I really tried with this book however it didn't work for me. This time i couldn't get into it which is a shame because I have enjoyed a few of his other books.

DNF at 110 pages, but one I will come back to on audiobook.

This book started really strong for me, but as the story went on I found myself getting confused and flipping back to previous pages - I had a hard time keeping track of what was happening. Was this intentional, with the author keeping a frantic pace to match the main character's mindset? Possibly!

I think I'm going to try again via audiobook - I thoroughly enjoyed The Buffalo Hunter Hunter on audio earlier this year and I think that may be the best way for me to consume his books!

This book was a real trip!

Charlotte arrives for a night of baby sitting 6 year old twins hoping for a quiet night of revision before her SATs the next day. Charlotte gets the exact opposite of that!

There's a gruesome back story to this haunted house and genuinely this whole book is quite scary and stressful reading. Stephen Graham Jones is just an excellent writer whose stories always feel full of real people. And how he can come up with something like this I'll never know, my brain could not keep up with the comings and goings in this house.

Apart from a bit too much repetitiveness, I really enjoyed reading this book. I loved main character Charlotte, I loved squirming at the gory scenes and I loved being totally enthralled by this book even though I cannot begin to understand how all the comings and goings in the house actually worked. Haunting!!

High school senior Charlotte's first childminding gig didn't end well when, too busy making out with her girlfriend Murphy, she failed to notice her charge sleepwalking out of the house. Her second couldn't be any worse, could it? Of course it could! Hired to mind the Wilbanks' six-year-old twins for a few hours she quickly finds herself trapped in a nightmare. The children wander into one room only to emerge from another and there seems to be someone else I the house only they are aware of.

The Childminder Lives is a cleverly constructed short novel that you really need to pay attention to. If you don't you quite quickly find yourself as lost as Charlotte. It was my first experience of Stephen Graham Jones and, already, not my first.

Thanks to NetGalley, Titan Books and the author for an advance copy.

High school senior Charlotte agrees to babysit the Wilbanks twins on Halloween night, planning to study for the SATs once they’re asleep. But the house is filled with strange noises, eerie behavior from the twins, and whispers of something terrible that happened there years ago. As the night unfolds, Charlotte realizes with growing dread that she and the children are not alone.

Stephen and I don’t have the best track record. He’s like the popular kid at school where everyone loves him, we share the same interests, probably take the same classes, but somehow I always end up standing at the lockers feeling confused and a little dumb. I’ve DNF’d the two books of his I tried before, and I honestly thought this one might be different.

And it was! I felt like I was finally invited to the party, fitting in, having a great time. The writing was sharp, Charlotte was clever and relatable, and the creepy twins in their Halloween costumes gave the story a deliciously unsettling edge. It nailed that eerie, classic haunted house vibe, and I was fully on board.

But then, like the book itself, I got yanked into some surreal world full of camera-headed lizards (this scene was ew!) and half-eaten lasagnas, where it felt like I’d stumbled into a forgotten backroom of Nightmare on Elm Street. About half way, things got messy for me. The liminal spaces, the jumps in time, the shifting identities... to be honest I couldn’t keep track which is mainly my problem. I kept flipping back to try and make sense of it all, but I felt it was like a fever dream by the end.

Despite the confusion, there’s something compelling about the way Stephen writes. His style is vivid, unsettling, and he creates an eerie atmosphere, even when the plot slips through your fingers. I just wish the second half had held onto the clarity and tension of the beginning. However, this has made me consider reading some of his other works. Because honestly, I still just want to be invited to the party! 3/5

Thanks to the publisher and author for sending this to me for my honest review.

Filled with spooky drama this is a book perfect for the upcoming Halloween season.

It has supernatural occurences and is a tense and creepy vibe..

I loved the setting of the haunted house and it gave a really scare at times.

Cahrlottes baby sitting experience is enough to dter anyone from looking after other peoples children and the twins are really odd. For their young age they really are a devious pair.

The author did a good job at creeping me out and this was a book I enjoyed..

“The babysitter lives” starts amazing, it actually gave me the creeps. With a jointed house, strange noises, creepy twins that are hearing someone’s voice.
I liked the house and I wanted more of that together with the children and the main character. And we had that for 50% of the book. Then everything changes and we see only Charlotte trying to do something. It got repetitive and not scary anymore. And it became boring as well.
I was excited about it because I thought that we’ll have this story where strange things are happening on the night Charlotte will babysit these twins. But unfortunately, we don’t. We even forget about the kids for more than 20% of the book.

I will try more books by the author though.

The Babysitter Lives was fantastic with just the right level of thrills and chills. It’s a sharp shock to your senses.

