There comes a point in this audiobook where you can't help but wonder if the title itself, <i>The Babysitter Lives</i>, is a promise or a threat. Stephen Graham Jones delivers an intriguing twist on the haunted house genre, throwing in interstitial dimensions, twisty timelines, and an evil doppelganger on top of the usual ghosts and children in peril, with a just a small dash of slasher horror for good measure. Jones's writing is highly conversational in style and translates to audio incredibly well in the right hands. Thankfully, Isabella Star LaBlanc reads the ever-loving hell out of it, adjusting her pitch and tone in appropriate measures to gives the various characters enough depth and differentiation. This audiobook exclusive makes for a great listen in the ramp-up to Halloween, delivering plenty of fall chills!

Stephen Graham Jones takes the haunted house trope to a new level in this new audio only novel.

Charlotte, a Native American teen, is babysitting six year old twins in a home that happens to be the scene where, years ago, a mother murdered her two small children and then committed suicide. As the evening progresses, weird events start to occur, and Charlotte finds herself fighting for survival in an alternate version of the house, one where the murderer still exists.

Filled with numerous twists and turns, though at times a bit disorienting, The Babysitter Lives is an enjoyable thrill ride of a listen. The author makes his points about racial and queer discrimination without hitting the listener over the head. The narrator was excellent.

My thanks to Simon and Schuster Audio, and to NetGalley, for providing an ALC of the book.

3.5 stars rounded up

An audio-only horror novel, The Babysitter Lives is a take on the haunted house that is weird, twisty, and sometimes gruesome, with a soupçon of social commentary on racism, queerness, and sexual harassment.

It's the night before Halloween and Native American high-school senior Charlotte is babysitting twins while their parents go out on their first date in years. But their house has a grim history- the story goes that a mother drowned her two kids and then died by suicide. And it is a weird house, which quickly becomes clear when the kids disappear and then reappear somewhere else. Charlotte gets caught in a different version of the house and it becomes clear that they are not alone... Can they all survive the night?

At times this book is disorienting, which makes sense with the setup of the house. But it can be confusing to the reader especially on audio. Later in the book this really leans into body horror, including some violent things involving children, so heads up. And without going into too much detail, the kids dad turns out to be a real creep.

There are some interesting moments addressing Charlotte's identity in different ways. The kids say some insensitive things they clearly heard from their parents and one of them has an "Indian" costume for Halloween. Charlotte is also a lesbian and the "support" from her mom is complicated- deciding she must be two-spirit and using that for social clout in their community.

I don't want to say too much more and spoil things, but while there were things I liked about it, this isn't my favorite book from SGJ. Charlotte sometimes does things that don't make a lot of sense to progress the plot. And the ending is weird, in way I'm not sure really works for me. Overall my feelings were positive and the audio narrator did a great job. I think this could have been cool with added sound effects, but I know not everyone is into that. It's more of a straightforward narration. I received an audio copy of this book for review via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

Brief summary: Charlotte is babysitting the Wilbanks twins on the night before Halloween. She anticipates a quiet night studying for her SATs, but strange events start happening and she realizes they are not alone in the house.

This is by far my favorite Stephen Graham Jones I've read. The story keeps up the pace throughout, and Charlotte is a likeable and smart main character. The narrator's performance was wonderful, though I would have liked to be able to speed it up a bit.

My only issue is something a lot of psychological haunted house stories have issues with - when the character is disoriented by the house, I became disoriented, and the story was difficult to follow in a few places.

Well, this is a very good story. Suburban house, twin troupe, spooky water heaters, teenage snark. This the third book I have read by SGJ and by far the best. He's hubbed into a whole new level.. This book really clicked with me.
The narrator was great, she just read the novel rather than act out the novel. Well done.