The whispers may scare you . . . In River Glen, Oregon, rumors are spreading about the Babysitter Stalker. One victim was fatally stabbed. A second fell—or was pushed—from a rooftop deck. High school sophomore Jamie Whelan, scheduled to watch the Ryerson twins tonight, isn’t worried. She’s more interested in the party she’ll go to later, as soon as her sister Emma arrives to take over babysitting … babysitting duties. But nothing goes according to plan . . . But the truth . . . Twenty years after that night’s vicious attack, Emma remains scarred in body and mind. Jamie, back in River Glen after their mother’s death, still feels guilty over trading places that fateful evening. Then suddenly another young babysitter is attacked. Jamie, with a teenage daughter of her own, fears something much more twisted than coincidence. Is even more terrifying . . . Is this new nightmare connected with those long-ago crimes? Emma’s fractured memories may contain the answer. But the deeper Jamie digs, the darker the secrets waiting to be uncovered—and avenged . . .
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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.
Emma had switched places with her sister Jamie and was babysitting for the Ryerson family when she was brutally attacked. Emma’s life was never the same since she ended up with brain damage. When their mom who has been Emma’s caregiver for over twenty years passes away, Jamie packs up her car and her teen daughter Harley and moves back home again. The action is fast-paced from the very beginning and extremely intense and scary at parts. The attacker(s) had never been caught, but Connor, a former beau of Emma’s and now a member of the River Glen law enforcement team, has not given up on finding the perpetrator. Unfortunately, another teen is attacked and Jamie is determined to protect Harley as well as Emma. What a twisted ride, with all kinds of false clues and switchbacks! There are so many secrets that are revealed slowly and teasingly that kept me reading long into the night. Fans of mystery/suspense/thriller will enjoy this book, but make sure you leave the lights on as you burrow under the covers.
Disclaimer
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from Bookish First. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255, “Guides Concerning the Use of Testimonials and Endorsements in Advertising.”
A new age slasher movie in the making
One of my all time favorite 2020 books so far a great summer lead for all who love in action packed twisted unpredictable book this has it all from romance,bloody,mystery l, and suspense all into one book. I honestly could not believe how it ended kept you guessing literally to the very last page to the very last sentence!
Years have passed since Jamie had her sister switch places with her for a babysitting job a move that will leave her haunted for the rest of her life now she has to come back just in time for all the memories to poor back in will the mystery on who attacked her sister Emma all those years ago finally come to light before anybody else is hurt? Will anybody be able to handle the truth?
When Jamie gets invited to a party by the older boy she has a crush on, she begs her sister Emma, to babysit for her, so she can go. When Emma is attacked, and nearly killed, people blame it on a rumored babysitter killer.
With Emma left not fully right, mentally, teenaged Jamie has to help care for her while their mother works. So, Jamie leaves and gets married the first chance she gets after high school.
Then, twenty years later, Emma remains mentally challenged. When their mother dies, Jamie has to return home to care for her sister. Then, another babysitter is attacked, and leaves Jamie to wonder if this attack is connected to her sisters.
I loved this book. It draws you in from page one, and holds your interest throughout. The characters were all well written, and you could feel what they were feeling. This book definitely kept me guessing, and I didn’t know what was going on until it was revealed in the end. I definitely recommend this book, if you’re looking for a good suspense book, with a bit of romance.
A mystery that spans 20 years. This book starts out just like one of those old horror movies we used to love to watch. It starts out with a bang but loses its momentum in the middle and picks up in the last third of the book. The ending is a shocking surprise.
This was more a coming home family saga than a suspense thriller. Still a good book just not what I thought it would be.
ARC provided by NetGalley for an honest review
Emma was a typical teen who thought she had her life planned out and tragedy strikes. She’s left for dead but survived. She has this way of saying freaky things from her accident when she has an episode. Jamie her sister was freaked out by it and many times tried understanding what Emma meant.
There were slow parts to the book, then it would pick up. So many characters to keep track of, I thought about writing them down. I thought it was wrong how the younger generation played the girls like their parents did with Emma!
Wait the hero Irene the mother OMG! The person who I thought attacked Emma then Marissa didn’t play out, then I picked another and boy was I wrong…..
A little bit of romance, a lot of conspiracy theories and really the only person who had any rightful knowledge, had a cognitive impairment. There were times I didn’t like Emma, others she seemed ok.
Enjoyable with a twist at the end I wasn’t expecting. Some parts were slow moving but overall a good read.
Thank you #netgalley and #kensington #zebra for the eARC.
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! s
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.