Stephen Graham Jones is one of my favourite horror writers for the way he creates palpable tension, fantastic atmosphere and uses these ideas that revolutionise the genre. They are always so captivating - pulling you into the twisted version of our world where the lines get blurry. This is no exception with a phenomenal idea at its heart. The writing as always is layered and fascinating, weaving in different themes and central ideas as Charlotte tries to get through the night. The babysitter defending her charges isn’t an unusual idea in horror, but the way the story evolves is refreshing and exciting. This is the type of book where you should allow yourself to go in knowing as little as possible and instead lose yourself in the story completely.

The familiar trope is woven into a new nightmare unfolding before your eyes. You also get some other tropes flipped into new shapes, particularly with a look at privilege and trauma refracting through time. It is an arresting read with that signature lyrical flair to the prose, captivating and thought-provoking. At the same time, it feels existential and horrifying in the moment. These pages are packed with scares of all kinds and some great plot twists too - my jaw dropped at one particular moment. I love how SGJ never takes the easy route out. It is always something unexpected and carves out its own path. However, I did also enjoy the nods to other horror creations throughout, with one particular homage hitting home.

The Babysitter Lives sinks under your skin and leaves chills in its wake. Stephen Graham Jones is one of the defining horror writers working now and long may he continue.

Unfortunately I really struggled with this. The plot - where the characters keep "transporting" themselves through objects in the house was just bizarre.

I really loved the idea of this book, and the opening third of the book was quite strong, but there were lots of ideas brought in very quickly. It made sense, reading the author's notes at the end, that he found himself writing things he wasn't expecting to, and it's not like I needed a detailed run through of the logic behind the house or the ghost-realm but the logic did need to be clearer to be able to follow the endless back and forth between the different spaces. The best and creepiest moment in the book for me was the reveal about a certain toy, and the moment I realised what it was I had to stop reading to prepare myself - but then there was no description of it and the story moved past it really quickly, which was disappointing, for some reason. It just felt like the cohesiveness of the story and the impact of its major beats was overlooked in favour of bringing as many ideas in as possible. I would absolutely read something else by the same author, but perhaps with some wariness.

The Babysitter Lives follows teenager Charlotte as she babysits twins Desi and Ronald the night before Halloween. Both Charlotte and the house she’s in charge of for the night come with baggage: Charlotte’s last babysitting job nearly ended in tragedy and something terrible occurred in the house a little over a decade ago. Don’t go into this story expecting a typical haunted house tale though, it’s far weirder and wilder than that.

This story had such a strong start. Charlotte is a great character to anchor the story and the first hints of horror were captivating. I did find that things started to get a little confusing as we reached the home stretch, but I think I mostly found my way. Not my favourite Stephen Graham Jones story, but it was still enjoyable and I love coming across a story that does something a little different!

I’ve wanted to read this story for over a year, but unfortunately, the audiobook wasn't available in the UK and after reading this I can imagine it’s an absolute banger as well. When Titan Books announced that they would be releasing physical copies, I was so bloody excited! I’m pretty sure SGJ never misses and this was one hell of a creepy story, Each page you think surely things can’t get any worse? Yep, they do. We got creepy children, haunted house, weird timelines also doppelgängers. You get to a point and you ask yourself “What is even real anymore?”. If you are looking for a happy ending then I suggest you find another book but it is the perfect Halloween story!

Thank you to Titan Books for my ARC.

This is my third book by Jones, and I fear that he isn’t an author for me. I found this rushed, confusing and all over the place. The lack of chapters made this a drag to read and I didn’t care for the characters or what they were going through. Unfortunately this felt more like a chore to read than anything!

What on earth was that.
The synopsis in no way prepares you for The Babysitter Lives. It starts out well, with a campy 90s horror vibe- think original Halloween, but takes a weird yet interesting turn into something entirely different. I was still on board, pleasantly surprised even, but around the halfway point the book becomes a complete mess.

Timelines and places blend together, logic goes out the window and whilst SGJ might well know what he's envisioning, he certainly can't write it in a way that makes any kind of sense.

I found myself ping ponging between losing interest entirely and focusing harder to try and understand what he was trying to do here. Eventually I've landed on this- the plot is absolutely ridiculous but not in a fun way.
There are some good surprises and some gross (therefore also good) surprises but overall I was irritated rather than entertained.

We don't need 10 pages on how to open a door.

This was such a unique take on haunted houses! I wasn’t expecting it to be a haunted house book at all, I thought it would be more of a slasher.

