Sheryl Browne has delivered yet another fabulous nail biting read. What is interesting about this story is that unlike her previous thrillers, this time we actually get inside the head of the incredibly evil young woman who owns the title of this book. We learn her motives and see exactly how she means to achieve her goals, acting with an icy callousness common to those with psychopathic tendencies.
She is someone whose actions have been triggered by events experienced as a child long ago. A traumatic event and the first time she met DI Mark Cain. He said he’d always be there for her and she hasn’t forgotten that promise. Now an adult, she has recently moved in opposite Mark and his family. When her cottage is badly damaged by fire they come to Jade’s aid. As she has no relatives they offer to put her up while the insurance is being sorted. Jade tells them she is trained in child care and offers to help Mark’s wife Melissa, looking after the children while she works.
On the surface Jade is perfect. She’s pretty, competent; nothing it appears is too much for her to cope with. Her arrival seems to have come at the right time as Mel suddenly begins to feel unwell, leaving her with the day to day responsibilities for seven year old Poppy and baby Evie. Mark too is affected as Mel’s depression and lack of energy worsens and begins to have an adverse impact on his job.
I was amazed at how cleverly Jade manipulated everyone around her, creating massive cracks in the Cain’s previously idyllic marriage. Even when things don’t quite go to plan, she’s there, finding ways around the problem to get her back on track.
And poor Mark, like all Sheryl’s previous central male characters he comes under incredible pressure as he battles to save both his marriage and his job. There were times I wondered how or even whether he’d survive.
Jade is a thoroughly nasty character, complex and damaged. She’s one jump ahead of everyone in her twisted plan to get rid of Mel and have Mark for herself. She’s on a mission and absolutely nothing is going to stand in her way.
An edge of the seat story, cleverly written with great characters - Jade was an absolute masterpiece!

5/5... this book was fabulous! I loved how from the beginning we knew who Jade was. The torture she inflicted on this family was so unreal! I kept screaming for Mark and Mel to WAKE UP!! If you read this book and you are a parent you won't ever hire someone to take care of your kids without a proper background check! We LOVED this book!

I was very disappointed in this. I'd hoped it would be a unique and interesting take on a well known plot device - new baby sitter and how it effects the family. Unfortunately it came across like a badly thought out movie plot. I wanted mystery and red herrings but everything was laid out from the start.

Thank you to Bookouture for an arc of this book. I'm really sorry to say I wasn't keen on it. The storyline was too obvious and the 'baddie' just too over the top ridiculous. I did like the character of Mark, I think he was well written and I would definitely read more about him. Mark and his wife Mel seemed to have a fantastic relationship at the start of the book and they were far too quick to suspect each other, surely between them they could figure out that bad things started happening when Jade conveniently appeared? I did finish the book as I was eager to find out if Mel and Mark got things under control before the end!
One aspect of the book I have to comment on is the constant giving of Calpol to a child. A real bugbear I have in books is when people give calpol to a child to keep them sleeping. Calpol is paracetamol, it won't make a child sleep, it relieves pain and fever and continually overdosing with Calpol is going to cause liver damage and a horrible death!

An excellent psychological thriller. With lots of twists and turns it's hard to put down. This is an author to look out for. Cracking!

Loved it.....! Totally my kind of book full of twists and turns and fast paced to boot. No messing about with this one! God I hated Jade what a creep she was!

So basically Mark and Melissa live next door to jade, Jades house burns down (shock horror) and she moves in with them and an agenda; everyone thinks she’s a god send....we all know she’s not!

Great book, good characters a good all rounder, Jade was totally off the scale weird and if I could have removed her from that house myself I would have haha! Really enjoyed this one can’t wait for more from Sheryl....

