This was such a fun read, and a great sequel book!

“ Esme Pearl's life used to be all about bumming rides and babysitting. Sure, it wasn't glamorous, but it was predictable. All that changed when Cassandra Heaven came to town, and they discovered their complicated, and connected, legacy: Esme and Cassandra are Sitters, supernaturally-gifted teens armed with an ever-changing grimoire of Sitter witchcraft to help them protect the innocent and keep evil demons at bay. You know, the typical teenage stuff.
But just as Esme is starting to adjust to--and maybe even like--her new normal, life lobs another glitter bomb her way. The Synod--the Sitterhood's governing circle--has called a Summit, a once-in-a-generation gathering that promises training, education, and whole lot of ice-breakers.
Esme should be excited--a Summit might mean she can finally get the answers she desperately wants--but she can't shake a building sense of panic. Especially since Cassandra's not acting like herself; Esme's dad is MIA; Pig is out of dog food; Janis is scared to be alone; and there's a guy who seems too good to be true, again. Worst of all, it soon becomes clear, there's no one watching the kids. It's obvious the Summit is a haute mess, but will it be a deadly one, too?”

I do feel like this one has a bit of a slower pace, but it’s a great sequel with some fun references, and I think adults, teens, and middle schoolers will gobble this up.

Would make a great Christmas present for the teen in your life, especially paired with book 1!

I give this 3.5 stars.

*Many thanks to NetGalley and Delacourte Press for the eARC. My opinions are my own.*

(This book is the sequel to The Babysitter’s coven)

I felt that reading this was kinda like reading how grownups think kids speak to each other. It was very childish but I might just be out of the target demographic. Would recommend for last middle school/early high school age readers & fans of the first book!


Thanks to NetGalley for the e-arc in exchange for my review!

I received an e-arc of For Better or Curse from Penguin Random House through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own!

For Better or Cursed is the second novel in The Babysitters Coven series and follows Esme and Cassandra as they embark on a new journey of hosting a Summit. I won't get into too many more details as a lot happens in this novel.

I really enjoyed reading For Better or Cursed! It was a nice palate cleanser after reading some more high fantasy books. I loved being immersed back in Esme's world again and going on adventures with her and Cassandra. While I didn't love that this novel ended kind of on a cliffhanger (without knowing where a sort of main character is), I'm excited to read the third novel in Fall of 2021. I need to know what happened if my theory is correct! I won't say my theory in case it spoils the book for anyone.

I received an e-arc of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this. I'm so happy I decided to pick the first book up on a whim last year. It's such a fun series and a fun twist on witchcraft. I liked the plot of this one, but not as much as the first one. This one definitely felt like it was more of a set up for the next book. In For Better or Cursed you get introduced to a lot more Sitters and it was great to see more of the world and learn more about their politics. I can't wait to read the next book! I give this book 4 out of 5 stars.

Thank you soo much netgally for sending me Advanced ebook I loved the first one and I loved this one even more it was funny and the friendship was super cute! I can't wait for the next one in the series

3.5/5 stars

** I was provided an E-ARC of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest review **

I'll start by saying I did enjoy this book, however not as much as the first book. I think I just felt that the beginning was slow and the end was very fast-paced, so I kept wanting to put it down. This of course this changed the further I got into the book, but it hindered my enjoyment a little. Overall though I enjoyed the story and the writing and would definitely recommend picking it up.

I’m disappointed to be giving this 3 stars because I loved the first one and was hoping to recapture that experience, but it was so slow and some very odd descriptions and similes/metaphors that left me perplexed. (I hope no one is comparing my face to a Krispy Kreme 😂)

Cassandra made me more and more uncomfortable as the book went on, and I wanted to be rooting for her. She’s really horrible to her brother, and Esme seems slightly concerned but never takes it further.

Janis and Pig were my favorite parts of this book, and there wasn’t enough of them! I enjoyed this enough to try the next one - I HAVE QUESTIONS THAT NEED ANSWERS

There was some fun, some pop culture references, and some magical teen girls saving the world, and that was nice, but overall the pacing was too slow and the plot didn’t get to where I wanted it.

I am so thankful to have received an early copy of this book to read by netgalley and the publisher. I really enjoyed the Babysitter's Coven and have been looking forward to reading this next installment. I had fun continuing the story of Esme and Cassandra as Sitters and enjoyed their new adventure. There were new characters introduced and some new questions that I look forward to getting answered in the next book.

I have ordered book 1, which should arrive by the 4th. After reading that I will be reading For Better or Curse. I am really, really excited. Rating is based upon concept alone and is subject to change when I finish reading and update the review.

This book is even better than the previous one! I loved the way the author increased the tension in the story, and in all the characters. The plot is darker and we don't know who to trust with. Esme is still my favorite character, with her great and unique sense of humor, her strenght and determination, and strong friendship bonds! I am excited to read the next book in this series!

