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xhalara's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
gin_reads's review
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I HATE JADE!!!
bushph's review
4.0
*** Find this review and others on my blog! ***
I’ve been patiently waiting for this since it was announced on Bookouture’s twitter and I was so happy to get my hands on an ARC so thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for providing me with an e-ARC copy! All opinions in this review are my own and are honest.
Wow I loved this and I’d definitely recommend this if you’re looking for a new domestic thriller to pick up! We follow DI Mark Caine and his wife Melissa and the introduction of their new babysitter Jade who arrives at their after a terrible accident causes her home to burn down.
I did feel that it was really obvious from very early on who the babysitter was meant to be, so I can only presume that who the babysitter is meant to be is meant to be that obvious? Either way, I figured it our from the start who she was, but I honestly didn’t feel like it took anything from the story or made the story lose its mystery element. Instead I spent the whole story wondering what the hell was going to happen next and I felt this suspense was enough without needing to add in the extra suspense of who the babysitter was.
I really was kept on the edge of my seat with this one and I wish I’d had the time to just devour this in one sitting, as I very easily could have. I really felt for Melissa and Mark and it was nice to have main characters who were likable and that you felt really sorry. Even when Melissa was being a bitch, I felt so sorry for her and everything that she was going through. As much as I disliked the villain in this story, I also ended up feeling quite sorry for them by the end of the book which I wasn’t expecting!
You get several POV in this story; Mark, Melissa, Jade and Lisa who is one of Marks’ work colleagues and it was obvious who POV we were hearing now through the labelling at the top of the chapters which I really appreciate. It was great to get all the different perspectives of what was going on in the story and I think this really helped add to how realistic the plot is. We get to see how each person deals with that is being thrown at them and also how they perceive the other characters in the story as they get shit thrown at them too.
The only reason this wasn’t a 5-star read for was simply because I wanted more of a complete ending. I don’t really want to say too much as I don’t want to ruin the plot but there were a few things that we saw started in the book and I just wanted more of a wrap-up as to how they were dealt with as I feel some of the things were left a bit open-ended yet I felt like they needed a wrap-up. I feel this is more of a personal preference because I like to keep track of everything in Crime and Thriller books to try and figure out who did it or what is going to happen next.
I would definitely recommend this if you’re a domestic thriller fan; this is being published on March 8th and you can pre-order the kindle e-Book from Amazon for just 99p!
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I’ve been patiently waiting for this since it was announced on Bookouture’s twitter and I was so happy to get my hands on an ARC so thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for providing me with an e-ARC copy! All opinions in this review are my own and are honest.
Wow I loved this and I’d definitely recommend this if you’re looking for a new domestic thriller to pick up! We follow DI Mark Caine and his wife Melissa and the introduction of their new babysitter Jade who arrives at their after a terrible accident causes her home to burn down.
I did feel that it was really obvious from very early on who the babysitter was meant to be, so I can only presume that who the babysitter is meant to be is meant to be that obvious? Either way, I figured it our from the start who she was, but I honestly didn’t feel like it took anything from the story or made the story lose its mystery element. Instead I spent the whole story wondering what the hell was going to happen next and I felt this suspense was enough without needing to add in the extra suspense of who the babysitter was.
I really was kept on the edge of my seat with this one and I wish I’d had the time to just devour this in one sitting, as I very easily could have. I really felt for Melissa and Mark and it was nice to have main characters who were likable and that you felt really sorry. Even when Melissa was being a bitch, I felt so sorry for her and everything that she was going through. As much as I disliked the villain in this story, I also ended up feeling quite sorry for them by the end of the book which I wasn’t expecting!
You get several POV in this story; Mark, Melissa, Jade and Lisa who is one of Marks’ work colleagues and it was obvious who POV we were hearing now through the labelling at the top of the chapters which I really appreciate. It was great to get all the different perspectives of what was going on in the story and I think this really helped add to how realistic the plot is. We get to see how each person deals with that is being thrown at them and also how they perceive the other characters in the story as they get shit thrown at them too.
The only reason this wasn’t a 5-star read for was simply because I wanted more of a complete ending. I don’t really want to say too much as I don’t want to ruin the plot but there were a few things that we saw started in the book and I just wanted more of a wrap-up as to how they were dealt with as I feel some of the things were left a bit open-ended yet I felt like they needed a wrap-up. I feel this is more of a personal preference because I like to keep track of everything in Crime and Thriller books to try and figure out who did it or what is going to happen next.
I would definitely recommend this if you’re a domestic thriller fan; this is being published on March 8th and you can pre-order the kindle e-Book from Amazon for just 99p!
