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b00kwrld's review against another edition
4.0
O matko potrzebowałam książki, która znowu obudzi we mnie chęci do czytania. Może i była trochę dziwna po względem tego, ze Mark i Mel nic nie zauważyli na początku, ale ja osobiście polecam przeczytać i przekonać się samemu
melaniesreads's review against another edition
4.0
Suspenseful thriller
Oh how I wanted to slap Melissa and say get a grip woman. Great characters and a nice suspenseful plot. Don't expect any twists as its all fairly evident , but if you want a book that racks up the tension then I would thoroughly recommend this one.
Oh how I wanted to slap Melissa and say get a grip woman. Great characters and a nice suspenseful plot. Don't expect any twists as its all fairly evident , but if you want a book that racks up the tension then I would thoroughly recommend this one.
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
hainyh's review against another edition
3.0
It was such a shame that the title of this book was the biggest spoiler of all; straight off the bat you know that the babysitter has something to do with all the things that keep happening in this book, and so as soon as she is introduced within the first couple of chapters, you already know that all the nice and helpful things she is doing are not quite as they seem. Maybe a different book title might have made this SLIGHTLY less predictable a read. There was no element of surprise within this plot, thanks to the spoiler of a book title, so there's nothing to really shock you or create the suspense which I so love within a psychological thriller.
Jade is a young girl who is welcomed into Mark and Mel's family home almost without question, and given a huge amount of responsibility straight away. Any sane and careful parent would at least do their checks first or ensure that Jade was safe. This irked me about the plot. Also, the ending felt rushed and a little too over-the-top.
Thanks to NetGalley for this copy.
Jade is a young girl who is welcomed into Mark and Mel's family home almost without question, and given a huge amount of responsibility straight away. Any sane and careful parent would at least do their checks first or ensure that Jade was safe. This irked me about the plot. Also, the ending felt rushed and a little too over-the-top.
Thanks to NetGalley for this copy.
umbrellaladyreads's review against another edition
3.0
I love a good psychological thriller and am always on the lookout for something a bit different. The Babysitter jumped out at me with its fantastic cover and chilling premise, so I couldn't wait to read it.
Police officer Mark and wife Mel live a generally happy life, despite certain struggles; for example, Mark working long hours as he tries to crack a distressing case as well as deal with a rather troublesome colleague, Mel trying to keep her art business running whilst looking after their two young children, and a previous traumatic event that the couple have only just started to put behind them.
When a fire in a nearby house leaves tenant Jade temporarily homeless, good-natured Melissa opens her home to the young, pretty neighbour until she gets back on her feet. As it turns out, Jade is wonderful with children, and Mel's kids take to her in an instant. Soon Mel is taking up Jade's helpful offer of becoming a live-in babysitter, which is exactly what Mel needs.
Of course, Jade is too good to be true.
While Mel believes she's a lovable, sweet and big-hearted saviour, Jade is in fact evil, with a plan to bring down the happy family and claim what she believes is rightfully hers. And she's about to start with Mel...
Okay, so the prologue of this book was extremely chilling, and I couldn't wait to read on. Sadly though, the rest of the book didn't live up to my expectations.
The author's writing style is fantastic; the story flows well, and it's a great fast-paced read. The problem I had was mainly the plot - or more that this seems to read like many other psychological thrillers. Perhaps it's just me; maybe I have read so many of these over the past year or so that I'm picking up on the many shared elements. Such as the almost panto-like villain, the evil plot to tear a family apart, the slightly naive mother character who 'really isn't crazy, but who will believe her?'
Also, certain things didn't ring true, such as the fact Mel didn't ask for any proof of qualifications (Jade says she has done a childcare course) or references. I mean, I'd do checks before I even invited someone to live in my home, LET ALONE look after my children. Given that Mark is a police officer, this just didn't seem right. Also, things began to go wrong in the household straight after Jade's arrival. It was blatantly obvious what was going on. Why did Mark (again, a police officer) not suspect anything at first?
Granted, I liked this book, and if you can suspend disbelief long enough for the above points not to cross your mind or irk you slightly, then this is a fast-paced thriller that's well worth a read. I think it just seemed to 'samey' for me to rate it any higher, but like I said, this could just be down to my own personal preference.
