3.25 stars

Esme & Cassandra are finally getting the hang of being witchy babysitters- protecting innocent children from evil and doom. Sure, Esme's dad & best friend had their brains fried so they wouldn't remember anything that happened on Halloween, and now she has to lie to them. And, okay, Cassandra is treating her brother like a servant to do her bidding, as well as acting really strange ever since coming back from The Negative. That's ok, they have this. That is they had it. Until the Snyod- The Sisterhood governing body- decides now is the time to throw a surprise Summit in their town. Oh- and Esme & Cassandra are in charge of the big party. With all the sitters under one roof, the children will be exposed. Just how much could possibly go wrong in one weekend?

A lot. A lot went wrong in one weekend, and it was so fun! This was a pretty strong follow up to The Babysitter's Coven. In this book we learn that the Sisterhood it not all it's cracked up to be. Cassandra and Esme are essentially outsiders, new to the Sisterhood and realize all the other sitter's have been involved with their families all along. It was really great to see the other sitter's, their magic, and get more back story on the Sisterhood in general.

The writing is strong with loads of fun pop culture references (though sometimes it did feel a bit much). I especially liked the references to the original Babysitter's Club, and Claudia Kishi! Such a style icon.

I was continuously eager to see how the drama in this book would unfold. There are a few twists thrown in, and one of them had me rolling my eyes and laughing at myself for not having seen it (once you see for yourself you'll understand my feeling). The author kept me engaged and wanting more the entire time. I look forward to book 3.

The first book in this series was an unexpected surprise. With this second book I had some expectations. It was still fun. I still love Esme and Janis and Brian really. Cassandra is just not my favorite. I just don't like her. I don't even know at this point if I'm even supposed to like her. In book 1 I appreciated that a world was being built, but it could also be a stand alone. I think this one tried, but it honestly didn't make much sense to me. The Synod, Red Magic, Beanie Babies? I mean....it was kind of ridiculous. Nothing was really explained to my satisfaction and I feel like more mysteries were just added rather than anything really being explained. I did love the introduction of other Babysitters and other powers. I really liked the group of girls added to Esme's friend group. I like the premise and Esme enough to stick with the series for some future books, but this was not my favorite.

After the ending in The Babysitters Coven, I couldn't wait to dive back into Esme and Cassandra's world in For Better or Cursed. I loved that we got a deeper look into the history of the Sitter's in this book when the Synod decide to call a Summit and gather a bunch of supernaturally-gifted teens together for training. I enjoyed getting to know the new characters introduced in this book. The new Sitters fit right in among all the chaos, and I can't wait to see what everyone is up to in Book 3!

DNF @ 30%

I can't do it.

These covers are so gorgeous and I love the premise but I can't deal with the execution of the story.

The plot is not for me. There are too many variables of lying to everyone around you, hiding BIG things from the people who could help, and characters who are basically pointless. Throw in a shady love interested and you've got this book.

Oh yeah, don't forget that everyone is in danger of dying but they're planning a huge party? I just . . . it's so ridiculous I can't stand it.

The book may turn around at the end, it may at some point be worth it, but I can't sit through another mediocre book.

I received this book from NetGalley in exchange of a honest review. For Better or Cursed starts out after the events of The Babysitters Coven.. The babysitters are back in their net adventure and what a ride it is.
When Esme and Cassandra return home they start to understand their role in the world and how important they are to the safety and quality of life for the rest of us. There is magic here, action, compassion, heart, and humor. It all mixes together to create a satisfying sequel to book one.
Overall this story is a great one and I enjoyed it as much as book one. Can’t wait for book 3

I really enjoyed the first babysitter’s coven book and was really looking forward to this book. It definitely delivered! I really enjoyed learning more about the sitters and meeting more sitters. The new sitters that were introduced are a lot of fun and I am really looking forward to seeing more of them in the next book. I also thought the book had a good balance of answering some of the questions raised in the last book while also deepening the mystery for the next book. I was satisfying to get some answers and I am now really excited to see if some of my theories about what is going on with the over arching plot will be correct. While the story does still leave mysteries it still felt like a complete adventure on its own. Overall I really enjoyed this book and this series.

THIS WAS EVERYTHING I WANTED AND MORE. I loved the first book in the series so much and usually the middle books disappoint (from experience) but this was somehow even better than the first. It was also fun to see a lot of the pop culture references used, too. I had an enjoyable time reading this and it held my attention the entire way through that I finished it within the day! I enjoyed every page and thought that the plot/story was still very unique. Would recommend to anyone!

I literally couldn’t put this book down! I ended up finishing it in one sitting. I enjoyed the writing style, the characters and of course the action! I definitely recommend this book if you want a quick, fun read.

3.5 stars.

For Better or Cursed starts out after the events of The Babysitters Coven (a wonderful story and you need to read it first for the best enjoyment of this book). The babysitters are back in their net adventure and what a ride it is.

When Esme and Cassandra return home they start to understand their role in the world and how important they are to the safety and quality of life for the rest of us. There is magic here, action, compassion, heart, and humor. It all mixes together to create a satisfying sequel to book one.

I loved that there was more character development and growth in this story and that as a reader I got to know the characters on a deeper level. I also love that the humor was placed in just the right places, making this story that much more additive. Each of the girls has new issues to deal with as well as helping out their town and that aspect really made me feel good. I love that these characters are all about improving life. We are also introduced to new characters and we get some visits from past characters.