I have read other books from this author. They were always full of emotions and I always loved them.
When I saw the cover of this book, I was intrigued. I did not see what the title and the picture had in common but I assure you, it will become clear very soon. I have to admit that it was a very good choice. Needless to say that it was difficult not to be intrigued by the blurb.
I was happy that I could finally sit down and start reading it and boy oh boy ... WOW!!! What a story!
From the first word I was dragged into the story. You know the feeling when sometimes you feel sorry for the bad guy and even feel some sympathy? Well, in this case, I wanted to dive into the book and strangle the bad 'guy' but at the same time my heart broke because I understood what she had been through. She was deeply damaged by it and misunderstood the few kind words that, for once, were spoken to her.
It was a very well and fluently written book and the schemes were very clever. A big 10 out of 10 for manipulation and psychological torture.
I can only say this : if you read the book, I am sure you will be in for a few hours on a rollercoaster of emotions. Enhjoy!

Oh my gosh, the story line in this book. It is amazing. Even though you know right off the bat who the villain is & why she is doing it, the book grabs you and will not let go. I would love to give an in-depth review of this book, but I am afraid I would give away all the secrets & the plot away. That would be a horrible thing. So I will try to gloss over the book.

It is amazing what one mentally ill woman can effect another mentally ill woman and how close they both can come to tearing a loving family apart. Mark (the husband) is such a character that you completely feel all of his emotions along with Jade & Melissa.

Sheryl Browne writes her characters so that no matter whether they are the "good" or "bad" character you completely feel what they are feeling. There is not a lot of authors that can do that to me. This one can, you will even find yourself hoping that Jade gets the mental help she needs.

This book can not be recommended enough by me if you like thrillers. Even if you do not like thrillers I think you will enjoy the complex story lines in this book. I enjoyed this book so much and I plan on reading more from Sheryl Browne.

I really liked this story. It's the story of Mark, Melissa Cain and their new live-in babysitter, Jade. The Cain's lives turn upside down when Jade comes to live with them. She is keeping a huge secret that threatens to destroy the Cain family. There were so many twists and turns in the story that kept me interested. I wished that Jades true identity had stayed a mystery for a little longer though.

Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to preview THE BABYSITTER BY SHERYL BROWNE.
What happens when you trust your child to someone you "think" will help you, solve your problems, and help run your family...nothing good.
Hand that rocks the cradle - good book, quick read.

I really enjoyed this book , raced through it with a sense of impending doom .... Mark and Melissa help a neighbor after her house burns down , she makes herself indispensable to the busy couple almost immediately and we realize quickly that she has an ulterior motive , as Melissa relapses into a dark depression it's Jade who is there to pick up the pieces , especially with Mark . I found myself mentally shouting at them all to realize who Jade was and what she was doing there , it all tied up nicely and I will certainly keep my eye open for more from Sheryl Browne . Thank you for the opportunity to read this 5 stars !!!

Wowsers. Reading this makes you think twice about letting anyone take care of your child, or move into your home. What you see isn't always what you get, and isn't it true about a woman scorned!!! A very good thrilling read that I struggled to put down. Recommend this read, but be aware it covers some sensitive matter, I can't say much more without giving the game away!

I have given three stars because I did enjoy the book but was left feeling dissatisfied. The book starts off well and the author has a brilliant writing style, especially when it comes to building suspense. However for me the story was too predictable! Maybe I have just read too many good psycholical thrillers lately? I know a few of my friends would enjoy this book.

Phew .......... Goosebumps, shivers down my spine and the hairs on the back of my neck were standing on end., that's how good this book is. I loved the story, the characters and highly recommend you read it. Well deserved 5 stars.

Jade is the perfect babysitter... or is she too good to be true? When she move in with Mel and Mark o help look afte baby Evie and 7 year old Poppy the family soon begin to fall apart... accidents happening and Mel slowly becoming more and more depressed.

We hear this story from multiple point of views, including Jades so there is no hiding the fact that she is doing this to the family.

A very quick paced story, where you will not want to put it down. Thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for a copy of this book to read in exchange for my honest opinions

Oh my goodness I can finally breathe!!

