The Babysitter

Emma Curtis is one of my favourite authors and this new book certainly didn’t disappoint.
The three main characters are all intriguing and have their own secrets that they are trying to hide.
I was quickly engrossed in this book and the ending blew me away.
I’d recommend to anyone who likes this author or genre. A cracking read!

I love all of Emma Curtis’s books and this one did not let me down. Fantastic thriller which had me glued to my kindle from start to finish.

Told from three different perspectives which keeps the twists coming. Claudia has just been released from prison after being found guilty of killing her daughter. Claudia says she didn’t do it but if she didn’t then who did. Sara is now Claudia’s ex husband’s new wife who doesn’t want Claudia to be realised as she has a young baby to protect. And then Anna who should have been babysitting for Claudia and Joe the day their child was killed. All of them have secrets but only one is a killer.

Fantastic thriller with a jaw dropping ending which will have you hooked highly recommend this to everyone.

The Babysitter is a thrilling, fast paced mystery told from the POV of three women. This had me on the edge of my seat from the very first chapter, I was drawn in by the unique premise and interesting characters, each with their own secrets. I thought this was a great, suspenseful story and the end blew me away. I would highly recommend to any fans of mystery thrillers.

Ten years ago, 8-month-old Tilly was snatched from her affluent suburban home and her horrified parents. But were they really as devastated as they seemed?

Tilly's mother Claudia was off her medication and in the grip of psychosis at the time. When Tilly's regular babysitter, Anna, dropped out unexpectedly, Claudia had hired a replacement. But police regarded with scepticism Claudia's story that the woman she had inadvertently let into her home - believing her to be the babysitter sent by the agency - turned out to be an imposter who abducted her child.

Convicted of murdering and hiding the corpse of her baby, Claudia served a 10 year sentence before her reluctant admission that she had indeed killed Tilly finally made her eligible for parole. But for Claudia, the only reason to "confess" was in order to get out of prison and find out what had actually happened to Tilly.

In the meantime, Claudia's ex-husband has re-married and has a new baby daughter with his new wife, Sara. And Sara, who has secrets of her own, has no intention of allowing Claudia to distrupt the life that she has so built for herself - a beautiful life that is the result of years of careful planning...

And then there is Anna. Now a mother herself, does she know more about Tilly's disappearance than she has ever admitted? Why does Anna hate Claudia so much? Why would she hold Claudia responsible for the death of Anna's older sister Megan?

This is a very intelligent and well-plotted thriller that draws the reader into the lives of these three women - and the secrets and lies that make up the toxic ties connecting them to each other. The characters have unexpected depth, and will linger in the mind well after the point at which the book is finished. Highly recommended.

Emma Curtis delivers a gripping and intense thriller in "The Babysitter." With its intertwined secrets and complex characters, this book will keep readers on the edge of their seats.

The story revolves around three women whose lives are entangled in a web of deceit and betrayal. Claudia, convicted of her child's murder, confesses to manslaughter to secure her release and uncover the truth. Sara, married to Claudia's ex-husband, is faced with the unravelling of her seemingly perfect life. Anna, the babysitter who failed Claudia and Joe on the day their daughter vanished, now finds herself confronted with Claudia's return.

Curtis skilfully weaves these characters' perspectives, revealing the connections and tensions between them. Each woman hides her own secrets, making the reader question who is truly capable of murder. The author's ability to build suspense and maintain a sense of intrigue is commendable.

"The Babysitter" thrives on its well-crafted plot twists and the psychological depth of its characters. Curtis explores themes of guilt, redemption, and the consequences of past actions. The book's fast

This is my first book by Emma Curtis! It was great! Anna, Claudia, and Sara all are connected through Joe. Claudia is his first wife who went to prison for murdering their child. But she maintains that someone took the child. Sara is Joe's new wife and agrees to help Claudia figure out what Anna is hiding. Then Anna disappears. What happened to the baby? What is everyone hiding? Could Joe be the problem! Good book!

Claudia, recently released on parole, after falsely admitting the murder of her baby, goes back to revisit her past and see if she can find out what really happened the night her daughter disappeared. She is joined in the story by her ex husbands new wife, Sara, as well as their old babysitter, Anna. Told by these alternate voices we find out what really happened to baby Tilly on that fateful day.

