this book was a little disappointing. At first it was really good then it kind of fell off for me. I love Nancy Bush but this book was not all it was cracked up to be.

This was a story, in a story, in a story! Really good. I thought I had figured it out a few times but was wrong. I recommend this book.

I really enjoyed this book. It really reminds me of the teenage slasher movies I loved in the 80's. That being said you can guess the premise from the title. It was enjoyable and I read it in an afternoon. I recommend this book.

The Babysitter is a thriller that is reminiscent of horror flicks and teen thrillers from the 80s and 90s. The Babysitter Murders have become part folklore/part unsolved mystery Pacific Northwest and Jamie Whelan is tied to the grisly story regardless if she left the town of River Glen shortly after high school. Growing up, Jamie always felt she was in the shadow of her older, popular sister Emma. A quick decision-to switch babysitting responsibilities with Emma-forever altered their lives when Emma was attacked and brutally injured. Years later, the sisters have grown apart and have separate lives-until Emma calls that their mom has passed away and Jamie and her teenage daughter Harley needs to come home. Upon returning home it is clear the town has not forgotten what happened to Emma and that night created ripple effects still felt years later. Soon, history seems to repeat itself as someone seems to be stalking babysitters again-including Harley and her friends. With the unsolved mystery of Emma's attacker looming in the background Jamie and her family find themselves confronting the past while trying to survive the present. Will they solve the cold case in time? That question and more are answered in Nancy Bush's The Babysitter.

This is the first book by Nancy Bush that I have read and I really enjoyed the premise-that is what piqued my interest originally. There are a lot of minor characters (Jamie and Emma's high school friends now adults and their kids who are now in high school) that at times seem a little superfluous and the middle of the book seemed much slower than the beginning. I had started to figure out one of the twists but the ending really brought it together and was unexpected which is always enjoyable! The last few chapters flew by and the ending, seemingly abrupt, at least resolved the majority of the plot points. This was a solid 3.5 stars for me.

Thank you to the writer, publisher and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest feedback.

This author has perfected the suspenseful thriller, and this novel definitely proves it. Not knowing what is coming next, each page leaves you one part terrified one part excited to see what is going to happen next.

Great quick read, not exactly a page turning thriller but I did enjoy it, in a cheesy good way. Thanks Netgalley for this book.

Emma and Jamie are sisters that grew up in River Glen. Emma is older and very popular at school with both girls and boys. Jamie isn't as popular but she does okay. When one of the senior guys asks her to a party she is ecstatic. Only thing is she's babysitting for the Ryerson twins. Begging her sister, Emma to help her out, they finally agree that Emma will help her out with half the babysitting job. She will get their when the twins are in bed asleep then Jamie can leave for the party. Their mother is a nurse at the hospital and will be at work.
Everything goes as planned and Jamie leaves for the party. The party was definitely not worth it and the senior guy she was supposed to meet wasn't even there.
The phone rings later that night. As Jamie struggles to answer it her mother gets to the phone first. What ensues is one of the most horrific ordeals of their lives. One that will resonate through the years.
My new best read!

Wow! This is a very suspenseful whodunnit! Definitely a slow burn thriller that will keep you reading late into the night. This is my first book by Nancy Bush, but certainly won’t be my last. Some parts were a little slow, but overall a very intriguing read. Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for my ARC!

I’m a law enforcement professional in my daily life, and yet thrillers are my favorite genre, #murderino. I say that, because I’m normally pretty good at picking out the whodunnit long before the book ends. I never would have seen this one coming, even if I had an entire career behind me. Nancy Bush, you sly fox, I’m so glad that you have an entire catalogue that I can now go back to.

The book starts out with a scene from high school...the main character Jamie gets invited to a senior class party, as a sophomore, by her crush! Jamie already has plans to babysit, and she begs her sister Emma to babysit in her stead. Emma was also planning to go to the party, but decides to switch off after the kids are asleep so Jamie can make an appearance. However, Emma is attacked by an intruder, and left with severe developmental issues for the rest of her life. When their mother dies, it’s up to Jamie and her daughter Harley to come back home and take care of her sister, who still has nightmares of the attack. When Jamie moves back, repeat crimes are committed...is this a resurgence of the Babysitter Stalker?

This was an engaging read for me. I really liked Jamie, Harley, and Emma as characters, and I was a little sad to leave their lives when I finished the book. Pick this one up if you’re looking for a midsummer breezy read!

This book gripped me on page one and never let go. I loved every thrilling moment of it. Tried my best to figure out who attacked Emma and the babysitters now. But I was no where close to getting it right. Nancy Bush is a wonderful author!

First, a thank you to Negalley for sharing the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

According to Goodreads, I'm definitely in the minority when it comes to this one and I honestly don't have much to say about it. The story was fine, but it didn't really do anything for me nor hold my interest. The story was pretty ho-hum and not unlike so many books of this genre, albeit with different characters. Overall, it reminded me of a Lifetime movie or a B version of the cult classic, Scream, which I recall loving as a teen, so maybe that was part of the problem, it just didn't compare (which is obviously unfair given that they're a book not based on the movie.) I wouldn't go so far to claim that people shouldn't read it as they're are people who will enjoy it (and have) more than me.

