Needing to get a babysitter? Make sure you check any references first….
Today I get to share my review of Sheryl Browne’s ‘The Babysitter’ as part of the blog blitz! Thank you to Bookouture for the blitz invite, as well as the ARC. Here is my review:
You trust her with your family. Would you trust her with your life?
Mark and Melissa Cain are thrilled to have found Jade, a babysitter who is brilliant with their young children. Having seen her own house burn to the ground, Jade needs them as much as they need her. Moving Jade into the family home can only be a good thing, can’t it?
As Mark works long hours as a police officer and Melissa struggles with running a business, the family become ever more reliant on their babysitter, who is only too happy to help. And as Melissa begins to slip into depression, it’s Jade who is left picking up the pieces.
But Mark soon notices things aren’t quite as they seem. Things at home feel wrong, and as Mark begins to investigate their seemingly perfect sitter, what he discovers shocks him to his core. He’s met Jade before. And now he suspects he might know what she wants …
Mark is in a race against time to protect his family.
But what will he find as he goes back to his family home?
What does TWG think?
As soon as good ol’ Jade came on the scene, I had her cards marked. There was just something so shifty about her and to begin with, I had absolutely no idea why. Sometimes not knowing is often a good thing….
What a toe-curling read this was! I have to say that I did find the psychologically dark theme regarding the children, very difficult to swallow and hard to read – I am only human after all! I actually found Mark to be a bit of a wuss considering what he did for a day job! For a man who says he loves his wife and trusts her with his life, he seemed to doubt Melissa a lot quicker than I would have thought. But hey, what do I know?
I couldn’t put ‘The Babysitter’ down, even when I was reading the book with a muckle frown on my face – Sheryl Browne totally held me hostage with her storyline and her multi-dimensional characters.
I have to be really vague with my review, as ‘The Babysitter’ is yet another book which has a lot of details linked to multiple events within the storyline, with a lot of minor details entwined with things readers may flag up as important later on.
I have to say that, whilst there were parts of the storyline which weren’t really my cup of tea, I did enjoy reading the majority of ‘The Babysitter’. I was pleasantly surprised by how intense and gripping the story was, especially as the author maintained that throughout the entire book. I loved how fast paced it was as well, leaving no room for pregnant pauses or time for me to twiddle my thumbs. Definitely a major plus point for me!
All in all, ‘The Babysitter’ glued me to its words like good ol’ PVA, filling my arms with goosebumps, and making my mood incredibly dark. Without even realising, I had invested a lot of myself into Sheryl Browne’s latest novel, blurring the line between fiction and reality. I am really impressed that the author managed to make me think that some of the events were actually happening for real, right in front of me. That said, I was also a little disturbed!
Definitely a gritty, suspenseful and more-ish read from Sheryl Browne – I cannot wait to read more from this author!
About the author.
So why does Sheryl write in two genres? Quoting E. L. Doctorow, Sheryl says: “Writing a novel is like driving a car at night. You can only see as far as your headlights…” This she thinks sums up a writer’s journey, you never quite know where you are going until you get there. You might start with an outline, but a strong character will always divert from the plot. If Sheryl’s not sure where a character is going, she simply has to trust him to show her the way. Plus, according to one reviewer, she also has a scary insight into the mind of a psychopath.
The Writing Garnet 
Your review reminds me of a movie that came out last year I think- what was it, the Surrogate? Or something like that. It starts off with a baby sitter who then becomes their surrogate and theme is almost identical lol. Great review BTW♥
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