I was so excited to read this and pushed it to the top of my reading pile as I love Emma Curtis’ books. You are always guaranteed a fast paced, unique, well plotted story and this is exactly what you get with The Babysitter. I will go as far as saying this is my favourite of hers yet! I was immediately hooked by the story, feeing invested in the characters, which were so well developed. The actions of the characters provoked a lot of emotions (especially anger at some of the situations that occur!). The book flows so well and does not lose pace at all. I loved the suspense and watching all the connections fall in to place. I won’t hesitate to recommend this well written, intelligent mystery and can’t wait to see what the author comes up with next! Thanks very much to the publisher and NetGalley for this early copy.

A really good fast paced read. It held my interest right until the end, I just kept reading and reading as I was thoroughly invested in what happened to Claudia next.
A truly thrilling plot, Claudia has just been released from serving nine years for the murder of her 8 month old daughter Tilly. Claudia has always swore she never killed her, that someone took her and so to get out and prove it, she pleads guilty.

There are so many people conspiring against her, trying to keep her from finding out the hidden truths and trying to get her recalled back to prison. No one at all is very nice, everyone believes she killed her baby.

The fact I had no real idea of how the story would go, what happened Tilly or if Claudia was truly responsible or not, is what had me gripped. I really wanted Claudia to be innocent and for Tilly to be alive.

A truly brilliant read that I highly recommend. Thank you to NetGalley and Atlantic Books for the ARC in return for an honest review.

This is such a great book you won't want to stop reading it. It tells the story of Claudia who was sent to prison for killing her baby even though the body was never found. She is out now after 10 years and is set on proving her innocence. Her husband Joe has since remarried and they have a child of their own, friends have deserted her.
She will have a battle to get them to believe her but at the same time also find out what happened to her baby and who was responsible.
Someone doesn't want the truth to get out and will stop at nothing.
A very enjoyable book from start to finish.

OMG, I couldnot put this book down. I have not read a book by this author before, so i am also a bit cautious, and worried that I might not even finish the end. The characters flowed well with the story, The story kept me guessing, little twists through out the book. Slightly disappointed that the husband didnt get his " just desserts".. I cant wait to read another book by this author.

I have no idea where I can start with reviewing this book which had me guessing from start to finish.

I wsa never sure which of the three female leads could be believed, and as things start to ramp up, I was enthralled by what I was finding out.

What I think it could be safe to say is that the police weren't as thorough as they should have been during the initial investigation.

I can't even comment on the characters as my feelings towards them might sway your own opinions as you are reading.

But suffice to say this is definitely up to Emma Curtis's normal high standards and it is a truly excellent tale of deception, intrigue and infatuation.

Thank you to Corvus and Netgalley for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily.

Told from three points of view. I enjoyed watching the story unfold to find out what had really happened to Tilly. The three women are very unlikeable. These are definitely 'love to hate' characters. I did enjoy how it all pieced together and enjoyed the many twists.

This was a really good enjoyable read, it keeps you on the edge of your seat with all the twists and turns. The characters were great, the story itself was really suspenseful and the style of writing was perfect. I have read books by this author before and none have disappointed me.
I would recommend this to anyone who likes reading psychological thrillers.
Thank you netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for a honest review.

A gripping start and I wanted to see how this would develop. Tricky to follow 3 different main women leads and I'm not entirely convinced they had unique voices, it all seemed to merge a bit,

Timeline was also a tad jumpy towards the end in particular. All seemed a bit clunky.

Not really any likeable characters so I didn't trust anyone particularly. A guessable ending.

I've not read any of Emma's books before, but this sounded so juicy and inviting that I dove straight in. And now I've finished it, I'll definitely be keeping an eye out for her others.

This is exactly what you want from a good thriller. It's dark and angry and curious and sad and smart. It had me utterly hooked. It is so well created, multi-layered, truths hidden and lies built upon lies. I really cared about it. I really wanted to discover the truth. That's the worry with some books, that I just don't care about the characters, but this couldn't have been further from that.

There are several threads going through this book, all related to the main story of the missing child in some way or another. That makes it quite a fast, interesting book, as it's not just taken over by one story. There's little nuances, it puts everyone in the frame for guilt, and it's up to you to try and dig your way through.

I had my suspicions throughout, but I was still shocked by the ending. It is full of twists and turns and red herrings and shocks and surprises.

The characters are all delightful. I don't mean that they are all delightful, perfect people, some are very cruel indeed, but the way they've been written, their characteristics, their development, is a delight to read. There are a number of characters, but I'll just name a few:

Firstly you have the main protagonist of Claudia, who pleads guilty to manslaughter in the hope she will be released from prison to hunt down her child. If I'm honest, I felt really sorry for her. I obviously won't give it away as to her guilt or innocence, but whatever happened, and for whatever reason, she was struggling, but she was thrown toe the wolves, and she didn't get the compassion I felt for her.

