. Emma’s circle of friends are now married with kids attending the same high school. Just as Jaime settles into her new life, there is another attack on a babysitter. The characters are great, some you like and some you don’t it’s high school lol. This is so good, it’s entertaining & fast paced. Thank you to Kensington Books, Zebra, and NetGalley for an ebook ARC.

The Babysitter is a slow burn suspense novel, following Jamie and her teenage daughter after they return to Jamie's hometown in the wake of Jamie's mothers death. When Jamie and her sister Emma were in high school, Emma was attacked and nearly killed while babysitting. Emma has not been the same since the attack and requires some assistance. Emma's attacker was never caught and now, many years later, killings have begun again.

The mystery itself is twisty with quite a few moving parts. The town population has not changed much in the years Jamie has been gone so the interconnectedness of insular lifelong relationships is a major element. The interactions between these now adults sometimes feel like they never quite left high school. For example, several mothers got upset about the "inappropriateness" of a teenage friend being invited to the spreading of a recently deceased grandmothers ashes. It's like none of them is aware that funeral and memorial services happen everyday, and that it's normal for friends to attend to support those grieving. It was bizarre and felt like the sometimes overly dramatic and small worldview teens have prior to getting out into the world. There are also adults calling teen girls sluts, which is gross and immature.

Content Warnings: SPOILERS ableism; sexism; sexual assault; statutory rape (not on page); misogyny END SPOILERS

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC. The opinions in this review are honest and my own.

The Babysitter by Nancy Bush is a twisty and suspenseful read although, for me, it did seem to drag somewhat unnecessarily which detracted from the overall atmosphere of tension. Nonetheless, a solid read that will hit the spot for devotees of the genre.

Twenty years ago, Jamie and her sister Emma argue over a babysitting gig. Jamie is desperate to attend a high school party, and begs her older sister to take her place on the job. Emma gives in, and it will be a decision that will continue to haunt the sisters two decades later. Emma falls victim to a local stalker that night, and is viciously attacked to an extent that her cognitive abilities become forever impaired. Twenty years on, Emma's caretaker, the girls' mother has died, and Jamie must return to her hometown with her own daughter to care for Emma. When another babysitter is attacked, the night of Emma's assault is once again brought to the fore, and a desperate bid to solve these vicious crimes is initiated once again.

This is a compelling read and one that certainly kept me reading, although certain storylines, such as a romantic subplot in the midst of fear and uncertainty seemed out of place. I would be interested to read more from this author in the future.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Kensington Books for this ARC.