Overall this story is a great one and I enjoyed it as much as book one. The author really knows how to engage her audience and keep them turning the pages. I think this is a great story for all readers and it can be enjoyed by adults as well as younger children alike. Think if this a book for a family book club. I received an ARC via Netgalley and Random House Children’s Delacorte Press and I am leaving my honest review.

I enjoyed this mash up of Baby Sitters Club/Sabrina/The Craft/Adventures in Babysitting
I think our teens will enjoy it as well. I would recommend they read them in order/starting with the first one, as I think this one would have been better for me if I had.
Thanks for the ARC!

For Better or Cursed is the continuation of the story of The Sitters first introduced in The Babysitters Coven. What I appreciate most about this series is the way it is written. Specifically, I love the pop culture connections, and there is a way clothing is described that is just so vividly perfect! The focus of this installment is the Summit that is being held. I will say it was interesting to read about the planning and execution of a conference. Honestly, y'all, it was just a regular ol' conference in many regards with some supernatural elements. That's not a bad thing, but it was interesting imagining this experience at a conference hotel going through educational sessions - something I've done many times. This series is such unique genre and spin on magic/witches/YA that I very much dig!

This is a story about babysitting & fighting evil.

Did you read the babysitters club? Do you love Buffy the Vampire Slayer? Well! I’ve got a series for you.

I read the first book last year & thought it was a really fun ride- the sequel was even more fun! I love the concept of teenage girls fighting evil while caring for others. These books are also light, fast reads that exist firmly in the YA world. Book 2 focuses more on the larger sitter coven network, and I’m looking forward to book 3!

⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ 💫- 3.5 stars rounded to 4!

Thank you netgalley, Random House & Delecorte Press for this e-ARC of For Better of Cursed!

Esme and Cassandra, under the tutelage of Brian, just finished saving the world from an apocalypse (not that anyone even noticed, thanks to some handy-dandy mindwiping).

These teens have just come to terms with their calling: to protect the innocent and save the world from an onslaught of evil.

And what a doozy it was. They now know that in their world, there are Sitters - who use their witchy magic to keep their charges safe and the world free of demonic portals (caused by red magic).

After the crazy events of the last near-miss of the apocalypse, Esme and Cassandra thought they were going to have a nice and relaxing break - only to realize that the Synod (the people who govern the Sitterhood covens) have called a Summit - a huge magical conference.

And it's happening in their home town! Esme and Cassandra have less than 5 days to host a party and tidy up some rather inconvenient secrets of their town.

And at the same time, Esme's dad has pulled a disappearing act, her mom's curse is being ignored by the higherups in the coven and Cassandra is likely cursed! What is a girl to do?

So, while this was a second book in the series, I do feel like it can be read as a standalone.

The characters were pretty good. Esme was an interesting main character to watch and was engaging throughout.

She had a great sense of humor and her little observations about characters or moments of snark really made it enjoyable. I loved the way she'd play off of other characters in the book - so hilarious!

I loved the concept of this book - with the witchiness combined with babysitting.

And I loved the way the author kept adding more and more tension for the characters. It kind of felt like everyone was juggling eggs and I was waiting for one of them to fall and crack.

All in all, this is my first time with the Babysitters Coven but I really enjoyed the experience!!

With thanks to Netgalley, Kate Williams and Delacorte Press for a free copy in exchange for an honest review

I received a copy of this book from Delacorte Press and Netgalley.

I really, really got a kick out of The Babysitters Coven and the sequel offers up more of the same nostalgic joy.

Think of the BSC mixed with The Craft. Both getting a reboot this year!

I did enjoy Esme a bit more this go round and I think this book is an absolute treat!

I really loved the first book in this series. I was excited to get my hands on an ARC of For Better Or Cursed. I'm happy to say it did not disappoint! Esme's life was boring and predictable but now it's full of supernatural things and curses. She feels like she finally starting to adjust to her new normal when things get crazy. She wants answers to the million questions that are floating in her head since the end of the last book. I thoroughly enjoying reading this one. I was engaged and entertained. For Better of Cursed left me wanting more! I can't wait till next one!

I loved the first book in the series and devoured this one! The cast of characters were great and the story chugged along and pulled me with it. I love that I got to read this around Halloween this year since that is when this is based. It just made it even better. This one does end on a cliffhanger and I will be dying until next year. This book set in the 90's was perfect for me since that is when I grew up. It brought back so many memories. I can not wait for the next book!! I need it now!

"For Better Or Cursed" is the sequel to a book called "The Babysitter's Coven." While I did understand at least the basics of this plot, I feel like reading the first book would have helped me understand this one a lot more, as I wasn't familiar with the characters and what happened prior to the beginning of this one. With that being said, I still thought it was a pretty good story, and would still recommend it.

This book was fun, but felt very slow-moving. I didn't enjoy it as much as the first book, hence the 3 star rating. However, since the book ended on a cliffhanger, I'll definitely be checking out the 3rd book when it gets released next year.

I absolutely enjoyed reading For Better or Cursed. I really enjoyed the new characters that were introduced but especially all the pop references that were mentioned (The Office). I purchased two copies for my reading class. I can’t wait for my students to come back to school and start reading the second installment. Thanks you Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read For Better or Cursed.

For Better or Cursed is the second installment in The Babysitters Coven series. The story takes place less than two months after the events on Halloween night. This time, the Synod and all of the Sitters in the country are coming to Spring River for The Summit.

Just like the first book, I loved all of the cheesy humor and 80’s/90’s pop culture references. This one was super slow for me, though. I felt like nothing notable really happened until the last 30% of the book.

It did end on a bit of a cliffhanger so I’m looking forward to the third book.