The whole thing took place over the course of a few hours in one setting. I thought that would get boring, but it didn’t, there were parts that were so tense. The second half felt more nonsensical but, as SGJ said in the acknowledgements, everything in the house was used as a device for the plot. It being so nonsensical and making me confused added to the horror because I felt how Charlotte would have felt.

I reread the last few pages multiple times and I’m still not sure how it ended, it reminded me a little of Beetlejuice and Bojack Horseman (specifically the episode Downer Ending). Everything was unfolding layer after layer, you weren’t sure what layer you were on, how deep you were in it and when or if you were ever getting out.

Out of all the books he’s written, I think this one would make the best film. It was kinda written like one, it played out in my head very easily.

The Babysitter Lives is a horror novel set in one house over one night of babysitting, as a girl about to take her SATs has to use her cunning to keep her twin charges safe from the house and the echoes of horrors that happened in it some years ago. Charlotte is a high school senior who wants to be spending time with her girlfriend Murphy, but instead is babysitting the night before Halloween, and the night before her SATs. Her goal is to get the kids in bed and then study before her mother picks her up, ensuring there's no repeat of her recent babysitting job in which Charlotte, distracted by Murphy visiting, didn't notice the child sleepwalking out of the house. However, in this new house, there's more to contend with, and the house isn't going to give her an easy night.

Having enjoyed many of Stephen Graham Jones' other horror books, I was excited for this one. Unlike some of his other books which feature more complex settings and timelines, this one is self-contained like a horror film, running without chapter breaks and being set in one house over one night. I liked this kind of 'locked building' approach and what it meant for the story, as it gave the space to make everything in the house relevant (as is discussed in the author's note at the end of the book). I also liked how this one does something that I've seen from other horror writers like Grady Hendrix and uses the title to suggest it is a different horror subgenre than it is (you might think slasher from the title, but this is a haunted house book).

I've seen other people describe this one as similar to Point Horror, maybe in a negative way, but for me that was a selling point, as someone who was a big fan of Point Horror back in the day. However, I'd say that whilst the premise and other elements of the plot make it like Point Horror, it feels like a more complicated Point Horror book too, due to not being confined to a teen audience. Some of the action near the end gets a bit repetitive, but I liked the classic 'what is the real ending' type fakeouts that conclude the book and the idea that you must pay a price to escape a haunted house.

Teenager Charlotte is the go to babysitter for the neighbourhood. Reliable, honest, trustworthy and dedicated, she is in demand. When a well to do local couple want a rare night out, their neighbours, the Lopez family, are only too happy to recommend Charlotte.

After a good going through of the rules and regulations, Mr and Mrs Wilbanks head off, leaving Charlotte in charge of their darlings Desi and Ronald, six year old twins. Warned by Mrs Wilbanks that the twins like to play jokes, Charlotte has no idea what she is letting herself in for.

The first half of this book was excellent, totally engaging and so spooky. Sadly, halfway through it became very muddled and repetitive, going nowhere. Being a big fan of horror stories, especially the weird and unexpected, I persevered to the end but it was a struggle.

Great character style, really good plot, just so repetitive that it all became odd rather than horror.

Admire this author very much, just missed the mark for me on this one, sorry 😞.

2.5* for the first 50%, rounded up.

Thank you NetGalley and Titan Books.

Listen. I'll be the first to admit that horror isn't a genre I normally ever go for. However I've heard great things about SGJ and this had diverse elements (indigineous and queer) and so I wanted to give it a go.

I think this probably wasn't the best place to start. First of the structure had its downfalls. I do understand why there were no chapter breaks, this takes place over the course of one night and therefore feels like one continuous story. It just meant there was a lot of information and I didn't really feel like I was digesting what was going on a lot of the time. The horror elements actually didn't scare me at all and I just struggled to connect to the story. I think as well since this is a short book, it didn't delve deeply into those diverse elements I mentioned in a way I would have liked.

I'll definitely seek out more of the authors work, just this one wasn't for me.

This book was really addictive and hard to put down to begin with. It felt like it had such promise but the middle was stretched out and very repetitive. Charlotte was a great character and there were some scary moments! It really reminded me of the Point Horror books I used to read as a teenager.

Graham Jones is clearly a very talented writer but this is the second book I've read of his where I just felt completely lost by the end and not in a good way. I've heard this is a really good audiobook so maybe I just picked the wrong format.

I love a horror novel about a creepy house and I flew through this one. Stephen Graham Jones writing reminds me of old school horror and I love it this was terrifying. This goes here there and everywhere and there were times I struggled to keep up and I had no idea where this was going or how it would end. There was a part in this involving a lizard that made me feel sick. This had so many twists and turns that I couldn't put this down if I tried. I highly recommend.