Twitter I Instagram I Blog
jadeariana's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
saltycorpse's review
1.0
So bad I couldn't finish it. The male protagonist was a "female gaze" garbage fire. Sensitive. Loves kids and animals. OBSESSED with his wife. Ridiculously good at sex. A dude who had an abusive background but somehow overcame it all to be flawless and perfect. Boring. Gross. THE WORST. If I wanted to read a masturbatory character like that I'd pick up a drugstore bodice-ripper, thanks. And honestly no hate to drugstore romances, if that's your thing go for it - but I hate books that are obnoxious about it. Hard pass on this one.
siobhmca's review
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse and Sexual assault
ljwrites85's review
2.0
Melissa and Mark are struggling trying to juggle their seven year old daughter Poppy and new born baby with their busy careers. But help lands in their lap in the form of their neighbour Jade, who’s house burnt down. Taking her in, they find she is great with the kids, so she agrees to be their babysitter.
When a young girl goes missing, Mark is torn between his home life and the case. Melissa’s behaviour becomes more and more worrying, sinking into depression, leaving Jade to pick up the pieces. But is Jade all she seems?
A lesson learned from this book, always check your babysitter’s references before you hire them!
So last year I enjoyed The Affair by Sheryl Browne, so I decided recently to go back and read her first psychological thriller The Babysitter.
Like The Affair, the babysitter does tackle some tough subjects like mental illness, infant death and child abuse which Sheryl Browne tackles in honest yet compassionate way.
The main part of the story is told from three perspectives, Melissa, Mark and Jade. Each character felt well rounded and life like. Mark was my favourite, always wanting to be the white knight and save everyone but struggling when he can’t always do that.
I really wanted to like this book but unfortunately it ended up being a little predictable. I also felt that the early chapters from Jade’s perspective, weren’t really needed, in fact I think it would have increased the tension a lot more but of course that’s just my opinion.
Even though this wasn’t my cup of tea, it certainly won’t put me off reading more of Sheryl Browne’s novels.
When a young girl goes missing, Mark is torn between his home life and the case. Melissa’s behaviour becomes more and more worrying, sinking into depression, leaving Jade to pick up the pieces. But is Jade all she seems?
A lesson learned from this book, always check your babysitter’s references before you hire them!
So last year I enjoyed The Affair by Sheryl Browne, so I decided recently to go back and read her first psychological thriller The Babysitter.
Like The Affair, the babysitter does tackle some tough subjects like mental illness, infant death and child abuse which Sheryl Browne tackles in honest yet compassionate way.
The main part of the story is told from three perspectives, Melissa, Mark and Jade. Each character felt well rounded and life like. Mark was my favourite, always wanting to be the white knight and save everyone but struggling when he can’t always do that.
I really wanted to like this book but unfortunately it ended up being a little predictable. I also felt that the early chapters from Jade’s perspective, weren’t really needed, in fact I think it would have increased the tension a lot more but of course that’s just my opinion.
Even though this wasn’t my cup of tea, it certainly won’t put me off reading more of Sheryl Browne’s novels.
kba76's review
3.0
This started out promisingly. Young Grace is rescued from a terrible house fire that kills the rest of her family, though we’re given clear indication things aren’t as positive as people thought. She’s rescued by a young PC, and he promises that she’ll be okay.
Some years later that same PC is now father to two young children and living in an idyllic country cottage with his wife. It’s all very cosy - and then a neighbour’s cottage burns down, she’s invited back to the family home while in her time of need and, without us being sure why, all hell breaks loose.
Within a short space of time the perfect babysitter is revealed to be deranged, very dangerous and determined to not stop until she gets her knight in shining armour. Relationships are stretched to breaking point, professional credibility is sabotaged at every opportunity and there’s a very real threat hiding behind this seemingly perfect facade.
While I love a good thriller, this all felt contrived to the point of silly. I can’t imagine two professional people falling for this, or those around them not being more suspicious. There were attempts to make us feel some sympathy for our villain, but her actions were so far beyond what seems conceivable that I was, frankly, amazed it took so long for her to get her come-uppance.
Some years later that same PC is now father to two young children and living in an idyllic country cottage with his wife. It’s all very cosy - and then a neighbour’s cottage burns down, she’s invited back to the family home while in her time of need and, without us being sure why, all hell breaks loose.
Within a short space of time the perfect babysitter is revealed to be deranged, very dangerous and determined to not stop until she gets her knight in shining armour. Relationships are stretched to breaking point, professional credibility is sabotaged at every opportunity and there’s a very real threat hiding behind this seemingly perfect facade.
While I love a good thriller, this all felt contrived to the point of silly. I can’t imagine two professional people falling for this, or those around them not being more suspicious. There were attempts to make us feel some sympathy for our villain, but her actions were so far beyond what seems conceivable that I was, frankly, amazed it took so long for her to get her come-uppance.
agnesreadsbooksuk's review
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
nadialyons's review
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5