Joe is Claudia's ex-husband, now married to Sara. I liked him. And again I felt his emotions were ignored. All the focus was on Claudia's devastation over the loss of her child, that no-one really paid attention to Joe. He has some darker moments and we do start to question him, but alongside Claudia, he was my favourite character.

Joe's new wife Sara...I flitted from like to dislike with her. Again, I felt she wasn't all that she appeared to be, there were definitely some secrets there, but she was an interesting comparison with Joe's first wife of Claudia, and her character development was perfect.

And then there's Anna, who has her fingers in all the pies, involving herself in Claudia's story, and Joe and Sara's life. She was a bit strange. I felt she was definitely hiding something, and didn't take no for an answer if she wanted something. She was continuously inventing things, bringing out new disguises, and I felt she was the perfect addition to a thriller.

I'd say it's a balance between plot and character development. Enough story to keep you interested, but with enough character development that means you are fully invested in the outcome of the story. I think she's found a great balance here. It is fast paced which is exactly what you want from a thriller, and it makes it all the more exciting to read.

The book on the whole gives you a lot to think about. Can people ever be 100% good or 100% evil? Can you be purely hero or villain? Can you really believe anyone? Do you trust your kin or your friends? Can you trust your own mind and your own memory?

Another superb psychological thriller from Emma Curtis. Told from the view point of three different women whose lives are connected through the abduction and perceived death of a baby. But where does the truth lie?
Who can be believed? As the story unfolds the reader's confidence in the reliability of the three women is totally undermined. This is a gripping tale, a real page-turner. I couldn't put it down. Highly recommended.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC! The publication date is the 5th October 2023. Wow what a gripping, twist filled book that kept me on my toes and turning the pages! The writing style of the book kept me guessing and on the edge of my seat the entire book, just when I thought I knew where things were going another exciting twist was presented!

I loved that I had no clue about what was going to happen next this is a perfect psychological thriller! This book kept me reading well into the night from the very beginning to the very last page, this was a thrilling page turner! My favourite character was Claudia she was a likeable character.

Overall, I throughly enjoyed this book and all the plot twists that it presented! Another fantastic book by Emma Curtis!

Loved this book, devoured it in no time! Had to force myself to put it down to get some sleep. A big five stars from me!

This book is so hard to put down once you start. It is compelling and disturbing. Claudia turns her back for one minute and her baby is taken. She is released from prision after changing her plea to manslaughter and is determined to find out who took her child. Sara, is married to Claudia's ex-husband and Anna, the babysitter who let Claudia down the night her baby was taken.
There are many secrets and lies, Claudia has many enemies due to her being known as a baby killer but is determined to get to the truth.
It is riveting and Emma Curtis has done a brilliant job of keepng the reader on the edge of their seat. I would highly recommend this book.

This was not what I was expecting at all be I loved the different turn it took.
The story starts when Claudia is released from prison after 10 years for the murder of her baby daughter Tilly. She has only been released because she has admitted guilt and knowing that she will be recalled to prison if she changes her story she has to find out what happened to Tilly without anyone finding out. The story is narrated by Claudia, Sarah (the woman now married to Claudia’s ex, Joe) and Anna (the woman who was meant to be babysitting Tilly on the night she went missing). A good psychological thriller/mystery. I enjoyed the different narratives and finding out what actually happened to Tilly.

Great book! I absolutely loved it. I couldn't put it down. Very well written. I have reccomended it to my friends.

Great twisty thriller to keep you on the edge of your seat!

I really enjoyed this story and the surprises in store. Recommend.

Love Emma’s books and this one has to be the best so far!! It’s a gripping exploration of deceit and danger, culminating in a shocking climax you won't see coming. A must-read for any thriller aficionado. Once again she has surpassed any expectations!!

I really enjoyed this unique storyline told by the point of view of 3 women who's lives are all connected to 1 man,all the characters were hard to like each having their own agenda but this read was strong and gripping with secrets galore.The story flowed really well throughout and made a twisty read your in for a treat.
Recommended
Thanks to Netgalley and Atlantic Books for the ARC.

Wow, just wow. I really enjoyed this book, it kept me on the edge of my seat throughout and the final few chapters gave me a twist I didn’t see coming. Such a sad story, so many complex characters that were portrayed really thoroughly and kept me interested. Exceptionally well written. I haven’t heard of this author before but I’ll definitely be looking out for more of their books. Highly recommended!