I loved this book, couldn't put it down. My favorite character was Jamie and Harley her daughter.
I liked how strong they was.
I had no idea that character would be the killer not saying whom.
but it is a great twist to the story.
I thought it was a different character in the book. I was like no way. what A great mystery.
great plot's and I loved the cover.
I got the book from netgalley

I was so excited to get an ARC of this book before release day! This is the first book by Nancy Bush that I have read. She has me hooked and I will definitely be reading more of her work! If you are a fan of mysteries, this is surely a book for you! I think the characters were well developed as well as the plot. You'll really feel like you know these characters when you read the book. Jamie is supposed to babysit the Ryerson twins, but talks her sister Emma into babysitting for her so that she can go to a high school party. Emma is attacked. Jamie feels guilty. Twenty years later the case is reopened by a classmate Cooper. He feels like he is meant to get to the bottom of this case even after all this time. Be prepared for an ending unlike any other!

Couldn’t get into this book- I gave it chances But it’s so long and the plot isn’t keeping me interested. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free copy in exchange for review.

Full of pure terror don't read this book at night or you'll sleep with the lights on. It's an excellent story where the tension of the book is just ramped up until it's awesome conclusion that will have you feverishly flipping pages because you have to find out who did it. Happy reading!

Jamie Whelan is scheduled to babysit 7-year-old Serena and Teddy, the Ryerson twins. Her older sister, Emma, has agreed to come and relieve her so she can go to a party. Jamie had been invited by her heartthrob, Cooper Haynes. Finding the party a disappointment, she heads home. There, a phone call comes through that Emma had been attacked and is in the hospital. Someone had come in and stabbed her. She then fell and hit her head leaving her now with the mentality of a 12-year-old. This is the third attack on babysitters and no one has ever been caught. The girls’ father left them for another woman. Their mom works long nights which leaves Jamie to care for Emma.

When Jamie graduated high school she moved to Los Angeles. She married Paul and gave birth to Harley, named by Paul for his motorcycle. Then Paul died in a motorcycle accident. Now, Jamie gets a call that her mother has passed away and she needs to move back home and care for Emma.

Harley, now 15, is trying to fit into a new school and make friends. Jamie is seeing old friends and trying to find a teaching job. All that’s available is substitute teaching. Jamie finds that a lot of her school friends have stayed in the area. Cooper Haynes is now a police officer and divorced.

When Harley’s friend is nearly attacked while babysitting, Jamie is terrified and doesn’t want Harley babysitting. She and Cooper renew their friendship as they try to solve who the attacker might be. But when other people are murdered, they realize that there is a killer on the loose.

This was a good book that needed a whole lot of editing as it was way, way too long. Lots of names and what seemed like repetitive dialogue. But, Emma is an interesting soul and I liked her. Harley was a typical teenager that made me want to scream at times. I also liked Jamie and Cooper as they made a great couple. All in all a good read with a surprising ending.

Copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

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.

Twenty years ago, Jamie was scheduled to babysit for the Ryersons. At the last minute, she begged her sister, Emma, to fill in for her so she could go to a party. But not all went well.

Someone attacked Emily, leaving her with stabbing scars, and a head injury that would go to affect her the rest of her life.

This wasn't the only crime committed by the Babysitter Stalker. One was fatally stabbed.. another was shoved off a rooftop deck. The attacker was never caught.

Jamie is back in her hometown, following the death of her mother. She's there to either take care of Emily, as she can not live alone, or finding someone else who can take care of her. Jamie, now with a teenage daughter of her own, fears the Babysitter Stalker is back, after another teenage babysitter is attacked.

Coincidence? Is this new nightmare connected with those long-ago crimes? What does Emily remember of the night she was attacked? With her sister back in town, is someone afraid that dark secrets will be revealed ... and someone will kill to stop that from happening.

With a tightly woven plot and skillfully drawn characters, this is a real nail biter. Lots of suspects, both old and new, keep your eyes riveted to the action-backed pages.

Many thanks to the author / Kensington Books - Zebra / Netgalley for the digital copy of this crime fiction. Read and reviewed voluntarily, opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.

The Babysitter by Nancy Bush was an exciting throw back type thriller for me! In the 90s and early 2000s I read a ton of Lisa Jackson and Nancy Bush books especially the titles they co-authored. I was excited to get this digital ARC from @netgalley and @kensingtonbooks.

A take on a common horror film theme the Babysitter is set in River Glen, Oregon. The novel starts with a crime that occurred 20 years ago and picks up present day when similar crimes start happening shortly after the protagonist, Jamie Whelan, returns home following her mother’s death. It’s a serial killer premise targeting babysitters…or is it? Yall know I love the small town secrets trope and this book has all that going on!

For me, the book was not as taut and tense as the thrillers I am used to of late. I was invested in Jamie and her complicated relationship with her sister Emma and her daughter. I didn’t get the twist exactly right so I it did have that whoa…what…moment for me! There was a romance piece that did add to my enjoyment of the book. Overall, I enjoyed this one though I though it was a little slow and could’ve been shorter. 3 1/2 stars for me.

I was provided an advanced digital copy of the book in exchange for my honest review!

Thank you to Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review. I had a really hard time finishing this one. For starters, I think a lot of the writing was filler. Yes we know Cooper was hot. But it doesn’t need to be repeated 100 times. It just dragged out a lot for me. I didn’t get the edge of your seat feeling. And the ending was rushed. Like we have about 10 chapters worth of filler and it comes to an abrupt end in about 5 to 10 pages? This book was kind of a let down.