Police officer Mark and wife Mel live a generally happy life, despite certain struggles; for example, Mark working long hours as he tries to crack a distressing case as well as deal with a rather troublesome colleague, Mel trying to keep her art business running whilst looking after their two young children, and a previous traumatic event that the couple have only just started to put behind them.
When a fire in a nearby house leaves tenant Jade temporarily homeless, good-natured Melissa opens her home to the young, pretty neighbour until she gets back on her feet. As it turns out, Jade is wonderful with children, and Mel's kids take to her in an instant. Soon Mel is taking up Jade's helpful offer of becoming a live-in babysitter, which is exactly what Mel needs.
Of course, Jade is too good to be true.
While Mel believes she's a lovable, sweet and big-hearted saviour, Jade is in fact evil, with a plan to bring down the happy family and claim what she believes is rightfully hers. And she's about to start with Mel...
Okay, so the prologue of this book was extremely chilling, and I couldn't wait to read on. Sadly though, the rest of the book didn't live up to my expectations.
The author's writing style is fantastic; the story flows well, and it's a great fast-paced read. The problem I had was mainly the plot - or more that this seems to read like many other psychological thrillers. Perhaps it's just me; maybe I have read so many of these over the past year or so that I'm picking up on the many shared elements. Such as the almost panto-like villain, the evil plot to tear a family apart, the slightly naive mother character who 'really isn't crazy, but who will believe her?'
Also, certain things didn't ring true, such as the fact Mel didn't ask for any proof of qualifications (Jade says she has done a childcare course) or references. I mean, I'd do checks before I even invited someone to live in my home, LET ALONE look after my children. Given that Mark is a police officer, this just didn't seem right. Also, things began to go wrong in the household straight after Jade's arrival. It was blatantly obvious what was going on. Why did Mark (again, a police officer) not suspect anything at first?
Granted, I liked this book, and if you can suspend disbelief long enough for the above points not to cross your mind or irk you slightly, then this is a fast-paced thriller that's well worth a read. I think it just seemed to 'samey' for me to rate it any higher, but like I said, this could just be down to my own personal preference.
sarahs_bookish_life's review against another edition
4.0
Having read and enjoyed the authors newest book, The Affair, and loving it, I thought I would I try one of her other books. It didn't disappoint.
This was such a tense read which builds up throughout. I had to stop myself from jumping up and down and screaming at Mark and Melissa in the hope that they would see what was going on before their eyes. Jade, well don't get me started on her, would have liked to have had half an hour on my own with her to give a good piece of my mind that's for sure!
Mark, you can't help forming a little bit of a crush on. He is just perfect in every way. His love for his wife is unfaltering which I liked as to many films and books make the men quite weak when it comes to the opposite sex and it makes for a refreshing change.
The Babysitter is a novel that will have you going through an array of emotions. My anger levels alone were nearly through the roof at one point as Jade is a character who well and truly gets under your skin. This really is a nail biting, edge of your seat read where you will be desperate to see what the outcome will be. Will definitely get the adrenaline pumping!
This was such a tense read which builds up throughout. I had to stop myself from jumping up and down and screaming at Mark and Melissa in the hope that they would see what was going on before their eyes. Jade, well don't get me started on her, would have liked to have had half an hour on my own with her to give a good piece of my mind that's for sure!
Mark, you can't help forming a little bit of a crush on. He is just perfect in every way. His love for his wife is unfaltering which I liked as to many films and books make the men quite weak when it comes to the opposite sex and it makes for a refreshing change.
The Babysitter is a novel that will have you going through an array of emotions. My anger levels alone were nearly through the roof at one point as Jade is a character who well and truly gets under your skin. This really is a nail biting, edge of your seat read where you will be desperate to see what the outcome will be. Will definitely get the adrenaline pumping!
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
maylah's review
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
i agree with the other reviews— no twists whatsoever, very predictable, and it was very frustrating that no one could see it was Jade doing everything. I almost had to stop reading because of the irony that not one character suspected Jade despite everything bad starting when she moved in. The summary saying Mark started to suspect the babysitter isn’t true at all, and the ending wasn’t very satisfying. Overall, the story felt dragged on and repetitive. Good if ur looking for a fast, easy read but nothing special