Once again @favouritepagesclub did it, giving me an amazing book when I thought my last readings of the year would go unnoticed. @heykatewilliams' quick, resourceful and talented pen is something you just can't pass up. For this tour I have read The Babysitters Coven and For Better or Cursed and I can say without fear that they are one of the best books I have read about a magical adventure starring a female character.

We meet Esme and Cassandra, two sitters in training who have saved our plane and the kid in their care. After being temporarily trapped in the Negative Cassandra experiences the consequences of the trauma. Even though she cannot remember exactly what happened in there. Their town’s coven will host a Summit which generates endless problems that Cass and Esme will have to solve. Won't someone think of the children?!

I want to emphasize that Esme can be hilarious and that I've really laughed out loud. This book awakens in me the nostalgia of my childhood and adolescence and I firmly believe that it is the kind of reading that should be promoted in Schools. Not only does Kate keep you hooked but she also knows how to make you empathize with the characters. I can't wait to see what else Kate brings us in the next book.♥

You know the TV commercial for Geico that shows a group of teens trying to escape from a Michael Myers-esque killer and they choose to get behind the chainsaws instead of getting in the running car? I must have seen it a gazillion times and I still always chuckle, point being, this book’s description somehow made me think of that commercial. I was primed for some good, snarky laughs and Ms. Williams did not disappoint. Now, granted, some of the language is a bit rough but not excessively so especially when you consider that this is teens defending humanity from demons.

As you might expect when it comes to fighting evil, things don’t always go well and Cassandra is suffering some pretty important amnesia, leaving Esme not exactly on her own but definitely with a partner who’s not on top of her game. The timing for that isn’t great since their coven has to host the upcoming Summit and we all know that trouble is likely to ensue. It does, of course, but this is a fun read although I wish Esme were more aware of behavior that’s somewhat dismissive of Cassandra’s LGBTQ concerns; still, I have to remind myself that, as unenlightened as we might be today, it was worse in the 1990’s when this is set. Having said that, Cassandra has developed her own unpleasant ways so neither girl is entirely likeable. The pacing in this book is also a little slower than I like and, in fact, I think the plot takes a back seat to the characters.

Although I’m rarely bothered by not reading books in order, I do think it probably would have been best in this case and I recommend that anyone wanting to try this series start with the first one, The Babysitters Coven, to have a better understanding of how Esme and Cassandra came to be Sitters. After all, being a witch, even a good one, isn’t exactly “typical teenage stuff” 😉

Reviewed by Lelia Taylor, November 2020.

In all honesty, I was so incredibly excited to finally get my hands on this book! I read the first one last year and it was one of my favorites of 2019. This one also didn’t disappoint. Nothing beats a good witchy teen novel.
Williams is so great at writing relatable characters. Even the characters who you are suppose to hate have a wonderful human quality to them. Among a huge group of teenage girls with magic, she did a great job of making sure everyone stood out and had their own clear personality.
Personally, I enjoyed the storyline of learning about this whole universe from the first book, and that was still my favorite part of this one. This one also had a funny Christmas vibe to it that I wasn’t expecting, but was so refreshing to see.
If you are in the mood for a quirky series featuring badass girls with powers who save the world from demons (heavy Buffy vibes) then this is the perfect series for you! Can’t wait for the third book!!

DNF. It got off to such a slow start that it sort of killed any residual interest I had coming off of book one. Too much back and forth about party planning. Not enough magic and demons.

**I received an ARC from the publisher on Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.


Ahhhh!! I loved this sequel to The Babysitter's Coven as much as I loved the first book. I didn't think I could get any more invested in the characters but I was wrong. The continuing story will suck you in and it will be hard to not read it in one day. And when you're finished, you'll want to re-read it. It's just as exciting and fast paced as the first one but with a twist you won't believe.


Now I'm (im)patiently waiting for the third book to come out fall 2021.

**Thank you to Random House Childrens and Delacorte Press for giving me an Advanced Reader’s Copy of For Better or For Cursed via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review**

I loved reading THE BABYSITTER’S COVEN and the sequel FOR BETTER OR FOR CURSED did not disappoint. This series is so quirky and cool, a unique twist on the “teenage witch” trope. Esme and Cassandra, our two main characters, are Sitters -- a coven of witches whose hobbies include throwing demons back into the Negative Realm and making sure that the children that they babysit get to dance lessons on time. In this sequel, we see Esme and Cassandra grow into their identities as Sitters, and meet other Sitters like them.

Esme Pearl is a hilarious narrator to the story, mixing in teenage angst, 90s music, and sarcasm that makes this story an absolute gem to read. I love when YA fiction actually makes their teenage characters act like teenagers, and Kate William is so good at creating believable teenage characters.