What an amazing, addictive, totally gripping read this was, I was absolutely hooked from the beginning, this book was full of action, I would advise anyone reading this book to forget any plans they my have for their day as once you start this book you will not be able to put down!!!

One of the most predictable 'surprise ending' books I have ever read!

Unfortunately I can't say I liked it a lot. The dialogue between the characters felt a bit fabricated and the plot was nothing special...

I wish the first chapter of the book was revealed in the end, maybe bits of Grace's past could've been splattered here and there in the plot.

Thanks for NetGalley and the publisher for this Arc in exchange for an honest review...

When something is too good to be true, it usually is. When their new neighbor’s house is destroyed in a raging fire, Mark and Mel do not think twice about inviting her to stay and lending a helping hand. Jade is also a qualified child care expert, which makes her just the person to babysit their two little kids. It’s a win-win for all parties…or not. This pretty, charming babysitter is not who she appears to be and she may just have some plans of her own.
The Babysitter is an enjoyable thriller from start to finish. Although you know the villain of the piece right from the word go, it’s chilling to read how a psychopath like Jade can methodically destroy a happy family. Thanks to Bookouture for the ARC!

I am not sure how I felt about this book. From the get go, you know who the bad guy is and I feel like I figured out all the things about her before they were revealed. I am not sure if it was supposed to be that obvious. I also found no redeeming qualities in Jade. I hated her every step of the way, and I feel like the villain should have something redeeming about them. As for Mel and Mark, there were so many things that could have been figured out had they just communicated better. The book was definitely intense and you and to keep reading just to see where the story went, but I honestly don't know that I can say that I liked it. But maybe that isn't a bad thing because it did make me feel things. I was angry most of the book. I finished it, which I wouldn't have done if I found it boring. So, I gave it three stars.

The Babysitter is such an innocent title for a book but don't be fooled, this is definitely not a “Mary Poppins a spoonful of sugar type read”! but never the less what a highly compelling read this turned out to be. A word of warning If you were thinking of hiring a babysitter anytime soon you may want to think again after reading The Babysitter or at least make sure they come with impeccable credentials as long as your arm! Jade miraculously arrives into the life's of Melissa and her husband Mark, they decide to welcome Jade into their home and give her a live in babysitter job to their two children. As Jade quickly ingratiates herself into their lives, the family begin to fall apart in the most spectacular fashion.

The Babysitter does touch on some subjects that some might find difficult to deal with loss and mental health issues around bereavement in particularly, although it never feels gratuitous, and in fact is pivotal to the plot. I do so love a character for one reason or another who can evoke strong emotions in me, and Jade certainly managed that! Highly unlikeable I find myself inwardly screaming at Mark and Melissa to “get her out” of their home and their life's . A master manipulator with a face of an angel you just know Jade is going to cause havoc and heartbreak for the Cain family. Although you don't have to be a genius to work out who Jade is pretty much from the off the “how and the why” Behind her motives are slowly revealed to the reader, as the tension mounts and Jades manipulative behaviour escalates the sense of foreboding sent shivers down my spine. I did have one small niggle considering Mark was a policeman I would have thought he would have done some background checks on Jade, but I'm splitting hairs here! and this is a fictional read after all.

Although The Babysitter isn't highly original plot wise Sheryl Browne has made the story her own with her own unique style of writing. It was interesting to see how a perfectly normal family could be torn apart by one persons manipulative behaviour, and even more scary is the fact it felt perfectly credible. As the reader is privy to Jade’s manipulation and the effects it has on the poor suffering Cain family, you can only watch in horror from the sidelines as the relationship between Mark and Melissa fractures in the most horrifying fashion. Sheryl Browne has written a tense psychological thriller with a chilling antagonist taking central stage, The Babysitter turned out to be a highly addictive read and one I would highly recommend.

Review maybe altered slightly and edited prior to publication on my blog