To put it simply, this book is just so. Fun. A great escape into a hilarious, witchy, modern world. I can’t wait until Fall 2021 when book 3 comes out!

I actually ended up liking For Better or Cursed more than The Babysitter's Coven. That surprised me since I rarely like a book two more. This was a fun, quick read.

Esme and Cassandra are still dealing with the after effects of Halloween. Cassandra is losing time and acting weird during it. She has no idea what she's done when she snaps out of it. Esme's dad isn't paying bills and that's been stressful for Esme. Brain tells them that the Synod is going to have a summit for Sitter's and they need to plan the party. The Synod seals the portal during this time.

The girls meet some other sitters that they got close to. I ended up loving all the new characters. Each girl has a different kinesis. There's a lot of talk about Red Magic and why it can't be used. The Sitter's magic is about protecting the innocent and not for personal gain like Red Magic. Esme meets a boy there, Adrian, that she starts to connect to. It's hard for her after what happened with Dion. Janis and Pig are back, too. They are probably always going to be my favorites. During the summit, Esme sees a demon outside and can't figure out how it got out with the portal sealed.

Like the first book, there is a lot of pop culture and fashion, which made the book fun. Esme and Cassandra learned a bit more about their parents, but they still have more questions than answers. Esme is determined to break her mom's curse. The ending has a bit of a cliffhanger and I'm just hoping for the best in the third book.

I gave this book 4 stars. Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for my review copy.

Warnings for blood/cutting, parent in a nursing home type place, demons and dark magic.

This plot was so insane and all over the place with useless information that even the Esme points it out. Much like the first book, we have endless paragraphs of descriptions of outfits. This would be fine if there was a more sensible plot, but alas, that was not the case. My secondary gripe was this quote here:

“We are,” she said, “After we go to Chik-Fil-A.”
“You know they’re homophobes, right?” I asked.
Janis grimaced and nodded. “I know, I know,” she said, “but…”
We finished the sentence together: “Waffle fries.”

You may not recall from the first book, but Esme’s partner in Sitter Coven is queer. Cassandra likes girls. Esme said, I know they hate your fundamental human rights, but those fries, though! This was in the first 12% of the book, and for it to be a young YA book, I don’t like the lesson that that line teaches. It seems like an innocent joke, but it’s really telling that Esme does not care about any struggles Cassandra may go through.

Too much of this plot focused on hiding things from people who needed to know what was going on. Instead of focusing on that, the story takes a drastic turn to something entirely different. This book ended on a cliffhanger, but I found the characters so infuriating that I don’t care to read the third one. The only characters in this story who deserve rights are Janis and Pig. No one else. I don’t care about anyone else in this book, and I don’t care what happens to them. Needless to say, this was a 2-star read.

I fell in love with Kate Williams somewhere on row W in the middle of Books A Million. The cashier and I bonded over the cover and we squeed about how witchy it was.

Imagine my delight when I saw book two up for grabs to read and I had to jump on it. I think I enjoyed this book even more than the first one. It seems darker, more sinister which is right up my alley.

I love the way Kate works her magic-literally! It’s so fun in these books and the way her characters use it is over the top and I am here for it!

It’s fun and very YA but here I am 29 and loved it all the same. I can’t wait for another babysitter book!

3.25 stars

Esme & Cassandra are finally getting the hang of being witchy babysitters- protecting innocent children from evil and doom. Sure, Esme's dad & best friend had their brains fried so they wouldn't remember anything that happened on Halloween, and now she has to lie to them. And, okay, Cassandra is treating her brother like a servant to do her bidding, as well as acting really strange ever since coming back from The Negative. That's ok, they have this. That is they had it. Until the Snyod- The Sisterhood governing body- decides now is the time to throw a surprise Summit in their town. Oh- and Esme & Cassandra are in charge of the big party. With all the sitters under one roof, the children will be exposed. Just how much could possibly go wrong in one weekend?

A lot. A lot went wrong in one weekend, and it was so fun! This was a pretty strong follow up to The Babysitter's Coven. In this book we learn that the Sisterhood it not all it's cracked up to be. Cassandra and Esme are essentially outsiders, new to the Sisterhood and realize all the other sitter's have been involved with their families all along. It was really great to see the other sitter's, their magic, and get more back story on the Sisterhood in general.

The writing is strong with loads of fun pop culture references (though sometimes it did feel a bit much). I especially liked the references to the original Babysitter's Club, and Claudia Kishi! Such a style icon.

I was continuously eager to see how the drama in this book would unfold. There are a few twists thrown in, and one of them had me rolling my eyes and laughing at myself for not having seen it (once you see for yourself you'll understand my feeling). The author kept me engaged and wanting more the entire time. I look forward to book 3.